ASCD Viewpoint

Looking back at summer
Debunking the myth that teachers get the summer off needs no further proof than the summer of 2009, which provided challenges as well as opportunities for ASCD to work with educators on key issues affecting the classroom.

In Part I of this ASCD SmartBrief Special Back-to-School Report, we catch you up on what you may have missed over the summer. Part II, coming on Thursday, will look at what's happening in your world, with the results of our polls of ASCD SmartBrief readers. It will also provide you with valuable ASCD resources you can rely on for help during the school year.

In May, ASCD published Planning the Possible, a special report on how schools and districts could use stimulus funds to build local leadership capacity. In June, I wrote a column suggesting another set of national standards for quality school nutrition, asking Congress to promote healthy meal offerings and a balanced diet for all students. In July, we brought expert educators to ASCD's first policy briefing on Capitol Hill, focusing on moving from highly qualified to highly effective teachers.

And as summer concluded, educators came together in Washington, D.C., for our annual advocacy conference, the LEAP Legislative Institute, to talk about the current perfect storm of education policy reform -- policymakers poised to revise No Child Left Behind, states competing for the Race to the Top federal stimulus funds and a coalition of governors and chief state school officers working to establish common standards that could influence what we teach.

If you don't receive ASCD SmartBrief on a daily basis and you find this report helpful, we urge you to sign up for our timely e-newsletter. ASCD SmartBrief delivers the stories making news in the education profession directly to your inbox -- for FREE.

The summer heat may be fading, but our passion for doing what is best for educators -- and more importantly, what is best for the kids -- is stronger than ever.

-- Gene R. Carter, ASCD executive director

Summer in Review

• Study finds virtual learning to be more effective (8/19)

• State leaders agree to draft common curriculum standards (6/1)

• Do mixed-ability classrooms benefit all students? (6/14)

• Study questions charter-school education (6/15)

• Draft of national technological-literacy test released (8/11)

• Kindergarten expectations concern some educators (8/30)

• Draft of common standards draws a range of reactions (7/23)

• Florida school boosts achievement by jettisoning textbooks (6/30)

• Research weighs pros and cons of No Child Left Behind (8/13)

• 2 Dallas magnets top Newsweek's annual high-school ranking (6/10)

In the Field

An interview with educator and ASCD President Linda Mariotti

Linda Mariotti is the assistant superintendent for Instructional Services in the Granite School District in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has a strong background in working with both at-risk and gifted students.

What do you enjoy most about being an educator?

When I think of being an educator, I contemplate the word educator in its broadest sense. In that regard, what I enjoy most is the interactive process of facilitating learning in someone and watching the empowerment and change in behavior, opinion or focus that often results. I'm energized by that process. A true learner thrives on learning more. A true educator goes with that learner where he or she is compelled to go -- enabling, supporting, guiding, redirecting and learning as well.

Having taken on various assignments in the education system, I frequently comment that I have done and continue to do my best work as "my teacher-self." In the classroom, I knew I served students well. As a principal, I educated staff and members of my community as we endeavored to better serve all students. As a curriculum director, I taught educators about high-quality instructional practice to better differentiate for all students. And in my current capacity as ASCD president, I educate political leaders in hopes of more thoughtful legislation; community and business leaders in hopes of enhanced student support; and peers and colleagues in hopes of transforming the education system to better meet the needs of 21st-century students. Who wouldn't love being an educator?

As we go into the new school year, what is the one thing you recommend educators focus on?

The student -- each student and all students. If we commit at the beginning of this year and recommit daily to do what's best for children as we make hard decisions, face resource shortages, feel the pressures of accountability and struggle to meet the needs of increasingly diverse local communities, we will be successful in every arena.

All children, regardless of background or deficit, deserve to make academic progress every year they are in our care. If we focus on that as our primary goal and align all efforts to that end, we will weather whatever difficulties come our way. We are in the education business, not the school business. The non-negotiable is students, not us. We cannot claim to be educators by virtue of our backgrounds or our teaching, but rather by our students and their learning.

With many schools facing limited budgets, what do you recommend schools do to continue to provide professional development?

Schools and districts must look at professional development differently. It cannot remain individualized and based on travel to conferences. We should recognize that professional development includes an extensive menu of activities that are best conducted on-site and, in many cases, are job-embedded. We can develop our local PLC's and focus the conversations when collaborating on data, on what works, around coaching and around sharing expertise. I recommend taking advantage of early-out and late-start days and, when necessary, bringing outside expertise to our schools and districts instead of traveling to hear it. I encourage study groups around published research and individual professional goal-setting and the use of online resources to accomplish them.

Why is it important for you to be a member of ASCD? What does being a member mean to you?

I joined ASCD as a brand-new teacher because I needed help and support. Every day, my students needed something different and I needed to be fresh. I needed to learn how other people were doing this difficult thing that we do. ASCD was the resource I needed.

As I left the classroom and broadened my sphere of influence, ASCD became the bold, trusted voice concerning policy and standards of practice to which I have continued to listen. ASCD articulates how best to achieve success for every learner and to make a difference in young people's opportunities to receive a quality education. Being a member means I have access to the latest research, programs and services in teaching and learning worldwide. It also means I can participate in significant initiatives such as the Whole Child effort. Membership has provided me an opportunity to give back through local affiliate service, networking with colleagues and association committees. ASCD brings the global education community together for the good of all children, and I want to continue being a part of that most important endeavor.

Your Favorite SmartQuotes

You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes."

--Winnie the Pooh,
Disney character

The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves."

--Helen Keller,
deaf and blind author, activist

It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something."

--Franklin D. Roosevelt,
32nd U.S. president

Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense."

--Gertrude Stein,
writer, poet, feminist

Laughter is an instant vacation."

--Milton Berle,
comedian, actor

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