As school officials, you know that great things are happening in our schools. Today at lunch we were reminded of that during the Michigan's Best Awards Luncheon. Attendees were treated to an Oscars-like celebration of Education Excellence. Congratulations once again to the 2011 Michigan's Best winners:

• Boyne City Public Schools
  
• Chelsea School District
• Dansville Schools
• Fowlerville Community Schools
• Lake Orion Community Schools
  
• New Haven Community Schools
• Northville Public Schools
• Reed City Area Public Schools
  
• Macomb ISD

MASB also sends our sincere thanks to Chuck Miller from SET SEG School Insurance Specialists, the emcee for the luncheon, for his years of dedication and service to public education. Chuck has been a long time friend of MASB and we wish him the best in his retirement!

The 2011 Annual Fall Conference was a great success and we thank all the board members and superintendents who took time out of their busy schedules to join us. We're already looking forward to 2012 in Detroit!

Jamie Vollmer, author of Schools Cannot Do it Alone, reinforced to attendees what we know all too well: that local control of our public schools, and thus our democracy, is under attack.

Jamie wondered, in reference to the pending No Child Left Behind waivers, "How did the federal government, which pays less than 10 percent of school funding, get in the position to give us a pass on anything?" Jamie shared five of 20 trends identified in his book that are negatively impacting public education:

1. The aging of our state (and nation) is creating a situation in which public education is competing at the polls with other interests. Public education was created for two reasons. Individual benefit where the child and his or her family benefits. But we created public schools for a second reason: the public benefit. We have to help remind our communities of this second reason for public education. We'll have lower crime, economic development and improved property values if we have quality public schools. Almost every quality of life indicator in a community is tied to the quality of its public schools.
   
2. The media tends to be negative about public education. The media can focus on the negative because it sells; people consume negative media. The media isn't going to change its focus until human nature changes.
   
3. The number of student rights have expanded, which creates a focus on making decisions in order to protect against being sued.
4. People are used to getting things exactly how they want, customized to their needs. This translates to their expectations of their experience with public schools.
   
5. Finally, where schools used to be designed to melt our backgrounds, many people are now pulling away from "melting." All over, there are people who don't want their children to be educated with "them." And Jamie says there are all kinds of "them." Religious, ethnic, racial, economic, political.
   

Jamie shared a story of his first job on a factory floor, where he made twice the minimum wage, and no one asked him if he had a high school diploma. At that time, 77 percent of jobs available were for unskilled or semi-skilled workers. Not everyone needed a quality education to obtain gainful employment, so we didn't give it to everyone. But those times are gone. Now, just 13 percent of available jobs are for unskilled or semi-skilled workers, and in five years that figure will be reduced to just 6 percent of available jobs. Students today need a quality education!

Jamie acknowledged that making this adjustment in our schools isn't easy. But he offered, that to get from A to B, you have to go through C—the community. We can't move our public schools forward without public support. But that's not easy to do, because our communities don't understand what goes on in our schools. Jamie shared his list of what's expected in our public schools. As we increase understanding, we increase trust. In order to transform our schools to meet these new expectations, we must change the culture of our community and build understanding of the need for change. Jamie identified five S's to creating change:

• Stop - stop bad mouthing one another and your schools in public.
• Shift - shift your attention from the negative to the positive.
  
• Share - share something positive that's going on in schools with family, friends and neighbors.
  
• Sustain - sustain the effort. Keep at it every day.
  
• Start - start now!

Thanks to SET SEG School Insurance Specialists for sponsoring this session.

Wow, thank you for making this year's conference such a success! Meeting rooms were full for a reason: 730 board members, representing 311 school districts, attended this year's Annual Fall Conference. In addition, 429 people took CBA classes throughout the weekend. It's so great to see so many board members committed to building their skills to become better board members. 

MASB members began the morning with NSBA President Mary Broderick, who spoke of the need for boards of education to align ourselves and our community behind a common vision. Mary made note of the fact that public education and locally elected school board leadership are under attack. But in the face of this negativity, we need to stay focused on what the ideal is that we want for our kids, and continue to pursue that ideal. She spoke of three elements that are critical for learning:

1. Need to feel competent.
2. Need to feel a sense of belonging.
3. Need to feel we have control of our own destiny.

In order to remain focused on our vision, school boards members need to keep personal agendas out of it. The work isn't about ourselves, it's about our collective purpose. Mary concluded by saying that she's hopeful about public education and school board leadership because of the spirit of board members like those in Michigan.

