Just saw this quote from a McGraw-Hill VP at a meeting of educators and media experts. Follow the link, and check out what others are saying.
“The number one reason contributing to student dropout rates is the lack of engagement. We want to develop social media tools to drive education to a new level of engagement.”
-Vineet Madan, VP of Strategy & Business Development, McGraw-Hill Education.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Active Engagement movement kicks off
In the coming months, I'll be introducing you to a new way of thinking (strataegy) and acting (tactics) to improve student performance and retention within the K-12 school systems of the United States. Welcome to The Active Engagement Movement. Using techniques and ideas taken from corporate training and educational research, Active Engagement is a new paradigm, and offers our best chance to restore education to an acceptable level. The Active Engagement Movement starts now.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
A Note to Students in the Active Engagement Movement
Sometimes it's hard to be a student! You're the one who has to get up early in the morning to catch the bus. You have to behave in class. You have to eat lunch in the school cafeteria every day. You're the one who has to drag a heavy bookbag home every afternoon, and do homework every night. Tomorrow, it's the same thing all over again. Just making it through might seem like a real challenge.
We know it's tough. We're sorry we can't help too much with the school bus, or with the school cafeteria, and we can't make your bookbag any lighter. But, we can tell you there are people close to you who are doing everything they can to help you reach your full potential while you're a student. Some of them are at school, others are at home.
In fact, there are people out there who you don't even know, and will never have a chance to meet, who are thinking about you all the time. They are the actively engaged leaders who are doing their part to create an environment where you and other students can learn, and reach your full potential.
If you had to tackle school all by yourself, it would be tough. But, you need to know there's a whole movement underway that has one goal in mind--to help you make it through, and do your best.
It's called The Active Engagement Movement. It's made up of leaders from all around you. Sometimes it's hard to be a leader too! You have to think and act differently than you ever did before. And, you have to keep a sharp focus on your goals.
Going it alone is hard. But working together, we can do great things.
We know it's tough. We're sorry we can't help too much with the school bus, or with the school cafeteria, and we can't make your bookbag any lighter. But, we can tell you there are people close to you who are doing everything they can to help you reach your full potential while you're a student. Some of them are at school, others are at home.
In fact, there are people out there who you don't even know, and will never have a chance to meet, who are thinking about you all the time. They are the actively engaged leaders who are doing their part to create an environment where you and other students can learn, and reach your full potential.
If you had to tackle school all by yourself, it would be tough. But, you need to know there's a whole movement underway that has one goal in mind--to help you make it through, and do your best.
It's called The Active Engagement Movement. It's made up of leaders from all around you. Sometimes it's hard to be a leader too! You have to think and act differently than you ever did before. And, you have to keep a sharp focus on your goals.
Going it alone is hard. But working together, we can do great things.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The Active Engagement Movement: A Senario
INTRODUCTION
For more than a decade, a significant amount of research has been published on engagement. Like others, we are convinced that engagement plays a key role in student performance. We need to continue to conduct educational research on engagement. But, it needs to focus on effective ways to create an actively engaged environment.
We have developed a leadership framework that has active engagement embedded in it. The framework identifies virtually every leadership layer in an active engagement environment (see Table 1). In the future, research needs to be conducted across the scope, and down through the layers of the framework. When fully implemented, and the movement begins to produce results, here is what active engagement will look like in a teaching and learning environment:
THE ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT MOVEMENT: A SENARIO
When you come to this school, you find yourself in a highly charged, actively engaged environment. Active engagement is an integral part of the culture. The Principal is actively engaged, and expects everyone else to be. The Instructional Designer has embedded active engagement features in the curriculum. So your teachers deliver actively engaged instruction in the classroom. Engagement is built in to all extra-curricular activities as well. So your coaches, faculty advisors, tutors, mentors, and even the after school program director and staff are all on the active engagement team, and support you as you practice active engagement skills outside the classroom. The office staff, social workers, counselors, the resource officer, and the school nurse all help you develop an active engagement attitude.
Your schoolmates are all thriving in this culture. They are all expected to be actively engaged. It’s contagious! They learn from others, and teach others what they’ve learned. The entire school is a safe haven where everyone can reach their full potential.
At home, your parents are actively engaged in your school work. They have had an active engagement orientation at school. They have regular conversations with an active engagement coach who serves as a role model for them. They also attend active engagement support group meetings to discuss active engagement issues with other parents. So, you get lots of support from them.
At another layer, the Superintendent of Schools has made a commitment to the implementation of the leadership framework, and has established active engagement as a high priority. The school board has agreed to channel the physical, financial, and human resources needed to promote active engagement as a concept. The state legislature has enacted laws, and set policies that support active engagement state-wide. The U.S. Department of Education has elevated the leadership framework to the national level, and launched active engagement as an educational reform initiative with the support of the President and members of Congress.
