Douglas Palmieri

Teacher Quality

ddp68 — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:46:29 +0000

Education Week has an interesting article (see my tweet for a link) on Teacher quality and the relationship that is being found with Teacher status. The gist of the article is that countries that value education, value teaching as a profession, have higher rates of attainment by teachers and communal satisfaction in regards to Teacher quality. It makes a ton of sense to me. But it does leave me with questions in regards to Teacher quality here in the United States. For example: What does American dissatisfaction with Teacher quality say about us ? Is it that we are not truly preparing students to become teachers and leaders in the classroom ? Or is it because America’s priorities are shifting away from education, thus placing less value on the job or the prospects of choosing Teaching as a profession ?

Wanted: PR Dept. for Public Education

ddp68 — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 02:55:48 +0000

Digital Directions, a publication offered by Education Week, offers up solid reporting on the state of all things relating to educational technology. They recently presented a story on the “Rise of Hybrid Charter Schools” however that honestly left me disappointed. While it is true that there are Charter Schools out there offering a truly blended form of education, combining the best of traditional and distance learning formats, it is also true that they are not alone in doing so. There are numerous Public Schools offering up the same quality blend of educational formats (I should know, I work for one), yet no one in educational media is making note of it. Maybe an extreme makeover from a top PR Firm is in order ? Maybe students and parents would realize that it’s not just the local cyber charter school that is cutting edge, but their home district as well. Maybe they would see that the grass isn’t always greener without having to put the education and future, for that matter, of their child at risk. You’d be amazed at what a little positive PR can do !

Big Steps for Online Learning

ddp68 — Sun, 15 May 2011 04:08:37 +0000

Recently, in the state of Florida, legislation was passed solidifying Online Learning’s role in the field of educational methodology within the state. Starting this fall, all High School students in the state of Florida will have to complete at least one (1) online course to be eligible for graduation. With the current ubiquity of distance learning in post-secondary education, this is easily seen as a progressive move enabling the future High School graduates of Florida to make a more seamless transition to their College or University of choice. Furthermore, this legislation provides that all end of course testing be completed online by the school year 2014-2015, speaking to the advantages of test security, administration, uniformity (potentially), and data mining inherent from such a move. Finally, this legislation also offers brick and mortar charter schools in the state of Florida the opportunity to provide blended learning, a combination of both traditional classroom learning and online learning, thus improving their overall offerings and improving their ability to compete in the educational marketplace. While the state of Florida is often viewed in terms relating to Conservative and Liberal, this legislation clearly moves it in the Progressive direction, at least educationally speaking, that is.

Shock Waves of Hope

ddp68 — Tue, 03 May 2011 03:19:18 +0000

So with the news today of the death of Osama Bin laden, one must wonder how far the shock waves will spread in the lives of all Americans. Do we see our troops return home sooner ? Do we see a finish line for these multiple wars that seem endless ? Do we , as a nation, come out from under the weight of supporting these wars at the cost of our country’s fiscal future and the loss of the priceless future of our youth ? Do our thoughts and actions return to the home front with our children and schools on the forefront ? The answers to most of these questions are years away, yet I for one feel more hopeful today than I have for a long time. Maybe that is what we gained by this recent subtraction. It seems that we have regained our ability to hope again, as a nation. To our armed forces and the team of Navy SEALS who have given us this chance to be hopeful once more I say, thank you.

Recent Activity

ddp68 — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:09:06 +0000

Just a note about a recent revision to a page on this blog. I have replaced a page titled “Philosophy of Leadership and Administration” with a “Statement of Educational Philosophy”. I had come to see the former as outdated and believe that the latter more accurately describes and explains my views on student-centered education. Please give it a read, and as always, let me know what you think.

A New Direction

ddp68 — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:56:30 +0000

In an effort to keep the loyal followers of this blog updated, I am announcing a change in the format, purpose, and direction of this site. The goal of this site going forward will be to serve as an online resume of sorts, displaying my background, my educational credentials, and selected writings on the topic of education. Future posts will be communicated via Twitter posts, or “tweets”, as they are commonly referred to. While my tweets can be found at www.twitter.com/douglaspalmieri, they can also be found on this site as well. So if you are browsing and are feel inclined to comment, know that I will still be monitoring this site and that I welcome your comments and the discussions that may result. Remember to keep an eye out for my tweets and as always, please feel free to let me know what you think.

Summer 2009 Plans

ddp68 — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:02:32 +0000

Summer is here! Time for students and educators alike to step back, recharge their batteries and formulate a plan for the upcoming school year. Accordingly, this blog will be doing the same. I will be putting this blog on hiatus until the 2009-2010 school year commences. When it does commence there will be much to talk about including observations on a fledgling student dress policy in the district where I am employed, the second year of the cyber academy of which I am the coordinator and the reshaping of educational policy and direction under President Obama. All of that and more to come! I will be “tweeting” when the occasional educational topic warrants, so have your ears on for those. Thanks….and enjoy your Summer!