Mary also had the pleasure of presenting to of our dedicated board members with the NSBA President's Award: Nels Christopherson, Houghton-Portage Townships Schools and Debbie Stellini, Taylor School District. Congratulations to both of them for all of their efforts on behalf of the students of Michigan.

School meals play a critical role in the lives of students, especially children from low-income families. Dayle Hayes, Nutrition for the Future, spoke to attendees about how proper nutrition provides students with the opportunity for academic success. Many of our students are under-nourished. For students at risk of food insecurity, school meals often provide the majority of their daily nutritional needs. If we want kids to do well and have strong bodies and minds, we need to provide them with brain food. Baked chips and diet soda are lower calorie, but they aren't brain food. Here are some of the affects of food insufficiency on academic performance:

• Significantly lower math test scores.
• 1.44 times more likely to repeat a grade.
• 1.89 times more likely to see a psychologist.
• More difficulty with peer interaction.
• Teens more likely to be suspended.

Today concluded with a panel discussion with three of Michigan's legislative leaders, facilitated by Deputy Director Don Wotruba. As a legislator, sitting in front of 600 school board members and administrators can be risky, so we're grateful to the panel for taking the time to be with us and for sharing their honest thoughts on some of the controversial proposals being considered.

Don didn't waste any time getting to the tough questions, starting with what will happen with the surplus revenue in the School Aid Fund. Not surprisingly, the panel was hesitant to commit to giving any extra funds to districts this year and made note of the fact that many other groups are also lobbying for extra dollars. Although challenged by several board members about the effectiveness of expanding charters in the state, the legislators seem committed to offering more choice to parents in Michigan. To the dismay of the crowd, the comment was made by one legislator that charter schools don't advertise to take kids away from public schools.

The panel also addressed the changes to teacher tenure, specifically the practice of "last in, first out," and how eliminating that practice will positively impact the classroom. MASB members didn't let the legislators off easy, and pressed them on providing adequate funding, particularly as it relates to the potential elimination of the personal property tax, and ensuring that charter schools are held to the same standards as public schools.

Dr. Brian Perkins talked to us this morning about the importance of creating a positive school climate, defined as "the learning environment created through the interaction of human relationships, physical setting and psychological atmosphere." He spoke of the need to ensure that children can see that they're valued. Schools should be places that when people walk through the doors, they say "this place is important." This will have a psychological impact on how children value school...and learn.

Perkins told of the changing responsibilities of schools, yet the measure we use to assess our students, standardized tests, hasn't changed. He made it clear that he's not opposed to standardized tests, but that there's more to assessing the social and emotional development of our students. He stressed the importance for whole child development-not just cognitive, but also social and emotional. It's not enough as board members to say, "show me the test scores." It's not JUST about test scores...test scores are important, yes, but we can't only focus on test scores. We must create a positive school climate. And that begins at the top with the board of education.

Here's what Dr. Perkins says is the board's role in creating a healthy climate:

1. Understand the difference between administration and governance.
2. Respond to policy mandates through data consideration.
3. Understand what data is needed and in what format to make informed policy decisions.
   

It was awesome to see so many board members and superintendents pack the room this morning. We started the morning off on the right foot by celebrating the achievements of Allendale Public Schools and Rochester Community Schools. The two districts joined just 10 others across the state to be named Board Visionary Leadership Award winners. The boards were recognized for excellence in school governance and for creating a vision of leadership that leads to improved student achievement. Please be sure to congratulate board members from these two districts! Does your board have what it takes to join these ranks? If so, be sure to get started on your application for next year. See the winning BVLA submissions in the Governor's Prefunction Area by the MASB Bookstore.

We also had a beautiful musical presentation from the Traverse City High School Spring Quartet. Their music filled the room with joy and reminded us of the importance of arts in our schools.

Board members were expecting an address from Superintendent of Public Instruction Michael Flanagan. Unfortunately, due to some personal issues, Superintendent Flanagan wasn't able to be with us in person. Instead, he sent a video message about the need for us to raise the bar and set our expectations high for ALL students. Attendees were the first to see Flanagan's message, ahead of it being shared statewide. Watch his message.

Let us just say again how exciting it is to see so many boards and superintendents committed to improving their skills so they can improve the educational experience for students. Thank you!

A big thank you to MASB President Burl Ghastin for presiding over the shortest Delegate Assembly in recent history....until we had a passionate discussion about childhood obesity. While delegates agreed that the issue is important to student learning, the floor resolution was defeated. MASB members unanimously reaffirmed the consent agenda, which represents continuing resolutions that haven't changed from last year. For a list of your continuing resolutions, please see the Delegate Assembly handbook. Also, if you missed your chance to get Don Wotruba's autograph on the cover of your handbook, he'll be signing them tomorrow!

