Program Development Activity: Secondary Administrative Retreat
Activity Description
Focus: Team building through an instructional workshop for Secondary Administrators and Behavior Deans.
Outcome: Enhance instructional leadership capacity of Academic Deans, Campus Administrators, and Assistant Administrators.
Time: 3 days
Cost: $33,265.00!!!
Cost: $33,265.00!!!
That's a lot of money to spend, and I believe it was Title One money. And it wouldn't have been for stipends since adminstrators were still "on the clock" when this occurred, in June. For that amount of money the food and venue must have been just lovely. Did they get an inspiring speaker?
ReplyDeleteAnd what direct inpact did this really have on the true target audience, Title One students?
There was/is a catalog of Summer Professional Development Activities? Why didn't we all receive one? Or, is this catalog for Administrators only?
ReplyDeleteAnother example of lack of clear and concise communication.
Tech is headed down to Nashville for three days to work on the smaller school concept, just administrators. Teachers normally work as a team its the administrators that have a hard time working with others.
ReplyDeleteYou probably got it, it came in e-mail.
ReplyDeleteIt should have been posted, but with information like this the last thing IPS wants is for the public to see this information.
I wonder if Sara Bogard, principal of Tech, will be allowed to wander in 2 hours late while sipping on her 32 ounce Big Guzzle Coca cola?? She does this everyday when school is in session. Employees are expected tobe there at 7:15a.m. and she meanders in around 9 or 9:30!!!!
ReplyDeleteA crash course on team building for administrators might have some merit.
ReplyDeleteI have only met one IPS administrator who could "build teams". That was Dr. Phyllis Coe-Martin.
Unfortunately her position was eliminated in April, 2009. She was made redundant. She was too professional and too intelligent to fit in comfortably with the current Ed Center regime.
Does anyone know how much $$ Jimmy Hill is getting or what his company actually does in the schools? I heard they make over $1,000,000 each year from IPS Title 1 funds. I don't know if that's true. Also don't know what they could be doing to earn that much $$. They are supposed to help raise achievement, but what are they actually doing?
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of Jimmy Hill. However, we need to check to see how much they pay the A2Z consultants, Ann Grooms, and Greg Abati. All are a waste of money and time. Ann Grooms helped Gene White complete his dissertation and you are to never speak bad about her.
ReplyDeleteMary Busch makes sure a lot money goes to the University of Indianapolis. They are her employer. Talk about a conflict of interest!!!
ReplyDeleteI work at Central Office. Although I disagree with the "airing of our dirty laundry", this blog has caused quite a stir within the ranks. Please be honest but don't be rude.
ReplyDeleteThis is not the dirty laundry. This is just the hand laundry. Wait until the real dirty laundry starts coming out. It may be so bad that the school board might actually do something. This system is out of control and heading for crash landing.
ReplyDeleteAn occasional "airing of dirty laundry" can be healthy for any organization. I do agree that we should refrain from making nasty comments. Most of the postings have been honest and very informative.
ReplyDeleteIf this blog has caused quite a stir within the Central Office ranks, then it's serving its intended purpose. If IPS had followed its highly advertised Culture Imperative of "Clear and Concise Communication", then we would not need this blog.
Ask the Board Members about Jimmy Hill, they have no idea about his serivces, its all a rubber stamp. Just like Spring Board, no input from teachers or even a SurveyMonkey to see if we should be spending the money. What ever Dr. White wants, Mary Louis where are you?
ReplyDeleteGreg Abati:
ReplyDeleteThe name was very familiar. Did a quick Google search and found out that he was "supposed" to be presenting monthly trainings for staff at John Marshall during the 08-09 school year. He's evidently an "expert from afar" (Louisville) who specializes in child development/child discipline, etc.
Beats me! I was there all year; his name is sprinkled all through the School Improvement Plan, but darned if I ever saw him, knew of his being in the building, or anywhere on the school premises.
I wouldn't know him from Adam's cat, but yet he must have been paid to do something important at Marshall. He never showed up!
You can look up his name on the SIP at the link below:
http://www.asainstitute.org/pdf_plans/SIP-PL221-School5494-2008-2011-approved.pdf
This is what Greg Abati was supposed to be doing at Marshall during this past school year. It is copied from the SIP which is Online. We never saw him. We also never saw a Staff Policies and Procedures Handbook. That was what he was hired to do. Did he get paid?
ReplyDelete________________________________________________
Safe and Disciplined Learning Environment
Jul 16, 2008: Identify school-wide policies and procedures for all discipline concerns.
