cabe journal - december 2012

Connecticut Associationof Boards of Education Inc.81 Wolcott Hill RoadWethersfield, CT 06109-1242

PeriodicalPostage

PAIDHartford, CT

Vol. 16, No. 11 December 2012

w w w . c a b e . o r g

INSIDE THIS EDITION

See CAPSS page 19

Policy direction needed social media ... 4

Nutmeg Board ...................................... 5

CABE Delegate Assembly ................... 6

CABE/CAPSS Convention .................. 6

Leadership Award winners ................... 7

Communications Award winners .........12

U.S. Supreme Court .............................14

Coventry increase requirements .........15

What are Alliance Districts doing

to increase student growth? .............16

Robert Rader, Executive Director, CABE

CAPSSexplores

personalizedlearning

Goals: Importantin Hockey, Soccerand Basketball,and to Boardsof Education

Nicholas D. Caruso, Jr.Sr. Staff Associate for Field Service andCoordinator of Technology, CABE

See GOALS page 19

At the 2012 CABE/CAPSS ConventionLydia Tedone, Chair of the SimsburyBoard of Education, was re-electedPresident of CABE.

Lydia was elected to the SimsburyBoard in 1997. She is currently the Chairof the Simsbury Board of Education. Shehas been active in the Association,serving as First Vice President, VicePresident for Government Relations andChairman of the Federal RelationsCommittee.

Lydia has been a member of the CapitolRegion Education Council (CREC) since2000, and served as chairman in 2007-2008. She has represented Simsbury at theCABE Delegate Assembly.

Other officerselected were:Richard Murray,First VicePresident,Killingly; AnnGruenberg, VicePresident forGovernmentRelations,Hampton;Stephen Wright,Vice President for

Tedone re-elected CABE President

There is a mantra that board of educa-tion members hear from the first day oftheir terms: “Board members have no indi-vidual authority. Only the entire board ofeducation, in a legally constituted meet-ing, has the authority to do anything!”

That being said, your superintendentand staff need some overall direction fromthe board as a whole to move the districtforward. In the absence of goals, theyhave to try to figure out how seven ornine or even more individuals want thingsto take place. Imagine trying to work fornine different bosses, each with their ownunique expectations!

Goals allow the board and staff tofocus on the mutually-agreed upon work.Goals can take many shapes, from full-blown strategic planning to simple state-ments of expectations. Goals normally fallinto one of two categories:

District Goals – Goals related to thework of the district, with roles and expec-tations of a variety of people and;

Board Goals – Goals related directly tothe work of the Board of Education.

District goals should focus on theeducational expectations of the board.District goals are generally deliberately

One of the most important andvaluable recommendations from CAPSS’educational transformation project,NextEd, was that learning should bepersonalized to “give all students theopportunity to learn at high levels.” Thebasic idea is that rather than the currentuse of passed courses (using “Carnegieunits”) to determine movement in gradesto graduation, each student would moveforward at the speed that is appropriatefor him or her.

NextEd also contained the idea thatachievement should be the constant andtime the variable in our schools, ratherthan vice versa. This is something thatCABE readily endorses. It makes sensethat rather than each student spend oneyear in each grade (the system underwhich we all grew up), that we need tomove to a system that will be compe-tency-, rather than time-based.

But, CAPSS is not offering just acompetency-based system. It is reallyabout tailoring individual studentlearning to the needs of each student.

CAPSS is presenting two full-dayworkshops on these issues. I wasfortunate enough to attend the first… andI thought it important that board membersand superintendents not in attendanceunderstand what personalized learningwould look like, how it would change ourschool systems and what resources itwould require.

Record attendance atCABE/CAPSS Convention

(see pages 6,7,8,9,10,12 for highlights)

Lydia TedoneProfessionalDevelopment, Trumbull; Robert Mitchell,Secretary/Treasurer, Montville; and DonBlevins will serve as Immediate PastPresident.

Elected as Area Directors to the CABEBoard of Directors were: Area 1 Co-Directors Susan Hoffnagle, Winchester,Mari-Ellen Valyo, Winchester and DanielSantorso, Plymouth; Area 2 Co-DirectorsDon Harris, Bloomfield, Becky Tyrrell,Plainville and Susan Karp, Glastonbury;Area 3 Director Laura Bush,Vernon; Area4 Co-Directors Douglas Smith, Plainfieldand Steve Rosendahl, Woodstock; Area 6Co-Directors Gavin Forrester, Stratfordand Elaine Whitney, Westport; Area 7 Co-Directors Sheila McCreven, Woodbridgeand John Prins, Branford; Area 8Director Pamela Meier, Madison; andArea 9 Director Gail MacDonald,Stonington.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Mystic Middle School Jazz Band, Stonington

Lydia Tedone

2 The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education • December 2012

From learning to leading

PRESIDENT COMMENTARY

CABE Board of Directors

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEELydia Tedone .................................................. President, SimsburyRichard Murray ............................. First Vice President, KillinglyAnn Gruenberg ........... VP for Government Relations, HamptonStephen Wright ............. VP for Professional Development, TrumbullRobert Mitchell ................................. Secretary/Treasurer, WestportDon Blevins ................................................ Immediate Past PresidentJohn Prins ............................................................... Member at Large

AREA DIRECTORSSusan Hoffnagle ....................... Area 1 Co-Director, WinchesterMari-Ellen (Mimi) Valyo ........ Area 1 Co-Director, WinchesterDaniel Santorso ........................... Area 1 Co-Director, PlymouthBecky Tyrrell .................................Area 2 Co-Director, PlainvilleSusan Karp .....................................Area 2 Co-Director, GlasbonburyDon Harris ........................................ Area 2 Co-Director, BloomfieldLaura Bush .................................................. Area 3 Director, VernonDouglas Smith ...................................... Area 4 Co-Director, PlainfieldSteve Rosendahl .............................. Area 4 Co-Director, WoodstockGavin Forrester ................................... Area 6 Co-Director, StratfordElaine Whitney ................................... Area 6 Co-Director, WestportSheila McCreven ........................... Area 7 Co-Director, WoodbridgeJohn Prins ............................................ Area 7 Co-Director, BranfordPamela Meier .............................................Area 8 Director, MadisonGail MacDonald .................................... Area 9 Director, Stonington

ASSOCIATESEileen Baker ........................................... Associate, Old SaybrookSharon Beloin-Saavedra .......................... Associate, New BritainGary Brochu ........................................................ Associate, BerlinRobert Guthrie .......................................... Associate, West HavenCal Heminway ................................................... Associate, Granby

COMMITTEE CHAIRSElizabeth Brown ............................ Chair, State Relations, MontvilleBeverly Washington ....................... Chair, Federal Relations, GrotonBecky Tyrrell ....................................... Chair, Resolutions, Plainville

CITY REPRESENTATIVESJacqueline Kelleher ......................... City Representative, BridgeportMatthew Poland ................................. City Representative, HartfordCarlos Torre ................................... City Representative, New HavenPolly Rauh ......................................... City Representative, StamfordCharles Stango ............................... City Representative, Waterbury

STAFFRobert Rader ...................................................................... Executive DirectorPatrice McCarthy ................................ Deputy Director and General CounselBonnie Carney ........................................... Sr. Staff Associate for PublicationsNicholas Caruso ............................................ Sr. Staff Assoc. for Field Service and Coord. of TechnologySheila McKay ............................ Sr. Staff Associate for Government RelationsKelly Moyher ......................................................................... Sr. Staff AttorneyVincent Mustaro ..................................... Sr. Staff Associate for Policy ServiceLisa Steimer .............................. Sr. Staff Assoc. for Professional DevelopmentTeresa Costa ............................... Coordinator of Finance and AdministrationPamela Brooks ......................... Sr. Admin. Assoc. for Policy Ser. /Search Ser.Terry DeMars .............................................. Admin. Assoc. for Policy ServiceMelissa Dickinson ........................... Admin. Assist. for Membership ServicesGail Heath ...................................... Admin. Assoc. for Government RelationsWilmarie Newton ...................................... Admin. Assoc. for Labor RelationsCorliss Ucci .............................. Receptionist/Asst. to the Executive Director

The CABE Journal (ISSN 1092-1818) is published monthly excepta combined issue for July/August as a member service of theConnecticut Association of Boards of Education, 81 Wolcott HillRoad, Wethersfield, CT 06109, (860) 571-7446. CABE member-ship dues include $30 per person for each individual who receivesThe CABE Journal. The subscription rate for nonmembers is $75.Association membership dues include a subscription for each boardmember, superintendent, assistant superintendent and businessmanager. The companies and advertisements found in The CABEJournal are not necessarily endorsed by CABE. “PeriodicalsPostage Paid at Hartford, CT.” POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to The CABE Journal, CABE, 81 Wolcott Hill Road,Wethersfield, CT 06109-1242. Email: [email protected] can find the CABE Journal online at: www.cabe.org/userlogin.cfm?pp=84&userrequest=true&keyrequest=false&userpage=84

During the recent CABE/CAPSS Convention inNovember, I thanked you for your continued support ofmy leading this great organization—Your organization.Last year my theme was a “Call to Action.” I challengedyou to harness your collective power to bring aboutpositive change in our educational system in our state.Change did come.

You took your role beyond your own district’sboardroom to the steps not only of the Connecticut StateLegislature, but also to Congress. You became strongeradvocates for your communities, your schools and yourstudents. Some of you even won seats in the Novemberelection to higher offices because you recognized that inorder for us to be effective advocates for public educa-tion, we must not only work in tandem, but educate ourlegislators on our most pressing challenges in guidingand operating our school systems.

As I travel across the country and abroad, I have hadthe opportunity to attend a number of EducationalConferences. Whether hosted by fellow State Associa-tions, NSBA, or Advancing Professional Learning, ourroles in local school governance influence every district,teacher and student every day.

Our decisions affect every aspect of our K-12 publiceducation system, and while our number one mission isto provide the best possible education for all children,just how do we shape and define our agenda for thefuture? Simply doing a good job is not good enough.We have to do a good job and communicate it, from ourcommunities to Congress. Better support for publicschools is possible, but requires courageous leadershipand strategic approaches for dramatic improvements inour schools.

Here’s my story: While picking up a handcrafted tablefor a donation item for our Convention, the teacher oftechnology education/aerospace engineering commentedhow proud his students were of their work that wasbeing showcased to hundreds of people. I confessed tohim, that I could not remember his name while he con-fessed he knew who I was, but didn’t know, “what Ireally did.” My fifteen second elevator speech on ourdistrict’s mission, etc., was connected with his mission.

Andrew related he had been a student outside the“funnel” of high school, later joining the army for sixyears as a helicopter crew chief in Iraq and Afghanistan,returning home to become a teacher. He saw war whichgave him a global perspective. He mentioned his presentmission, his most important, is that every day he tries tobe an advocate for his students. His philosophy? Everychild in his classroom deserves that chance to succeed.

