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 long-term effects of a natural disaster on a student’s education, a self-assessment tool to check your school’s tutoring program, and the latest on efforts to redesign the state’s education funding system. Be sure to check out this year’s Name-A-Plow opportunity for schools!
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
Interviewing First or Last? Higher Ed Jobs offers research from sociology and other sources to try to answer the perennial question: Which interview slot should I take?
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. This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it.
Shushing The School Newspaper. VT Digger follows the story of The Guidon at Norwich University, which has not been publishing since the summer under allegations of administrative censorship.
Long-Term Effects of Hurricane Helene. The New York Times explores how a catastrophic weather event can impact students’ education beyond the current school year. Gift link
Appeal for Interim Secretary Lawsuit. VT Digger keeps us up to date on allegations that the governor acted improperly when making an appointment that the Senate had already voted against.
“Impossible” Deadline. The Chester Telegraph reports that the Commission on the Future of Public Education is not expected to deliver on recommending cost containment strategies, with the committee’s chair stating a desire to “publicly reprimand the timeline we were given.”
Hazards of Being A Zimmerman. The Hechinger Report singles out recent research that suggests college students with a U-Z surname tend to be graded lower than their peers.
The Story of One-Room Schoolhouses. Valley News goes deep into the history of teaching many grades all together in Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as their eventual decline: “It was the automobile and the school bus that hastened the demise of the one-room schoolhouse.”
Fewer Teachers, Larger Schools. VT Digger brings the recently released Picus Report into focus and draws out its recommendations for significant changes to Vermont’s education system.
Heads Up, Vermont. States are taking innovative steps to support their students and Vermont school leaders and lawmakers should take note:
Massachusetts has joined three dozen other states that offer free community college tuition.
Students in Texas can enter their class rank, GPA, and test scores into a website to see which public universities in the state would accept them.
Nebraska revamped its approach to reading, leading to placement of more than a quarter of its youngest learners on reading plans.
School Shootings in 2024. Education Week’s tracker has logged 30 school shootings in 2024. “On Sept. 29, two juveniles were shot in the Pleasure Ridge Park High School parking lot during a high school football game in Louisville, Ky. One later died from his injuries.” 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: Who should decide whether the Pledge of Allegiance is recited at school? There were about even responses in favor of School Boards because they’re elected by the community and Superintendents/Principals because they’re in charge of schools, with fewer readers selecting Teachers because after all it’s their classrooms.
This issue’s survey question: Should the legislature mandate a cell phone policy for schools? Please indicate your response by clicking a check mark.
✅ Yes, because it’s a public health issue
✅ No, it should be up to local communities
✅ Neither, teachers should set rules classroom by classroom
Thank you to the reader from the Northeast Kingdom 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 Vermont education, there are sometimes unusual opportunities. For example, the Department of Corrections is looking to contract for a cosmetology and barbering instructor at six locations across the state.
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 is a time for spiced cider, pumpkin picking, and the rush to buy up sacks of small candy for Halloween. Meanwhile in coffee shops and text message threads the legislature is making a plan for the session that starts in January.
What will the next steps be in Montpelier? A recent report suggests that Vermont is overspending in education by hundreds of millions of dollars. This despite AOE’s review of data that suggests students haven’t been learning more, or better, despite our best efforts.
The pressure of the new education funding formula is felt across the state with few supervisory unions seeing their revenues increase and many more worried about local education tax increases without a similar step up for their schools.
Where is the solution? If this were a detective movie, the intrepid sleuth would pause at this point and retrace steps. There is always a clue that is overlooked.
Maybe the missing piece to this puzzle is something right in front of us. I wonder how many Vermonters read this line in Alison Novak’s article last month on education and just kept going: “Additionally, health insurance costs for educators are likely going to rise again this year, which will put more strain on the ed fund.”
Health insurance costs for educators are a single lever in the machinery of education funding, negotiated through a single non-profit organization. And a recent report to the legislature linked the affordability challenges of health care to school budgets and taxes that we pay.
Instead of right-sizing education spending by increasing class sizes and decreasing the number of schools in Vermont, as recommended in the recent Picus report, we could be better off by focusing energy on containing the costs of health care. But so far the Commission on the Future of Public Education has found “zero” savings on health care insurance.
Hopefully the conversation on education funding will include a stronger focus on the costs of health care, as well as general education for all of us who don’t know much about how that system even works.
To riff off a former Harvard president, if you think education is expensive, a lack of knowledge about health care funding comes with an even steeper price tag.
Eye on Data
The chart below tracks the number of open positions substitute positions in Vermont in the past 90 days, 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.
Jessica Deane • Principal
John Hartnett • Principal
Jill Interlandi • Principal
Patrick Peters • Principal
Bethany Turnbaugh • Principal
Do you know a colleague who has made a recent move? Let us know!
Grants & Opportunities
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.
Cellphones in Schools. NEASC is hosting a virtual webinar with panelists from public, boarding, and day schools that are at different stages and levels of implementing cellphone bans. 9am, October 22.
Covid Tests. The U.S. Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are distributing free Covid-19 tests to schools, which can be stocked in school nurses’ offices, distributed at school events, sent home with students or parents, and more.
Lights on Afterschool. The Afterschool Alliance is promoting its annual national event with Usher as its honorary chair. October 24.
Plowasaurus Rex. It’s that time of the year when AOE invites Vermont schools to name the huge snowplows. Deadline is October 25.
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.
Spelling Bee. The VPA announced the upcoming statewide spelling competition for grades 1 through 8. Competition will be March 24 at St. Michael’s College and early bird deadline for school registration is October 31.
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.
Conference Proposals for School Mental Health. The American Counseling Association is accepting presentation proposals for its School-Based Mental Health Professionals Summit on January 31, 2025. Deadline to submit is November 10.
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. November 12.
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.
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
Guest Forecasters. The National Weather Service connects classrooms with local forecasters for in-person or virtual lessons on weather and climate topics, and also student mentoring.
Bonuses for Early Childhood Educators. CDD recently announced expanded professional development bonuses for educators who are working on their Level Certificate.
Tutoring Tool. The U.S. Department of Education offers a self-assessment that school can use to evaluate their tutoring programs against evidence-based practices.
News from Early Ed. The Education Commission of the States gives a national run-down of what’s happening in early education and care policy.
Hiring Diverse Staff. WestEd, an educational consulting firm, recently completed a report for a Vermont school district with recommendations on hiring and retaining with the priority of diversity in mind.
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: Space exploration overlaps with Halloween fun in Scientific American’s tongue-in-cheek thought piece that considers what happens to a werewolf on the moon? Thanks for the tip, Daybreak!