I’m (Almost) Back

Eduflack Uncategorized

Eduflack is happy to report that I will soon be back in the saddle on this dear ol’ blog shortly. I appreciate all the loyal readers’ patience with me as I wrapped up my book on fatherhood (coming to a bookstore or e-reader near you next month) and wrapped up the second edition as lead editor of Why Kids Can’t Read: Challenging the Status Quo in Education.

Come August, I’ll be back to multiple posts a week here on the important intersections of education, policy, politics, and communications. And if you can’t get enough of Eduflack, check out my Twitter feed and all those articles I find interesting, and hope to blog about one day.

Thanks, as always, for following. Have a great Independence Day weekend!

The Path to “Dadprovement”

Eduflack Uncategorized

Earlier this year, Eduflack had noted that he had completed a new book on fatherhood, and the book would be coming out soon. After initially self-publishing it through Amazon, I’m pleased to announce that Red Wheel Publishing is releasing the book, and is currently planning to do so in August.

Eduflack fans be warned, this is not my typical policy rants or communications critiques. Instead, this is a very personal and emotional story. It talks through all of the triumphs and challenges my wife and I went through in adopting our children from Guatemala, particularly as we raced against the clock that was shutting off the international adoption process for good. It then transitions into a relatively raw story on my own struggles to figure out what fatherhood truly meant and the stumbles and frustrations I required before I truly became a real husband and a real dad to my family.

The book is Dadprovement: A Journey from Careerist to Adoptive Father to Real Husband and Dad. If any Eduflack readers are interested in reading the book, and then blogging about it, please let me know and I can shoot a copy over to you. It is a quick read, and I hope you will learn a little something about what makes dear ol’ Eduflack tick.

As the publisher notes in the initial promotion,  the book provides “Inspiration for any parent wrestling with society’s expectations and acknowledging (and cherishing) what really matters…”

The best part is I am now sharing a publishing imprint with the likes of the Dali Lama and the guy who wrote Chicken Soup for the Soul. I feel like a real boy!

In the coming months, I’ll be ramping up a Dadprovement blog, which will focus on all things fatherhood and the joys and struggles of being a dad. I hope you will add it to your reading list. Check it out!

 

“Don’t Call Them Dropouts”

Eduflack Achievement gap, High School , ,

Over at GradNation, America’s Promise Alliance is running a blog series on its new report, “Don’t Call Them Dropouts.” The report is an important one, making clear there is no quick-and-dirty explanation as to why so many fail to earn their high school diplomas. More importantly, America’s Promise Alliance has launched a valuable discussion on what the report really means and how we can move its findings and observations into meaningful policy that increases high school graduation rates and pathways to success.

Eduflack was proud that he was asked to contribute to this series, and my post is up this morning. In Driving To a Better Future, I write about how we can better engage students at risk, and how it could have impacted my family.

From today’s GradNation post, in telling the story of my grandfather:

Oh, how times have changed. A high school diploma is now a non-negotiable. My grandfather would not have been able to join the Army without a high school diploma. And the chances that he would be able to buy a house and raise a family where all five of his kids would graduate from high school would be slim. 

I urge you to check out the full post, and spend some time exploring some of the other posts on the GradNation blog. It is well worth the read.

 

A Little Housekeeping

Eduflack Uncategorized

For those loyal Eduflack readers, you may have noticed that the blog site looks a little different these past few days. In the words of those fun-lovin’ families in the South Park movie, “Blame Canada!”

Seriously, though, for the past seven years this blog has been hosted on a GoDaddy platform. Earlier this month, GoDaddy let us know it was doing away with its blogging platform. So I am currently in the process of trying to move seven years’ worth of posts from the old site to this new Word Press site.

So bear with me. Much appreciated.

“Our School,” Our Community

Eduflack accountability, charter schools, Parents, reform, Students, teachers

When we talk about education and school improvement, we can often forget there are real schools involved in the equation. In our quest for reform, we can slip into thinking in abstraction, thinking about public education as if it were a laboratory and our changes have little, if any, impact on the educators and students who spend the majority of their time in those very buildings.