I asked Andrew “how can I help and best serve you?”His answer: “ Educate us (his colleagues) more aboutwhat we really do. Knowing and perception gets lost intranslation. Eliminate the shroud of secrecy that exists attimes. Accelerate the phrase of just knowing what goeson in our schools. Align ourselves with the sameprinciples because when we approach from differentangles, our angles get so steep.”

He drew on similarities between a classroom teacherand military life. Defining leadership is an integralteaching tool he uses in his classroom. Creating optionsfor success for his students or representing the under-represented student as he once felt in high school hasbecome a focus of growth and learning through engage-ment in and outside the school day.

I admired his openness, candidness and truthfulness.As our conversation drew to a close, his questionbecame more of a challenge to me: as a board member; inwhich direction would I now be headed? Not just inimplementation of agendas, but as an effective leaderand how we create a following that recognizes each

building’s shared vision,knowledge, values andcommitments help movethe district forward?

Andrew finished bycommenting, “boardmembers are the link, thebridge between commu-nity and school. Ourunique perspective andtrust is earned when wehave our ear to theground while under-standing and respectingall constituencies.”

Educational leadershipis difficult. Advocacyiseffective only if you understand and are committed toyour goals. As leaders focus on learning, strong localboard leadership and good governance contribute tohigher performing schools and better student outcomes.My challenge to you is look at your own leadership,champion your own personal passion, have the courageto use your own personal voice, listen to every point ofview, take the risk to educate, advocate and share yourown story.

In conclusion, I’ll paraphrase Andrew, “We owe it toourselves to do our best every day as forward thinkers,becoming united, while walking in the same direction, aswe can walk ten times faster than any education reform,because public education is the greatest education of alland our work is to create effective public schools thatserve all children.”

Dr. Gary Richards,Superintendent of Schoolsin Wilton, was named the2013 Superintendent of theYear at the CABE/CAPSSConvention Friday morninggeneral session. Dr.Richards has served asSuperintendent in Wiltonsince 2004. His previousexperience includessuperintendent of Oak ParkPublic Schools in California and the New Canaan PublicSchools. In the San Marino California Public Schools heheld positions of Assistant Superintendent-Curriculumand Instruction, High School Principal and AssistantPrincipal-Instruction and Pupil Personnel Services.

CAPSS Executive Director Joseph Cirasuolo stated,“Dr. Richards serves as a model for the general publicand for Connecticut’s superintendents by providing thekind of leadership that supports and enhances highquality educational programs and services for students.”

Dr. Richards is very active in his community and atthe State level through the Connecticut Association ofSecondary School Superintendents. Congratulations!!

CAPSS selectsRichards as

Superintendentof the Year

Robert Rader

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education • December 2012 3

Ability to compromiseshould be put in

government holiday stockings!I’m writing this the day after the presi-

dential election.It would have been nice to hear each

side state that it would have been willingto really compromise on some issues.Nope.

While some things have changed,Washington remains split. As somepundits have asked, why did we spendthese enormous amounts of money, putthe nation through the tumult (and thepolitical ads) and the hyped debates, if weend up pretty much in the same spot?

Well, that’s democracy. Sometimesmessy, but it beats all the other systems!

Still, our nation must face critical chal-lenges. First, we face the fiscal abyss:going over the cliff would have enormousnegative consequences for our nation andfor public education.

Sequestration, the across-the-boardspending cuts that will become effective ifCongress and the President cannot agreeon what must be done to save us fromfinancial devastation, will become effec-tive next month. Compromise, that is, acombination of new taxes and spendingcuts, will be required if sequestration is tobe avoided.

Sequestration’s Harmto Public Education

According to information we receivedfrom the National School Boards Associa-tion (NSBA) provided to our congress-ional delegation and have used below,across the nation, sequestration wouldimpose more than $4 billion reduction inschool district funding in FY 2013. Herein Connecticut, it would reduce fundingfor elementary and secondary educationprograms, including Head Start, by morethan $28 million in FY2013 alone.

When we estimate the cuts in federalfunding for our own school districts, weknow that the impact will be devastating.And these federal cuts will come at a timewhen our own state and local budgets areunable to adequately fund our educationprograms here in Connecticut.

For several years, our school districtshave managed flat state education aid(cuts once inflation is figured in) anddeclines in local revenues for education.In addition, there were federal budget cutsin FY2011.

However, our ability to absorb addi-tional budget cuts is extremely limitednow. Any further reductions at manyschools here and across the countrywould result in larger class sizes, narrow-ing of the curriculum, less access tointervention programs that help closeachievement gaps, possible four-dayschool weeks, loss of extracurricular ac-tivities, and teacher and staff lay-offs.

All of this is happening at a time of in-creased accountability and focus on our

schools, including the implementation ofCommon Core Standards, professionalevaluation and support systems and, inthe near future, secondary school reform.

Ultimately, Congress can rescind thesequestration provisions of the BudgetControl Act before they are scheduled tobecome effective on January 2, 2013.

Although elementary and secondaryeducation investments comprise roughlyone percent of the federal budget, impos-ing sequestration on these programs willnot lead to long-term fiscal stability or asignificant amount of deficit reduction. Assignificant as these cuts are for educa-tion, they would reduce federal spendingby only 8/100ths of one percent.

As we told our delegation, the budget

cuts that sequestration would impose, es-pecially over the 10 years it is legislated tooccur, would cripple our schools as theywork hard to close achievement gaps withscarce resources, erode investments inour future workforce, and deal a severeblow to local and national economies withgreater unemployment and dependenceon social services.

The State

Meanwhile, the Governor and the Leg-islature will have to reconcile the State’sfiscal issues, while attempting to close theachievement gap and increase the suc-cess (both in testing and other indicia ofgrowth) of all our students. Compromise,hopefully well-thought out, will also benecessary. Without more resources andyears of ECS freezes, will make it almostimpossible to achieve comprehensivereform in a way that will help our stu-dents, strengthen our professional staffand set us on a path to preparing everystudent for success after high school…and college.

Local Boardsand Their Chairs

For local school boards, compromisemust not only be a part of this winter andspring’s budget discussions, but in allmanner by which you govern your dis-

tricts. Good boardsmanship requiresunderstanding the needs of all boardmembers and finding avenues in which asmany as possible agree.

When it comes time to support andadvocate for the budget, boards, togetherwith their superintendents need to be asunified as possible. They must presentand advocate for a budget that helps allthe children in the community. They mustalso understand the challenges facing thelocal financial authority and, help theauthority understand the challenges that

school boards face.Board chairs have a special role in both

developing the budget consensus andadvocating in their districts. They needto “scan the environment” and under-stand the political atmosphere in theirtown or city if they are going to be suc-cessful. They need to work hard to makesure everyone’s voice is heard and thatthe board is as close to consensus aspossible.

We at CABE have, therefore, beenespecially pleased by the good turnoutand follow-up by chairs who have attend-ed our Board Roundtables. They havehad lively discussions around a numberof issues and seem poised to make a bigcontribution this year in our advocacyefforts.

While I understand that this is theholiday season everyone, well, almosteveryone, is of good cheer.

But, it will take more than goodfeelings to reach our goals. Compromise,not on principles, but, yes, on substantiveissues, must be seen as a necessary partof democracy – not something to befought or feared.

If CABE can help your Board workmore effectively and efficiently, in thespirit of compromise and better help youunderstand how to accomplish yourgoals, please let us know.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERY ONE!

“Without more resources, and cuts afteryears of ECS freezes, will make it almost

impossible to achieve comprehensive reformin a way that will help our students,

strengthen our professional staff andset us on a path to preparing every student

for success after high school… and college.”


Policy direction needed for district-sponsored social mediaVincent A. MustaroSenior Staff Associate for Policy Service, CABE

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Connecticut Consortium for Cooperative Purchasing

As the use of social networking sitesand other online technologies (e.g.,Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, orblogs) continues to grow, school districtsmust balance the advantages of usingsuch technologies as important communi-cations and educational tools withconcerns about the potential for inappro-priate use of the sites.

School districts may use social media,along with their websites, to share newsand information with students, parents,staff and the community. However, thepublic nature of such sites createsadditional challenges that districts shouldconsider before deciding to sponsor a siteand when establishing user guidelines.The biggest challenge is the inability tocontrol the content in the same mannerthat a website can be controlled.

It is recommended that policies andadministrative regulations distinguishbetween sites that are approved andofficially sponsored by the district andthose that may be created by students,staff or members of the public which maydiscuss school issues but which thedistrict cannot control.

Any official site should clearly expressthe purpose of the site, contain a dis-claimer that the views and commentsexpressed on the site do not necessarilyreflect the views of the local school

district and advise users that the site willbe monitored.

The school district may prohibitcontent that is obscene, libelous, anddefamatory or so incites students as tocreate a clear and present danger of thecommission of unlawful acts on schoolpremises, violation of school rules orsubstantial disruption of the orderlyoperation of the school. Any suchpostings, and any postings not related tothe stated purpose of the site, may beremoved.

Increasing numbers of districts areusing social media platforms to supporttheir community outreach and publicrelations efforts. Such sites allow greaterinteraction and collaboration withindividuals in the school community andthus can be useful communications tools.

Many school districts nationwidehave created an official district (i.e.,district-sponsored) social media platform.“Social media” is defined as an onlineplatform for collaboration, interaction, andactive participation, including socialnetworking sites.

To minimize liability to the district, it isimportant that the district’s social medialpolicy clearly define the official socialmedia platforms over which it has control,and to specify the standards, guidelines,and protocols for their use.

An “official district social mediaplatform” is commenly defined as a site

authorized by the Superintendent ordesignee. Sites that have not beenauthorized by the Superintendent ordesignee but that contain content relatedto the school district or comments ondistrict operations, such as a site createdby a parent-teacher organization, boosterclub, or other school-connected organiza-tion or a student’s or employee’s personalsite, are not considered official districtsocial media platforms.

Moreover, because of the openaccessibility of social media, content willbe posted by members of the public on

the district’s official platform without priorapproval by district staff.

By allowing the public to post com-ments, some legal analysts have opinedthat a “limited public forum” is createdwhich grants individuals certain freedomof speech rights and limits the district’sability to remove comments or posts.

In order to protect against possibleconstitutional challenges, any removal ofcontent by the district should be basedon view-point neutral considerations,such as prohibitions on posts that violatelaws against discrimination or harassmentor that are unrelated to the purpose of thesite.

In addition, in order to help maintainthe district’s ability to remove content,users should be informed of the purposeof the site and the limited nature of thediscussion and district staff shouldregularly monitor sites so that materialsare removed in an even-handed andconsistent manner.

This issue is handled in the accompa-nying administrative regulation to the

policy addressing this topic. It is recom-mended that the district legal counsel beconsulted prior to adopting the policy andregulation pertaining to this topic in orderto ensure that any provisions related tothe removal of posts or discipline ofstudents or staff is consistent with law.

