District Administration - October 2010 - (Page 14)

From the Editor Perseverance Is Key To persevere has always been my modus operandi. i Think This aTTiTude originated through the influence of lee kahn, the principal of william b. ward school in new rochelle, n.y. when i was in elementary school, and his yearlong quest for a school motto. The entire school was involved. it was a big deal. The resulting statement had a big effect on me: “Take pride in a job well done.” The editors on my staff, who sometimes give me grief for pushing them, nevertheless emulate this attitude themselves. each issue of da has its challenges and requires its own level of perseverance. we assign one story, and much to the chagrin of the writer, we see a The word “perseverance” better story in what has been unfolded. such was the case with “arizona divided,” a story written by ed Finkel and edited by angela may have been invented for pascopella. we asked ed to write about the new immigration laws in contacting DOE personnel, arizona and their impact on students, and what unfolded was a more important story about the segregation of english language learners. but in the end the results districts have implemented a state-mandated curriculum for ells that far outweigh the pain. separates them from mainstream students and limits their option to learn about ethnic studies. For our special report on school spending, “The price of a Good education,” we had our tenacious college interns research the most recent per-pupil expenditures and coinciding graduation rates that could be found, a very challenging assignment, since the data are not always as transparent as we would like them to be. To continue our series of one-to-one conversations with people who influence k12 education, i asked marion herbert to contact Joanne weiss, the chief of staff of the u.s. department of education, as well as the director of the race to the Top grant competition. The word “perseverance” may have been invented for contacting doe personnel, and one can use it as a personal test of patience, but in the end the results far outweigh the pain. although Joanne is under the radar, she is a tremendously influential woman behind the scenes of race to the Top. These are just a few of the articles you will find in this issue. if you prefer digital technology, we offer in-depth coverage of all the important issues and the most up-to-date topics on our web site, www .districtadministration.com. i welcome your thoughts on both our articles and any other issues on your mind. send me an e-mail at jhartnett@districtadministration. Judy Faust Hartnett, Editor in Chief jhartnett@districtadministration.com Don’t miss our report on refurbished technology. Page 27 Sponsored by: 14 October 2010 District Administration http://www.districtadministration.com http://www.districtadministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - October 2010

District Administration - October 2010
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Curriculum Update
Facilities Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Conversations
The Price of a Good Education
Dividing Arizona
Making Your School Future-Proof
Connecting Curriculum with Community
A Small District’s Big Innovator
New Books
New Products
Product Focus
Tech Disruptions
Superintendent’s Insights
Online Edge
Professional Opinion

District Administration - October 2010