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Huberman to principals: Focus will be on data
By: Sarah Karp / June 16, 2009
If you know data analysis, there’s probably a job for you in CPS administration. If you know only about teaching—well, maybe not quite so much. In his first address to principals Tuesday, CEO Ron Huberman didn’t go into specifics about what positions are going to be axed this week in central office. But he said he plans to streamline central office, get more money into schools (though not this year, given the budget crunch) and get teachers and principals data about student performance in real- time by having diagnostic tests done online so that results are more immediate.
Principals seemed excited by the news. They’ve often complained that the results of periodic student assessments are delayed for so long it is hard to react to them and adjust teaching accordingly.
Chief Education Officer Barbara Eason-Watkins talked about the restructuring of area instructional offices. Existing area instructional officers will have to reapply for the new positions, renamed chief area officers, and the number of offices has been cut to 21, down from 25.
If you know data analysis, there’s a job for you in CPS administration. If you know only about teaching—well, maybe not quite so much.
In his first address to principals Tuesday, CEO Ron Huberman didn’t go into specifics about what positions are going to be axed this week in central office. But he said he plans to streamline central office, get more money into schools (though not this year, given the budget crunch) and get teachers and principals data about student performance in real- time by having diagnostic tests done online so that results are more immediate.
Principals seemed excited by the news. They’ve often complained that the results of periodic student assessments are delayed for so long it is hard to react to them and adjust teaching accordingly.
Chief Education Officer Barbara Eason-Watkins talked about the restructuring of area instructional offices. Existing area instructional officers will have to reapply for the new positions, renamed chief area officers, and the number of offices has been cut to 21, down from 25.
Area officers will now be focused on helping teachers and principals interpret data, figure out students’ problem areas and come up with improvement plans. Each officer will get a data analyst, and the reading and math coaches will become data coaches, but with expertise in their subject area.
Huberman, however, didn’t talk at all about how schools should come up with improvement plans, or about providing additional support to schools.
Huberman’s claim to fame is performance management, and he told principals that they are expected to have performance management meetings at schools and to participate in those held at the area level. The chief area officers will sit down weekly with him, Eason-Watkins and other department heads to figure out what needs to happen to make sure that students are progressing.
Huberman also told principals that the district’s professional development department will be trimmed. Principals know better what type of professional development they need, he said.
Eason-Watkins piped in at times during the meeting, mostly to tell principals that they are doing a good job and that CPS is well on its way to being the premier urban school district—a line that is a remnant from former CEO Arne Duncan’s days.
Huberman also promised to stop running so many pilot programs, narrowing offerings to a handful and taking them to scale. One of the criticisms of former CEO Arne Duncan was that he initiated pilot programs, but had trouble implementing them districtwide.
However, Huberman was careful not to critique Duncan, saying he wanted to build on progress the district has already made. He also made it a point to tell principals that while MBAs are all over central office, educators will still be responsible for what goes on in the classroom.
“We are just trying to bring some business acumen to it,” he said.
Huberman to principals: Focus will be on data
Mr. Huberman and Mrs. Eason-Watkins will not improve the CPS until the majority of CPS parents become totally involved in their children’s education.
Huberman to principals: Focus will be on data
Marc you are so right. Too many times parents think that sending their children to school is all they have to contribute. They are the White Elephant in the room. Until they are involved 100% then it will be the same as always.
Also thinking that Principals know the best Professional Development then BEW and RH need to think again. They are part of the reason teachers take off on these days because the Professional Developments are not for the entire audience. They must pick wisely or Professional Development Days are a waste of time and money. Big Question:Who will provide the Professional Development?
Huberman to principals: Focus will be on data
Marc is so right parents need to step-up and become more active in their children education. Mr Huberman should hold the principals accountable for improving their schools. And it's important for teachers and principals to have students assesments in a timely fashion.
Huberman to principals: Focus will be on data
Yes, I agree with Sims--so much of it is about the parents and choices. Library cards are free folks. I didn't bother to buy a converter box either.
BUT---I have to laugh about the data driven stuff. It shows a high need for control and quantitative results. CPS is unlike anything else--you cannot quantify human relations.
Huberman to principals: Focus will be on data
The only one getting any benefit are is the company that will provide the assessments. Who is to say they are of quality or are good? The real question is if there are sound additional resources provided to teachers in the classroom to attend to those deficits. This is a trivial story. A real story would have announcements on how neighborhood school children would get additional instructional hours and additional resource, be then additional prep teachers, to allow the classroom teachers to meet and collaborate. Any successful organization in the private sector would cringe at the lack of real time for school teachers to collaborate and evaluate student performance. Not providing students and teachers the resources they need is an abomination!!!
Huberman to principals: Focus will be on data
If the focus is really going to be on diagnostic (as opposed to comparative) testing, this would be good news, indeed. Did it take someone outside of education to realize such emphasis on standardized comparative tests is just a feel-good (or feel-bad) waste of time and taxpayer’s money.
It is high time that educators be allowed to focus on the individual student. Now how about lowering class size?
Huberman to principals: Focus will be on data
CPS in general has been a proponent of looking at "data" the last couple of years. The bottom line has been to get the test scores up. On the other hand, CPS has supported the looking at children's work to guide instructional planning. While there are sound initiatives that have been started, CPS doesn't support these sound initiatives by keeping the instructional day so short that collaborative looking at student work is really not supported. It is a travesty that schools as organizations do not have real time to meet to collaborate and strategically build professional capacity. Any successful organization in either the private or public sector would notice that CPS is running dysfunctional because it doesn't support building organizational professional capacity. The public should know that CPS is responsible for not having the back bone to extend the instructional day nor support true organizational professional capacity building. Just sounds like more of the same from CPS. Huberman will get a web based testing service program built at great expense and not support teachers and their students with the additional resources needed. We have situations of overcrowding that defeat the purpose of meeting students needs. The debacle of the electronic iep and the half-*ssed implementation of SI and Gradebook integration portends to more of the same.
Huberman to principals: Focus will be on data
In order to get the data the students need to actually make a concerted effort to do the assessment. With the IDS Science high school program it has been extremely difficult in some schools to collect meaningful data on the quarterly formative and yearly summative exams. Why? Because some the teachers and principls don't attach any importance to the test. Therefore the students do not apply themselves to prepare for the exams. How will they address the lack of motivation to take the exams?
Huberman to principals: Focus will be on data
CPS needs to address the needs of the students. There are CPS classrooms with over 38 primary students where data shows most students are performing below State Standards. How much additional educational support will students receive using data? Will CPS provide additional teaching staff to support students in areas where data indicates most of the students need extra intensive support. More teachers are needed to plan, and work individually with students to help improve student performance. I look at it like having surgery. I would not want a surgeon to give me a procedure that requires three hours of surgery in thirty minutes due to lack of time because there are so many other people on schedule for surgery within the same time limitations.
Huberman to principals: Focus will be on data
CPS has asked that principals and staff look at data for quite a while. Nothing new. Without a longer instructional day, targeted areas of improvement while building professional capacity process, regular meeting time, additional resources including additional staff members, then Huberman really is bankrupt in thought. Somebody should call him on his @. The Consortium on Chicago School Research can call him on it!
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