Staff and students who post prohibitedcontent on official district social mediaplatforms are subject to discipline inaccordance with district policies andregulations. A student may be subject todisciplinary action, including suspensionand expulsion, if he/she engages in an act

of bullying by means of an electronicposting. When staff and students misusethe district’s technological resources,they also may be subject to cancellationof user privileges in accordance with thedistrict’s Acceptable Use Policy.

Communication on social mediaplatforms may also raise legal issues forusers regarding public records laws. Inaddition, individual board of educationmembers using social media platformsmust be careful not to violate the Freedomof Information Act through engaging in aseries of communications involving amajority of the board discussing, deliber-ating, or taking action on an item ofdistrict business outside of an authorizedmeeting. In addition, posted informationmay also be considered a public record.

A new policy, #1114, “District-Sponsored Social Media” with anaccompanying administrative has beenprepared and is available upon requestfor district consideration and use. This isconsidered an “optional” policy forinclusion in the district’s policy manual.

“ . . . individual board of education membersusing social media platforms must be carefulnot to violate the Freedom of Information Act

through engaging in a series of communicationsinvolving a majority of the board discussing,deliberating, or taking action on an item of

district business outside of an authorized meeting.”

Running adistrict ishardLighten yourload with anupdatedpolicymanual

You need an up-to-date policy manual to run your districteffectively. CABE can help. Our policy specialists will as-sist in updating your manual, ensuring your district’s poli-cies are current and up-to-date with the Connecticut stat-utes.

Call Vincent Mustaro, Senior Staff Associate for PolicyService (860) 571-7446 or (800) 317-0033 to begin up-dating your manual today.

See You in Court – The Nutmeg Board of Education

The Nutmeg Board deals with religion in the schools “Ho- Ho- Happy Holidays”Thomas B. Mooney, Esq.Shipman & Goodwin


A Practical Guideto Connecticut

School Lawby Thomas B. Mooney, Esq.

Shipman & Goodwin

The Guide comes with a CD which provideshyperlinks to many cases and statutes

and will permit word searchesas a supplement to the Index.

New to the Seventh Edition:Bullying, Background Checks,

Child Abuse Reporting, Discrimination Issues,Educational Reform, FERPA,

Freedom of Information,State Aid for Educationand much, much more

The 7th edition is now available from CABE.Call and order your copy TODAY at 860.571.7446 or 800.317.0033

Seventh EditionNow Available

The Nutmeg Board of Educationmakes many mistakes. The latest imbro-glio created by the board will be report-ed here each issue, followed by an ex-planation of what the board should havedone. Though not intended as legal ad-vice, these situations may help boardmembers avoid common problems.

Bob Bombast, veteran member of theNutmeg Board of Education, was sur-prised when he called Acorn ElementarySchool to inquire about a meeting he wassupposed to attend. “Ho- Ho- HappyHolidays!” answered the school secre-tary. Bob hung up in shock. The NutmegPublic Schools shouldn’t be promotingreligion, Bob thought to himself. Whatelse is going on? Bob set about to findout.

Without any of the usual niceties, Bobdrove right over to Acorn ElementarySchool. He was immediately concerned ashe walked into the school and saw aChristmas tree in the foyer, with brightlywrapped “presents” beneath the tree.When he came into the office, the long-time school secretary greeted Bob with

the same “Ho- Ho- Happy Holidays.”Bob was shocked to see her wearing aSanta hat. What next, he thought?

Bob looked around the office, and hesaw a sign-up sheet for a Secret Santaparty, admonishing the participants thatthey had to spend between $10 and $20for the present. Then, “Fa la la la . . .”echoed in the hall, and the sound gotlouder. Bob opened the door to theschool office, and he saw a group ofstudents walking down the hall, Ms.Treble-Clef right behind them, singingChristmas carols.

Bob had seen enough. As theChairperson of the Policy Committee, Bobwas ready to act. He drafted a new policyprohibiting holiday celebrations:

The Nutmeg Public Schools honorthe religious traditions of allcultures. However, religion has noplace in a public school. Anyactivities related to religion,directly or indirectly, are herebyprohibited. Such activitiesinclude, but are not limited toimpersonating or referring toSanta Claus or the Easter Bunny,or conducting holiday celebra-tions or music.

That should do it, Bob thought. ButBob decided to bring up this policy at thenext Board meeting without warning sothat the diehards would not be preparedto object.

During New Business at the meetinglast night, Bob raised his hand and askedto be recognized. He asked the Board foran indulgence. “With the coming ofChristmas and all the related activities, weneed to act quickly. I have prepared apolicy for Board action, and I ask that youvote to place this matter on this evening’sagenda.”

Red Cent noticeably stiffened when heheard the news. “Wait a minute, Bob.Though you chair the Policy Committee,you know that I am on the Committee aswell. I don’t remember discussing this atany of our meetings. I must protest!”

“Don’t worry, Red. I simply exercisedthe prerogative of the Chair, had a littlemeeting at home with myself and wrotethe draft policy,” Bob responded. “Youcan just vote along with the other Boardmembers, OK?”

“Not really. I feel dissed now,” sulkedRed.

However, the other Board memberswere perfectly happy to give Bob thecourtesy of placing the matter of his draftpolicy on the agenda, and all but Redvoted to do so. The more difficultquestion, however, was whether theBoard should adopt Bob’s policy. Whatshould it do?

The question of religion in the schoolshas been a challenge for the last forty plusyears. It is clear that Bob overreacted.Some symbols and activities have becomeseparate cultural icons disconnected fromtheir religious roots. Moreover, schooldistricts are not required to (and indeedsometimes may not) prohibit religiousexpression in school. However, irrespec-tive of what is or is not permitted, schoolofficials must strive to maintain aninclusive school atmosphere for allstudents.

Before discussing holiday celebrationsin school, we should take a moment toreview Bob’s “committee meeting.” Bobcould not really conduct a Policy Commit-tee meeting on his own if committeesoperate by quorum in Nutmeg. Underboard bylaws, a quorum is usually definedas a majority of the members of the boardor of the committee. Of course there wasno quorum when Bob drafted this newpolicy.

This situation raises another issue.Committees of or created by a publicagency are themselves public agencies.As such, they are subject to the FOIArequirements of posting and public accessexcept for legitimate executive sessiontopics. If a quorum is defined by boardbylaws as a majority, a meeting of twomembers of a three-member committee cancreate a quorum that requires compliancewith Freedom of Information Act require-ments. All such meetings should beposted, minutes should be kept, etc.

As to Bob’s draft policy, there are both

legal and practical problems. To start theanalysis, we note that public schoolofficials must be neutral in matters ofreligion. In accordance with the (in)famous test from Lemon v. Kurzman(1971), school officials must always ask(1) is there a secular purpose in an action,(2) does it advance or inhibit religion, and(3) does it entangle school officials withreligion?

Here, Bob’s draft policy clearly has asecular purpose, that of assuring thatschool personnel do not violate theirconstitutional obligations. However, itsbroad sweep violates the second prongand could also be seen as endorsingreligion, an alternative test the SupremeCourt has also used in considering suchissues.

Specifically, as written the policy isproblematic because it could be con-strued as hostile to religion. Religiousspeech should not be disfavored.Students have the right to engage inreligious activities when they do soindependently, and prohibiting studentreligious speech per se would inhibitreligion.

Religious speech by school officialsstands on a different footing, andteachers and others must be careful inschool not to advance or inhibit religion,or to be seen as endorsing religion.

However, music from various religioustraditions is part of our culture, andcelebrating those traditions in an even-handed way is certainly permissible.We must also separate religious speechfrom cultural artifacts. Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer is hardly religiousspeech.

Moreover, Christmas trees, presentsand Santa himself have come into ourculture. Their presence in our schoolswould not likely be seen as promotingreligion, especially if artifacts from othercultural traditions are also displayed.

Thus, the premise of Bob’s policy –that such things must be banned from ourschools – is flawed. The secretary’sgreeting, Ho- Ho- Happy Holidays, forexample, may be annoying to some, but itdoes not raise constitutional issues.

However, we note that greeting callersand visitors is a job-related function, andthus the secretary has no free speechright to use such a greeting.

That all said, the fact that certainactivities, such as Santa giving gifts orhaving a Christmas tree in the foyer, maybe legal does not mean it is a good idea.School officials should exercise theirdiscretion in a manner that welcomes allstudents and does not convey a messageof exclusion to any.

Thus, even though Bob was typicallyham-handed in his response, his concernswere indeed legitimate.

Attorney Thomas B. Mooney is apartner in the Hartford law firm ofShipman & Goodwin who works fre-quently with boards of education.Mooney is a regular contributor to theCABE Journal.


CABE Delegate Assembly • November 15, 2012

2012 CABE/CAPSSConvention HighlightsGeneral Session Speakers Honorees

Becky Tyrrell (Plainville) Resolutions Chair; Don Blevins, Parliamentarian; Lydia Tedone(Simsbury) President; Patrice McCarthy, Deputy Director and General Counsel, CABE; AnnGruenberg (Hampton) Vice President for Government Relations; and Robert Rader, ExecutiveDirector, CABE.

Board members from around the state gathered at the CABE Delegate Assembly to vote onthe resolutions that will become CABE’s guiding principles for the 2013 Legislative Session.

Stephen Wright (Trumbull)Vice President for Profes-sional Development, CABE

Superintendent John Tindall-Gibson(Naugatuck) President, CAPSS and Lydia Tedone(Simsbury) President, CABE

State Education Commis-sioner Stefan Pryor

Friday Banquet speakerGina Barreca

CAPSS Executive DirectorJoseph Cirasuolo

Diane Ullman, Chief Talent Officer, Connecticut State Departmentof Education, 2012 Superintendent of the Year, presented the2013 Superintendent of the Year to Gary Richards..

Saturday morningspeaker PedroNoguera

Friday Morning speakerMary Broderick

CAPSS 2013 Superintendentof the Year Gary Richardsfrom Wilton

CABE Philip S. Fenster Dis-tinguished Service Awardrecipient Don Blevins

CABE Executive DirectorRobert Rader

Connecticut Teacher of the Year finalists John S. Mason, III,Jennifer Carvallio, Catherine Mazzotta and ConnecticutTeacher of the Year for 2013 Blaise Messinger

CABE’s 2012 Friend of PublicEducation award winnerVirginia “Ginny” Seccombe

Saturday Lunchen Student Panel Paige Cantwell, Senior, Glastonbury HighSchool; Adrianna Kelly, Sophomore, North Haven High School; and Obi Etuka,Sophomore, Xavier High School, Middletown.


2012 CABE/CAPSS Convention HighlightsWorkshops

Congratulations to the CABE Board of Distinction winners - Level IIWhat makes you board’s leadership especially effective in improving student achievement?

Berlin Board of Education is com-pletely focused on student achievement.

