Dear Superintendents,

Congratulations on closing out another school year in your district. I’m sure you’re all exhausted and I hope you are able to get some good downtime and rest this summer. Thank you again for all your hard work, as well as the leadership you provide to our local communities and our Wyoming schools.

Vision & Focus

Along with and beyond the Teacher Apprenticeship Initiative (see update ahead), our vision for future days will extend to a literacy focus that will pursue, strengthen and reinforce the best and most successful literacy models. We just convened our first meeting here at the WDE on the prospects of launching a multi-phased/multi-pronged literacy campaign. The long-term objective will be to clarify the focus and intensify the commitment to our early literacy efforts in each of our Wyoming schools. Moreover, the challenge before us through this campaign will be to get this right once and for all.

As we dedicate ourselves to this doubled-down effort, we will seek to work it on three fronts:  (1) the legislative front (fostering good literacy policies), (2) the school front (working closely with our schools), and (3) the home front (encouraging family reading efforts).

The multiple phases of this campaign are yet to be fully defined, but the key distinctives will incorporate the training aspects of teaching reading effectively along with the actual teaching side of it (best evidence-based practices), as well as a testing model that is designed to effectively and thoroughly assess reading proficiency. It is critical that we pursue a policy of excellence at laying a strong literacy foundation as it is essential to everything else we do with our students.

The success or failure of this effort will of course (like anything else in life) hinge entirely on leadership. Hence, the corresponding effort to simultaneously begin developing a School Leadership Training Regimen, which will seek to bring together state-wide school leadership training on three levels:  the degree level (college/university), the department level (WDE) and the district level (in our schools). More on that next time …

The Primary Priority   

The application to request participation in the Wyoming Teacher Apprenticeship pilot went out to district superintendents on June 15. The three school districts chosen will be notified by July 8, and will begin collaboration with the WDE and PTSB this summer to stand up the local program. Meanwhile, the WTA Work Group is working diligently on putting details in place to support the pilot.  So in a nutshell, things are moving forward according to plan with our Teacher Apprentice Initiative and we will continue to keep you posted every step of the way.

In the Spotlight

Small but mighty is what I heard from day one about our WDE communications team, and with a duo like Thom Gabrukiewicz and Ed McCollum, new technology means fun new ways to reach people. Lately Thom has been mastering the utilization of our new access to digital marketing through the Google Ad Network and YouTube to get the word out around the state about some of our events and programs. But these campaigns can’t get off the ground without the creative…enter Ed! They use 15-second video spots that need to attract attention and get folks to click through to the PTSB landing page on its website. A new Hathaway campaign will be starting on YouTube in July.

Recently, Deputy Superintendent Chad Auer and CFO Trent Carroll challenged these guys to create a set of 15-second videos that could run on YouTube and be targeted to specific counties in Ohio, California, and Northern Colorado. The goal was to inspire folks to ‘picture themselves teaching in Wyoming’ and hopefully click through for more information. Check out the videos here. Turns out that the folks at CFD liked them so much, they are going to run them on the big screens at the rodeo this year. Hitting the teacher shortage from all angles is just good strategy, so Thom and Ed, you are in the spotlight for your contribution to the cause!

Mark Your Calendars

.The Embracing Literacy Conference is a virtual conference that will take place over a three-week time span, with three sessions offered every Tuesday and Thursday from July 5-July 21. All sessions will be presented live, but will be recorded and available via Zoom for ongoing access to registered participants. The theme for this year’s conference is “The Science of Reading” and includes topics such as early childhood literacy, special education literacy, phonemic awareness, dyslexia, comprehension, and much more. The cost is $50/person. Register here.

Monday memos:

• 2022-077-Wyoming-Advisory-Panel-for-Students-with-Disabilities-PDF
• 2022-078-Computer-Science-Micro-credential-Endorsement-Pathway-PDF
• 2022-079-WDEQ-Accepting-Grant-Applications-for-Lead-Testing-in-Schools-PDF

Sincerely,

Dear Superintendents,

I’d like to use this space this week to share with you something I shared this week with our WDE team during our all-staff meeting. There have been understandable rumblings around the state based on some misunderstandings linked to some unfortunate misquotes and misrepresentations by the media on comments I made during a public charter school meeting here in Cheyenne.

