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REFLECTIONS FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
 "Today’s infants and toddlers are tomorrow’s business leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, health care workers, and other professionals. For the next two decades, they will be learning how to think, act and compete in the global marketplace. By investing in our youngest children now – when those investments will yield the highest societal returns – we can build the workforce we need to keep America competitive in the years ahead.” – Society for Human Resource Management
Dear friend of ABEC,
Based on recent legislation, we will be expecting every child to read on grade level by third grade, or be held back. At the same time, Arizona voters are considering elimination of First Things First, an effort targeted as preparing young children for schooling. How can we ramp up this kind of student achievement for every child if we take away the very resources they’ll need to prepare them to be successful? Early voting is underway. One of my greatest fears, as we experience the chills of a scary Halloween, is that our state will strip away yet another set of supports for Arizona’s smallest and youngest learners. If you’ve not yet voted, do it. VOTE NO ON 302!
And speaking of scary Halloweens, it’s frightening to think we might continue cutting education resources even as we’re calling for global competitiveness. It’s scary that the negative rhetoric about education might drive away talented young people from the teaching profession. But on the other side of scary October is that hopeful, thankful November. I’m going to start thinking of hopefulness right now.
Sincerely, 
Susan Carlson
ABEC executive director
“The Institute for a Competitive Workforce believes that investments in high-quality early learning programs for children birth to age five yield high returns, and research shows that for every dollar invested today, savings range from $2.50 to as much as $17 in the years ahead.” - Karen Elzey, Vice President, Institute for a Competitive Workforce, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
SPOTLIGHT: WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST FEARS FOR ARIZONA EDUCATION?
 In the spirit of Halloween, we asked two ABEC members to share with us their “Greatest Fears for Arizona Education.” Read what they have to say …
GREATEST FEARS FOR ARIZONA K-12 EDUCATION
The Business View - by Richard Condit, Sundt
If K-12 education was not so important, I would not be so scared. This is a time of paradoxes in Arizona education. On the one hand, there has not been a time in my memory when so many reform efforts have been at play with so many good and caring people lending their efforts to improving the quality of education in our state. On the other hand, my fear is that this very diversity of reform efforts will make it difficult, maybe impossible, to gain the consensus that will be needed to gain support for public policy change.
Consensus is often compromise at a low level and not a process of insuring the most important components of, in this case, meaningful reform survive the philosophical turf battles. My fear is that the parties involved will not be willing to set aside their own convictions to insure that the few most impactful initiatives receive the support of all the stakeholders in the process.
The question becomes "What are those few key initiatives that will reduce the social and economic tragedy of the state's dropout rate, insure our students are prepared for participation in a global economy, insure we have the very best teachers at all levels in the process, have a means of assessing those outcomes, and finally, accountability for the resources that are used to fund the process?"
The litmus test for any initiative, in my opinion, should be how it answers the previous questions, and where in the P-20 continuum it will be leveraged. We are really talking about the six sigma of public education, as the low hanging fruit has been picked tried and retried in many cases with the same predictable results. Hopefully, my fears will be just that - only fears - as the good people of this state work together to do something special for the most special resource we have in Arizona: our children.
THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN ARIZONA’S NIGHT
The Education View - by Andrew Morrill, Arizona Education Association
Generally, I prefer to write about what I believe in, support, or work toward. But this is the Halloween season, and there are no doubt ghosts and goblins lurking behind every corner — and I don’t mean just at the legislature. So just this once I’ll describe what gives me the frights as I think about public education and Arizona’s current identity crisis.
I fear that a witch will cast a spell of forgetfulness over our policy makers, causing them to forget what we all should know: that teachers are as motivated today as they have ever been; that teaching truly is a profession requiring specialized knowledge far beyond subject expertise; that no standardized test can show all the successes that happen in a school on a daily basis; that we must invest in that which we call a priority.
I fear the evil wizards and their magic dust — the dust that conceals cynics running for office and casts them as reformers. Here’s a hint: If you are truly reforming something, you demonstrate a record of making it better, not removing what it needs to be successful.
