Category Archives: Teachers

“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.

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What Is This Thing Called Spring Break?

08 Friday Mar 2024

Posted by in Leader, Spring Break, Teachers

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In the land of what used to be known as chalk and dust, there lived a group of people called teachers…

Who were in need of laughter and possibly a joke. Weathering storms of tests and quizzes, helping students look for pencils and monitoring the hallways full of fizzles.

Spring break seemed like a distant dream, for all they wanted was for their students to be able to glean.

Most school days started with bags under their eyes, looking out their window (if they had one) at the warmth of the sun and the freedom of the blue skies.

Dreams of the smell of fresh mountain air or beach sand between the toes. Taking them away from Canvas and computers and their endless woes.

No students for a week, no chaos to ensue. No coffee or caffeinated drinks needed to help them scamper and prance. Only thoughts of freedom to dance.

Counting the minutes with a smile, knowing the days left with the countdown, waiting for that fictional pot of gold at the rainbow’s end. They’ve made it through to another break again.

A few last-minute chores before the bell rings Friday at four. Like herding cats to actually beat students out the door. As the final bell rings and the hallways empty, teachers emerge from the dark classroom corners like survivors of a zombie horror lore.

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Spring break is here, and it’s time to breathe. Ready to set their minds free. Relaxation and fun are in that order (a few rounds of golf, for sure).

One thing remains certain: teachers are resilient. They can weather any storm, even if it means sacrificing their sanity for the sake of educating others.

So, here’s to all the teachers. The unsung heroes of past, present, and future. Their patience endures all that comes their way. The chaos they manage, knowing it brings out their best every day.

From the land of chalk and dust, they are the ones who inspire, educate, and occasionally indulge… waiting, hoping, in this thing called spring break…

Happy Spring Break, teachers. May it be filled with what you need. Forty-five days remain…

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.

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If Teachers Are Not An Advocate For Teaching, Then Who Will?

16 Friday Feb 2024

Posted by in Advocate, Educational Leadership, Idealist, Leader, Leadership, Passion, Servant, Teacher Appreciation, Teachers

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The other night, I was having a conversation with a future educator, and she was so excited about becoming a teacher. Now, she is a product of a family of educators, but deciding to be a teacher doesn’t always happen with educator’s children.

With that being said, she went on and on about how cool being a teacher was. As I sat there listening, I began to wonder why education does not have more people who are advocates for our profession. The advocacy should come from us, who are veterans, but to listen to a future teacher excited about it is refreshing.

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It goes without saying teachers are the cornerstone of the educational system. Yet, how many people do you actually hear advocating for it? It’s a question worth pondering, considering as teachers, we have a hand in shaping society’s future and every profession.

Yet, we only hear stifled voices. Why? Maybe it’s the nature of the profession. Teaching is hard. It’s time-consuming and demanding of your time and your talents. Many teachers take school home with them. If not home, then any other place they frequent. Often, they spend more time with children other than their own. What little time we have for ourselves must be devoted to family and immediate responsibilities.

Now that we have that out of the way let’s talk about how education has historically been undervalued and under appreciated. It really rubs me the wrong way when I hear people say, “Those who can’t, teach.” Educators provide an impact on and in student’s lives that might not happen in any other place. Yet we offer and do it at a level of value of compensation that is laughable compared to other professions. Throw in insufficient resources and the lack of professional autonomy, and you have the best “want ad” ever for a future teacher. Who wants to advocate for a profession that seems like an uphill battle against a system that has had the same issues over the years?

And then there is the decision making process… It’s hard to advocate when non-educators and school leadership often make decisions regarding educational policies that negatively affect their schools. Often, teachers’ voices are marginalized, creating a challenge for influential change for the right educational decisions.

But, let not our hearts be dismayed… despite these challenges and many more, it’s essential for educators to recognize the importance of and the power of advocacy. One voice here, one voice there, voices can become united. United for a profession that instills character, accountability, and responsibility. United for a profession that teaches the unknown to minds that are curious and want to be successful. The voices we hear are from those who are passionate about our vocation. Passionate for being a voice for students who cannot speak for themselves. Passionate for understanding the diverse needs of learners and the success of well-being. Passionate for wanting to be a teacher because they want to be one.

The other night, as our conversation ended, I felt that, just maybe, education does have a chance. If future teachers are idealists, ready to have a servant-leadership mindset, and prepared to debunk the notions and the nay-sayers that teaching is not a lesser profession, education is in good hands and worth promoting as such.

It starts with a “want to teach” mentality. Maybe, “Those who CAN, teach!” What say you? How are you promoting the teaching profession? 

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.

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The Achievement Gap – Why does it start with a zip code, continues with testing and puts students to sleep…?

26 Friday Jan 2024

Posted by in Achievement Gap, Fair and Equitable Education, Leader, Leadership, Students, Teachers, Value

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I’ll start this week’s blog with a quote. In his TedTalk, the late Ken Robinson said this with regard to educating students, “We shouldn’t be putting them to sleep; we should be waking them up to what they have inside of themselves!”

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For those who read my blogs, you have often heard me say that I believe education is one of the last facets of good that we can help right society. However…

While education is often characterized as a cornerstone of progress and helps shape the future, there are significant challenges in meeting the needs of students in the United States. The scope starts with disparities of inadequate funding and spans to outdated teaching methodologies. Look no further than our own educational region or state.

Until education can become fair and equitable, a local achievement gap will continue to exist. Our educational funds “seem” to be unequally distributed among schools. We can see that just in differrent school districts and counties across our own state. The achievement and funding gap between affluent and low-income populations is an issue many have questions about but never seem to have answers to. Think of it this way… Why should the zip code of where a person is born be a contributor of the impact of the education they will receive?

I also have often said that until education gets back to educating the whole child, we will continue to, as Ken Robinson said, “… putting them to sleep.” Is it too much testing? Testing has its merits, but at some point, I believe it becomes a hindrance. If testing is not high on Bloom’s Taxonomy, then all it does is create a narrow focus on memorization rather than “… waking them up to what they have inside of themselves!” But I need to digress here…

Let’s go big and talk quickly about the global achievement gap that exists. Yes, there is one, and it seems that many have their heads in the sand on this topic as well… our national K-12 education system is perceived to be failing. Other countries that have witnessed significant achievement gains prioritize equity and invest in education to bridge educational divides with their teachers and students.

Now, there have been recent strides, but I believe it’s more about how we teach instead of what we teach. If we do not have teachers who are motivated to teach, how will we ever get students motivated to learn? Until we begin to value a student for being a student, instead of a label based on their test scores, we will limit our ability to teach them and limit their ability to be valued. An opportunity to cultivate their learning experiences is what we should be striving for.

Yes, we have achievement gaps here and there, far and wide. We need education to be what it is intended for; to educate. Let’s help students learn, give them a reason to learn, “… waking them up to what they have inside of themselves!”

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…