The 802 Ed
What's going on in Vermont's education policy and practice
Welcome back! The autumn chill has returned with the first leaves starting to change color, at least according to the annual tradition of the fall foliage map.
This issue covers many topics that are immediately useful like new guidelines for screening for student mental health, a free two-day crisis management training, and the latest on the benefits and barriers of school schedules that let kids sleep in. Be sure to check out the expert advice on landing a superintendent job!
New to the lingo? At the suggestion of a reader we now include a guide to common abbreviations after all the news.
- Steven Berbeco, Editor
School Leadership
Talking Off The Cuff. A Stanford academic gives pointers in the most recent Harvard Business Review on how to shine when the spotlight switches on and there’s a need to “think faster and talk smarter.”
Trauma-Informed Principals and Therapy Pods. VT Digger columnist Bill Schubart floats several ideas to support youth mental health in schools without placing further burdens on our teachers. This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it.
Ditch The Transcript. Laurie Gagnon’s recent opinion piece in Higher Ed Dive urges colleges to look beyond standardized tests like the SAT and ACT, and even school transcripts, when making admissions decisions.
Sleeping In for Better Learning. Stateline reviews the policy question of later school start times, including an update on two states that have legislated the earliest that the first bell can ring.
Keeping the SBE’s Open Meetings Open. Vermont Public gets the scoop on concerns that the State Board of Education has weathered recently about an “opaque process” of rule-making, including more than a dozen legislators who urged the board to offer more than a phone-in option for meeting participation.
“A Brutal Political Moment.” Politico brings the national view on the tug of war between Republicans and Democrats on the role of school choice in public education.
Fishing for The Next Gig. An experienced search executive offers several suggestions on landing a superintendency in this recent School Administrator feature article.
“Superheroes for Our Staff And Students.” A principal shares five suggestions for starting the school year off on the right foot in this Education Week opinion piece.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind. WCAX highlights two schools in Vermont that ask students to hand in phones and other devices at the start of the day, returning them again after the last class has finished.
Survival Tips for the First Year. An assistant principal shares suggestions for surviving and thriving in the first year of making the shift from classroom to administrative office, in this Education Week opinion piece.
New Leadership for State Colleges. VTDigger breaks the story on the planned transition from interim president Mike Smith to interim president David Bergh, who may also become interim chancellor - or was that a typo?
More Movement in Higher Ed. The Vermont State Colleges system announced the upcoming resignation of its chancellor. For those keeping a score card, the colleges system includes Community College of Vermont and Vermont State University, which used to be Vermont Technical College, Castleton University, and Northern Vermont University, which used to be Johnson State College and Lyndon State College.
Universal Screening for Student Mental Health. AOE recently released guidelines for Vermont schools to develop a screening process for students’ social, emotional, and behavioral needs and strengths.
The Harvard Loophole. Politico does a deep dive into the ways that some colleges may be skirting federal limitations on race-based admissions by prompting applicants to talk about race without actually asking them to do so.
Worse Sportsmanship. WCAX’s Melissa Cooney points out that between 2021 and 2022 the number of complaints of racist remarks, on-court brawls, and other incidents more than doubled in Vermont, according to the VPA.
More Shuffling in South Burlington. The Other Paper reports that school board member Bryan Companion resigned, coming after the board chair was replaced. The news source wryly offers additional details: “A public records request for the letter submitted by The Other Paper was initially denied … but was handily released to a different source just hours after The Other Paper’s request. A copy of the resignation letter was sent to the newspaper minutes before press deadline.”
Board Seat Up For Grabs… Again. Maple Run Unified School Board is looking to fill a third vacancy in five months according to the Saint Albans Messenger.
“Can They Be Safe And Healthy in A Tent Like This?” NPR follows the story of a school community picking up the pieces after the recent natural disaster in Lahiana, Hawaii.
Burlington High School Now at $200MM+. Recent cost revisions have pushed the anticipated cost of the new high school up and over the $200 million mark, according to a recent memo from the senior project manager.
