California Association of Independent Schools

Spring, 2001 Newsletter

In Balance WITH THIS It was bound to happen. Articles have begun to appear in the popular press and education journals with titles such as “The Testing Obsession” or “Those Who ISSUE Can’t, Test.” Alfie Kohn reports that his audiences are growing larger, not, as he says, because he has become a better speaker, but because his subject has struck a chord. Parents are electing to keep their children home on testing days to dem- onstrate their opposition to the testing frenzy. And, some teacher’s unions have We provide joined the opposition. information on professional Soon the opposition will become large and vocal enough that the politicians who development endorse high stakes testing will find their support eroding and move on to other opportunities, issues. The concern is not so much that test scores have become the goal of legal and education, driving the curriculum and teaching methodology. Of even greater legislative concern is a pattern that prevails in our public discourse about education, one issues and that forces public schools to move from one extreme to another. The pendulum transitions of swings too far in one direction and then, when the correction comes, it swings leadership to too far in the other. Examples include reading and math instruction. and from Not so long ago schools stressed phonics to the exclusion of reading content. schools. When it was discovered that students neither enjoyed reading nor understood what was read, instruction in phonics was dropped and whole language instruc- tion substituted. Of course, children without any instruction in phonics were found to lack decoding skills and the pendulum is swinging back. Heads Searches Completed Math instruction followed the same pendulum swing. Because kids didn’t like math Page 2 and weren’t taking advanced courses, instruction in algebra and geometry were combined into an integrated math course. Now, the state is funding special in- struction in algebra because the integrated approach wasn’t successful. Conferences & Workshops Independent school curriculum and methods of assessment have always been bal- Page 3 anced, eschewing radical pendulum swings for a balanced approach. Innovation certainly exists, but it is thoughtful and reasoned, implemented after study and discussion with teachers at the center of instructional and curricular change, not politicians. Every good reading teacher knows that both phonics and whole lan- Announcements guage should be taught. And every good teacher knows that assessment should Page 4 not drive the curriculum or define teaching methodology.

Mimi Baer SEARCHES COMPLETED Thanks to Chairs of Accreditation Teams We thank everyone who served on an David J. Peerless, former headmaster of Saint Richard’s School accreditation team this year. Chairs of in Indianapolis, Indiana has been appointed head of Gate- teams take on a special responsibility way School. and devote many hours to the impor- tant task of accreditation. As part of our John Finch, who has been serving as interim head at La Jolla continuing collaboration with HAIS, Country Day School, will be moving to Pasadena to become Roger Bowen chaired a visiting team in head of The Chandler School. Hawaii while Bob Peters of Hanahauoli school in Hawaii chaired the PS #1 El- The Nueva School in Hillsborough will be welcoming new ementary School team in California. head of school, Diane Rosenberg, formerly middle school head at Princeton Day School, Princeton, New Jersey. 2000-01 ELEMENTARY Molly Huffman, head of Touchstone School in Portland Or- ACCREDITATION CHAIRS egon, will become the new head of The Children’s School in Jessie-Lea Abbott La Jolla. Rick Clarke Paula Dashiell Robert Cunningham, former second grade teacher at St. Barbara Deubert Mark’s Upland, has been appointed head of school. Brewster Ely Les Frost Brentwood School in Los Angeles has named Michael Pratt Mark Hale head of school. Michael will be moving from Atherton where Roz Hamar he served as Upper School Head at Menlo School. Marge Hanna Coreen Hester Damon Kerby Andrew Corcoran, upper school head at Maryknoll School, Lana Marcus Hawaii, will be moving to the mainland this summer where Joan Martin he has been appointed head of school at Chinese American Mary Menacho International School in San Francisco. Bob Nafie Diana Nichols Carden Arbor View School in Upland will be welcoming new Doreen Oleson head of school Michael Noricks, formerly middle school head Beth Passi at Graland School in Denver, Colorado. Bob Peters (HAIS exchange) Sally Peterson Carol Ouimette, head of Sequoyah School in Pasadena, will Larry Scheindlin be joining Oak Grove School as their new Director of Henry Shreibman Elementary and Junior High. Bob Simpson Jan Slaby Jim Telander CAIS CONGRATULATES 2000-01 SECONDARY ACCREDITATION CHAIRS Kate Mecca, head of Mount Tamalpais School in Mill John Amato Valley, was named Marin County Private Schoolmaster of Michael Baker the Year by the Marin County Office of Education. Roger Bowen (HAIS exchange) Bill Bullard Fran Scoble, head of Westridge School in Pasdena, was Mary Ellen Gozdecki awarded the “Women of Excellence” award, recognizing Tim Molak outstanding women who have made a lasting impact on Jim Munger the community, by the YWCA of Pasadena/Foothill Valley. Jeanne Register Doug Thompson