The business community has embraced active engagement as a vehicle to produce highly qualified, actively engaged students who will become actively engaged employees. Companies large and small have formed an Active Engagement Alliance to administer financial contributions and support services to students and schools. An Active Engagement Board allocates funds and other services where they are needed most. The Alliance also brokers mentor and tutor programs across the entire school system. In addition, business consulting services are offered to the Superintendent of Schools on request.
The Parent-Teachers Association has been reenergized, and has joined parents and teachers together as active engagement advocates. Community groups, political action committees, and other civic organizations have raised money, sponsored active engagement programs, and recognized the contributions of outstanding active engagement leaders and students. The media has continued to inform the public with progress reports on the impact of active engagement on overall student performance, and has played a constructive role in identifying and clarifying a wide range of public policy issues that needed to be addressed.
The philanthropic community has recognized the leadership framework with an active engagement theme as an effective way to improve student performance on a national scale. They have earmarked funds to support further development of the framework, and to help develop innovative ways to train active engagement leaders at every layer.
In the academic community, educational institutions have strengthened the College of Education curriculum to include a deeper understanding of active engagement as a teaching and learning tool, and to provide new teachers with active engagement credentials. Educational organizations have recognized active engagement as a highly effective movement, and feature active engagement as a prominent agenda item at seminars, symposiums, and conferences. Continuing education programs have been developed to provide existing teachers with certified active engagement skills.
Research individuals and organizations have focused attention on those processes that actually create an active engagement environment; and have conducted breakthrough research on the subject. Scholarly papers and articles have been published on every facet of active engagement to support the movement.
Finally, critical areas of educational research have become synthesized; and are producing new insights in the field of education.
• What do we need to do to clarify the active engagement strategy (Mission, Vision, & Values), and fine tune active engagement tactics (Structure, Process & Culture) to make teaching and learning more effective?
• How do the elements of the leadership framework (strategy and tactics) work individually and collectively to impact student performance?
• How can we develop actively engaged leaders down through every layer in the framework?
The educational system in this country doesn’t need to be reorganized, just reenergized. We already have the school buildings built or under construction, operating budgets are approved each year, and faculty and staff are already in place. The growing student population shows no signs of slowing down. But, only two out of three students graduate from high school—This is unacceptable.
By implementing a leadership framework with active engagement at every layer, we have the potential to transform the existing environment into one that expects active engagement, and drives student performance to new levels.
As we enter the second decade of the twenty first century, now would be an excellent time to get this movement underway. A ten year goal might be:
• to increase student performance one grade letter across the board, and
• to reduce the dropout rate by 50 percent.
For more than a decade, a significant amount of research has been published on engagement. Like others, we are convinced that engagement plays a key role in student performance. We need to continue to conduct educational research on engagement. But, it needs to focus on effective ways to create an actively engaged environment.
We have developed a leadership framework that has active engagement embedded in it. The framework identifies virtually every leadership layer in an active engagement environment (see Table 1). In the future, research needs to be conducted across the scope, and down through the layers of the framework. When fully implemented, and the movement begins to produce results, here is what active engagement will look like in a teaching and learning environment:
THE ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT MOVEMENT: A SENARIO
When you come to this school, you find yourself in a highly charged, actively engaged environment. Active engagement is an integral part of the culture. The Principal is actively engaged, and expects everyone else to be. The Instructional Designer has embedded active engagement features in the curriculum. So your teachers deliver actively engaged instruction in the classroom. Engagement is built in to all extra-curricular activities as well. So your coaches, faculty advisors, tutors, mentors, and even the after school program director and staff are all on the active engagement team, and support you as you practice active engagement skills outside the classroom. The office staff, social workers, counselors, the resource officer, and the school nurse all help you develop an active engagement attitude.
Your schoolmates are all thriving in this culture. They are all expected to be actively engaged. It’s contagious! They learn from others, and teach others what they’ve learned. The entire school is a safe haven where everyone can reach their full potential.
At home, your parents are actively engaged in your school work. They have had an active engagement orientation at school. They have regular conversations with an active engagement coach who serves as a role model for them. They also attend active engagement support group meetings to discuss active engagement issues with other parents. So, you get lots of support from them.
At another layer, the Superintendent of Schools has made a commitment to the implementation of the leadership framework, and has established active engagement as a high priority. The school board has agreed to channel the physical, financial, and human resources needed to promote active engagement as a concept. The state legislature has enacted laws, and set policies that support active engagement state-wide. The U.S. Department of Education has elevated the leadership framework to the national level, and launched active engagement as an educational reform initiative with the support of the President and members of Congress.