From the start of its meeting when theboard chair states its mission statement,to the board agenda which practicallyeliminates non-student achievementitems, to the use of student presentationsto illustrate key student achievementinitiatives, to the board’s preparationwork with administrators and teacher onpresentation concerning student achieve-ment. To accomplish this focus the boardhas designed a committee structuredirectly aligned with their goals and itsimplementation.

East Lyme Board of Educationprovides support and resources for

teachers and administrator development;provides support to try new improve-ments within the district such as our newCoastal Connection Program at the highschool; provides the support for planningand implementing a five-year computer/IT technology replacement and enhance-ment program.

GranbyBoard ofEducationhas beenextremelysupportiveof publiceducation both within the state and thelocal community. Granby schools havebenefited from strong and consistentboard leadership and decision-makingover a period of many years. The boardworks collaboratively and supportivelywith the community and town officials ina nonpartisan fashion as strong advocatesfor students and education. Granbyschools have received many honors ofthe past years.

and achieve at the highest levels oflearning in the schools.

Old Saybrook Board of Educationworks to improve student achievement byrelating their mission statement andgoals to agenda items. They support theappropriate use of technology in educa-tional programming. The Board uses datato make informed decisions regardingstudent achievement. They also sponsor acommunity-wide discussion of issues.

Plainville Board of Education lives itsvision state-ment “Pro-mote: achallengingenvironmentcreating anextraordinary community to learners” inall that it does. The board has supportedinitiatives designed to improve studentachievement starting with our youngestchildren in the form of our ReadingRecovery and STARS (Strategies to

Accelerate Reading Success) programs.Providing a strong program of profes-sional development for all staff isanother way that the Plainville works toimprove student achievement.

Plymouth Board of Education is effectiveand supportive in improving student

achievement in a variety of ways. Theyare involved in providing students withvaluable learning experiences, support thedevelopment of methods to improve theuse of achievement data to help shapeinstruction, and provide the necessaryresources in identified areas of need. TheBoard supports Pearson Inform which willallow teachers and administrators to inputstudent achievement data into theprogram which will assist staff in adjust-ing instruction based on student needs.

Roles and responsibilities of board members and superintendentswas discussed by CAPSS Executive Director Joseph Cirasuolo, CAPSSPresident John Tindall-Gibson (Naugatuck); CABE President LydiaTedone (Simsbury); and CABE Executive Director Robert Rader

The Nutmeg Board of Education held its annual meeting. The meeting was called to order byAttorneys Anne Littfield and Richard Mills from Shipman & Goodwin. Those in attendance were:Ronald Goldstein (Colchester) Mr. Chairperson; Chris Pattacini (Manchester) Bob Bombast;Kathy O’Donnell-Moss (Berlin) Mal Content; Eileen Baker (Old Saybrook) Penny Pincher; KarenBergin (Bolton) Red Cent; Patricia Charles (Middletown) Ms. Superintendent; Tony Distasio(Plymouth) Peter Parent; and Ellie Cruz (Hebron) Nancy Newshound.

Members of the Connecticut State Board of Education met with Convention participants. Thosein attendance were: Moderator Lydia Tedone, Patricia Keavney-Maruca, Charles A.Jaskiewicz, III, Stephen Wright, Chair Allan Taylor, and Commissioner Pryor. Not picturedbut part of the discussion was Patricia B. Luke.

Students from around the state attended the Convention on Saturday. One of theworkshops designed specifically for them was Students Representatives on Boardsof Eduation: Policy into Practice. This workshop was led by Eileen Baker, OldSaybrook Board of Education member.

Montville Board of Education workstogether to improve student achievement.Their goal is to engage in a cycle ofcontinuous improvement to ensure allstudents are educated with high standards


Bethel Board of Education hasdemonstrated significant growth over thelast five years. They have publiclycommitted to being “apolitical” in theircollective work and have pledged theircommitment to the families of Bethel bysigning and posting a Code of Ethics.Bethel was one of the first Boards in thestate to adopt a Bring Your OwnTechnology policy and works to ensure apositive school climate for all students.

Bloomfield Board of Education hasestablished four main priorities for thenext three years: holistic accountability,

curriculum instructions and assessment,positive school climate and parent andcommunity engagement. The Board iscommitted to these priorities and haveworked to align our activities to supportthe district’s administration in fulfillingthe action steps required to meet theirambitious targets for studentperformance. Bloomfield will close theachievement gap and the Board ofEducation has an important role to play inachieving this goal.

Congratulations to theCABE Board Recognition Award winners - Level IWhat makes you Board’s leadership especially effective?

Shelton Board of Education continues towork in avery non-partisanmanner toeffectivelysetpolicies,engage thecommun-ity, es-pecially onmajor decision is impacting the district,and to boost achievement throughout forboth students and staff. Six of our nineboard members continue our commitmentto participating in the CT SDE/CABELighthouse project.

Vernon Board of Education utilizes asystem of committees to forward thework of the board. Committee meetingsare held on nights separate from theregular board meetings. Minutes of thediscussions of each committee meeting

are disseminated to the rest of the boardand all committees make recommen-dations to the full board for decisions onpolicy, personnel, budget, technology,curriculum, and facilities. Newington Board of Education

Salem Board of Education

Stonington Board of Education

Waterford Board of Education

Madison Board of Education

CABE Board of Distinction winners - Level II(continued from page 7)

Putnam Board of Education and thesuperintendent work in partnership to

collaborate with the community to provideeffective programs and proceduresdesigned to improve student achieve-ment.

Simsbury Boardof Education hasan in-depth under-standing of contin-uous improvementas it relates to es-tablishing goals,allocating re-sources andaligning efforts tosupport studentneeds.

Stratford Board of Education devel-oped district goals with the primaryfocus being on student academic achieve-ment. The Board became invested in thestate’s CALI initiatives, data analysis, andrevision of existing and implementationof new curricula throughout the district.Data driven decision making is nowengrained throughout the district

including at the Board level. The Boardrecognizes that parent involvement iscritical to the academic success ofstudents.

Wethersfield Board of Education madea strong commitment to the future

Other Board Recognition Awardwinners were the Newington, Salem,Stonington, and the Waterford Boards ofEducation and for the first time theWinchester Board of Education. Con-gratulations to all the winners!

Also, receiving the CABE Board ofDistinction Award was the Madison Boardof Education. Congratulations to all theLevel II winners!

Wolcott Board of Education is a policyand procedures driven board of educationthat is focused on what is best for ourstudents. The Board’s vision is for a

quality school system, with highstandards of student performance and aphilosophy of doing what is best for allstudents.

education of its students by supportingthe implementation of full day kindergar-ten across the district. The Board alsosupports ongoing professional develop-ment opportunities for staff that raisedexpectations for students enteringkindergarten as well as for the studentsas they transition to grade one.


Student Performers

Student Showcase

Exhibitors

Workshop D6 - Friday Afternoon

West Hartford officialsdiscuss Common Core

Chris Seymour, Reporter, CABE

On Friday afternoon at the CABE/CAPSS Convention,West Hartford Superintendent Karen List and Directorof Secondary Education Paul Vicinus presented aCommon Core State Standards (CCSS) implementationworkshop that touched on their district’s preparation forthe switch.

“The clock started ticking in the summer of 2010,” saidVicinus, noting that the standards were adopted by theState Board of Education in July 2010. “That first yearwas about educating some of our key stakeholders.”

Indeed, West Hartford did not mess around and beganplanning immediately for the switch in the 2010-11 schoolyear. This included participating in activities with theState Department of Education related to validation ofthe standards; beginning an internal study of the stand-ards; and focusing on understanding the standards andanticipated assessments.

“How do you make this process manageable?” rhetori-cally inquired Vicinus of the complicated switch. Thatquestion led to the district’s 2011-12 preparation, whichwas dubbed “a year of study and design.” That schoolyear, West Hartford’s preparations included having itsleaders attend CCSS workshops and a Board of Educa-tion presentation/workshops.

The district began curriculum design in 2011-12, andin the summer of 2012, West Hartford began curriculumdevelopment. This year, the district continues to work oncurriculum design/redesign and is utilizing teams to ex-tend unit design. The district will also implement curricu-lar changes, such as new units, performance tasks andassessments.

Next school year, 2013-14, the district’s plans includecontinuing curriculum writing and revision, expandingcurriculum design training, and integrating technologywithin the new and revised units of study. Finally, in2014-15, West Hartford plans on implementing newassessments for grades 3-8 and high school, as well ascontinue its model of continuous improvement and

revise, review, and modify curriculum as required tocontinue to align practice and expectations.

List observed that she likes that the “standards areabout depth” and described the CCSS English LanguageArts/Literacy standards as “a deep and rigorous curricu-lum.” In terms of math, Vicinus said the CCSS are “aboutfocus and coherence.” He added, “It’s more about depthof understanding and the why of things … and problemsolving.”

The presenting duo also discussed what adopting thestandards means and doesn’t mean. For example, adopt-ing the CCSS is a commitment to significant academicexpectations for students, they observed, and is notsimply a checklist, board policy or memo to staff.

“We see it as content, knowledge, aligned curriculumand expertise in terms of good, quality instruction,” saidList.

Of course, with any new initiative comes cost consid-erations, and with the CCSS districts need to keep inmind additional expenses for summer curriculum work,supplemental costs for materials, and technology foronline assessments.

Paul Vicinus, Director of Secondary Education (pictured)and Superintendent of Schools Karen List of West Hartfordspoke about their experiences implementing Common CoreStandards in Language Arts and Mathematics.

Mystic Middle School Jazz Band (Stonington) performed onFriday morning for Convention participants.

Waterbury Arts Magnet School High School Chorus performedon Saturday morning for Convention participants.

Participants visit the Exhbition Hall.

Exhibit Hall draws participants.

Reception

Participants enjoyed desserts at the after-banquetreception sponsored by Shipman & Goodwin.

As part of the student showcasestudents from Kennedy High School inWaterbury demonstrate their roboticsskills.

Students from Bethel demon-strated their EmergencyMedical Technician (EMT) skills.


Immediately following his Saturdaymorning general session speech at the2012 CABE/CAPSS Convention, PedroNoguera held court in Session F, “AFollow-Up with Pedro Noguera.”

Noguera, the Peter L. Agnew Professorof Education at New York University, is anurban sociologist whose scholarship andresearch focuses on the ways in whichschools are influenced by social andeconomic conditions in the urbanenvironment, according to NYU. He holdsfaculty appointments in the departmentsof Teaching and Learning and Humanitiesand Social Sciences at the SteinhardtSchool of Culture, Education and Devel-opment, as well as in the Department ofSociology at New York University.

During the roughly 45 minute session,he fielded a variety of questions fromabout 20 board of education members andsuperintendents. Topics included schoolreplication, the benefits of technical andcareer education, and overall strategiesfor change.

