Category Archives: Accountability

Gravitas… A Heavy Word For Leadership?

16 Friday Aug 2024

Posted by in Accountability, Actions, Appreciation, confidence, Consistency, Culture, Education, Educational Leadership, Effective, Grace, Gravitas, Honest, Influence, Inspiration, Integrity, Intentional, Knowledge, Leader, Leadership, Mixed Signals, Presence, Relationships, Resilience, Respect, Transformational, Transparent, Trust, Understanding, Value, Wisdom

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I like words. I like the etymology of words: where they come from, the primary source for why they mean what they do, etc. I especially like words that have flavor, and “gravitas” happens to fit that characteristic for me.

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The term gravitas comes from Latin, where it originally meant “heaviness” or “weight.” This literal sense of physical weight evolved into a metaphorical meaning, implying seriousness, dignity, or authority. The Latin word gravis, which means “heavy,” “serious,” or “important,” is the root of gravitas. The suffix “-tas” in Latin is used to form nouns that express a state or quality, so gravitas conveys the quality of being serious or important.

As I have been reading over the past summer, gravitas has been popping up more than usual. Depending upon what circle you run, gravitas does not appear to be a word that rolls freely off the tongue. While one might know what it means, how to use it could possibly cause a stumble.

Where and how does gravitas fit into leadership?

Gravitas is not merely about respect; a leader can command or demand that, often out of fear. Gravitas is about embodying a sense of purpose, wisdom, and emotional resilience that can inspire and guide others. A leader with gravitas has a presence that alone can calm and focus attention on its surroundings. This presence isn’t just about charisma; it’s about substance. That is something we definitely need more of; leaders with substance.

Leaders with gravitas simply don’t just speak; their words transcend meaning that touches their listeners with thoughtful feeling. The words carry weight and have a sense of purpose, enabling a depth of character to navigate leadership obstacles, never being unapproachable with their personality. Their demeanor helps others feel safe and motivated.  

Gravitas also fosters trust. Problems arise, difficult situations hit you head-on, uncertainty brings doubts… We need leaders who are confident and stable. Those who can create reassurance. Not because they can “flex” their leadership position but because they display authority in a society that has nothing but talking points and loud voices.

Gravitas… quiet strength and power with substance. Do you know a leader like this?

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2024 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… X @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

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“Go fund me, fair and equitably,” says the public schools of Mississippi…

05 Friday Apr 2024

Posted by in Accountability, Decisions, Education, Educational Leadership, Fair and Equitable Education, Funding, Leader, Leadership, Legislators, Teachers, Value

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Let’s get ready to rumble…? HB1453, INSPIRE (The Investing in the Needs of Students to Prioritize, Impact, and Reform Education (INSPIRE) Act), which is new legislation vs. SB2332 MAEP (Mississippi Adequate Education Program), which is now being “revamped.” A few weeks ago, they were pitted in each other’s path, and then the Senate let HB1453 die when it came to their side. But the INSPIRE could still be written. It will need to be hashed out which plan they should go with or another plan that could come out of conference, or they could put the House plan into the Senate bill or scrap it altogether.  

In my opinion, the INSPIRE funding bill is a great and better solution for funding education, and with the MAEP already in existence, I wanted to write about why I believe, ultimately, that MAEP is not working for our students. While any funding is better than no funding, problems and issues exist… 

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Here are my four criticisms and the challenges I see from an educator’s point of view of the MAEP, revamped or not…

The complexity of the funding formula…  

Yep, it’s complex, and it leads to confusion and difficulties with implementation – a mathematical and statistical nightmare for the best of thinkers. Find me someone who can explain how it helps students in all areas of the state fair and equitably, and I’ll listen. Anything that is complex usually has loopholes or unintended consequences that undermine the effectiveness of what it should actually be used for.

Until it is funded fully, it will stay underfunded… (duh)

Only once has it been fully funded. When? According to the Parents’ Campaign, 2007-2008 school year was the last time MAEP was fully funded. It is the most significant issue of MAEP. By nature, the formula may theoretically allocate “sufficient” funds to meet the needs of schools. Every school is different, and their needs are different. However, suppose the state legislature does not appropriate enough money to fund schools fully. In that case, many schools are still faced with a budget shortfall.

Funding education should not be politicalized…

Anytime you have legislative oversight, there is a chance of political interference. Competing interests and priorities will often, if not always, influence funding decisions. Talk about inconsistencies… This undermines the intended purpose of MAEP, which is to fully fund all schools at the same level. 

