Recently, I read the report that I am sure many of you read which found that math scores in the United States have improved slightly for the nation’s fourth and eighth grade students. However, progress in narrowing racial and ethnic performance gaps remains slow and in some cases has stalled, especially in our middle and high schools. Even though there is continued focus on helping our middle and high schools improve, we can’t seem to turn that elusive corner of seeing most of our secondary schools on an aggressive path of improvement.

The Comprehensive School Reform Quality Center publishes a variety of reports that delve into the issue of school reform. I am particularly interested, due to my years in secondary school, in those reforms that are dedicated to our secondary schools. In October, 2006, the CSRQ published a report on middle and high school comprehensive reform models. The 18 models provide various approaches to whole-school reforms at the secondary level. Each model was profiled and rated in five main categories, with three subcategories under Category 1 and two subcategories under Category 5. (You can connect with report to review all of these categories and reform models by clicking on the word “report” above.)

As could be expected, I was interested in Category 3, the positive effects the reform model had on parent, family, and community involvement. The CSRQ uses a rating system of “Very Strong” through to “Negative” and “No Rating.” 17 of the 18 models were rated “No Rating” in the category of “Evidence of Positive Effects on Parent, Family, and Community Involvement.” The 18^th model, that being the School Development Program, achieved a rating of “Limited.” Limited is defined as “while some evidence of effectiveness is noted, more rigorous research needs to be conducted on the model to fully support its effectiveness or quality for the category reviewed.

Here’s the kicker… Of the 18 models studied, 8 were rated with “Zero” rating, 5 were rated “Limited,” and 5 were rated as “Moderate.” No model was rated “Moderately Strong” or “Very Strong.”

I think it’s time for all of us to understand one very important fact: We as educators may be at the end of what we can do to improve our schools without taking seriously the notion of engaging families. Families are the first and best teachers of their children. Until we put systems and processes in place that engage disengage families (which are directly correlated to disengaged students and low achievement) I believe that we will continue to search for the “Holy Grail” of school reform only to have it continue to elude us.

This is a continuing series by Dr. Steve Constantino chronicling his recent trip to Australia

It was certainly a whirlwind trip to the land down under. I wish that I had had a bit more time to explore this wonderful country. As I mentioned this wish to my new Aussie friends each of the responded the very same way, “well, that means you will have to return, mate!” I do plan on making a return trip to Oz. (Oz is how Australians refer to their own country!)

Thanks to our dutiful friend and guide, John O’Meara, I did get to see some pretty amazing things. I was under strict orders not to even think about returning to the US without a picture of kangaroos. Luckily, Jan Gregory took us on a wonderful road where there were many kangaroos hopping around in the wild. Here is a picture of a pair that seemed to want to pose for us.

After the principal’s overnight in Marysville, John took me to Steavenson Falls. Here is a picture of my good friend John standing in front of Steavenson Falls. The area surrounding the falls is reminiscent of the rain forest. Here are some shots I took as we traveled through the park adjacent to the falls.

Leaving the Marysville area, we had about an hours drive back to Yea. John and his lovely wife Liz wanted to take me out to dinner in Melbourne. John asked if Little Italy sounded good. Absolutely! As we drove toward Yea, there was one of the most vivid rainbows that I had ever seen.

Upon arriving in Yea, John took us to a park where the children of Yea had just completed a pathway, in the shape of a snake, which told the story of the different historical periods of the evolution of the earth. Aborigines folklore was detailed in the shape of the snake and the artwork that adorned the path. This community project was funded with a grant. The students did a marvelous job creating the fossils and detailing the concrete path that winds its way through the park.

I learned that official National Flower of Australia is the Wattle. Check out this picture I took. If you want to learn more about Wattle and other information about plants and trees of Australia, try this site. John was very knowledgeable about plants and trees and had I taken notes, I would have remembered much of what he said. Hopefully, the accompanying website will help you.

My last full day was spent exploring Melbourne on my own! I remembered John’s advice with regard to the southern hemisphere, the sun and shadows. I had no problem navigating this city. One is first struck by the number of Trams (cable cars) in the city. Most people hop on and off the trams, much like San Francisco. As a matter of fact, Melbourne reminded me a lot of San Francisco.

Melbourne truly has a European flavor to it. The Al Fresco dining; the food shopping and the experience of the city. Each state in Australia has their own Parliament. At one point, I found myself across the street from the Victorian Parliament. The architecture was beautiful. I was especially taken with the lighting fixtures that adorned the outside of the building. Of course, I couldn’t help but take a picture of a parked car, with the steering wheel on the opposite side!

I had to return to the Victoria Market as going back without some souvenirs could cost me my life. As I approached the huge complex, I heard beautiful music coming from the street corner. I snapped this picture of these musicians. This next picture gives you an idea of the crowds that come to the market, especially on the weekends.

I was pleased to have lunch with John and Andrew Blair, the President of the Australian Principal’s Association. What a wonderful way to end a fantastic trip. Much thanks to Andrew for his knowledge of wine and the lift back to my airport hotel. I took these last two pictures from the large picture window. The first is just a shot of the countryside outside of Melbourne. The second is a view of the Melbourne skyline from about 14 miles away.

The next morning is was up and over to the airport to board the Qantas 747 for the long journey home. What a tremendous experience. I am indeed lucky. G’Day Mates!

This is a continuing series by Dr. Steve Constantino chronicling his recent trip to Australia

During the course of the week, I presented five workshops. I will say that I did have some apprehension prior to starting my work. I wondered if the message would translate into the Australian culture. Would educators understand the premise of the work? Would Australian experiences with families mimic those of American schools? Heck, would the jokes work?