In terms of change, Noguera was askedto detail strategies that could elicit changein education in the Constitution State. “Iwould really encourage you as an

association – CABE—to put forward youragenda and push back. Say here are threethings – keep it short—that we think weshould be doing differently. I think if it’stoo long it’s going to get lost.”

Another audience member askedNoguera: “What makes a school goodand how do you replicate that?” Theprofessor responded by first explainingwhat replication is. “What it really meansis that, beyond the charisma, what are thesystems that have been created? How arepeople working together that allows themto achieve these results?”

Educators then need to try anddetermine of the successful school:“What are they doing that allows them tobe successful?” according to Noguera.“That’s what happens in football; think ofhow many assistants [New EnglandPatriots Head Coach Bill] Belichick hasproduced that are now head coaches inother places.”

Though he didn’t elaborate from there,Noguera insinuated that extremelyeffective coaches – like extremelyeffective schools – will be replicated byothers. Belickick, who has coached thePatriots to three Super Bowl titles during

his tenure, will certainly be a Hall of Famerone day.

The professor later touched on hisaffinity for career and technical educationand encouraged the board members andsuperintendents to partner with localbusiness in those endeavors.

“One thing I’m a huge proponent of iscareer and technical education but careerand technical education done in partner-ship with industry,” he explained. “If youdon’t address access to jobs you getdropouts because some kids feel ‘wheream I going?’ Because [school’s] notleading me anywhere. You need to thinkstrategically – who can be our partners inthe private industry? Where is theregoing to be job growth in Connecticut?”


Saturday Morning Follow-Up Session

Noguera holds Q & A after General Session speech

Mark you Calender NOW!November 14, 2013

CABE Delegate Assembly, Mystic Marriott Hotel, Groton

November 15-16, 2013CABE/CAPSS Convention, Mystic Marriott Hotel, Groton


Congratulations to the school districts who wonCABE’s 2012 Award of Excellence forEducational Communications contest

CABE recognized school districts forexcellence in educational communicationsat the CABE/CAPSS Convention. Mem-bers of the CABE Board of Directors andStaff will present the Awards to thewinning boards at a meeting in theirdistrict after the first of the year. Entrieswere judged by Amanda Berry fromAmanda Berry Designs.

Award WinnersNewsletter

EASTCONN“Connections” quarterly newsletterNew Fairfield Public SchoolsThe Consolidated Connection -PTO NewsletterStamford Public SchoolsDeveloping Futures Newsletter

Annual ReportEASTCONNAnnual Report 2011-2012Plainville Community SchoolPlainville CommunitySchool Business BriefStamford Public SchoolsStamford Public SchoolReport to the Community

District BudgetSalem Public SchoolsSalem Board of Education’sApproved Budget 2012-2013South Windsor Public Schools2012-13 Superintendent’sProposed Budget

Glastonbury Public SchoolsBoard of EducationApproved Budget 2012-13

Parent/Student HandbookRegion 9 Public SchoolsJoel Barlow High SchoolHandbook 2012-2013Wolcott Public SchoolsWolcott High SchoolAgenda PlannerWest Hartford Public SchoolsWilliam H. Hall Student Handbook

Course Selection GuideEASTCONNPrograms and ServicesCatalog 2012-2013Newington Public SchoolsProgram of Studies 2012-13West Hartford Public SchoolsLifeLearn Adult/KidsSummer 2012 Catalog

CalendarCooperative Educational Services2012-13 Member District CalendarAmity Region 5 Public Schools2012-2013 Amity District CalendarHamden Public SchoolsDistrict Calendar

Special ProjectRegion 9 Public Schools(Joel Barlow High School)Academic Integrity Program

Berlin Public SchoolsBerlin Board of Education,Member HandbookWest Hartford Public SchoolsPOPS N JAZZ Poster 2012

Special Project (AV)Redding Public SchoolsTaking Care - in the CafeteriaCheshire Public SchoolsB-2 Day Diversity Day VideoStamford Public SchoolsGet An Insider’s View ofStamford Public Schools

Computer Generated ProjectRedding Public SchoolsI AM MENew Fairfield Public SchoolsOne-to-One Computing InnovationPowerpoint PresentationWest Hartford Public Schools“The Hoot” Whiting LaneSchool online newspaper

WebsiteSalem Public SchoolsSalem School District WebsiteCheshire Public SchoolsCheshire High SchoolNewspaper OnlineWest Hartford Public SchoolsWest Hartford Public Schools Website

Going GreenRedding Public SchoolsRecycle GardenNewington Public SchoolsGoing Green Program

Honorable MentionsBethel Public SchoolsCheshire Public SchoolsClinton Public SchoolsCooperative Educational ServicesEASTCONNFairfield Public SchoolsGlastonbury Public SchoolsHamden Public SchoolsLEARNNew Fairfield Public SchoolsNewington Public SchoolsPlainville Public SchoolsRegion 5 Public Schools (Amity)Region 9 Public SchoolsRegion 18 Public SchoolsRedding Public SchoolsRidgefield Public SchoolsSimsbury Public SchoolsSouth Windsor Public SchoolsStamford Public SchoolsTolland Public SchoolsWallingford Public SchoolsWaterbury Public SchoolsWest Hartford Public SchoolsWeston Public SchoolsWilton Public SchoolsWolcott Public Schools

A SEED was planted on Friday after-noon at the CABE/CAPSS Convention asState Department of Education ChiefTalent Officer Diane Ullman discussedthe new state model for teacher andadministrator evaluation.

SEED – which stands for ‘System forEducator Evaluation and Development’—is a model evaluation and support system

that is aligned to the Connecticut Guide-lines for Educator Evaluation (Core Re-quirements), which were adopted by thePerformance Evaluation Advisory Council(PEAC) and inform implementation ofmodel teacher and administrator eval-uation and support systems being pilotedin districts throughout the state duringthe 2012-13 school year, according to

connecticutseed.org.Ullman said the system places

an “emphasis on developmentand support,” pointing out that“without really highly skilledteachers students can’t learn.”She also stressed that SEED “isjust one model; some people areadopting it as is and others aremodfying it.”

By mid-January, Ullman saidschool systems around the statewill need to decide if they arewriting their own evaluationsystem, adopting SEED or goingwith a hybrid of the two. “I’m

going to guess the vast majority will havesome hybrid,” said Ullman.

The design principles of the SEEDmodel include promoting both profes-sional judgment and consistency andfostering dialogue about student learn-ing. SEED also considers multiple, stand-ards based measures of performance, ac-cording to Ullman. “No one single mea-sure can evaluate teachers … it has to bea combination of factors,” she said.

Ullman said that Connecticut is one ofaround 40 states undertaking revisedevaluation systems and will be able tolearn from those who have gone beforethe Nutmeg State. “We are one of many –many have gone before us and we’velearned lots of lessons,” she noted.

In terms of teachers, SEED is brokendown into four categories of teacher per-formance: observation of teacher perfor-mance and practice (40 percent), parentfeedback (10 percent), student growthand development (45 percent), and wholeschool student learning and/or student

Planting the SEED: New Evaluation System discussedfeedback (5 percent). There will be fourperformance levels, including exemplary,proficient, developing and below stan-dard.

As far as a timeline goes, the evalua-tion process will take place over thecourse of a school year, with goal-settingand planning happening between October15 and November 15; mid-year check in inJanuary/February; and end of year sum-mative review and conference by June 30.The latter will include a teacher self-assessment, scoring and end of year con-ference. “At that point begins the nextyear’s cycle,” said Ullman.

When asked by an audience member“why the rush?” in terms of evaluationimplementation, Ullman said she feelsthere is a “sense of urgency in terms ofstudent learning.”

For more information on SEED pleasevisit www.connecticutseed.org.



A holiday message from the

Connecticut Lottery Corporation

for parents and educators:

For more information on the CT Lottery’s programs to prevent under age

gambling, please contact the CT Lottery’s Director of Government

Regulatory and Operational Affairs, Chelsea Turner at (860) 713-2826.

Contributing over $7 Billion to the state’s General Fund since 1972.


The United States Supreme Courtrecently heard arguments in two casesoriginating in Florida with potentialimplications for the use of drug-sniffingdogs in public schools.

The cases before the Court involve twodifferent situations for the police use ofdrug-detection dogs – one outside thefront door of a suspected marijuana “growhouse,” and the other of a vehicle. Whilethe use of drug-detection dogs in schoolsis not particularly widespread, the legalissues involved in these cases could offerguidance in a murky area of school lawwhere these dogs have been used.

Case OneIn the first case, the question is

whether a police dog’s sniff at the frontdoor of a home ever constitutes a searchunder the Fourth Amendment. TheSupreme Court has so far held in variouscontexts that drug-dog sniffs are not asearch for Fourth Amendment purposes.The other case involves whether courtsmay impose training and certificationrequirements on such dogs.

“Humans have relied upon dogs forlaw enforcement-related purposes, due totheir extraordinary sense of smell, forcenturies,” Gregory G. Garre, who wasrepresenting the state of Florida in bothcases, told the justices. “Dogs, traineddrug-detection dogs and explosive-detection dogs, are invaluable members ofthe law enforcement community today.”

Public defenders for the convictedcriminals in both cases raised concernsabout the scope of such dog sniffs,including in the schools. Under Florida’sview of the Fourth Amendment, onepublic defender wrote in his brief, “policeofficers would be free to randomly take anarcotics detection dog up to the frontdoor of selected houses in a suburbanneighborhood, or take a narcoticsdetection dog up to the front door ofevery apartment in an inner city apartmentcomplex selected by the police, or walk anarcotics dog up and down the halls of aschool to sniff the students passing by.”

In the first case, the home of JoelisJardines was approached in 2006 by adrug-sniffing dog and handler with theMiami-Dade County, Fla., policedepartment. The dog, Franky, was trainedto detect the odor of marijuana, cocaine,heroin, and other drugs.

Franky alerted at the front door of thehouse, which the police used as the basisto obtain a warrant to search the house.They found numerous marijuana plantsand growing equipment inside. Jardineswas arrested, but both a trial court and theFlorida Supreme Court, held that the use

Kelly B. MoyherSenior Staff Attorney, CABE

of a drug detection dog at the door of thehome was a search under the FourthAmendment and had to itself be justifiedby probable cause.

Case TwoThe second case involves a 2006 traffic

stop of Clayton Harris outside ofTallahassee, Fla. A sheriff’s departmentofficer had his drug-detection dog, Aldo,sniff around the exterior of the truck.Aldo alerted for the odor of drugs at thedoor’s handle, and based on that, and thenervousness of Harris, the officer felt hehad probable cause to search the cab ofthe truck, which turned up ingredients tomake methamphetamines.

The Florida Supreme Court found inHarris’s favor, holding that the searchevidence should have been surpressed.The court said probable cause forsearches after a dog alerts may only beestablished after the state has proven thedog’s reliability by presenting trainingand certification records, including fieldperformance records and evidence aboutthe experience and training of the officerhandling the dog.