I fear wicked spells that seize pundit tongues, making them speak only of accountability and never about the capacity that is essential to real improvement in our schools; never about the responsibility that policy, business, and community leaders own in some measure to make our public schools succeed.
I fear not the economic recession under which Arizona currently struggles but the ethical one — the one setting us back 50 years or so in how we regard and treat people — the one that tricks us into asking if we should educate our own children, provide for our poor, our young, our veterans, our elderly; respect those whose families have lived and worked here for generations.
But I have no fear that public education will endure and improve because I know that families still trust their students’ teachers — still send them to our neighborhood public schools with high expectations amid that trust. And I stand proudly with Arizona’s public educators in commitment to honoring that trust.
WANTED: AZ SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
 The State Superintendent of Public Instruction is many things to many people. While one can debate this position’s primary role, there is one thing for certain: the State Superintendent is very visible and influential for Arizona's education. So, ABEC asked select members, “What skill sets do you hope the next State Superintendent of Public Instruction has mastered and will bring to the Arizona Department of Education? Here's one view we received…
STATEMENT ON SKILL REQUIREMENTS FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
by Suzanne Taylor, Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry
The State Superintendent of Public Instruction should have a clear vision for improving education in Arizona as well as the leadership and managerial skills required to implement that vision. A strong candidate for Superintendent should have experience and expertise in education policy development and implementation as well as a willingness to consider innovative concepts and reforms. He or she should have the ability to align all activities of the Department of Education towards the aggressive pursuit of ever-improving student achievement.
While the candidate for Superintendent needs experience and expertise in education policy, the candidate also needs strong leadership and managerial skills in order to maximize the impact of the policies. To make a large organization like the Department of Education successful, the Superintendent must clearly communicate the organizational mission to employees and then implement incentives and accountability measures that advance that mission. Additionally, the Superintendent should have a willingness to pursue organizational efficiencies that improve the performance of the Arizona Department of Education and wisely utilize taxpayers’ dollars.
In these challenging budget times, it is more critical than ever that the Superintendent have strong financial acumen and the ability to efficiently apply scarce resources to those activities that have the greatest impact. A clear focus on the core mission of improving educational outcomes for all students should drive the Superintendent’s decision making process when it comes to resource allocation. It is highly important that the Superintendent have a detailed understanding of the state’s complex school finance formula from both the revenue and the expenditures side.
The Superintendent must have the ability to understand and manage the interests of diverse education stakeholders including students and their parents, businesses as the future employers of graduates, teachers, administrators, school boards, federal entities, and others. An ability to successfully pursue federal grants in a way that recognizes the unique aspects of Arizona’s educational systems would be another valuable strength. There are funds available from the U.S. Department of Education that could be used to drive important reform efforts at the state level.
An understanding of how to analyze and apply educational data is another critical skill. The Superintendent should be prepared to lead Arizona’s efforts to modernize its usage of data to drive improved student performance.
In sum, a combination of education policy skills and managerial abilities are essential for our state’s next Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Whomever the voters elect in November will have the awesome responsibility of moving education forward throughout the state in a way that prepares all students to be successful in the global economy despite the budget challenges currently present at all levels of government.
REPORT: MARICOPA AFTERSCHOOL ACTION AGENDA
 Meeting the needs of a vibrant and diverse economy in the 21st Century requires a workforce that is educated, prepared and engaged. To that end, there is an increasing realization that formal education cannot be solely responsible for our children’s overall growth and development. The truth is: Arizona children are only in school about six hours a day, 175 days a year.
Quality afterschool programs represent a critical – though often overlooked – element in preparing our children to be productive members of the workforce. These programs strengthen and complement existing in-school curricula through a range of intentional programming that contributes to positive social, emotional, cognitive and civic skills as well as helping develop critical thinking and teamwork.
The Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence, a statewide advocate and information resource for promoting high quality afterschool programs, and the Valley of the Sun United Way believe that Maricopa County can be a leader in embracing quality afterschool programming as a strategic tool to ensure that children stay in school, reach their highest personal potential and enter the workforce fully prepared.