Heads Up, Vermont. Several states are taking innovative steps to support their students. Vermont school leaders and lawmakers should take note:
Ed Note does a fifty-state survey of how Career Technical Education centers are funded and describes the four basic models.
Ohio prisons offer degree programs, significantly reducing the risk of reoffending: “It’s a rehabilitative necessity.”
Maryland legislators are pushing for a $120 million investment in mental health services in schools.
School Shootings in 2023. Education Week’s tracker reports 30 school shootings in 2023. “On Sept. 12, a student was killed and two others were injured in a shooting at St. Helena College and Career Academy in Greensburg, La., during dismissal.” Total school shootings in 2022: 51. 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 is your community engagement going? The responses were about equally in favor of Great, just the right level of school-to-community engagement and We could use more or better school-to-community engagement, with a couple respondents selecting We could do with less school-to-community engagement.
This issue’s survey question: What’s the best way to support schools’ goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)? Please indicate your response by clicking a check mark.
✅ School boards should develop policies that set expectations
✅ Executive leadership should include a DEI position
✅ Staff professional development should prioritize DEI training
Thank you to an education leader from New Hampshire for 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
Superintendent Search. If your district will be experiencing a leadership transition this year, we invite you to connect with us. Human Capital Enterprises (HCE) is a Superintendent Search firm with a commitment to outstanding leadership quality and a track record of assisting School Boards to find the right superintendent who is committed to long-term success. Learn about our success in Winooski earlier this year and reach out to us if you would like to engage in a confidential no-obligation conversation. Sponsored by Human Capital Enterprises
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 2,000+ readers. Sponsored by 802 Ed
The Big List. Josh Czupryk compiles and publishes a monthly spreadsheet with nearly a thousand job opportunities in K-12 education, about a quarter of them for remote work.
Looking for a Change? With so many open education positions in Vermont, there are sometimes unusual opportunities. For example, the Green Mountain State recently posted its Secretary of Education position. Check out a behind the scenes view of the recruitment process from a recent State Board of Education meeting.
Thank the Team
Like what you are reading? Want a creative way to show your support? 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.
From the Editor’s Pen
The youth mental health crisis feels particularly acute in schools, with teachers trying to balance the social and emotional needs of their students against the academic content that they are contractually required to deliver. School counselors, historically overworked, now face even greater caseloads.
Many schools in Vermont contract with local mental health agencies to bring in a school based clinician, thanks in part to substantial financial support from the Department of Mental Health. However, in some cases even this isn’t enough and school leaders are hiring additional therapists as full-time employees.
The market for mental health therapists in schools has established itself and isn’t likely to decrease soon. The trend line in the chart below describes how, in the past year, the percentage of Vermont’s education job market that includes counselors and related positions has increased as even more jobs are floated to support youth mental health in schools.
This points to a larger problem about how our schools aren’t aligning well with the mental health system of care. If there were better integration of services, that trend line would decrease over time as positions are filled. Instead, the data suggest that we may be headed in the wrong direction.
The chart below tracks the percentage of total openings that are for counselors and related positions in the 365 days prior to publication, presented as data points and a linear trend line. Data from SchoolSpring, except for 45-90 days ago when the editor was visiting family in Alaska.
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
Principal and Assistant Principal positions are nearly all filled around the state, with 102 openings since the start of the calendar year. Data from VPA.
Congratulations to these colleagues who have received administrator licensure from AOE since the last issue of the 802 Ed! Data from AOE’s Aithent Licensing System.
Megan Cheresnick • Principal
Sara Crothers • Principal
Ry Hoffman • Principal
Alia Khatari • Principal
Mark Titsworth • Principal
Do you know a colleague who has made a recent move? Let us know!
Grants & Opportunities
How Often Does A Curriculum Release Make The News? WCAX covers Clemmons Family Farm’s new free tutorial videos, featuring Vermont grade school teachers and Clemmons Family Farm teaching artists, that give teachers an in-depth look at Windows to a Multicultural World lesson plans and tips on how to use the arts-integrated African-American history curriculum with their students. This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it.
Crisis Management for School Based Incidents. U.S. Department of Homeland Security is offering a two-day, in person training at Norwich University. October 9 and 10. Registration deadline is September 25.