Florida Appealedto Supreme Court

Florida appealed both rulings to theSupreme Court.

“These dogs have been used and arebeing used in many settings across thecountry and across the world today,”Garre said during the Harris arguments.“And the reason they are being used isbecause the people who work with themknow that they are reliable.”

Joseph R. Palmore, an assistant to theU.S. solicitor general, also argued againstthe Florida Supreme Court’s list ofrequirements.

“I think it’s critical . . . that the courtsnot constitutionalize dog-trainingmethodologies or hold mini-trials withexpert witnesses on what makes for asuccessful dog training program,”Palmore said. “Because ... the governmenthas critical interests, life and deathinterests, that it stakes on the reliability ofthese dogs.”

He noted that there were “39 K-9 teamsin the field right now in New York andNew Jersey looking for survivors ofHurricane Sandy. So, in situation aftersituation, the government has, in a sense,put its money where its mouth is, and itbelieves at an institutional level that thesedogs are quite reliable.”

School SearchesIn schools today, it is most common for

school authorities to invite the police anddetection dogs into the schools to sniff

lockers or parking lots. Another tactic isrequiring students to leave their backpacksto be sniffed by detection dogs.

In 2010, a Texas state appellate courtupheld the delinquency finding for astudent whose backpack containedmarijuana. The Austin, Texas, policebrought a detection dog into a high schoolto conduct a classroom-by-classroom sniffof student’s belongings. The detectiondog alerted to one student’s backpack, anda search turned up marijuana.

The Texas Court held that the dog sniffof the student’s backpack “implicated arelatively minor privacy interest” and that“the seizure effectively addressed theproblem of student drug use and served theimportant governmental interest inprotecting the students’ safety and health.”

Supreme Court DecisionThe Supreme Court arguments in the

Florida cases did not veer into schoolsituations, but several justices expressedconcerns about where upholding the front-door search in the Jardines case might lead.

“The police could take a dog and godown every house on the street, everyapartment in the buildings” Justice RuthBader Ginsburg asked.

Garre said the police could do that, butthe court has long recognized that a limit onresources and the potential for communityhostility have limited such a wide-rangingtactic.

U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments with potentialimplications for use of drug sniffing dogs in public schools

It appeared that a majority of thecourt was hostile to Florida’s argumentsin the home-search case. JusticeAntonin Scalia, who wrote the opinionfor the court in a 2001 case that rejectedthe police use of thermal-imagingtechnology to detect powerful lampsused to grow marijuana, seemed to beequally concerned about the use ofdetection dogs at the front door.

“It seems to me crucial that thisofficer went onto the portion of thehouse . . . [where] there is privacy, andused a means of discerning what was inthe house that should not have beenavailable,” he said.

But in the Harris case, involving thereliability of detection dogs, the justicesseemed less inclined to accept theFlorida Supreme Court’s broad trainingand certification mandates.

The police “like to search wherethey’re likely to find something, and thatonly exists when the dog is well-trained,” Scalia said to the publicdefender representing Harris. “It seemsto me they have every incentive to trainthe dog well.”

Decisions in the cases are expectedby next June. Any implications forschool districts in Connecticut as aresult of the decisions will beimmediately addressed by CABE.

Reprinted in part from the SchoolLaw Blog, October 31, 2012.

Bob Rader’s editorial in the October Journal, Always Onand Always Available, on the digital expectations of bothsuperintendents and board members, really resonated withme. When I started my position in Fairfield, the Board and Ihad a mutual understanding that I would not check or replyto email on weekends and that I would have my phoneturned off on Friday afternoon and back on Monday morn-ing. The chair has my home phone number in case of anemergency. The Board members here have been very goodabout understanding that I need some time with my family.As a result, they know that if they email me at night duringthe week they are not likely to get a response until the nextday. And all of the same “rules” apply when I am on vaca-tion.

As Bob suggested in the article, if the superintendent andboard are “on the same page” with this, then it can workreally well.

David G. TitleFairfield Superintendent of Schools

Letter to the Editor


As Coventry examined currentprograms to determine the next level ofrefinement at the high school, it wasclear that we needed to continue ourfocus on advancing the achievement ofall students by increasing the creditrequirement for graduation to 25.Although many programmatic changeshave been made over the years, the onearea that remained unchanged since1996 was the credits required forgraduation.

Once this focus became a priority ofthe administration, it was crucial to gainBoard support for this change. TheBoard was very receptive to under-standing the rationale behind thisinitiative and the importance of advanc-ing the achievement of all students atCoventry High School by reviewingcourse requirements and increasingcredit requirements. The Board quicklyadopted this as a 2012/2013 budgetpriority.

Although the Board was fully awarethat the increase in credit requirementsas a result of Connecticut’s Plan forSecondary School Reform would not gointo effect until 2018, they believed inorder to provide the best possibleprogram for our students it is better tobe proactive than reactive. With this inmind, the Board approved increasingthe credit requirement for graduation atCoventry High School from 22 to 25 andthe math graduation requirement to fouryears beginning with the Class of 2016.

Armed with Board support, theadministration began to outline ingreater detail the impact this changewould have on students and programsat Coventry High School. While manystudents graduate with more than 22credits, with our relatively new eightperiod schedule, a 25 credit requirement

would enhance learning time andprovide students with more opportuni-ties to explore the many academicpathways through our high schoolincluding college credit bearingcourses, elective courses, and onlinelearning opportunities through VirtualHigh School.

The requirements of Connecticut’sPlan for Secondary School Reform,including the 25 credit requirement andthe opportunities provided by the eightperiod schedule, necessitate planningfor additional sections of courses andtwo additional full time teachers toinstruct these classes. To explore thesepossible changes, we needed to involvethe faculty further in this process toensure that we had full stakeholdersupport of this initiative. The staffunderstood the need for graduatingstudents to master standards focusedon career and college readiness and todemonstrate their acquisition of 21st

Century Skills.The Common Core State Standards

and the New England Association ofSchools and Colleges (NEASC), ouraccrediting organization, requireschools to produce students who arecareer and college ready. The impor-tance of college readiness cannot beoverestimated. Studies show thatnationally more than forty percent ofhigh school graduates entering collegewill require remediation classes inEnglish and math and those studentswho enter college needing remediationare not likely to graduate.1,2

The fourth year of math at CoventryHigh School will provide additionalopportunities for students to masterskills and content needed to besuccessful in college, no doubt this isthe reason most colleges and universi-ties recommend four years of highschool math.

Connecticut’s Plan for SecondarySchool Reform stipulates that all highschool students must take four years ofmath regardless of how many mathemat-

Coventry increases student credit requirementsJennifer Beausoleil,Chair, Coventry Board of Education

Michele Mullaly,Principal, Coventry High School

David J. Petrone,Superintendent, Coventry Public Schools

ics credits they earn by the end ofGrade 8. Accelerated students inmathematics may choose to takecollege-level courses to meet the four-credit requirement; for other students,Algebra II or Probability and Statisticsmay be their fourth credit.

Listed below are the graduationrequirements including the proposedchanges to be implemented beginningwith the Class of 2016.

A Coventry High School student iseligible for graduation upon thesuccessful completion of the require-ments leading to the award of adiploma. These requirements includesuccessful completion of a minimum of25 credits to meet the course distribu-tion requirement, completion of an

electronic Portfolio which adheres toschool rubrics and represents astudent’s academic achievement/growth, a community service compo-nent, and passing all areas of theConnecticut Academic Proficiency Test(CAPT). Students who do not meet thedistrict goals on the CAPT in Grade 10are required to retake the CAPT duringtheir junior year.

Those who do not meet districtgoals for the second time will receiveadditional academic support and theappropriate alternate assessments todemonstrate skill proficiency.1,2(Alliance for Excellent Education,2006.) (National Center for EducationStatistics, 2004.)

The CABE administrative assistant staff held a webinar for school district administrativestaff to help familiarize them with the CABE website and database. This webinar isarchived on our website at www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=354. Staff members taking part inthe webinar were: (standing) Melissa Dickinson, Administrative Assistant for MembershipServices; Terry DeMars, Administrative Associate for Policy Service; Cory Ucci, Receptionistand Assistant to the Executive Director; Gail Heath, Administrative Associate for Govern-ment Relations; (seated) Wilmarie Newton, Administrative Associate for Labor Relations;and Pamela Brooks, Senior Administrative Associate for Policy Service and Search Services.

Students must receive credit inthe following areas for graduation:

English - 4 credits

Mathematics - 4 credits to be earned while the student is in Grades 9-12(including Algebra I, if high school credit was not earned in Grade 8,Geometry, and Algebra II or Probability and Statistics)

Social Studies - 3 credits (including 1.0 credit in World Understanding, 1.0credit in U.S. History, and a Civics requirement)

Science - 3 credits (including Biology/Lab)

Physical Education - 1 credit

Arts/Vocational - 1 credit

Electives - 8.5 credits

How to CABE Your Ways

Attention!!!We have had many requests for the

speeches by Mary Broderick and RobertRader at the Friday night Convention Ban-quet. Their speeches are now available onour website’s homepage – www.cabe.org.

Also, available on our website are someof the handout material from the workshoppresenters at the CABE/CAPSS Convention –www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=400.


CABE-MeetingCABE-Meeting is a user-friendly, web-based service specifically designed to assist the board, superintendentand central office staff in preparing for and running board of education meetings.

An exciting feature designed for use by committees, in addtion to boards of education, was recently added toCABE-Meeting. Now all your board work and committee information is conveniently located in one place!

Is CABE-Meeting for you? Learn more:

• Do you want to save your district money?• Do you want to utilize technology to enable staff to be

more efficient?• Do you want to focus more of your human and financial

resources on increasing student achievement in yourdistrict?

• Do you want to enhance communication with yourcommunity?

• Do you want to model the methods that should be usedto infuse technology in your schools?

If you answered “yes” to at least one of the abovequestions, read on. CABE-Meeting can help you!

Take a few minutes and go tohttp://www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=158 to completeour CABE-Meeting costanalysis worksheet (locatedat the bottom of the page)and see how much yourdistrict can save in one year.Districts can savethousands of dollars eachyear by using CABE-Meeting.

CABE-Meeting

Lisa SteimerConnecticut Association ofBoards of Education81 Wolcott Hill RoadWethersfield, CT 06109www.cabe.org

For more information, a list of districtscurrently using CABE-Meeting or toschedule a demonstra-tion for yourboard, call Lisa Steimer at 800-317-0033 or860-571-7446 or [email protected].

As of this writing at the beginning ofNovember, 24 of the eligible 30 AllianceDistricts have had their applicationsapproved. In order to receive the addi-tional funding, there were “rounds ofdialogue between the State Department ofEducation (SDE) and districts to ensureproposals fulfill program guidelines andgoals” and districts were asked to revise,expand, focus, and/or clarify componentsof their proposed plans and consult localstakeholders, including bargaining units,and submit plans to their boards ofeducation for approval.

