The 802 Ed
What's going on in Vermont's education policy and practice
Welcome back!
This issue of the 802 Ed covers many topics that are immediately useful like the influence of artificial intelligence on education, a school district that is prioritizing teachers’ mental health, and an update on statewide special education staffing. Be sure to check out news on this year’s Teacher of the Year!
New to the lingo? At the suggestion of a reader we include a guide to common abbreviations, just scroll down past the news.
- Steven Berbeco, Editor
School Leadership
Speaking Truth to Power. Higher Ed Jobs has suggestions on how to give authentic feedback to a manager without crossing the line.
Deepfaking The Principal. BBC covers the cautionary tale of a disgruntled staff person’s phony recording of a school leader that reached millions of people.
Interim Secretary Stays... For Now. VT Digger gives an update on two state senators’ lawsuit arguing that the governor didn’t have authority to appoint the current interim secretary of education right after the Senate voted not to confirm the appointment.
State Test Scores Are In. Seven Days VT reports on results of mandated statewide testing in schools, with few gains and some noticeable drops in student achievement.
“Leaving Money on The Table.” Pew Trusts offers an interview with authors of a report detailing how states can leverage Medicaid dollars to better support substance misuse prevention in schools.
Lack of SPED Staff. VT Digger covers the supervisory unions that have sent out letters to families with an update that their children may not receive legally entitled special education services because of staffing shortages. [There have been an average of 188 special education vacancies statewide in the past 180 days. - Ed.]
Secrets to Successful Schools. The Hechinger Report brings together the key points of a data dive into 1,300 schools to present (wait for it) the habits of seven highly effective schools.
“It Makes My Writing Look Fancy.” Time published an essay from a former college writing professor who quit teaching because of the impact of ChatGPT on student work.
To Pledge, Or Not To Pledge. VT Digger zooms into a school where parents are protesting a principal’s decision to discontinue the practice of students reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in the morning.
Hoax Threats. The Waterbury Roundabout reports on similar phone threats targeting several Vermont schools that likely originated from out of state.
Popular Perks. School Administrator lists the many contract benefits in superintendents’ contracts according to a recent national survey.
Unlikely Comeback from “Messy Merger.” Inside Higher Ed highlights the recovery story of Vermont State University including “a pretty amazing bump” in enrollment.
The Cost of Quiet Classes. The Waterbury Roundabout highlights the board’s concerns about the price tag for specialized new pouches for cell phones: “How would you justify spending 22 grand on this?” This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it.
Effects of Affirmative Action. Seven Days VT reviews the recent changes to Vermont’s college admission policies and finds that there hasn’t been much change after all.
Heads Up, Vermont. States are taking innovative steps to support their students and Vermont school leaders and lawmakers should take note:
California’s governor signed legislation limiting cell phone use in schools citing concern for students’ mental health.
Louisiana schools are using raffles, more recess, and other offers to tempt chronically absent students back to school.
A Michigan school district has funded a new, low-cost program as a way to support teachers’ flagging mental health.
More than a hundred thousand students in Idaho are in schools this year with a four-day school week.
School Shootings in 2024. Education Week’s tracker has logged 30 school shootings in 2024. “On Sept. 29, two juveniles were shot and wounded in the Pleasure Ridge Park High School parking lot during a high school football game in Louisville, Ky.” Total school shootings in 2023: 38. As a reminder, DPS and AOE operate an anonymous school safety tip line for students, school staff, and their community: calling 1-844-SAFE4VT; texting SAFE4VT to 274637; or online at safe4vt.org. For questions about school safety training in Vermont, contact Rob Evans.
Reader Survey
In each issue we ask a survey question to get a sense of what is on our readers’ minds. Then, the following issue, we report back on what we learned.
Last issue we asked: How are you feeling about this year’s budget building process? Almost every response selected Danger danger Will Robinson, it’s going to be rough, and a few readers selected It’s still too early to tell. No readers selected Awesome, we’re sure of community support.
This issue’s survey question: Who should decide whether the Pledge of Allegiance is recited at school? Please indicate your response by clicking a check mark.
✅ School Boards because they’re elected by the community
✅ Superintendents/Principals because they’re in charge of schools
✅ Teachers because after all it’s their classrooms
Thank you to the reader from California who suggested that survey question. What’s on your mind? Suggest a survey question to find out how your colleagues respond in an upcoming issue of the 802 Ed!
Job Listings
Supercharge The Applicant Pool. The market for school staff in Vermont is fierce and it’s important to stand out when attracting quality candidates. Why get wedged in among thousands of open positions on SchoolSpring? Your opportunity can stand out in an upcoming issue of the 802 Ed, dropping into the Inbox of thousands of readers. Sponsored by 802 Ed
The Big List. Josh Czupryk compiles and publishes a monthly spreadsheet with more than 300 job opportunities for remote work in K-12 education.
Looking for a Change? With so many open positions in education, there are sometimes unusual opportunities. For example, a city in Alaska is looking to hire a superintendent for its 686 students - and how many bears?
Thank The Team
You read it, you love it, and now is a good time to say thanks. Cover our coffee budget! Writing, editing, researching… all of that is caffeine driven. Choose this option and the extra energy will go to finding a few more updates to share.
Note from The Editor
Autumn reminds me more than any other month about the cyclical nature of.. well.. nature. If the year has an ebb and flow, this month marks the ebb tide as leaves fall and the warmth of summer drains out toward the chill of winter.
