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 employee retention strategies, legislative updates on education funding, youth mental health concerns, and innovative approaches from other states. Also the editor's note offers commentary on the recent election and its potential implications for education. Be sure to check out the AI-generated podcast pilot!
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
Pushing Against “Anti-Mattering.” The Harvard Business Review suggests three ways to retain high-value employees, helpful for school leaders as well as board members.
This Sounds Familiar. VT Digger reports on the governor’s reappointment of the interim Secretary of Education, with at least one state senator pushing back that there is “no such thing as an interim appointment” according to Vermont’s laws.
Resilience Strategies. The Guardian makes the argument that teaching social emotional learning at an early age can have positive effects later in life. Thanks for the tip, BS!
Tax Relief That Funds Schools. Seven Days VT summarizes a legislative proposal from the teachers’ union that responds to what senate leadership calls a “de facto emergency.”
“No Silver Bullets.” The Chester Telegraph follows the work of the Commission on the Future of Public Education and a fast-approaching deadline to recommend cost-cutting measures.
Subitizing. Hechinger Report brings us up to speed on a theory of counting… without counting.
“Brigham Decision Alternative No. 2.” VT Digger checks in on the education finance picture in Montpelier, including the push-me pull-you between the legislature and governor’s office as well as a few ideas that appear to be getting teed up for the new session in January. This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it.
Data Bits. Education Week recommends how school leaders can include teachers in data-driven inquiry by inviting them to bring together small amounts of data at a time.
“Growing Crisis.” VT Digger summarizes findings from the most recent statewide survey of youth mental health, highlighting how results are worse across many categories of response.
Heads Up, Vermont. States are taking innovative steps to support their students and Vermont school leaders and lawmakers should take note:
Massachusetts has joined a majority of states that have removed a high-stakes test as a graduation requirement.
Colorado and Mississippi made changes to their education funding formulas to align them more closely with individual student needs.
School Shootings in 2024. Education Week’s tracker has logged 36 school shootings in 2024. “On Nov. 18, a student was shot and injured in Central High School’s parking lot in Memphis, Tenn.” 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: What change do you think is most likely with the new presidential administration? There was very strong support for the responses Increase support for school choice and privatization and Decrease role of DEI in public education. Fewer readers selected Decrease public education funding such as Title I.
This issue’s survey question: Do you have a count-down calendar to winter vacation? Please indicate your response by clicking a check mark.
✅ Yes, of course.
✅ No, I take it as it comes.
✅ Not yet, but that’s a great idea.
Thank you to the reader from Burlington 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!
Listen Up
The 802 Ed is piloting a new conversation-style podcast that is generated using AI. Check it out, including the “AI hallucinations” where the program goes off-script, and let us know what you think!
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 about 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, NOAA has briefly opened its application portal for next year’s Teacher At Sea Program.
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
Thanksgiving this year was wonderful, with a lot of delicious food and plenty of family gossip. I filled up on turkey, sweet potatoes cooked three ways, and the latest travel stories.
In my family, politics is a dish served warm and there was a lot to share around the table. It’s been a few weeks since the election and so the topic was no longer so hot to the touch, though it may have given some of us a touch of indigestion.
The conversation slowed to a tryptophan-paced pessimism of what the next four years could look like.
Someone mentioned a town in Italy that is marketing cheap houses for those worn out by global politics. Someone else noted the cruise line with a four-year itinerary to slip out of town for the presidential term.
An enterprising member of the younger generation was following the conversation closely and asked whether school would be canceled forever if the U.S. Department of Education is axed as promised.
No, there will still be school on Monday. But what might happen? Will all of the student debt disappear? (Short answer is no, unfortunately.)
This is more than presidential polemic. A senator from South Dakota introduced a bill a couple weeks ago to abolish the federal Department of Education. It was referred to a senate committee for consideration, which looks bad for the future of the department. But that committee is chaired by Bernie Sanders, which looks bad for the future of the bill.
And then there is the proposed leadership of the U.S. Department of Education, the former head of a major wrestling entertainment company.
You can practically hear the back and forth at our table. One the one hand, she used to hold a teaching license. On the other hand, it appears she never used it.
Well, she was on the state board of education in Connecticut. But she quit after a year.
Okay, then. The incoming president jumped on her husband and gave him several thumps in the Battle of the Billionaires almost 20 years ago. Maybe that’s what qualifies her for the job?
Said one pundit: “She is not going to be a thought leader on education.”
As for me, I went for the extra slice of pumpkin pie to bulk up a little. Hibernation doesn’t seem like such a bad idea these days.
Eye on Data
The chart below tracks the number of open positions for facilities workers in Vermont in the past 60 days, presented as data points and a linear trend line. 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.
Hunter Buxton • Principal
Adam Carmichael • Principal
Valerie Hope • Principal
Do you know a colleague who has made a recent move? Let us know!
802 Ed in The News
Several newspapers published last issue’s editorial as an op-ed, including VT Digger, Mountain Times, Brattleboro Reformer, and Times Argus.
Grants & Opportunities
Outcomes-Based Contracts. The Gates Foundation is sponsoring a webinar on how schools can develop contracts tied to student achievement. 2 - 3pm, December 2.
Scats and Tracks. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is offering weekly videos on local wild animals, for students in grades K-8. Program closes December 15.
Community Fellows. Vermont Folklife is offering a year-long, stipended fellowship for Vermonters aged 16 and up focused on learning about local communities. Deadline is December 15.
School Ambassador Fellowship. The U.S. Department of Education is accepting applications for a one-year fellowship that engages school-based educators in development of policies that impact learning environments nationwide. Deadline is January 13. Editor’s note - I participated in the first cohort of this program and recommend it highly!
If You Missed It
Peek Behind The Curtain. The Education Finance Subcommittee of the Commission on the Future of Public Education [say that ten times fast -Ed.] released a brainstorming document with more than three dozen policy levers that could be pulled to right the ship of education funding in Vermont.
Students in Foster Care. The Departments of Education and Health and Human Services jointly released best practices guidance on promoting educational stability.
A Little Less Impossible. Recently published research points to a pre-pandemic change in acceptance rates for competitive colleges.
Algebra for All Except… A working paper digs into the strong correlation between high-poverty schools and delays in starting students on algebra.
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, NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 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: Heads up! Looking to game a coin flip? Turns out that if heads is facing up, there’s a slightly higher probability of it landing on heads.