Here is a summary of SDE’s statementsof what the new funding will accomplishin some of the approved districts.Generally, we did not include requirementsthat all districts will have to implement,such as Common Core Standards andprofessional evaluation and supportprograms:

Ansonia: $539,715• For K-3 literacy, Ansonia will transition

to a new instructional model andintroduce a literacy anthology toimprove classroom libraries. Thedistrict will also implement embeddedprofessional development and expandthe role of a pre-literacy coordinator.

• Ansonia will recruit and train three in-house master teachers who will serveas embedded supports for all Ansonia

High School faculty. These masterteachers will develop and deliver in-depth training in effective teachingstrategies. This training will be basedon data gleaned from implementation ofthe state’s System for EducatorEvaluation and Development (SEED)evaluation program.

• Ansonia will lengthen the school yearby 10 days for freshmen studentsthrough a Freshman Academy, throughwhich a small number of staff will team-teach all freshmen, enabling thecultivation of meaningful teacher-student relationships to help ease thetransition to high school.

Naugatuck: $635,149• In order to create career opportunities

for talented local individuals, and todevelop the next generation of schoolleaders, Naugatuck will create anadministrative internship program.Through this program, teachers will begranted a leave of absence to act in therole of an assistant principal for oneyear.

• Currently, principals in Naugatuckperform multiple duties that preventthe devotion of adequate time to theirrole as instructional leaders. Nauga-tuck plans to add four school counse-lor positions to enable principals todedicate more time to instructionalleadership.

Windsor Locks: $252,306• Windsor Locks has dedicated its entire

Alliance funding allotment, as well asnearly double this amount of districtresources, to one high-leverageinitiative, extended time. This plan willextend the school schedule by 200hours a year.

• Windsor Locks will engage in a pilotyear, and has solicited interestedteachers to be reassigned as “extendedday/year teachers.” These teachers willcoach their peers on extended timestrategies, identify best practices, andlead the way as Windsor Lockstransitions from the pilot in year one tofull implementation in year two.

Waterbury: $4,395,509• Waterbury will address the issue of

equal access to quality curricula acrossthe district by centralizing the curricu-lum development function.

• It will pilot preschool programs in fourelementary schools to ensure thatstudents arrive in kindergarten with thepreparation needed to succeed.

• Waterbury will redesign and modernizeits central office through the identifica-tion of new senior staff and newleadership roles.

• To help improve graduation rates forstruggling high school students,Waterbury will launch an extended-

year alternative education program anda credit recovery program.

• Waterbury also will engage in newinitiatives to improve parent involve-ment and create a positive schoolclimate.

Bloomfield: $204,550• Bloomfield will expand an existing

extended learning time program, adding60 minutes of instructional time to theschool day for third through eighthgraders. This program will coordinatewith the Early Start Program, whichadds five weeks of instruction to thesummer months, by aligning curriculumbetween the initiatives.

• Bloomfield will institute a LeadershipAcademy, which will serve principals,teachers, and parents.

• Bloomfield will strengthen its curricu-lum, instruction, and assessmentsthrough, among other mechanisms,creating a feedback loop betweenteacher evaluation results, professionaldevelopment, and student performancedata.

Danbury: $1,696,559• Danbury will enhance its work to

address the achievement gap forEnglish language learners by augment-ing the district’s team of instructional

What are Alliance Districts doing to increase student growth?

(please see ALLIANCE page 17)


CABE’s Customized Policy Service tailors a policy manual for asubscribing board of education that reflects the specific needs andpriorities of that community.

The service includes:• Review and analysis of existing policies for relevancy and

compliance with federal and state statutes and regulations.

• Review of current contracts and student and personnel hand-books for explicit and implied policies.

• On-site consultation for school board members and schooladministrators by CABE staff.

• Update of existing policies

• Legal referencing of policies:

- Connecticut and U.S. statutes

- Federal/state court decisions

• Development of needed policies and regulations.

• Use of CABE Codification System

• Printing of policies and arrangement in manual.

• Manual on CD

Fee is based on school district enrollment. For more information contactVincent Mustaro at CABE 860-571-7446 or 800-317-0033. You canalso email Policy Services at [email protected].

Does your policy manualLOOK LIKE THIS?

Then you are the perfect candidate for the

CABE CustomizedPolicy Service!

(continued from page 16)interventionists. Danbury will supple-ment literacy instruction by addinginstructional time before, during, andafter school.

• Danbury will improve high schoolinstruction through new job-embeddedcoaching for ninth grade instructors incore academic areas in year one. Inyears two through five, this coachingmodel will be expanded to all highschool grades.

• Danbury will phase in full-day kinder-garten district-wide, starting with fiveschools in year one, and continuingwith additional schools in years twoand three.

East Haven: $500,400• East Haven will partner with Literacy

How to provide job-embeddedprofessional development in literacyvia reading specialists, who will assistin coaching district teachers in variousinstructional strategies. This shift willincrease the capacity of districteducators and ensure that high qualitylessons are provided to the greaternumber of students.

• East Haven will develop a comprehen-sive data system that will guideteachers in the formation of individual-ized instruction plans for students, andinform the areas in which teachers willreceive targeted professional develop-ment.

• East Haven will also establish aNewcomer Center, which will increaseinstructional time and deliver special-ized lessons to English languagelearners in need of support.

East Windsor: $168,335• East Windsor will create a literacy

initiative for students in kindergartenthrough third grade at the district’ssingle Focus School. This intensivereading intervention strategy forstudents reading below proficiency willinclude a literacy coach, four readinginterventionists to provide differenti-ated support, and year-long embeddedprofessional development for theprincipal and teachers.

Hamden: $882,986• Hamden will intensify support for its

lowest performing schools by conduct-ing instructional audits, evaluatingbuilding principals, and using theresults of these tools to provideexecutive coaches to principals in needof support.

• Hamden will expand its use of studentdata to drive instructional decisions inthe classroom by bringing aboard twonew data facilitators. Data personnelwill train teachers and administrators inthe effective use of data to driveinstructional and administrativedecisions.

• Hamden will identify middle schoolstudents from typically under-repre-sented groups and provide support,through summer and year-roundprogramming, for their increasedparticipation and success in high-level

high school courses.• Hamden will partner with Hamden

Partnership for Young Children (HPYC)to establish a 4 week transition tokindergarten program in each of thelowest performing elementary schoolsfor children with little or no pre-Kexperience.

Manchester: $1,343,579• The district will initiate a six and a half

week summer start program to ease thetransition for young learners enteringschool, and ensure that these newstudents are socially, emotionally, andacademically prepared to start kinder-garten.

• Manchester will add significantsupport for its K-5 students in need ofreading support via the provision ofadditional tutors and coaches, accessto online assessments and data-evaluation tools to ensure effectivepractice, and, beginning in year 2, theimplementation of a six week summerliteracy intervention for studentsbelow grade level.

New London: $809,001• New London will partner with National

Center for Time and Learning to createextended learning time teams in allelementary schools and Bennie DoverMiddle School. This initiative will alsoincrease learning time by 80 hours atJennings and Winthrop Elementary inthis academic year.

• With the restructuring of its CentralOffice, New London will augment itsfocus on developing a high qualityteacher corps by bringing on a HumanResources/Talent Director to spear-head the implementation of a system-atic talent development plan.

Stamford: $920,233• New strategies will include extending

the school day for struggling students– so that educators can provideinterventions for these studentswithout pulling them out of regularinstructional courses. In year one,Stamford will extend learning time in alltwelve of its elementary schools byimplementing before and after schoolliteracy programs. In year two, Stam-ford will extend time for young learnersby expanding a summer pre-K programto all twelve elementary schools. Inaddition, Stamford will add a six weeksummer school program for incomingKindergartners in its two FocusSchools.

• Stamford will re-initiate its ProjectOpening Doors initiative, which hasincreased participation and success inAP classes for under-representedstudents.

• Stamford will rewrite its literacy andmath curriculum and train instructorsto align instructional practice with theCommon Core State Standards.

West Haven: $1,381,848• West Haven will expand and evolve its

existing teacher leader initiative bylaunching a transition from group-

based professional development to anew model of job-embedded training.Training in the new model will betailored to the needs of teachers, asidentified by the results of the stateevaluation and support system.

• The district will provide six coaches towork with new teachers in math (whichstudent achievement data has shownto be an area in need of improvement)and 10 literacy coaches to providecoaching to teachers and interventionswith students.

• West Haven will intensify its supportof early learners by expanding itssummer program for at-risk prekinder-garten, special education, kindergarten,and first grade learners from fourweeks to five.

Winchester: $207,371• Winchester will partner with the

University of Connecticut to develop acomprehensive teacher and administra-tor evaluation and support model thatwill provide job-embedded coachingfor the transition to the Common Core,and establish a district data team toensure professional developmentdecisions are informed by studentperformance outcomes.

• To support its K-3 reading initiative,Winchester will hire a literacy coach tolead the district’s literacy staff,interface with the district data team,and provide coaching to classroomteachers.

Windham: $763,857• Windham will implement a comprehen-

sive talent management strategythrough which highly qualifiedteachers will partner with beginningteachers for a full year of co-teachingexperience. These highly qualifiedteachers will be identified as masterteachers based on student assessmentdata and administrator evaluations.Students with the greatest academicneed will be placed in these co-taughtclassrooms.

• Windham will increase instructionaltime in two of its highest need schoolsby launching a planning process forincreasing the school day and schoolyear. A redesign team will coordinatewith parents to implement a phase-insystem which will increase learningtime at both Sweeney ElementarySchool and Windham Middle Schoolby 300 hours by year five of theAlliance District Designation. Thesetwo schools will add one hour ofinstructional time to each school daybeginning in January 2013.

More information on all of thedistricts can be found at the AllianceDistrict page on the SDE website (http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2683&Q=334226).

– Robert RaderExecutive Director, CABE

What are Alliance Districts doing to increase student growth?


CABE: Working for YOU!Individualized Workshops • Professional

Development Opportunities • Legal Services • Policy Services • Representing You Statewide and Nationally

Below are the highlights of activities thatthe CABE staff has undertaken on yourbehalf over the last month and a half. Wedid this:

➤ By helping school boardsto increase studentachievement:

• Sent two issues of Policy Highlightsvia email listserv covering topics thataffect student achievement. Thisincluded information pertaining to theobservance of religious holidays inthe schools, evaluation of principals,bullying prevention, substance abuse,and online education.

• Attended and wrote an article onCAPSS’ Personalized Educationconference.

➤ By promotingpublic education:

• Answered questions about thecurrent legal issues facing boards ofeducation. “HOT” topics this monthwere: Use of personal technology inschools, medication administration,abuse and neglect reports, reasonsfor executive session, and boardminutes.

• Attended a meeting of CAPSS Retired

Superintendents committee todiscuss assistance to currentsuperintendents on various educa-tional issues.