To achieve that vision, the Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence, through a grant from United Way Worldwide and the JC Penney Afterschool Fund, teamed with the Valley of the Sun United Way to create an action agenda to strengthen the Maricopa County afterschool system. Through this grant, 40 business, education and community leaders came together to develop a Maricopa County Afterschool Action Agenda alongside co-chairs Phoenix Union High School Superintendent Dr. Kent Scribner and Amy Gibbons, president and executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Phoenix.
In early October, the 16-page Maricopa County Afterschool Action Agenda was published with findings and recommendations based on four key areas for action: awareness, access, coordination and quality. The goals: to strengthen outcomes for youth through increased efficient and intentional collaboration and an enhanced standard of quality and to use the plan as a model for other Arizona counties and communities.
AN ABEC "MEMBERS-ONLY" OPPORTUNITY
 “ABEC’s ‘Shadow the Super’ allows Sodexo and other businesses to see first-hand what innovative steps superintendents are taking to address tough budgets, student achievement and funding to educate our future leaders in Arizona. We want to partner with educators to find solutions together to make change possible for every child."
~ Katrina M. Lewis, Sodexo School Services
Katrina Lewis is one of several ABEC business members shadowing ABEC superintendents this fall. "Shadow the Super" is an ABEC members-only special opportunity.
For more information or to “shadow a super,” contact Karen Kehlenbach at Karen@azbec.org or 602-261-6702.
ALMOST TIME TO TEE OFF!
ABEC 3rd Annual Golf Tournament
Friday, November 5, 2010
Tournament details:
> Four person scramble
> Registration opens at 6:30 a.m.
> Shotgun start at 8:00 a.m. (Please arrive at least 1 hour before start)
REGISTER TODAY -
All skill levels are welcome to play!
Corporate Sponsors:
CRASH COURSES ON STATE REVENUE
 DECEMBER 6, 2010 – ABEC CRASH COURSE
PART I: State revenue structure - How it works and what are the issues
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Rio Salado Conference Center
2323 West 14th Street
Tempe, AZ 85281
Presenter: Dennis Hoffman, Director of WPC Seidman Research Institute at ASU
Learn about the State’s tax revenue structure system and how it works today. Then hear panelists from the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Arizona Tax Research Association, Arizona School Boards Association, Arizona Education Association, and Greater Phoenix Leadership talk about issues with the current system.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. To reserve a seat, contact Karen Kehlenbach at (602) 261-6702 or at karen@azbec.org.
 DECEMBER 14, 2010 – ABEC CRASH COURSE
PART II: State revenue structure change – solutions or rhetoric?
Reports and recommendations on the table
1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Rio Salado Conference Center
2323 West 14th Street
Tempe, AZ 85281
Hear representatives from Arizona Town Hall, Arizona Education Association, and Arizona School Boards Association discuss their reports and recommendations on this topic as well as address the questions:
- Where have all these recommendations gone?
- What was intended with these reports/recommendations?
- What obstacles need to be overcome in order to move recommendations forward?
- What if any would be the recommended next steps?
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. To reserve a seat, contact Karen Kehlenbach at (602) 261-6702 or at karen@azbec.org.
EDUCATION NEWS & SPECIAL REPORTS
EDUCATION NEWS
Website helps Arizona teens prep for college, future - The Arizona Republic, 10/25/10
A new online portal to help high-school students prepare for college is part of a public-private education initiative aimed at boosting the number of Arizonans with a college degree. More ...
Texas Launches GenTx.org To Help Students Prepare For College – thegovmonitor.com, 10/21/10
Governor Rick Perry touted Texas’ efforts to ensure young Texans graduate either college- or career-ready, and have access to the resources they need to pursue higher education opportunities. More …
Character Education Found to Fall Short in Federal Study - EdWeek, 10/21/10
Character education has grown in popularity among educators and parents alike, but the largest federal study of schoolwide programs to date has found that, for the most part, they don’t produce any improvements in student behavior or academic performance. More ...