In the speech I gave, referencing the cultural drift that our American communities and schools have been experiencing to varying degrees, I quoted former U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett who was known to often say, “When the culture pushes hard against you and your family, you must push back just as hard.” I continued, “If we don’t, not only does our society become more toxic, so do our schools. And it is alarming how many schools in this country have become some of the most toxic places on earth for a kid to have to endure.”  Those were my exact words.

During the Q & A, an attendee felt I was disparaging Wyoming schools. My immediate response was that I was most certainly not talking about Wyoming schools. In response, I shared my experiences of visiting 19-20 districts around the state, and how impressed and amazed I was with what our district superintendents, principals and classroom teachers are accomplishing in our schools. I went on to say that Wyoming schools are what all schools used to be in America, and then shared specific examples. Finally, to reinforce it further, I said “Wyoming schools could set the standard and lead the nation out of this cultural wilderness.”

Of course I have no control over how the media reports any given story. Most often, if misquoted or misrepresented, I will not have time (nor will I feel the need) to follow up with contextual explanations. But this time it was important to do so. If ever you as superintendents hear something that bothers you, whether through the grapevine or in the media, please do not hesitate to call me and ask me about it. If I was wrong, I will listen openly if you challenge me, and I will have the grace and humility to apologize. If I was misrepresented, I will certainly share with you what I actually said.

In this case, what I shared above was true and accurate.I know that goes with the territory of this job, and I will have to buck up at times and move on. But please do have grace with me as I continue to grow into this role, learning to weigh my words carefully on the one hand, but remain as real and honest as possible on the other. Though everyone tells me I am now in the political role, I do not ever want to become politician-like. There will be times no doubt when my message will make some people upset. When that happens, the challenge will always be to fairly and carefully discern whether it was my issue or theirs. That fine line, I know, is something all of you as leaders can relate to.

Vision & Focus

Last week, we mentioned the key three things on the horizon for our Wyoming schools: (1) the Teacher Apprenticeship Initiative (see progress update in the next segment); (2) a multi-phased/multi-pronged literacy campaign; and (3) a school leader training paradigm.

In real estate, it’s location, location, location; in education, it’s literacy, literacy, literacy. As the foundation of everything we do, we have to get this right in our training endeavors as well as how we teach and test literacy. Our first discussions on the prospects of launching a statewide literacy campaign begin today with key WDE teammates.

We will discuss strategy, timing, goals and objectives. We will also begin a conversation about what the key pieces and phases of the campaign should be, as well as who the key people and partners might be. Stay tuned for updates as we move forward, step-by-step, with an eye toward a more expansive vision and clearer focus of where Wyoming schools can go in regard to literacy. This could be huge.

Finally, the school leader training paradigm. To reiterate, the desire here will be to incorporate what Dr. Scott Thomas and his team at the University of Wyoming will be doing with his principal training program in Laramie over the next few years, complemented by a school leader training regimen here at the WDE, complemented by what each district might be doing (or working toward doing) via on-going, in-the-trenches school leader mentoring. Interest is growing and excitement on this front is building as well.  Next step is to assemble a task force. We’ll keep you posted as things transpire.

The Primary Priority   

The application to request participation in the Wyoming Teacher Apprenticeship pilot will go out to district superintendents on June 15. The three school districts chosen will begin collaboration with the WDE and PTSB this summer to stand up the local program. This work will inform the structure for the eventual statewide rollout, while allowing the opportunity to identify best practices and unique nuances at the district level. Exciting progress … more to come.