Unleashing the Power of AI in Education. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges is hosting a webinar to better understand AI and its implications for teaching, learning, and assessment. 9am -10am, September 26.
Post-Secondary Success. AmeriCorps is presenting a webinar on its national service program, in partnership with the American School Counselor Association, National Association of Secondary School Principals, and AASA. 4pm, September 27.
All the Surgeons General on Youth Mental Health. Dartmouth College is hosting a panel discussion of the current and all six of the former (and living) U.S. Surgeons General on the topic of youth mental health. “The seriousness of student mental health cannot be overstated.” 1pm, September 28.
Making the Most of Lexile Measures in the Classroom. Demonstrated Success is presenting a webinar on using lexile measures to guide book selection, differentiate instruction, and more. 3:15pm - 4:15pm, September 28 or October 18.
Got Thoughts? The State Board of Education is looking for public input on the top three preferred qualities and attributes of the next Secretary of Education at a public hearing, 5:30pm - 6:30pm on Oct 2.
Regional Superintendents Conference. The New England Association of School Superintendents, the oldest and only remaining regional organization of school administrators in the country, announced its annual conference in Newport, Rhode Island with the theme of Courage to Lead: “We cannot control the wind, but we can direct the sail.” October 4 - 6.
Benchmark Assessment Grant Application: Round 3. AOE announced a new round of applications for the ARP ESSER Benchmark Assessment Grant for supervisory unions and districts to purchase benchmark assessment systems for lexile and quantile measures, as well as supporting professional development costs. Deadline is October 12.
Evaluation of Child Care Apprenticeship Program. DCF released an RFP for a contractor to recommend changes to the Vermont Early Childhood Education Apprenticeship Program. Deadline is October 13.
Tutoring Elementary Math Tutors. AOE released an RFP for a six-month contract to provide instructional coaching in mathematics to schools participating in the State Systemic Improvement Plan. Deadline is October 16.
Project AWARE Evaluation. DMH released an RFP for a five-year, potentially million-dollar contract to evaluate implementation of Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education), a school-based mental health services program. Deadline is October 20.
Deutsch for Free. The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program offers fully-funded scholarships for high school students to spend an academic year in Germany. No previous knowledge of German is required. Deadline is November 1.
In Case You Missed It
Anxious Nation. NAMI Vermont and the Mental Health Initiative are presenting free screenings of a recent documentary that explores teen anxiety, with five opportunities to attend from mid-September to mid-October across the state.
Optimization 2.0. The VTSU interim president recently sent a message to students, faculty, and staff with news of a process to cull academic programs, offering several reassurances that current students won’t have their majors pulled from under them. In a follow-up interview with VTDigger he explained: “There’ll be an Optimization 3.0 and an Optimization 4.0 as we move forward … When we wind down a program, at some point there won’t be a need for a faculty person.”
“Teaching Is Such A Small Part of Teaching.” A former New Hampshire art teacher (and current truck driver) reflects on the challenges of meeting students’ emotional needs and her decision to leave the classroom for the open road. Thanks, Daybreak!
Turning It Into A Page-Turner. Oxbow High School principal Kenneth Cadow’s upcoming novel is being honored by the National Book Awards: “A resourceful teenager in rural Vermont struggles to hold on to the family home while his mom recovers from addiction in this striking debut novel.” Thanks again, Daybreak!
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, AOE Agency of Education, CDD Child Development Division, DAIL Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living, DCF Department for Children and Families, DPS Department of Public Safety, ED U.S. Department of Education, RFP Request for Proposals, NAEYC National Association for the Education of Young Children, NEASC New England Association of Schools and Colleges, PBIS Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, SBE State Board of Education, VPA Vermont Principals Association, VSA Vermont Superintendents Association, VSBA Vermont School Board Association, VTSU Vermont State University.
Special bonus for making it to the bottom: The internet has given us a radio time machine that can tune into what was playing in countries around the world over the past century, whether it’s the Ya Ya Twist in 1960s Morocco or dance remixes from the naughts in Norway.