Wiredprofiles

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

My Guest On District Leader, Superintendent Eve Kaltz



"If we don't have relationships with our students... they aren't going to realize the kind of success they could."
Eve Kaltz
Eve has served as the Superintendent of Center Line Public Schools since 2009, but has spent all of her nearly 30-year career in the district.  She began her education career as a teacher.  After teaching for 13 years, Eve was hired as the Elementary Learning Consultant for Center Line.
Eve believes that she is blessed to serve the students and community and has instituted many changes that have led to greater opportunities for all students.  One of her most ambitious projects has been the restructuring of Center Line High School to the academy model backed by Ford Next Generation Learning.  Four years ago, Eve and her team began the groundwork for this vision by launching a 9th Grade Academy; this fall marked the launch of the Academies of Center Line including two career academies: the Academy of Industry, Technology & Innovation and the Academy of Health and Human Services.  Eve was honored to present the etiology of Center Line’s transformative model and her ideas for the future of secondary education at the Fall MASA Conference as well as the MAS/FPS 2016 Fall Directors’ Institute.   
Catch the conversation on iTunes and on District Leader

 

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

My Guest On District Leader, Superintendent Diann Kitamura

 
"I really believe that a s a leader. . . to be able to inspire, we have to have the belief that we can achieve whatever it is we set our minds to. If we have that belief, then the people around us will have that belief . . . no matter how hard it is, no matter how tough it is, you continue to work toward what's in your heart - in this case, for kids."- Diann Kitamura

   My guest this week on District Leader is Diann Kitamura, Superintendent of the Santa Rosa City Schools.  Diann has worked in public education for the past 32 years.  Since February, 2016, she has served as superintendent of the Santa Rosa City School District, where she also served as the associate and assistant superintendent.  
     Diann is the daughter of immigrants.  In fact, her parents were in Japanese internment camps during WWII.  That experience really influenced her world view, and served as a driver in her life.  More importantly, it has inspired her work as an educator and as an artist.   As a result, Diann has a deep interest in addressing the achievement gap, as well as the disenfranchisement of students.   Diann is committed to serving students and their families by ensuring that quality educational opportunities are provided for all students.  She believes that "sense-making learning experiences" and "support systems that engage students" will inspire them to dream big, to persevere, and to thrive.
    

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

My Guest This Week on District Leader Is Superintendent Rich Merlo

"So we made a commitment several days ago, that our kids are going to have the same access and opportunity that other kids throughout the world are having, because they are going to be behind in knowing and realizing and accessing information that is incredible... "     - Rich Merlo


Rich Merlo is the Superintendent of the Corcoran Unified School District.  He began his career in education in 1977 as a biology and physical education instructor and coach.  He became an assistant principal in 1994, and subsequently served as principal for the next eight years.  Rich also taught at Kings River Community College and is currently an online instructor for the University of Phoenix.

In the podcast, Rich shares about his journey as superintendent, including the "hard knocks" he experienced in his professional career, but also the powerful lessons learned.  He reflects upon these lessons and the influence they had in focusing him on important aspects of his role as an educational leader, including life-long learning, leadership,  and others.  He has applied these lessons in his daily work.


Catch the conversation at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/district-leader/id1132944041?mt=2

Monday, October 3, 2016

CLEAR and ACSA Equity Institute

The Center for Leadership, Equity, and Research (CLEAR) strongly believes that leadership plays a critical role in addressing issues of social justice and educational equity. At a time when state demographics continue to change at a rapid pace, it is essential that leaders in the Central Valley meet together to discuss and plan for our area and its specific needs. These sessions will include an examination of Central Valley needs and strategies for "praxis, the to do...or the act of implementing." - Dr. Ken Magdaleno
CLEAR has teamed up with the ACSA Association of California School Administrators in the second series of Equity Institutes. Our Executive Director, Dr. Ken Magdaleno will be keynote for this series.  To register to participate in this series, register here.

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Technology Integration In Education Requires Clarity of Purpose

The integration of technology in K - 12 education is not an easy proposition.  The complexities that
teachers and administrators navigate create challenges that make it difficult to identify, create and implement practices that sustain a comprehensive and integrated educational technology strategy.

According to a recent article in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning, any effort requires "deep and reflective thinking about the whys behind such integration as well as  the learning outcomes expected from such integration."  Greater clarity of purpose will lead to greater success in technology integration.

Additional Resources:

7 Benefits Οf Technology Integration Ιn Τhe Education Sphere

Integrating Technology in the Classroom: It Takes More Than Just Having Computers