In the Spotlight

Ilaine Brown, Education Consultant on the CTE team is hard to miss. This “Jersey girl” has been with the WDE for three years after having been at the Department of Family Services for 11. Ilaine is well-known across the state for her depth of knowledge on SCED codes, programs of study, and CTE grants. Her previous experience as a paralegal has been utilized in writing all of the CTE contracts, RFP’s and rule changes.

Ilaine has recently taken on Method of Administration monitoring and is streamlining the process to increase efficiency and provide exceptional customer service to the districts. Since arriving at WDE she successfully completed her CPM with LCCC and now is a full-time student finishing her bachelor’s degree in business. When she isn’t working or attending class you will find her watching her daughter play hockey, organizing the annual Zonta art show, or hanging out with her family and dogs.

Ilaine, congratulations, you are in the spotlight. Thank-you for the significant contribution you are making on the CTE team. We are proud of you and blessed to have you working for the Wyoming Department of Education.

Mark Your Calendars

The 2022 RISE Award nomination form is now open. The purpose of the Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award is to recognize the excellence exhibited by classified school employees (anyone, who isn’t a teacher), who provide exemplary service to students. Nomination deadline is June 30 and anyone can complete the form.

Monday memos:

• No memos this week.

Sincerely,

Dear Superintendents,

As you lead your districts to the finish line of yet another school year, we hope you finish strong and enjoy the graduation celebrations of the class of 2022. These are exciting times for our seniors and their families, days they will never forget. How gratifying to be able to play such an important part in this milestone of their lives.

I do want to again focus some thoughts on the tragedy that continues to affect the families and citizens of Uvalde, Texas. The grief we all continue to feel for them propels us to be ever vigilant in making sure our own schools here in Wyoming are as safe and secure as they can possibly be. We would be remiss, therefore, not to reassess our policies and procedures, school by school, district by district.

As we look at the appropriate role in this potential review process for the WDE, please be prepared for a conversation about what more we (our agency and your district) need to do on this front. We will keep you posted as to what this review process may look like. Thanks for your cooperation and help with this.

Vision & Focus

Let’s cut to the chase … there are three things that I see on the horizon for our Wyoming schools:

First, the Teacher Apprenticeship Initiative (see the progress update in the next segment).

Second, a multi-phased/multi-pronged literacy campaign (more to come on that in subsequent months).

Third, a school leader training paradigm, seeking to dovetail the training regimens at the degree (college and university level) with the same at the department (WDE) and district levels (our local K-12 schools).

Be prepared for more conversations on each initiative in the days ahead.

The Primary Priority   

The Wyoming Teacher Apprenticeship initiative continues to move forward this week with a presentation by Deputy Superintendent Chad Auer, and co-leads Brendan O’Connor and Laurel Ballard, at the Joint Education Interim Committee meeting in Casper. Based on the response, the committee members are pleased with the progress and as excited as we all are to see the work come to fruition.

The work group will be receiving the feedback from the advisory group on June 7, and will also begin to dig deeper into the details that need to be fleshed out to support a fall pilot rollout.

In the Spotlight

Last year, the WDE awarded a Wyoming Education Trust Fund Grant to Sublette County School District #1. Priority is given to Computer Science and Innovation. SCSD#1 has served 3,200 students (students are using the room multiple times), and 511 adults in six months. The project has led to a number of partnerships between local businesses and the district. Watch the video here, careful, it’s a tearjerker. What you see in this video was made possible by everyone from the state level to the district level and from the school to the classroom, and I thank you all.

On the Road, In The Field

Last week took us to two charter public school information meetings for interested parents, one in Cheyenne related to the prospects of the start-up of Cheyenne Classical Academy in the fall of 2023, and the other in Casper with potential start-up of Wyoming Classical Academy, also in the fall of 2023. The energy and excitement at both meetings was high for both groups, as well as the level of interest in a classical approach to education.

This coming week will take us to Washakie County on Friday to visit the Wyoming Boys School in Worland. This will be an especially meaningful time for me as this is the world I worked in for 14 ½ years. Under the leadership of Superintendent Dale Weber, I look forward to touring both the school as well as visiting the classrooms of this great institution.

