It wasn't long ago that Apple's prospects didn't look so good. You knew they were in trouble when they started giving their computers numbers instead of names. I still have my old 660AV.
So what can rural superintendents learn from Apple's experience? The first lesson is to "think different." To clarify, "different" is not modifying the verb "think." Rather it is the object of the verb think. In other words, the phrase isn't asking people to think in a different manner (think differently) but is urging them what to think (think apple pie or think big).
The challenge for rural superinedents isn't in changing the process they use for thinking about their schools. The challenge is to break out of traditional views of public schools to think about how to respond to economic and demographic changes. Some rural districts have "thought different" by using technology to expand enrollment by offering online courses.
Most rural district aren't ready to think different. But if you are and want some help, give me a call.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act
A report from National Public Radio examines the impact the expiration of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act is having on California's rural schools. Could they come up with a more ridiculous title?
The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act provided funding to rural schools to replace lost revenus from the logging industry. To make up for these lost funds, the U.S. Department of Agriculture sold off smaller parcels of land that were not contiguous to larger parts acreages. President Bush proposed selling 300,000 acres of national forests as a way of funding rural schools, but that proposal was defeated. It's now back, as part of the president's recently released budget, and the White House is withholding that funding for rural school districts unless the forest sale goes through.
I have mixed feelings about the proposal. On one hand, the NPR report shows how the loss of this revenue is hurting rural schools and communities. Why not let the Forest Service would sell off land that isn't connected to larger pieces of land land and give the proceeds to rural schools?
On the other hand, why can't the Bush administration budget money for rural schools that is not linked to selling off public lands? Another consideration is where those public lands are located. I'm familiar with one piece of land the Forest Service tried to sell. A big multi-million dollar house built on that land would not benefit the community, let alone make it more secure.
The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act provided funding to rural schools to replace lost revenus from the logging industry. To make up for these lost funds, the U.S. Department of Agriculture sold off smaller parcels of land that were not contiguous to larger parts acreages. President Bush proposed selling 300,000 acres of national forests as a way of funding rural schools, but that proposal was defeated. It's now back, as part of the president's recently released budget, and the White House is withholding that funding for rural school districts unless the forest sale goes through.
I have mixed feelings about the proposal. On one hand, the NPR report shows how the loss of this revenue is hurting rural schools and communities. Why not let the Forest Service would sell off land that isn't connected to larger pieces of land land and give the proceeds to rural schools?
On the other hand, why can't the Bush administration budget money for rural schools that is not linked to selling off public lands? Another consideration is where those public lands are located. I'm familiar with one piece of land the Forest Service tried to sell. A big multi-million dollar house built on that land would not benefit the community, let alone make it more secure.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Hey New Administrators, Listen Up!
An important skill for new adminstrators to have is the ability to listen more than talk. Legendary basketball coach John Wooden noted the importance of listening in a recent Denver Post article. "If you want to be heard you have to listen.... It reminds me of a little verse I heard when I was in grade school in the 1920s. It said, 'A wise old owl sat in an oak. The more he heard, the less he spoke. The less he spoke, the more he heard. Now wasn't he a wise old bird?"'
I've known many administrators who never learned that lesson. Indeed, it's too often quite the opposite. I recall one administrator who spent his first day with teachers lecturing them on his philosophy of education. He didn't last too long.
For rural administrators the importance of listening is critical because the more an administrator listens to the concerns of those in the school and community, the more likely those people will be to listen to her when the time comes for important action. Rural people differ from nonrural people in that the position a person holds is less important than who that person actually is—it doesn't matter that you're the superintendent, but I trust you because I know you're heard my perspective.
The lesson for adminstrators new to a district is that if your goal is school improvement, spend more time listening and less time talking. If you goal is to show people how smart you are, keep talking. They'll figure it out.
I've known many administrators who never learned that lesson. Indeed, it's too often quite the opposite. I recall one administrator who spent his first day with teachers lecturing them on his philosophy of education. He didn't last too long.
For rural administrators the importance of listening is critical because the more an administrator listens to the concerns of those in the school and community, the more likely those people will be to listen to her when the time comes for important action. Rural people differ from nonrural people in that the position a person holds is less important than who that person actually is—it doesn't matter that you're the superintendent, but I trust you because I know you're heard my perspective.
The lesson for adminstrators new to a district is that if your goal is school improvement, spend more time listening and less time talking. If you goal is to show people how smart you are, keep talking. They'll figure it out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