Teachers college grant to help reform Ariz. education - statepress.com, 10/20/10
Education in Arizona just got a helping hand after ASU’s teachers college received a federal grant to rejuvenate the system. More ...
Ballot Measures Reflect K-12 Funding Jitters - EdWeek, 10/20/10
In an election year dominated by the pitched battle for Congress and major governors’ races, state ballot measures involving education are largely tied to a similar theme: the burden of funding K-12 programs when state finances are shaky. More ...
Arizona superintendent race: Contrasts stark for John Huppenthal, Penny Kotterman - The Arizona Republic, 10/20/10
A clear philosophical choice faces voters in the race for Arizona superintendent of public instruction. The two candidates agree Arizona's public schools need to be improved, but their ideas on how to accomplish that are very different. More ...
Website Collects Best Practices for Increasing College Access and Completion -
The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and the Council of Independent Colleges have announced this new website, which catalogs programs at private, nonprofit colleges designed to better recruit at-risk students and improve retention and graduation rates. More...
SPECIAL REPORTS
Closing the Talent Gap: Attracting and Retaining Top-Third Graduates to Careers in Teaching - McKinsey & Company (pdf link)
A new report that outlines how the United States could attract and retain more students with strong academic backgrounds into the teaching profession. More ...
Project on Student Debt: Class of 2009 (pdf link)
Members of the class of 2009 who borrowed to help pay for college graduated with an estimated average of $24,000 in student-loan debt. More...
Finishing the First Lap: The Cost of First-Year Student Attrition in America's Four-Year Colleges and Universities – October 2010
A new report by the American Institutes for Research found that states spend more than $6 billion on the education of students who leave college before attaining a degree. More ...
2010 State of College Admission - National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)
This report describes key trends in the transition from high school to college. The 2010 edition covers the Fall 2009 admission cycle. More ...
An Attainable Dream - US Dept of Education
A new video (5-minutes) produced especially for SPANISH-SPEAKING families that shows how going to college is more attainable and affordable than ever. The video profiles a college sophomore and shows the support she receives in pursuit of her academic and career goals in Spanish. Watch video>
Prepare and Inspire: K–12 Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) for America’s Future - President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)
A new report that argues that the nation must inspire all students to learn science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and motivate many of these students to pursue STEM careers in order to ensure that America is a leader in STEM education in the coming decades. More ...
POLICY BRIEF: Call for Action: Transforming Teaching and Learning to Prepare High School Students for College and Careers - Alliance for Excellent Education (pdf link)
This brief examines the misalignment of current policies that shape teacher development in the United States and suggests ways to reframe human capital systems to deliver on the promise of next-generation learning. More ...
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IN THIS ISSUE:
SPOTLIGHT: What are your greatest fears for Arizona Education?
WANTED: AZ Superintendent of Public Instruction
REPORT: Maricopa Afterschool Action Agenda
ABEC "Members-only" Opportunity
READ Past Issues of eNews Spotlight
Wish to COMMENT on the ABEC eNewsletter? Contact Patrick Contrades, ABEC eNewsletter editor and Deputy Director. | |
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2010-2011 DATES TO REMEMBER:
Friday, November 5, 2010
ABEC 3rd Annual Golf Tournament
Thursday, November 11, 2010
ABEC office closed
(Veteran's Day)
Thursday & Friday,
November 25 & 26, 2010
ABEC office closed
(Thanksgiving break)
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
ABEC Board Meeting
Monday, December 6, 2010
ABEC Crash Course - Part I
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
ABEC Crash Course - Part II
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
ABEC Legislative Connection
Friday, February 25, 2011
ABEC Board Meeting
Monday, June 6, 2011
ABEC Annual Conference
ABEC Board Meeting
NOTE: ABEC board meetings are open to ALL current ABEC members!
For more information on any upcoming ABEC event, go to
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3rd Annual ABEC Golf Tournament
Players of all skill levels are still welcome!
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EVENTS OF ABEC
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ABEC SIGNIFICANT SUPPORTERS |
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