Mark Your Calendars

Register now for the inaugural Wyoming Computer Science Education Conference on July 20-22, 2022 at Central Wyoming College in Riverton. The Computer Science Education Conference is an opportunity for administrators and educators from kindergarten through higher education, to share and explore computer science teaching and learning practices for classrooms and after school programs. This conference is hosted by the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA-Wyoming) and the WDE. Register here.

Monday memos:

• 2022-076-Career-Development-Facilitator-Training-PDF

Sincerely,

Dear Superintendents,

Given the recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, it seems not only appropriate, but necessary, to forego most of the other regular segments in this Update to offer the following thoughts and reflections:

As we all endure the horrors of yet another school shooting, we are again left sickened and grief-stricken beyond words. The terror that that classroom of innocent, defenseless, beautiful 10- and 11-year olds must have experienced in their final moments on this earth is not only unspeakable, but one of the saddest, most painful things about the realities of life in this world any of us have ever been faced with.

The safety of our schools has always been sacrosanct in our nation, and to even have to consider the prospects of something so hideous happening at the local community schoolhouse, for most of us, never once crossed our minds when we were kids.

Though the traumatizing effect on all of us will be somewhat intangible and hard to measure (unless we’ve just become numb), it will nonetheless be hard to avoid. This is especially true of our young people. The effects potentially will be varied, deep and life-long: some will become increasingly cynical about life and the nature of the human condition, while others may actually grow deeper spiritually, guided by the verities of their faith. Most, however, will not know how to process this. Without guidance and intervention, they will be vulnerable to paralyzing levels of confusion and even despair.

In one of my former lives, I worked for 14½ years with traumatized children (and families), and heard from not a few kids how pronounced the darkness was in their own hearts as well as some of the evils they fantasized about enacting. In almost every other way, these were regular, loveable, delightful kids, but deep down inside, they were tormented. Finding someone they could talk to about their torment (and still feel loved and accepted after having done so) did offer them some relief.

So while it is human nature to deal with this stuff by not dealing with it, going on through life as if nothing happened, that is exactly what we can’t do. You don’t have to be a mental health worker to care. You don’t have to be a professional counselor to listen. And you don’t have to be a pastor to weep with those who weep and pray for those who need it – which at this point, it goes without saying, is pretty much all of us.

In these days of heaviness, it falls to all of us to become more human, and in doing so, more divine. There is a time to work, and then there is a time to lay aside the duties of the day, move in, and become the healing presence some of our students need. This is one of those times.

Mark Your Calendars

A Wyoming Seal of Biliteracy is being created for students proficient in two or more languages. An advisory committee of language educators will convene to recommend assessments and levels of proficiency on assessments that will enable students to earn a Seal of Biliteracy, including a seal with Advanced Distinction.

The WDE is collecting public input to be shared with the Seal of Biliteracy Advisory Committee, which will develop recommendations that will be forwarded to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

To provide input, complete the Seal of Biliteracy Public Input Survey by 11:59 p.m. on June 2, 2022. The Seal of Biliteracy was created by Senate Enrolled Act 47 of the 2022 Wyoming Legislature.

Monday memos:

• 2022-071-2022-RISE-Award-Application-Now-Open-PDF
• 2022-072-Preliminary-2022-23-IDEA-Part-B-Allocations-PDF
• 2022-073-Technical-Education-Tuesdays-PDF
• 2022-074-Assessment-Data-Literacy-PD-PDF
• 2022-075-English-Learner-Guidance-Update-PDF

Sincerely,

Dear Superintendents,

I was hoping to be able to say this round that “Spring has Sprung!” But given the recent weather relapses, apparently not. Hopefully by the time you get this, things will have changed. In the meantime, we’ll hold off on any premature proclamations.

Nonetheless, we hope these final days of school prove smooth and productive as you wind things down in your districts, and do let us know how we can better support and serve you here at the WDE. Thank you for all you do.