The Assembly was also asked to consider three amendments. The following resolutions were amended:

4.10 Equal Rights, Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying - The Resolutions and Bylaws Committee recommended an amendment to encourage member boards to consider the State Board of Education's model policy on bullying when reviewing, amending or adopting their local policy. This amendment passed unanimously.

6.50 School Year - The resolution was amended to add language supporting a change in state law that would incorporate no fewer than 180 days and 1,098 hours of student instruction per school year. This change mirrors MASB's position supporting a greater number of instructional days.

10.30 State Financial Support - The Assembly voted to amend this resolution to add language that MASB supports a "constitutional amendment to limit the allowable usage of the state school aid fund to preK-12 expenditures." This is one of the Government Relations Committee short term priorities as approved by the MASB Board of Directors for the 2011-12 legislative session.

We're wrapping up a great first day of the Annual Fall Conference. We're so happy with the record attendance, as I'm sure you've noticed with the full CBA classes and great participation in our social media activities. It's so great to see board members experimenting with Twitter and Facebook. If you haven't checked out the tv screen next to registration, be sure to stop by and see what your board colleagues have to say about their conference experience. If you want to get started with social media yourself, stop by the R_U_Social booth (Internet Kiosk).

There was such a positive energy at the Exhibit Show today, with a great kickoff by the Elk Rapids cheerleaders. It's always so awesome to see the great talent of our students. The VIPs and exhibitors really went all out this year to connect with you and compete for that best booth contest. Don't forget to vote before the end of the Exhibit Show tomorrow. There were also a ton of great giveaways and a lucky $100 cash prize winner!

The day was packed full of information on creating a data-based culture, raising achievement and closing gaps as well as a valuable mix of legal and labor relations guidance on teacher tenure, restrictions on employee use of social networking and navigating the Public Employment Relations Act.

Thanks for all the compliments on our bright red sweaters. We hope we made it easy to find us. Tomorrow you can look for us in a little more toned-down blue shirts. Get some rest tonight, we've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow!

Welcome to your Annual Fall Conference and Exhibit Show. We're excited to spend the next few days with you learning about the latest trends and information in education and helping you expand your knowledge and skills as a school leader. The next few days will undoubtedly be busy, and you'll be soaking up a lot of information. The Conference Daily is a great place to recap the day's activities and it will be available after the conference as well.

There are a ton of great sessions ahead of us, and CBA classes are being held through Sunday. Here are some highlights of today's activities:

Michigan Council of School Attorneys Fall Conference - school law is constantly changing, and the many changes to the Tenure Act, social networking, bargaining and other personnel issues will keep you on your toes. Hear from experts on how these changes will impact schools.

Early Bird Workshops - We have two great sessions planned that will help you raise achievement and close gaps as well as create a data-based district culture. Don't miss these sessions as you learn the board's responsibility in these important areas.

Delegate Assembly - The Annual Delegate Assembly is a way for local districts to let their voice be heard on the direction of your association. Registration for voting delegates begins at 6:30 and the Assembly gets under way at 7:30.

R_U_Soci@l - We've developed several opportunities for members to engage throughout conference. We'll be using social media throughout the conference and we're asking you to join us for a chance to win a Nook e-reader! Here's how to play:

1. Visit the R_U_Soci@al booth outside registration to learn how to get started with social media. Create your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn page and pick up your I_M_Social button, which gives you an entry into the drawing. If you're already using social media, bring a friend and help them get started. You'll get an entry into the drawing for your referral.
   
2. Follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/masbleadstrong or "Like" us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/masbleadstrong. Be sure to use the hash tag #masbfc11 so we can find your response.
   
3. After each general session, check Twitter and/or Facebook for the latest trivia question and respond to the questions about the conference sessions. Each response earns you an entry into the drawing.
   
4. Come to the final general session to see if you've won (must be present to win)!

Throughout the conference, be sure to share your key takeaways and "aha" moments by sending a text message to 87884. Begin your message with @MASB and it will appear on the screen outside registration and on this blog (see below).

Give Your Brain a Break
Need a break to digest all the great information you're getting? Stop by the creative station and exercise the other side of your brain.

If there's anything MASB staff can do to make your conference experience better, stop by the registration desk and let us know. Be sure to review the materials in your conference bag and take time to go through your conference program. Everything you need to know is right at your fingertips! Here's to a great 2011 conference experience!