• Provided policy information to 23districts, one RESC, and one out-of-state school board association, andone newspaper, through 37 answeredrequests for information or samplepolicies, on 33 topics. The topics ofgreatest interest included studentrecords, attendance and truancyissues, and bringing your owndevices to school. Use is also beingmade by districts of the online CoreManual to access ample policies on ahost of topics.

• Met with representatives of theConnecticut Education Association(CEA) on strengthening publiceducation.

➤ By representing Connecti-cut school boards on thenational level:

• Participated in small school districttask force meeting.

• Participated in CCM Annual Conven-tion workshop on education reform.

• Attended Achievement Gap TaskForce meeting.

• Attended ECS Task Force meeting• Attended CREC Council meeting.

• Attended CCJEF Steering Committeemeeting.

• Attended meeting of the CAPSSTechnology Subcommittee.

• Participated in two meetings of theConnecticut Coalition for publiceducation. We discussed legislativeand other concerns, including PEACand what is happening as pilot districtmove forward.

• Attended Sheff group recognition ofCREC and its Executive Director BruceDouglas for contributions to achieve-ment more racial diversity in ourschools.

• Attended retirement celebration ofLEARN Executive Director and CABEFriend of Public Education 2012awardee Ginny Seccombe.

• Attended Governor’s PreventionPartnership’s Annual Governor’sLuncheon.

• Participated in meeting of theGovernor’s Prevention Partnership’sAudit Committee.

• Met with the other partners from the“Big Six” partnership on the upcom-ing Legislative Session.

➤ By providing opportunitiesfor members to learn howto better govern theirdistricts:

• Facilitated retreats on Roles andResponsibilities for the Stratford andBristol Boards of Education.

• Met with Enfield Board Chair TimNeville and Superintendent JeffreySchuman on CABE services, activi-ties and programs.

• Facilitated Board Retreats for thePlainfield and Wethersfield Boardsof Education.

• Facilitated Board Workshop for theWest Haven Board of Education.

• Attended meeting of the ConnecticutTechnical High School Board ofEducation.

• Planned and implemented successfulCABE/CAPSS Convention.

• Provided policy information to 23districts, one RESC, one out-of-stateschool boards association, and onenewspaper, through 37 answered requests for information or samplepolicies, on 33 topics. The topics ofgreatest interest included studentrecords, attendance and truancyissues, and bring your own devices

to school. Use is also being made bydistricts of the online Core Manual toaccess sample policies on a host oftopics.

➤ By ensuring membersreceive the most up-to-date communications:

• Prepared Custom Policy Servicematerial for Derby, Griswold, ParkCity Prep Charter School, EastWindsor, Wallingford and Wood-bridge Boards of Education.

• Prepared for Custom Update Service,revised and/or new policies, based onrecent legislation for Sterling Boardsof Education.

• The first issue of the Policy UpdateService publication was mailed tosubscribing districts.

• Met twice with UConn students whowill help survey our members ondemographic issues and how toachieve greater participation inadvocacy and professional develop-ment.

➤ By providing servicesto meet members needs:

• Met with board chairmen in RegionalSchool District 1 to discuss collec-tive bargaining.

• Visited with the Policy Committee andSuperintendent of the WatertownBoard of Education to review theresults of the completed audit of theirpolicy manual.

• In process of completing the audit ofthe policy manual of the NorfolkBoard of Education.

• Planned and facilitated Board ChairRoundtable focusing primarily onmandates and how we can helpdistricts by getting relief from them.

• Presented a webinar on “How toCABE Your Ways”, helping superin-tendents’ assistants and others betterunderstand how to use CABE onlineservices, such as the website, policyservices and others. It is archived onthe CABE website, www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p-354. CABE Support Staffdid all of the hard work on thisproject!

• Participated in meeting of the CABEVision Committee, focusing on howCABE will be better able to meetmember needs in the future.

Lee VanBremen, CABE President in 1973-74 and a former member of the New BritainBoard of Education, died recently. Lee joined the NSBA staff in 1974 as membershipdirector and state association liaison. He served as NSBA Assistant Executive Directorfrom 1978-1983. Lee was also a member of the American Society of AssociationExecutives (ASAE) Board of Directors and was chairman of the ASAE Foundation.

Pat Luke, a member of the State Board of Education, who served with Lee on theNew Britain Board of Education, said “Lee VanBremen was my colleague and my friend.He lived a life filled with achievement and service and was devoted to public educationand the children it serves.” CABE extends sympathy to Lee’s wife Jane and children.

Patrice A. McCarthyDeputy Director and General Counsel, CABE

Condolences - Lee VanBremen


December 6Legislative Breakfast

SECASA and MSSA Superintendents7:45 - 9:00 am

Montville High School CafeteriaMontville


CES/South Fairfield Superintendents8:00 am

CES Special Education BuildingTrumbull

December 11Legal Implications of the

New State Board of EducationGuidelines for Evaluation

9:00 - 12:00 pmRovins Conference Room

CABE


ACESSouth Central Superintendents

8:00 amACES, Hamden

January 11, 2013Legislative Breakfast

Education ConnectionWestern Area Superintendents

Danbury

February 7Legislative Breakfast

CRECHartford Area Superintendents

Capitol, Hartford

March 6CABE Day-on-the-Hill

8:30 am - 3:00 pmThe Bushnell Hartford

Workshop information as well as reg-istration information is also pub-lished on the CABE website at:www.cabe.org. If you have any ques-tions, please contact Lisa Steimer atthe CABE Office 800-317-0033 or860-571-7446 or email Lisa [email protected].

✔

Mark yourCALENDAR

Don’t miss theseprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities!

(continued from page 1)While not all of those issues could be

addressed, here is some of what I learnedat the first day of the conference:• Dr. Michael Nakkula of the University

of Pennsylvania, spoke about theimportance of considering howchildren learn. They do so on whenthey feel that they are an active part ofthe learning process. And they learnbest on an interpersonal level –learning from one another or a parentor teacher.

How do we customize our teaching sothat students feel they are part of theprocess? According to Nakkula, welearn through networks and studentsneed these networks so that they willnot only learn, but so that they willwant to learn.

Students will try hard at things theythink they’re good at naturally.Although effort can breed success,often it is success that breeds moreeffort. Thus, if a student is acknowl-edged for a success, he or she willbetter understand that they cansucceed. This is critical at the highschool level.

We see the opposite effect in college:kids who did well in high school withlower expectations, where they alwayssucceeded, can become demotivatedwhen they face tougher standards incollege. It’s thus important that wepush high expectations at same time weeducate within the student’s comfortzone. We need to ensure they keephaving success, so they will keeptrying. Back in preschool to twelfthgrade, we have to be sure to keep themengaged and finding success

• Dr. Barbara Cervone from RhodeIsland, discussed the “Core Elementsof Teaching Practice in Student-Centered Learning”:• Strong relationships with students;• Anytime, anywhere, and real-world

learning (flexible scheduling;community internships; curricularprojects that engage the worldoutside schools);

• Personalization and choice incurricular tasks (personal learningplans, opportunities to showmastery in various ways, indepen-dent projects that build on specialinterests [such as senior capstoneprojects]);

• Technology that is integral toteaching and learning (appropriateonline learning and tools thatpromote collaboration);

• Appropriate challenge levels foreach learner (differentiated instruc-tion; focusing on habits of practiceand revision so that students pushthemselves);

CAPSS explores personalized learning

• Clear, timely assessment andsupport (“just in time” feedback);

• Supporting social and emotionalgrowth (educating the whole child);and

• Fostering autonomy and lifelonglearning

• Beatrice McGarvey, of Maine, spokeabout “Mass Customized Learning:Learning in the Age of Empowerment,It’s Inevitable”. She began bydiscussing that mass customizedlearning is not a program or a model. Itis a vision of what education can be.Her “foundational principles forlearning include that students learn indifferent ways and in different time-frames”.

To her, effective school cultures needto:• Have a clear, articulated mission and

vision;• Operate from a set of guiding

principles about learning;• Model continuous improvement;• Create a growth mindset culture;• Are research and evidence based;• Have a guaranteed and viable

curriculum; and• Improve teacher expertise

McGarvey made the argument thatthe assembly-line school paradigm thatstill exists was originally based onschools separating out the studentswith “talent, who would becomeprofessionals or other types ofleaders, from those who would work

(continued from page 1)vague, to allow more flexibility to theadministration to better identify and meettargets. Boards should work in concertwith the superintendent to formulategoals, but it is the job of the superinten-dent and his or her staff to develop anaction plan and timeline to accomplish thegoals. For instance, data might support aneed to improve literacy in the earlygrades. It would be very appropriate toset a goal that focuses on improvingreading or writing for the younger grades.However, the superintendent, with staff,should determine what an appropriatebenchmark should be and what assess-ments will be used to measure progress.

Board goals identify the work theboard of education feels is important forthem to accomplish. They might be set tofocus on the work that the board needs todo to support the district goals. Are boardmeetings run with achievement as themain topic of discussion? Are subcommit-tees working effectively to streamline thedecisionmaking process or do they make

Goals: Important in Hockey, Soccer andBasketball, and to Boards of Education

in factories or on farms. She made apassionate “rant” [her word] againstthe Common Core Standards, becausealthough they may teach what studentsneed to know for the future they willinherit, their instructional process isbased on time (for example, identifiedcurriculum must be learned in specificgrades). This contradicts the idea ofpersonalized student learning

She added that the current structure ofschools has prevented professionals,such as teachers, from doing whatprofessionals do: using the informationthey have and applying it to theirmissions. They are driven by thecurriculum and expectations of whatthey must teach – and when.

We will hear much about these ideas aswe reform our education system. Movingto personalized learning is fraught withobstacles, such as whether we have theinfrastructure, space, transportation or theeducated staff to do this.

If we continue to move forward withpersonalized learning, boards andsuperintendents will need to learn muchmore about these concepts and how toapply them. But, if you believe, as we do,that this is the most effective educationwe will be able to provide, it is critical thatwe start learning about building such asystem as soon as possible.

If you would like to read NextEd in itsentirety, go to www.ct.nexted.org. ForCABE’s response to NextEd, please callthe CABE Office.

more work for your staff with no apparentpurpose? Is the board distributingresources in a way that supports thedistrict goals?

Good board goals make it easier to getboard business done because it focusesthe work on the priorities of the district.

Where most boardsmiss the boat

If the board only sets goals and neverreviews them, then it will most likely havelittle impact on student achievement. Werecommend that boards of educationinclude an update on goals in everyagenda – maybe as part of the superinten-dent’s report. Only when the boardconstantly asks “How are we doing?”, willthe rest of the district take the goalsseriously, and continue to concentrate itswork on those goals.

If your district is interested in goal-setting, please contact CABE for assis-tance.


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646 Prospect AvenueHartford, CT 06105-4286

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cabe journal - december 2012

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