While some of my reformer friends may say this is an unfair or downright untrue statement, it is rooted in fact. The reform movement, of late, is largely about changing systems and processes. It is about administrative changes and oversights and accountability. The rest can come later, after we change how these schools “operate.”
It is because of this that we need to be reminded of the human factor in our schools, both those that excel and those that struggle. That we highlight that there are no educators or students who seek to fail or not make the grade. That we all want to see success, even if we define it differently or can’t determine how to chart the best path to get there.
That’s why we need to refocus on our schools as a community. Good or bad. Success or no. We are a community, and we are in this together.
This spring, author Sam Chaltain reminds us of this important point in his new book, Our School. Published through Teachers College Press, Our School chronicles the search “for community in the era of choice,” as Chaltain weaves a powerful narrative that looks at the experiences in real schools. He reminds us why so many of us do what we do, and why this work can be much harder than so many people seem to think.
How? The impact of this book is best captured in the words of Sir Ken Robinson, a guy who knows a thing or two about school reform and improvement and who pens Our School‘s foreword.
Our School is an important book. It brings to life, in the most vivid way, many of the issues about American education that in political debates are too often treated as abstractions. In place of the conventional rhetoric about what’s right or wrong in the nation’s schools, Sam Chaltain offers a close-up, beautifully observed account of a year in the life of just two of them. In many respects, these schools couldn’t be more different. Both are in Washington, D.C., physically close to the epicenter of American power, though in most other respects a world away from it. One is a startup charter in new premises, still working to define its identity and to catch its beat. The other is a long-established neighborhood school, filled with the memories of generations, a school where many former pupils now send their own children or grandchildren.
On these pages, Eduflack has often written about the importance of conversing, engaging, and collaborating with those that offer a differing perspective. For many years now, Sam has been one of those folks in my life. Sam and I agree on much, and strongly disagree on some. And while I may not agree with all of the conclusions he offers up in his latest book, I’m damned glad to have taken the time to read it. We all must be reminded that community, far more than policy or oversight, is what is responsible for a school’s ultimate success or failure.

“The Power of Introverts”

Eduflack Media, PR

My name is Eduflack, and I am an introvert. While I am a highly functioning introvert, one who overcomes when need be, I can never shake being an introvert. I even come complete with a horrible stutter, another item I have overcome, but which often comes back when I get particularly worked up.

While I tend to read a great deal of things, I rarely write about them here. Instead, I focus on education politics and policy and communication. But after recently completing Susan Cain’s “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking,” I feel compelled to write a little.
Those who are not true introverts will never understand the real fear that comes from having to make small talk in an overpopulated room or having to be “on” for a dinner party. Just ask the eduwife, a classic extravert who has had to live with Eduflack for the past 15 years.
“Quiet” captures quite well the introvert experience. And it offers some keen observations for what it is like to be introverted and how best to deal with those of us in the club.
Among Cain’s more compelling nods:
  • Introverts often need solitude in order to be truly productive
  • Forced collaboration, even in the name of teamwork, is rarely valuable
  • Some of the best ideas come while working solo, not in those group brainstorms that folks are often so fond of
  • Some of the most dynamic, entertaining speakers and public engagers are introverts, who “act the part” to do what they care about
  • Having to speak before a crowd of hundreds is far easier than having to make small talk with a half dozen people at a cocktail party
  • Introversion is largely a matter of nature, not nurture
  • Introverts are more sure of themselves, even in the face of groupthink
  • Introverts typically only speak when they have reason to contribute. They don’t talk for talking’s sake.
Equally interesting was Cain’s remark that while introverts appreciate their alone time, they are prone to share far more about themselves via social media than their extroverted friends. 
What does all of this have to do with this blog? Not much, to be honest. But if offers some interesting food for thought as we start the summer months. 

Highlighting First-Gen College Students

Eduflack ELL, Teacher Education, teachers

As we continue to talk about the importance of postsecondary education and the United States’ goal of (again) having the highest percentage of college graduates in the world, it becomes important to focus specifically on first-generation college students. After all, the only way to truly expand the pool is to bring in those who previously haven’t been able to enjoy the swim.