Vision & Focus

In terms of the prospects of casting the first glimpses of a vision for our Wyoming schools, it will of necessity be rooted in identity (the character of the Wyoming people), courage (the tenacity of our school leadership), clarity (regarding the purpose and priority of education) and commitment (to being the very best).

To reiterate, the contention that Wyoming is poised to lead the nation in education does not mean that it will, it simply means that it can. Identity, courage and clarity only set the stage, they do not determine the outcome. Like anything else in life, commitment will ultimately determine that. Vision gives birth to commitment, and commitment sustains focus. We need both, vision and focus. To be continued …

The Primary Priority   

On the Teacher Apprenticeship initiative, we met with Governor Mark Gordon on May 18 to present key details and aspects of the draft framework.  I am pleased to report that he was excited about what he heard, and very affirming about the prospects of what this initiative can mean for our schools across the state.

We’ll continue to keep you posted about next steps as progress happens. The desire at this point (knock on wood!) is to pilot Phase One this fall in three school districts (small, medium and large). We welcome any related thoughts or questions; reach out to linda.finnerty@wyo.gov.

In The Spotlight

The WDE Deaf and Hard of Hearing Outreach team, consisting of Billie Wortham and Christy Fritz, uses on-site visits and data to identify areas of need in educational services for students with hearing loss across the state, from birth through grade 12. To address these needs, the team provides a high level of personalized technical assistance, training, coaching, and resources. This team recognizes a significant need in early intervention services to support language and early literacy skills.

Addressing these needs has led to the creation of a ground breaking service model in Wyoming called the Wyoming Early Intervention Initiative Plus Program (WEII). WEII Plus will officially be rolled out on July 1, 2022 During the nearly three years development, strong partnerships between the WDE, Wyoming Early Hearing Detection and Intervention, Early Intervention and Education Programs, Wyoming Families for Hands & Voices, Child Development Services and the Marion Downs Center.

Billie and Christy, thank you for all you do!

On the Road, In The Field

This week’s travels took me to two wonderful districts, Sheridan #2 and Sheridan #3, headed up by Superintendent Scott Stults and Superintendent Boyd Brown respectively.  Both of these seasoned leaders have learned a lot in all their years of service and have much to share. For my part, I gained a wealth of knowledge and perspective interacting with them and picking their brains, and came away (again) inspired by and grateful for the interactions.

It was very apparent how blessed both districts are, having some very special teachers and staff. Moreover, the Professional Learning Communities philosophy that both districts embrace is a thing of beauty when done right, and bears incredible fruit on so many levels. While many schools across the nation have become some of the most toxic places on earth for a kid to have to endure, these two districts live out the dynamics of what a healthy (not perfect) community in the school setting looks like. Two more examples of why Wyoming schools can lead the nation.

Mark Your Calendars

The Wyoming State Board of Education (SBE) has launched a second round of public input sessions around the Profile of a Graduate initiative. The public can provide input on a draft profile created utilizing statewide input received during the first round of listening sessions. The Phase II virtual vetting sessions will take place on the following dates:

• From 4-5 p.m. on May 23; register here.
• From noon-1 p.m. on May 26; register here.
• From 8-9 a.m. on June 1; register here.
• From 6-7 p.m. on June 7; register here.

Wyoming-based organizations may schedule a virtual session by contacting Diana Clapp, State Board of Education Coordinator, at diana.clapp@wyo.gov. The public is also encouraged to provide feedback through an online survey, which can be found here.

Monday memos:

• 2022-067-2022-2023-McKinney-Vento-Homeless-Children-and-Youth-Grant-Request-for-Applications-PDF
• 2022-068-Computer-Science-Implementation-2022-23-School-Year-PDF.pdf
• 2022-069-Pathway-to-Success-Summer-Event-PDF.pdf
• 2022-070-21st-Century-Community-Learning-Centers-Grant-Intent-to-Apply-PDF.pdf

Sincerely,