Person: Greg Abati
Activity: Create a staff policies and procedures handbook
Aug 20, 2008: Identify school-wide policies and procedures for all discipline concerns.
Person: Greg Abati
Activity: Create a staff policies and procedures handbook
Sep 17, 2008: Identify school-wide policies and procedures for all discipline concerns.
Person: Greg Abati
Activity: Create a staff policies and procedures handbook
Oct 15, 2008: Identify school-wide policies and procedures for all discipline concerns.
Person: Greg Abati
Activity: Create a staff policies and procedures handbook
Nov 18, 2008: Identify school-wide policies and procedures for all discipline concerns.
Person: Greg Abati
Activity: Create a staff policies and procedures handbook
Dec 17, 2008: Identify school-wide policies and procedures for all discipline concerns.
Person: Greg Abati
Activity: Create a staff policies and procedures handbook
Jan 14, 2009: Identify school-wide policies and procedures for all discipline concerns.
Person: Greg Abati
Activity: Create a staff policies and procedures handbook
Feb 18, 2009: Identify school-wide policies and procedures for all discipline concerns.
Person: Greg Abati
Activity: Create a staff policies and procedures handbook
Mar 18, 2009: Identify school-wide policies and procedures for all discipline concerns.
Person: Greg Abati
Activity: Create a staff policies and procedures handbook
33
Apr 22, 2009: Identify school-wide policies and procedures for all discipline concerns.
Person: Greg Abati
Activity: Create a staff policies and procedures handbook
May 20, 2009: Identify school-wide policies and procedures for all discipline concerns.
Person: Greg Abati
Activity: Create a staff policies and procedures handbook
Why are so many of the posts on this blog referrenced to John Marshall? There are problems/issues at other IPS schools, yet the discussion here is dominated by John Marshall. Does this blog have a John Marshall slant/bias? Just askin.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it is because John Marshall teachers are still trying to deal with all of the trauma of last year and to prevent another lost year of learning for the students who attend there. We need to continue to draw attention to that situation before other schools catch the disease. btw-Anyone can post.
ReplyDeleteI looked but could not find info on Jimmy Hill - who is from Best Practices. That is the company IPS used (with Title 1 $$) to go into schools and advise. I cannot find the company Best Practices either. They are from somewhere in the south. Can anyone shed more light on this for me? They must be a legitimate company, right?
ReplyDeleteI've been searching for Jimmy Hill, also. I can't find anything about a Jimmy Hill who'd work with educational endeavors nor can I find a company called Best Practices.
ReplyDeleteWill A2Z still be contracted to work in IPS? The ladies from A2Z are very silent right now.
The Marshall teachers have been so badly mistreated by IPS that they are beyond being fed up. After Jeff White left that school was out of control. The meddling of Prudence Bridgewaters did not help either. I hoped the new guys from California could turn it around but Bridgewaters drove the away so we will never know.
ReplyDelete"Perhaps it is because John Marshall teachers are still trying to deal with all of the trauma of last year and to prevent another lost year of learning for the students who attend there. We need to continue to draw attention to that situation before other schools catch the disease. btw-Anyone can post."
ReplyDeleteYou are correct. I believe Marshall has probably reached the end of its rope as far as State Restructuring efforts are concerned. It has about exhausted all the steps: they have had a new principal, had two new staffs (in 2 years), had an extended school year, had an assigned mentor for the principal, had central office staff assigned, etc.
The next step obviously is to 'close' the school completely or to 'close the school and reopen it as a charter school'. A complete closure makes more sense.
Other high schools should watch what is happening at JM because it could happen to any of us, especially the community high schools who are left with the most troubled students in the district - dumping grounds, if you will.
The Department of Education is bitting at the bit to take over schools, that is why Dr. Bennett regrouped his entire department was to be ready to take over failing schools. Good luck.Dr. Bennett its not that easy of a job, the children come to the front doors of the schools with so many issues and lacking moral values.
ReplyDeleteMary Louis is that you asking about the links or sources? Maybe you should just list them for us, and you know its true. Dr. White treats teachers like servants that are to be seen not heard. The man has no leadership skills that is why Dr. Giles has taken over that responsibility, to save face for Dr. White.
ReplyDeleteRestructuring individual IPS schools has not worked, to date. Perhaps it's now time to restructure the Central Office organization.