To that end, today is Proof Point Day, a concept created by Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow Chastity Lord. As the Aspen Institute details, “After years of witnessing the challenges first-generation college students face, Lord decided to use her Fellowship project to start the conversation about this issue.”
Eduflack can’t stress how important a discussion this is to have. In all of our talks on access and affordability of college, we can lose sight of the motivation, supports, and encouragement necessary to both get first-gen college students into postsecondary and then to help them ultimately earn their degrees. And it starts with making sure high school students recognize they are college material, regardless of their socioeconomic or educational backgrounds.
So I’ll take Proof Point Day (#ProofPointDay) to give a major shout out to my favorite first-generation college student, my mom. Neither of my mother’s parents earned their high school diplomas. My mother herself (the daughter of a GI) came to this country at age five without knowing the language. When she graduated from high school (the oldest of five children), it was assumed she would go down the street, get a job at the local biscuit factory, find a husband, and start a family.
She had other ideas, though. Something in her told her she needed to reach farther and earn a college degree. So instead of taking that factory job, she took three jobs, with one of them being a secretary at Rutgers University. Why? Because university employees could take one free course every semester. Slow and steady could win the college race.
My mother met my dad at Rutgers, as he was completing his doctorate. They got married and moved to Buffalo. He was a newbie political science professor, and she became a full-time college student. She had to take my dad’s Poly Sci 101 class (the only time in his teaching career he didn’t have essay exams). Her junior year of college, she was pregnant with me. He senior year, she had an infant in tow, and I began my academic career as a fussy, red-haired baby at Buffalo State. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology soon after my first birthday.
But she never received her diploma. Too many family demands to get the actual piece of paper she earned. Twenty one years later, I would track down that diploma, and give it to her on the day that I earned my B.A. from the University of Virginia.
This first-generation college student wasn’t done with her education, though. More than a decade later, as Eduflack’s youngest sister was entering the public school system full time, my mom earned her teaching certificate. She student taught at an Indian school in New Mexico, then had her first teaching job in one of the roughest school districts in the Land of Enchantment. And more than a decade after that, she would earn her master’s degree in education. 
She spent two decades as a high school English teacher, mostly offering 10th grade English. She taught in urban, suburban, and rural schools. She impacted, for the better, the lives of hundreds of kids, many of whom would become first-generation college students themselves.
So this #ProofPointDay, Eduflack offers huge kudos and major thank yous to Barbara Riccards, the most important first-generation college student in my life.

The EdSec and the EWA

Eduflack Achievement gap, Arne Duncan, Media, Students

On the closing day of the 2014 Education Writers Association National Seminar, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan (a regular speaker at the annual event) delivered the keynote address. 

After dispensing with the pleasantries, the EdSec launched into a speech that most in the room had heard, in one iteration, several times before. As he dove into his prepared remarks, the EdSec stated, “I often say that education is the civil rights issue of our generation. I want to elaborate on what that means and how the pursuit of equity runs like a ribbon through the Education Department’s programs and the initiatives launched by President Obama.”
The EdSec then launched into a passionate detailing of the work that his agency has engaged in for the past years. Some of the nuggets he offered:
  • “There
    is the outrage over our nation’s achievement gaps and the fact that millions of
    our children still don’t receive equal educational opportunity.”
  • “Today,
    we worry both about achievement gaps and opportunity gaps. Because we haven’t provided
    access to high quality early learning to all families, millions of children
    enter kindergarten already behind their peers at the starting line of school.
    That is profoundly unfair.”
  • “The
    bottom line is that students of color, students with disabilities, and English
    learners don’t get the same opportunity as their White and Asian-American peers
    to take the math and science courses that figure importantly in preparing for
    careers and college.”
  • “No
    one has been hurt more in recent years by low standards and a lack of accountability
    for student learning than our most disadvantaged students.”
  • “Without
    accountability, there’s no expectation that all children will learn. Without
    accountability, there’s no urgency. Without accountability, without meaningful
    assessments of student learning, parents don’t have an objective way to know whether
    their children are getting the education they deserve.”
  • “Unfortunately,
    in 2014, we don’t treat inequality and inequity in schools with the urgency and
    seriousness of purpose it deserves.”
  • “Too
    many Americans today have become complacent about our educational performance.”
  • “We
    have achievement gaps and opportunity gaps. But more importantly, we have a
    courage gap and an action gap.”

The full text of the prepared remarks can be found here, courtesy of Joy Resmovits of The Huffington Post.
All of these are great soundbites, and they were delivered with real passion. And following on the 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board decision this past weekend, all are timely and relate to many of the issues those in attendance have been thinking, speaking, and writing about for the past week.
But for an audience that has heard the EdSec’s “civil rights issue” stump speech many times over the past five years, was it the right set of remarks to deliver? When so many in the room were eager to hear the EdSec relay some new information or news regarding the U.S. Department of Education and its activities, did these remarks deliver on the promise?
In a room that was looking for a little red meat and something new and shiny, they got the same appetizers they’ve been served many times over. Or maybe Eduflack missed something …
 

EWA Fun Happy Time!