Education remains a working definition…

Education is ever-changing. Educational needs evolve over time. Why? There will always be factors such as changes in student demographics, technological advances, shifts in curriculum standards, continual testing, and overall pedagogical approaches. If a funding formula does not adapt to these changing needs, it fails to adequately be what it was designed to be. Does the formula need changing? I say yes, but change it to meet the needs of all schools and fund schools fair and equitable. 

Any formula to fund education, be it the INSPIRE or MAEP, will face challenges and criticisms. What is needed is a comprehensive approach that involves not only adjusting the funding formula but also addressing the underlying issues that bring funding to a level where students of all schools will not have to look at other schools and wonder why they are not being afforded the same opportunity.

If you are interested in knowing more about the INSPIRE Act, you can read…

Christian Barnard’s commentary: Mississippi’s INSPIRE Act would upgrade the state’s school finance system. 

Toren Ballard offers a great infographic of the regression analysis comparison of projected school funding: https://twitter.com/TorenBallard/status/1775637355434565760

John Fredericks’ opinion piece from TeachPlus Mississippi: Let’s work toward a school funding for formula for all students

TeachPlus Mississippi also provides a great infographic for INSPIRE: https://twitter.com/TeachPlusMS/status/1773109876106871091

Mississippi First offers this commentary along with a spreadsheet at the bottom of its piece to show the differences in which each school district would receive with INSPIRE and MAEP: House Bill 1453: INSPIRE Funding Formula

In the end, if we view educational funding through the lens of a Christian Worldview Perspective, we see that it should be part of our stewardship (Proverbs 1:5), it helps promote wisdom and discernment (Proverbs 4:7), and provides equity and justice (Psalm 82:3-4). 

Unfortunately, the INSPIRE Act, at the moment, is not being recognized as a good plan by the Senate for what it could do. In the end, it’s our public schools and students who suffer. We will see what happens…

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2024 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… “X” @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…

Mississippi’s Senate Education Committee Has A Bill Worth Considering About State Testing…

01 Friday Mar 2024

Posted by in Accountability, Education, Educational Leadership, Fair and Equitable Education, Leader, Leadership, Testing

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Well, I’m actually writing a blog in favor of a Senate Bill, SB2689, authored by Senator Dennis DeBar, that I support. Yep, you read that right; I support it.

SB2689, described as… “State subject area tests and accountability standards; replace with college prep test and revise provisions.” It’s status? It passed out of the State Education Committee yesterday and is on the Senate calendar. And, it will still have to go before the House.

The title of the proposed bill is: AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE DISCONTINUATION OF END-OF-COURSE SUBJECT AREA TESTING IN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS FOR 11TH AND 12TH GRADES; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT TO SECURE APPROVAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ALLOW THE ACT AND ACT WORKKEYS TO SERVE AS COMPLIANCE WITH ANY FEDERAL TESTING REQUIREMENTS; TO REQUIRE ALL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO TAKE A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED COLLEGE-READINESS AND CAREER-READINESS TEST, SUCH AS THE ACT AND ACT WORKKEYS ASSESSMENTS; TO AMEND SECTION 37-17-6, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE CERTAIN PROVISIONS RELATED TO THE STATE’S PERMANENT PERFORMANCE-BASED ACCREDITATION SYSTEM FOR SCHOOLS; TO AMEND SECTIONS 37-16-3, 37-16-7, 37-16-17, 37-3-49, 37-15-38 AND 37-35-3, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CONFORM TO THE PROVISION OF THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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Did you read the bold print? Yes, I’m on board for this. Here are a few reasons why…

  1. It will stop schools and teachers from teaching the test. This has been an ongoing problem since standardized testing began. When this happens, schools and teachers narrow the curriculum, neglecting important subjects and skills, such as critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. Depth of knowledge is limited due to drilling students for the right answers and limits learning opportunities. If all we ever allow students to do is memorize, then how will they ever learn?
  2. The ACT and the ACT Workkeys brings a national test with a standardized measure for student achievement. All states are scored the same way. This allows for fairer comparisons among students from various regions and ensures all students are held to the same academic standards.
  3. College-bound students have to have the ACT anyway, which allows high schools to have common benchmarks for student performance that measure the effectiveness of all teachers at the high school level. If this happens, I would dare say you can quickly find out what teachers are or are not teaching.
  4. By nature, the ACT is designed to assess college readiness and measure the skills necessary for success in higher education. One of the main aspects of college scholarships is the ACT. Serious money is being given out for ACT scores. Students can attend Junior College for free with an ACT score of 20 at some Junior Colleges in Mississippi. Colleges do not give money to people for passing state mandated tests.
  5. Doing away with state subject area tests might just keep teachers in the classroom longer, and education might not have a teacher retention problem. Some of the best teachers are leaving and/or retiring because they are sick of testing.