The business community has embraced active engagement as a vehicle to produce highly qualified, actively engaged students who will become actively engaged employees. Companies large and small have formed an Active Engagement Alliance to administer financial contributions and support services to students and schools. An Active Engagement Board allocates funds and other services where they are needed most. The Alliance also brokers mentor and tutor programs across the entire school system. In addition, business consulting services are offered to the Superintendent of Schools on request.
The Parent-Teachers Association has been reenergized, and has joined parents and teachers together as active engagement advocates. Community groups, political action committees, and other civic organizations have raised money, sponsored active engagement programs, and recognized the contributions of outstanding active engagement leaders and students. The media has continued to inform the public with progress reports on the impact of active engagement on overall student performance, and has played a constructive role in identifying and clarifying a wide range of public policy issues that needed to be addressed.
The philanthropic community has recognized the leadership framework with an active engagement theme as an effective way to improve student performance on a national scale. They have earmarked funds to support further development of the framework, and to help develop innovative ways to train active engagement leaders at every layer.
In the academic community, educational institutions have strengthened the College of Education curriculum to include a deeper understanding of active engagement as a teaching and learning tool, and to provide new teachers with active engagement credentials. Educational organizations have recognized active engagement as a highly effective movement, and feature active engagement as a prominent agenda item at seminars, symposiums, and conferences. Continuing education programs have been developed to provide existing teachers with certified active engagement skills.
Research individuals and organizations have focused attention on those processes that actually create an active engagement environment; and have conducted breakthrough research on the subject. Scholarly papers and articles have been published on every facet of active engagement to support the movement.
Finally, critical areas of educational research have become synthesized; and are producing new insights in the field of education.
• What do we need to do to clarify the active engagement strategy (Mission, Vision, & Values), and fine tune active engagement tactics (Structure, Process & Culture) to make teaching and learning more effective?
• How do the elements of the leadership framework (strategy and tactics) work individually and collectively to impact student performance?
• How can we develop actively engaged leaders down through every layer in the framework?
The educational system in this country doesn’t need to be reorganized, just reenergized. We already have the school buildings built or under construction, operating budgets are approved each year, and faculty and staff are already in place. The growing student population shows no signs of slowing down. But, only two out of three students graduate from high school—This is unacceptable.
By implementing a leadership framework with active engagement at every layer, we have the potential to transform the existing environment into one that expects active engagement, and drives student performance to new levels.
As we enter the second decade of the twenty first century, now would be an excellent time to get this movement underway. A ten year goal might be:
• to increase student performance one grade letter across the board, and
• to reduce the dropout rate by 50 percent.
Introducing The Active Engagement Movement in Education
Welcome to the Active Engagement Clearinghouse!
Active Engagement is a new movement in education. The active engagement leadership framework identifies 12 (now 16) layers of actively engaged leaders from the Educational Sector, Private Sector, and Public Sector. The focus is on one, single thing--improving student performance.
The Movement was launched officially on January 1, 2010, with an ambitious ten year goal to:
1) increase student performance (K-12) one grade letter across the board, and
2) reduce the dropout rate 50 percent by the year 2020.
Here is a working definition of Active Engagement:
"In a teaching and learning environment, active engagement is a way of thinking (strategy) and acting (tactics), where leaders at multiple levels share the same Mission, Vision, and Values to create an environment where students and others are expected to contribute their personal best, to increase student performance and retention."
The Active Engagement Movement Leadership Committee needs your help to research and document the "best practices" of active engagement from every layer, and throughout every group in the framework. The results will be a coordinated, highly effective effort to increase student performance, and reduce student dropouts to an acceptable level.
Active Engagement is a new movement in education. The active engagement leadership framework identifies 12 (now 16) layers of actively engaged leaders from the Educational Sector, Private Sector, and Public Sector. The focus is on one, single thing--improving student performance.
The Movement was launched officially on January 1, 2010, with an ambitious ten year goal to:
1) increase student performance (K-12) one grade letter across the board, and
2) reduce the dropout rate 50 percent by the year 2020.
Here is a working definition of Active Engagement:
"In a teaching and learning environment, active engagement is a way of thinking (strategy) and acting (tactics), where leaders at multiple levels share the same Mission, Vision, and Values to create an environment where students and others are expected to contribute their personal best, to increase student performance and retention."
The Active Engagement Movement Leadership Committee needs your help to research and document the "best practices" of active engagement from every layer, and throughout every group in the framework. The results will be a coordinated, highly effective effort to increase student performance, and reduce student dropouts to an acceptable level.
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