I knew within a few minutes that everything would be just fine! The experiences of parents and educators in Australia are exactly the same. When I asked the famous question, “What did you do in school today?” the room responded with a resounding NOTHING!

And I was worried! The week was a tremendous experience for me. Interacting with so many different people and schools and learning about a different culture and system was inspiring to me. I can only hope that the information I shared will be helpful to all of the wonderful people that I met.

Monday: VELC

Many thanks to Ross Dean for his invitation to speak to educators about engaging all families. The group of people represented many schools in and around the Melbourne area and was as diverse a group as I have seen. Principals, administrators, teachers, counselors, and parent specialists all came together to work on engaging all families. We had wonderful conversations and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting people from so many different schools.

This was the first workshop where the breaks were called “morning and afternoon tea.” Now here is a custom that I could get used to. For 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon, tea is served along with delicious pastries and crumpets. The social setting is a relaxed venue to carry on further professional conversation. I must say, every minute of the break was filled with good conversation about our topic of the day.

Tuesday: The Trackside Presentation

I had heard John O’Meara say on countless occasions prior to my arrival that the Tuesday evening presentation would be held at Trackside. While I thought it was an interesting name, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that we would actually be…TRACKSIDE. The evening workshop for teachers in Broadford was held at a race track. This is the first time in my career that I had to compete with an actually horse race! We started our workshop at 4:30 p.m. Jim Alsop pulled me aside and said, “I think the races will be over, but there might be one last one after we begin.” A few minutes into the workshop, the bell sounded and the horses were released from their gates! They ran on a grass track and it seemed like the building shook when they galloped by the room, which looked out onto the track. I waited for just a few seconds while they announced the winner and we then were able to return to our workshop. This was a fun evening with wonderful teachers and principals.

Wednesday: Yea High School and the Yea Primary Staff

I talked about our workshops with the Yea High School staff during the previous blog entry. I would also like to thank Diane Miller who organized primary teachers to come to a two-hour workshop after our day with the high school staff. It was a great opportunity to talk to all teachers, primary through high school.

Thursday and Friday: The Seymour Principal’s Group

In Australia, schools are grouped into networks and networks are grouped into regions. I had the wonderful experience of working with the Seymour Network Principals group at their annual overnight at the Marysville Resort. I would like to thank Jan Gregory, the Network Director (similar perhaps to a superintendent in the US) and Steven Brown, Region Director for organizing this special two day event. Of course, thanks also to John O’Meara for his instigation and persistence in making this happen.

Working with these principals again allowed me to understand that the commonalities in our educational experiences are much more pronounced than our differences. The principals were very receptive to the ideas and the discussions were enlightening. I will also say that much like American Principals, these people know how to have a good time as well! The evening dinner and skit was a treat for me. As the principals did a parody of a local radio call-in program, I found myself laughing aloud with everyone else. While I was not privy to some of the local references, the issues and challenges that were presented were not unlike those that I have experienced in my own educational career. Boundaries, continuous school improvement, Jim Collins and sharpened spears and school planning processes were all roasted in good taste!

My heartfelt thanks to all of my new friends in Australia for making this week one of the best and most memorable of my life.

Second in a series chronicling Dr. Steve Constantino’s recent trip to Australia

The educational structure in Australia is similar to that of the educational structure of the United States, with some notable differences. Australia consists of six states, two major mainland territories, and other minor territories. The states are New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The two major mainland territories are the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. In most respects, the territories function similarly to the states, but the Commonwealth Parliament can override any legislation of their parliaments. My visit was to Victoria, a state in the southern part of Australia. See the map link.

The Department of Education in Victoria oversees government (public) schools and private schools. The government funds both types of schools, however, parents pay tuition for private schools. Government monies are meant to subsidize private educations only. Victoria, like the rest of the country, delivers primary (N-6) and secondary (7-12) education. Most schools are structured as either primary or secondary schools. All of the schools that I visited were either primary or secondary.

The unique difference in education is the lack of local control over education. All funding emanates from the government and as such, localities and municipalities do not raise money through taxes or levies for education. Schools are usually autonomous, meaning, two schools in the same city or town are not a “district” as we know it. Each of the schools is a separately run entity, regardless of its geographic location.

I was very happy to visit both the Broadford Primary School and the Broadford Secondary College. Mr. Tony Melton, principal of the primary school and Mr. Jim Alsop, principal of the secondary college were both welcoming and cordial. The Broadford Secondary College was undergoing massive renovation and construction. The State is beginning to replace school buildings, which are old and falling into disrepair. I enjoyed my time at both of these schools.

Our unofficial host for the trip was Mr. John O’Meara, principal of Yea High School. Mr. O’Meara traveled to the United States last year and it was during this trip that he attended the FFS Engage All Families conference in Atlanta. This was the beginning of the journey of family engagement for Yea. Today, Yea has changed their welcoming signs, created a family engagement policy (which is featured in my new book due out this fall) and is now working on family efficacy and other issues related to helping Yea be a family friendly school. Yea is a small rural school of about 350 students (7-12) and is located about an hour and a half north of Melbourne. I visited several classrooms and got to see students “in action.” Make sure you take a look at the pictures from Yea. Also, visit the Yea website and read the September 20^th newsletter which highlights the daylong workshop I did with Yea staff and student leaders. It was a great day in a great setting working with great people…thank you!