It will be interesting to see how much traction SB2689 gets. It will also be interesting to see how contentious the debate in committee will be. Nonetheless, I am excited to see this bill proposed. A quick internet search stated that “About 22 states use a college entrance exam (ACT, PSAT, SAT) as the high school assessment for accountability.”

Doing away with state testing could be a game changer for our educational system in Mississippi. I believe the ACT is a better tool to educate the whole child throughout students’ high school careers. In contrast, state testing hinders overall academic development and intellectual growth. If we continue to study for passing instead of studying to learn, education is more of a noun than a verb.

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2024 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…

When Will Mississippi’s Public Schools Actually Become A Priority Of Our Legislature?

23 Friday Feb 2024

Posted by in Accountability, Achievement Gap, Decisions, Education, Educational Leadership, Fair and Equitable Education, Integrity, Leader, Leadership, Legislators, School Choice, Vouchers

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Well, it’s that time of year again, and it’s time to discuss a topic of much contention in the education world. Currently, our Mississippi Legislature is in session, and the idea of using public school funds for vouchers and allowing those public school funds to be used for private schools is being thrown around again. The debate is intensifying, and while proponents argue for the idea of school choice, vouchers, parent’s choice, or whatever you would like to call it, there are significant concerns. Currently, the House Legislature has filed a bill with no limitations only to “start a conversation.” Read it here… House Republican leadership files school voucher bills and is supported by a state-elected official on X or Twitter (whatever we still call it). Read it here Well done,…

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Recent years have brought education an uptick with this issue, and the Mississippi Legislature is beginning to grapple with it now, more than ever. Many in the Legislature will argue that these programs will offer parents greater educational options and promote competition among schools. My first question is, why should there be competition among schools if we all want the best for our children and their future? Competition does not need to exist if education is funded fair and equitable. And yet, now we are hearing about the Legislature wanting to scrap MAEP and rewrite it again.

You can read these thoughts here…
House leaders want lawmakers, not an objective formula, to determine ‘full funding’ for public schools
Speaker Jason White says House will work to scrap, rewrite public education funding formula

However, as of yesterday morning, The Parent’s Campaign released a statement stating, “Public school supporters are applauding… Senate Education Committee for taking a public stand today in support of a fair and objective school funding formula that represents the true cost of educating a Mississippi student to proficiency in core academic subjects.” You can read that here…Dueling School Funding Plans Draw Praise, Rebuke. I’ll say this with regards to MAEP, either fund what we have fully or find a formula that works for all public schools to benefit fairly with the opportunity to educate fairly. But I digress…

Back to the idea of vouchers…
One of the primary concerns with vouchers in Mississippi is the diversion of every penny needed from public schools. Public schools and educators already face numerous challenges. When those funds are shaved, whittled off, and given to private school institutions, the financial strain only worsens. The ripple effects exacerbate, creating more inequalities and hindering any effort to improve education in geographical areas of the State that need it most.

What about accountability and transparency? What about state standards? Currently, private schools are not subject to the same level of scrutiny that public schools are. What happens if they start receiving funds? Will they be held to the same standards? If they are not, then should this raise concerns about the quality of education provided and if taxpayer dollars are being used effectively? If this happens, the voucher system risks widening the achievement gap even more.

Will having a voucher program really lead to improved academic success? Last year, Arkansas passed its own version of what Mississippi is looking at doing. After reading the Arkansas Education Association regarding the Arkansas Voucher Program, I’ll let you decide… Read it here… Arkansas Voucher Program.

I will say that every child needs to be afforded an equal opportunity to receive an education. This is what education should be about. However, the negative consequences cannot be ignored. What is the answer? I don’t know, but diverting public funds creates a challenge that will undermine the fundamental principles of equity, accessibility, and accountability for all public schools, especially those that need it the most.

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2024 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…