Eduflack Uncategorized

It is a rollicking good time down in Music City — Nashville, Tennessee — for this year’s Education Writers Association National Seminar.

Too much fun, too much information, too much learnin’ happening down here on the campus of Vanderbilt University. If you aren’t down here and able to experience first hand, then head over to Twitter to catch the action. Those in attendance are burning up the Twitter feeds with all things EWA. Just check out #EWA14 to follow along!
 

Social Media in the Education Space

Eduflack Collaborative, Marketing, Media, PR, Social media

Eduflack is often fond of saying that the education community is typically one of the last to truly embrace new technologies. We lagged healthcare and other spaces when it came to moving onto the Internet and using websites to improve information sharing. We were slow to platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, and some could say we still struggle with maximizing the reach and opportunity they afford, at least compared to other spaces.

Twitter seems to be a different story. In recent years (and recent months), we have witnessed the enormous education-focused power of Twitter. To get information out to teachers and school leaders and parents. To engage in conversations with individuals and organizations we might not regularly get to spend time with. To spotlight issues and concerns that may not receive the attention of the mainstream media. To raise awareness, understanding, and action on the key policy, research, and instructional issues of the day.
Connected Educators, an effort started by the U.S. Department of Education a few years ago, is the perfect example of the possibility. ESchool News named it one of the top 10 ed-tech stories of 2013. During Connected Educators Month (October 2013), there were more than 600 events and activities, with participation from more than 330 national, state, and local organizations. More than 13 million educators and others were reached via Twitter alone, generating an average of 4.6 million impressions a day. The numbers are more than impressive, but it is aksi a great example of the power of Twitter in advancing important issues, particularly with educators.
The education social media community is a great space to play in. Every summer, Education Next publishes its list of the Top Twitter Feeds in Education Policy. Eduflack is always in awe of the folks of this list, and is appreciative that he has been included on it each year. The wide range of voices, experiences, and perspectives one finds on this annual list (and on so many education-focused feeds that aren’t on the list), are just incredible. And some days it almost feels like a family (even if it is a family where you can’t stand that uncle across the country).
Why all the kudos for the education social media space? Next month, PR News magazine is recognizing its inaugural class of “Social Media MVPs,” an honor that will be awarded at its Social Media Icon Awards event in New York City. Eduflack is deeply humbled that he has been included on this list. And with all of the terrific SM voices in the education space, it seems I am the only education-focused voice on the list. I could start a long list of those who are far more worthy.
In announcing the list this morning, PR News noted, “The Social Media MVPs represent the innovators and trendsetters on social media. These professionals were nominated by colleagues and carefully selected by PR News to be part of this esteemed list.”
Now I don’t know about all that. But I do know that on the SM playground, I am so appreciative of all of the reporters and researchers and educators and others who develop the articles and reports and events on which I am so fond of focusing. And I owe big thanks to the 15,500 followers on the @Eduflack Twitter feed, particularly those who like to engage and have a little back and forth with me and to my colleagues at Collaborative Communications, who let me play in this fun space and give me so many great thoughts on issues and ideas to share on SM.
The 2014 class of Social Media MVPs is an impressive one, including:
  • David Armano, Edelman Digital
  • Danielle Brigida, National Wildlife Federation
  • LaSandra Brill, Symantec
  • Amelia Burke-Garcia, Westat
  • Erica Campbell Byrum, For Rent Media Solutions and Homes.com
  • Kevin Dando, PBS
  • Jim Delaney, Activate Sports & Entertainment
  • Scott DeYager, Toyota Motor Sales USA
  • Frank Eliason, Citibank
  • Sam Ford, Peppercomm
  • Joy Hays, AT&T
  • Brett Holland, Pepco Holdings, Inc.
  • Bob Jacobs, NASA
  • Leanne Jakubowski, Walt Disney World Resort
  • Evan Kraus, APCO Worldwide
  • Stacy Martinet, Mashable
  • Christi McNeill, Patron Spirits Company
  • Kristin Montalbano, National Geographic Channel
  • Christopher S. Penn, SHIFT Communications
  • Patrick R. Riccards, Collaborative Communications
  • Jennifer Stalzer, MasterCard
  • Lt. Stephanie M. Young, United States Coast Guard
  • Albe Zakes, TerraCycle
Kudos to all of those on the list. Social media is one of those things that you either love or you don’t. And from following many on this list, these are folks who truly love SM and the engagement that comes from it.