Schools in Vermont follow a similar pattern with the school year starting excitedly, seemingly running headlong until the Thanksgiving break. And October feels longer for some reason, maybe because of the 31st day, possibly also because there isn’t a week’s vacation built into the calendar.
Teachers, school leaders, and other staff have for the most part settled into their workplace for the next 180 school days. What time of the year would you think jobs are in highest demand? Taking a step back, it can be a little surprising.
Inspired by a recent WCAX story, “Vermont inches closer to pre-pandemic school staffing levels,” I dug into the data to see what the job market has been like for the last three years. The graph is just below.
Check out what the market is doing now compared to a year ago, two years (720 days) ago, and three years (1,080 days) ago. The past two cycles look regular with the greatest number of vacancies shortly after the start of the school year, and as for the 2021-2022 school year, as they say: that was the year it was.
One take-away from this is that we can anticipate, or perhaps even expect, that the total number of vacancies will climb in the next month or two. That’s good news for job-seekers and a heads up for schools looking to hire, because there may soon be more competition for top candidates. And then like the seasons, we can expect the number of vacancies to again flow down as positions across the state are filled.
As for me, I’m looking forward to picking some apples with my kids, and watching the data continue to follow this rhythm throughout the year.
Eye on Data
The chart below tracks the number of open positions in education in Vermont in the past 1,080 days (three years), presented as data points and no trend line this time. Data from SchoolSpring.
Pass It On
Like what you are reading? Hit the button below to send a copy to a colleague, friend, neighbor, your boss… whoever!
Colleagues on the Move
Congratulations to these colleagues who received administrator licensure from AOE since the last issue of the 802 Ed! Data from AOE.
Michael Berry • Superintendent
Jason Gingold • Superintendent
Sandra Baker • Principal
Shane Oakes • Principal
Do you know a colleague who has made a recent move? Let us know!
Grants & Opportunities
Celebrating Public Education. The VSBA invites presentation proposals from students, educators, and school leaders for its October 24 conference at Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee. Dinner will be served to presenters. Deadline to submit is October 7.
School Safety Training. The Vermont School Safety Center is offering a virtual training on School Behavior Threat Assessment and Management, designed to prevent active shooter incidents and other targeted school violence. October 9 and November 12.
Mentoring for School Counselors. The Vermont School Counselors Association announced a new mentoring program for new school counselors or those serving a different grade level.
Vermont Youth Book Awards Conference. The Vermont Department of Libraries is hosting a virtual conference featuring award-winning author keynotes and presentations from book award committee members. 9am to 5pm, October 22.
Lights on Afterschool. The Afterschool Alliance is promoting its annual national event with Usher as its honorary chair. October 24.
Educate, Gather, Partner, and Influence. The Commission on the Future of Vermont Public Education has published an RFP for communication and engagement consultation related to its work. Deadline moved from October 15 to October 28.
Color The Corn. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets announced a coloring contest for students in grades K to 4, with details mailed out to principals later in September. Deadline is November 1.
Design The Nation’s Report Card. The National Assessment Governing Board is looking for nominees to join their efforts to determine what the NAEP assesses, to set achievement levels, and to host the release of results. Deadline is November 1.
Powering The Future. The U.S. Department of Education opened submissions for a CTE program competition, where student teams compete for $50,000 in prize money by submitting action plans that will advance the use of clean energy in their schools and communities. Deadline is November 19.
If You Missed It
“Understanding, Inclusive, And Intelligent Leader.” The State Board of Education recently passed a resolution thanking the deputy secretary for her service “as she embarks on this next chapter of her life.”
New Licensing Rules. CDD has updated its rules for child care programs, including the new requirement effective October 1 that “non-recurring” programs, like gym drop-in child care, need to collect immunization information on their children.
Teacher of The Year. Congratulations to Winooski teacher Caitlin MacLeod-Bluver, winner of this year’s award!
No Blue Ribbon for Green Mountains. The U.S. Department of Education recently announced the coveted annual Blue Ribbon School award winners, though Vermont still hasn’t participated in the past 30 years.
Landing The Title. Congratulations to the twins from Mt. Abe who won the inaugural high school bass fishing state championship!
Unlearning Columbus Day. National Museum of the American Indian offers activities and resources for teaching about Indigenous Peoples’ Day to high school students.
The 802 Ed brings together the latest from Vermont's associations for principals, superintendents, and school board members, as well as state and national education agencies. We hope that you'll find something useful in each issue and welcome comments or suggestions for upcoming issues: editor@802ed.com.
Abbreviation list: AASA School Superintendents Association, ADM Average Daily Membership, AHS Agency of Human Services, AOE Agency of Education, CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDD Child Development Division, CVTSE Coalition for Vermont Student Equity, DAIL Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living, DCF Department for Children and Families, DMH Department of Mental Health, DPS Department of Public Safety, ED U.S. Department of Education, FERPA Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act, NAEYC National Association for the Education of Young Children, NEASC New England Association of Schools and Colleges, PBIS Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, RFP Request for Proposals, SBE State Board of Education, SEL Social Emotional Learning, VEHI Vermont Education Health Initiative, VPA Vermont Principals Association, VREC Vermont Rural Education Collaborative, VSA Vermont Superintendents Association, VSBA Vermont School Board Association, VSBIT Vermont School Boards Insurance Trust, VSBPE Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators, VTCLA Vermont Curriculum Leaders Association, VTSU Vermont State University.
Special bonus for making it to the bottom: Impress your kids and neighbors by divining the origin point of milk, yogurt, coffee creamer, and more with the Where’s My Milk From website. Who knew?