ReplyDeleteIf a school district is 'dysfunctional' (Dr. White's own terminology regarding IPS and spoken to us all at a beginning of the year large group meeting at Tech High School when he first came onboard as Superintendent - you remember, don't you?), then perhaps it's time to restructure from the top. Whatever he and the School Board have been doing obviously is NOT working. Let's try something different and novel for a change --restructure the entire Central Office Administrative Staff.
Found Jimmy Hill in the board minutes for 2007 and 2008. The company is Best Practices, Inc. It does not appear to have a website, but they were paid $270,000 in 2007 and $420,000 in 2008. Does anyone from these schools have information on their services to share? That's a lot of money, and I'd like to know if they did these things listed at all these schools to earn their money.
ReplyDeleteTOPIC: Request permission to enter into a contract with Best Practice (Jimmy Hill), in the amount of $420, 000.
Background Information:
Best Practice (Jimmy Hill) is an educational consultant firm that provides professional development services to schools. He will provide professional development services in the following areas to the School Improvement elementary schools:
Assist SI schools in collecting & analyzing real-time student achievement data
Design individual instructional plan for each of the targeted students based on results of the real-time scrimmages
Coordinate the work of the school improvement team coaches in supporting teachers in planning and designing critical interventions and the delivery of the two week instructional plans
Conduct professional development support sessions at each of the school improvement schools
Coordinate with parent liaisons at each school in designing critical parent workshops and parent support packets
Support and enhance structured teacher planning time at each SI school to make it more targeted and effective
The following schools are requesting services for the 2008-2009 school year: 14, 15, 20, 27, 31, 34, 42, 43, 44, 49, 51, 54, 58, 60, 61, 63, 78, 81, 82, 83, 99, 102, 103, 315, and 367.
Administrative Consideration:
Best Practice (Jimmy Hill) is providing consulting services for school improvement elementary schools in the area of academic achievement.
Supplanting Funds...
ReplyDeleteAre any of you assigned to schools where special ed inclusion teachers are pulled from the gen ed classes and used as substitute teachers?
This has been a problem in more than one high school. Either the principals do not understand the legality of Special Ed services or do not give a damn.
Sounds like Tech HS is guilty of 'supplanting funds'. (See post from 'Eugene thinks you are dumb')
ReplyDeleteThat is no small accusation; it is huge.
Robb Warriner, are you reading this? I'm sure you are unaware of the misuse of your sped teachers, but it does happen, and it is happening.
Robb Warriner is afraid of his own shadow, it happens all the time in IPS. The even pull the Teaching Assistants to take over classes for missing teachers. The administration understands that its illegal, could care less, what will the bobble-headed Board do about the problem, nothing.
ReplyDeleteRobb Warriner may be afraid of his own shadow, but he'd be better off being afraid of the shadow cast by supplanting IDEA funds to supplement the General Education process. Unless Robb is informed of the supplanting of IDEA funds, he can do nothing. How many of us have personally spoken to Robb about this situation?
ReplyDeleteConsider this blog and this public post to be his notice of suspected supplanting of IDEA funds.
If someone from the Ed Center is reading this post, please inform Robb Warriner and the School Board before IPS finds itself losing ALL federal funds.
Not all schools "request" JImmy Hill. Some are told that he will be there due to the AYP level of the building.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to know if the owners of these firms are fraternity brothers of Dr. White. Also what is going on with the Parent Information Centers, I believe there are five of these offices each with about four people, who basically sit around day after day twittling their thumbs. These are nothing but political patronage jobs. It is ridiculous to have this redundancy in offices.
ReplyDeleteI know that (Jimmy Hil) is not requested by schools. He is hired by the district and assigned to schools needing improvement. But what do they actually do? Can any teacher comment on successful intervention or programs provided by this group? Who picked this company? Who is responsible for overseeing the job they're doing? Does anyone go to the schools and inquire about whether or not they are doing the things they have contracted to do? If someone was hired to build or repair something there would be follow up to see that it was done. Who follows up here? To whom do these people have to answer? Are they helping in the areas where they're working? Are they making a $1,000,000 difference for IPS?
ReplyDeleteThis blogging is the best therapy teachers have right now. To the public:
ReplyDeleteBelieve us, please!
No one understands how difficult it is to teach in ips unless he or she tries to do so.
Administration, the School Board, and the press seem to constantly berate, blame, and undermine ips teachers. The stress is unbelievably unmanagable and financially unrewarding. Stop all of the recriminations, please. At least we are trying to help our students achieve!