Status Report

ddp68 — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 01:56:30 +0000

As I look back on my experiences of the past year, I can honestly say that I do so with a certain level of satisfaction. Satisfaction? Yes. Contentment? No. I feel somewhat satisfied because I came into a brand new position this school year and helped shape it or influence it into what it became. I helped lead a brand new district endeavor and did so with an improved bottom line and positive feedback from the administrators to whom I report. However, I feel no contentment because there are new challenges ahead that require my focus and all the skills in my tool set, in order to meet them successfully.

When I look back on what helped me to make this year a success, I can look at three things. The first is my organizational skills. I believe these helped me to create order where there was none previously. Again, with this being year one in our district’s cyber education venture it is important to realize that there was very little process or protocol in place. Part of the challenge, and fun, was the creation and implementation of these protocols. I believe my organizational skills helped me meet this challenge. Another skill that I believed helped me tremendously was my ability to communicate effectively. More important than the actual skill was my commitment to utilizing it on a daily basis. Not only was this my first year leading a brand new district venture, but I was also interacting with an entirely new set of colleagues who knew very little about me or more specifically, my work ethic. I wanted to make sure that these new peers saw me in the way that I wanted to be seen: As a district coordinator with good organizational skills, a commitment to communication, and a sincere willingness to lead. I believe that willingness was evident in my daily actions as coordinator as well as in my interactions with administrators and staff.

As I head towards next school year I also know that there are many areas where I need to show growth and development. These are the areas which prohibit me from feeling that sense of contentment that I mentioned earlier. I believe I must gain more experience with the management of staff, specifically in the teacher observation process. I aim on improving my knowledge base of school law and district policy as well. My goal is to get to the point where I do not have to ask administrators for answers or reassurance on these matters because my grip on understanding them has become so strong. Finally, on a personal note, I believe I need to toughen my skin, so to speak. Currently, it is hard for me to not take work personally. My work / work ethic is a reflection of who I am. When someone calls into doubt the quality of my work or the sincerity of my intentions, it is hard for me to not take these things personally. I also know that if I am to have a successful career as an administrator I must make strides in this area. Without a doubt I know I must make a consistent effort to improve in this area and if I do, it will only benefit the quality of my work in the long run.

In the coming school year I hope to maintain those skills which I believe have helped me to be successful and improve in those areas where I know I need growth and development. I will also be researching various doctoral programs. I’d like to find a program that deals with technology in education, but I go into the process casting a wide net and may just find a direction that will be as new and exciting to me as distance education is now. I also will work on my writing skills over the next few school years. I already host an education based blog (www.douglaspalmieri.wordpress.com) and I am interested in writing for publication as well. While writing is a hobby and something I enjoy, I also know that solid writing skills will only aid me as a future administrator and doctoral program candidate.

Tweets Ahead

ddp68 — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:22:25 +0000

Frequent visitors to the Douglas Palmieri / Ed_Blog site will notice the new link providing a click-through to the Douglas Palmieri Twitter page. This new micro-blogging feature will allow the blog to offer both content -rich entries commenting on the world of education and now, a link to a quicker, streamlined method of communicating about current education based events. Because of the nature of both methods of communication I believe that the blog and the Twitter feeds will work hand in hand in bringing our audience a more complete user experience. For example, I will be co-presenting at a local Intermediate Unit this Friday March 27th in relation to my participation in cyber education. You can look for some tweets as we head towards that experience, and as a result of it. Please enjoy this new offering and as always, please feel free to post a comment or two with your thoughts and opinions. Thanks – Doug

Revisiting Resolutions

ddp68 — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 03:48:04 +0000

I like making resolutions. I however, call them goals. It’s easier, I believe, to be goal oriented than resolute. It just sounds better and its targets sound somewhat easier to achieve when called goals and not resolutions. With that being said as 2009 was just getting its legs I wrote in this space about resolutions that our soon to be President could make in regards to education (President Obama’s Resolutions for Education). I’m not sure what President Obama would call them (my guess is goals), but I do know that he has made the State of Education a major focus as part of his new budget. As an educator I believe that our place within the global community is dependent on the workforce that we prepare so I was very happy (thrilled really) when I heard him mention his goals in relation to his budget proposal.

The problem is (you just knew one was coming, be honest) how the significant amount of funding that President Obama has appropriated is distributed. The funding will not arrive to states and districts in the form of block grants that allow local education agencies to decide how best to use it. It will be attached to specific programs and for use with those programs only. I understand the reason for this. The government wants to ensure financial responsibility and prevent political casualties that could develop from a scandal. However, our students needs should trump savvy political maneuvering. Especially in the current state that the United States of America finds itself in.

As I stated in the aforementioned article on Obama’s Resolutions for Education, our students today require a full service approach to their learning and advancement. MSNBC.com reported today about the “tidal wave” of homelessness that is effecting our youth. This article (required reading for educators really) is just the latest example of how the full service model of education is growing in both need and acceptance. Sadly the days of students walking through the school doors and being ready to learn, without any help, are long gone. It is an assumption we can not make anymore. Instead we must assume that if a student is not coming to school ready to learn that he or she has a need that must be met first in order for that learning process to begin. While government assistance in the form of block grants would have given states and school districts options in meeting the ever growing needs of its student populations, these entities still have a very powerful force in meeting those goals: A resolute group known as teachers.