2 Professional Opportunities

ISM Summer Institutes Diversity Workshops Independent School Management is announcing a total of Beverly Daniel Tatum, author of Why Do All the Black 28 workshops to be conducted during the period of June Kids Sit Together in the Cafeteria?, will present the key- 17-July 21, 2001 in Wilmington, Delaware. Key courses for note workshop at the 7th Annual Cultural Diversity Insti- every member of the management team, including heads, tute to be held at Milton Academy in Milton, Massachu- business managers, development and admission personnel, setts the week of Monday, July 8th through Friday, July division heads, administrative assistants, college counseling, 13th. Other workshops on topics such as curriculum inte- and deans of students are offered. Catalogs are available by gration, and diversifying administration, faculty and staff calling Donna Blount, Workshop Coordinator, at (302) 656- are offered. Enrollment is limited to 50 participants on a 4944 x 28 or visit ISM online at www.isminc.com. first-come, first-served basis. There is an early registration discount for registrations received before May 15, 2001. Boarding School Workshops For further information contact: Christine Savini, Direc- The Association of Boarding Schools will offer two concur- tor of Diversity Planning, Milton Academy at (617) 898- rent, four-day programs in August. One will be for admis- 2319, or [email protected]. sion officers with less than two years experience, and the other a Residential Life Workshop which, because of the NAIS is offering a Summer Diversity Institute, a learning variety of topics being discussed, would benefit school and training opportunity for 130 school leaders, faculty, heads, deans and new and experienced dorm faculty mem- and diversity coordinators, in the areas of diversity, bers. Topics include: leadership, dorm management, multicultural education, and equity and justice. The Insti- multiculturalism, discipline, developing a residential curricu- tute will be held at the Fountain Valley School in Colo- lum, counseling, crisis management and legal issues. The rado Springs from June 24 - July 1, 2001. For further in- workshop will be held at The Dana Hall School in Wellesley, formation contact: Gene Batiste, NAIS Director of Pro- Massachusetts from August 8th through the 11th. To view fessional Development at (202) 973-9712,or email the agenda and to register online go to www.schools.com. [email protected]. You can also contact Wayne Clark, Meet- For further information contact Aimee Gruber at (202) 966- ing Planner, at (202) 973-9775, or [email protected]. 8705x13, or [email protected]. The CAIS Leaders of Color Conference, designed for fac- Aligning Technological Resources ulty and administrators of color who are considering ad- The 2nd annual “Aligning Technology Resources” institute ministrative and head of school positions, will be held will bring together thinkers and practitioners who will pro- October 11-13 2001 in San Francisco. Registration is lim- vide insights into the latest strategies for the effective plan- ited. Information has already been sent to schools and ning and implementation of powerful learning technolo- may also be obtained from the CAIS website at gies. There will be a combination of discussion and hands- www.caisca.org or by calling the CAIS office at (310) 393- on practice. Alan November will be conference host. Visit 5161. his website at www.anovember.com and contact the spon- soring organization, Renaissance Learning at (781) 416- Apple Computer Summer Institutes 4004, or [email protected]. Qualify for an early appli- Apple Computer has just announced an incredibly inter- cation discount of 10% by registering before May 15, 2001. esting initiative, Apple Teacher Institutes, that offers 100 The workshop will be held at Roger Williams University in k-12 teaches an opportunity to spend five days in an in- Bristol, Rhode Island from Wednesday, July 11th through tensive, hands-on course that focuses on integrating tech- Friday, July 13, 2001. nology (including the Net) into the classroom. The Insti- tutes are being held at six U.S. universities, including CSEE Summer Ethics Institutes UCLA. Check out www.apple.com/education/institutes The Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education will present for all of the official information. Institute fee is $500 per two summer institutes designed to provide time and space person including room and board (does not include to reflect about the moral education of children and the travel). The teachers should have some familiarity with ethical culture and climate of our schools. There will be computers, but are not expected to be network gurus. one institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico from July 7-12, 2001 It’s not vital to be Mac proficient, though this is the equip- and another in Cupertino at the Marianist Center from July ment that will be used. The California program will be at 14-19. Enrollment is limited to 20 participants on a first- UCLA July 14-18, 2001. come, first-served basis. 3 ASSOCIATION LEGAL & ANNOUNCEMENTS LEGISLATIVE

New CAIS/HAIS/WASC Collaboration The National Defense Authorization Act (PL On May 2, 2001 the Accrediting Commission for Schools at the 106-398) allows military recruiters access to Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accepted a public and private secondary students and to proposal made jointly by CAIS and HAIS to redefine the working the same directory about these students that relationship between the three organizations. would be provided to higher education and future employers. Failure to comply with an Under the new arrangement CAIS and HAIS will take responsibility access request triggers a rather extensive com- for coordinating the entire accreditation self-study and review pro- cess for their member schools. WASC will “receive the annual re- plaint mechanism culminating in the U.S. Sec- port of recommended terms from CAIS/HAIS and act upon the retary of Defense notifying the U.S. Secretary recommended terms,” while also retaining its authority to periodi- of Education of the recalcitrant behavior of the cally review protocols and procedures. offending school. However, if the school main- tains a verifiable religious objection to service This historic agreement recognizes 40+ years of effective partner- in the armed forces, or has a Board approved ship between the three associations while adding value and creat- (majority vote) policy denying military recruit- ing new perspectives which will sustain the partnership well into ers access to students and/or directory, then the 21st century. the school would not have to comply with this provision. Effective date: July 1, 2002. The national trend toward more customized accrediting processes is reflected in this new arrangement which calls for CAIS to take Effective July 1, 2001, all students entering kin- responsibility for (1) the ongoing improvement of all self-study pro- cesses, (2) the training of educators from all member schools in the dergarten in both public and private schools will best use of these processes, (3) the appointment and training of need to present documentation of varicella visiting team chairs and members, (4) the coordination of the visit- (chicken pox) immunization or immunity. ing team process, (5) the review of all visiting team reports, (6) the submission to WASC of an annual report of recommended terms, and (7) the ongoing involvement with member schools between visits to assist with the process of continuous school improvement. NAIS STATS-ONLINE

The Boards of Directors of CAIS and HAIS created this collabora- Beginning in the fall, all CAIS member tive vision for a new era of accreditation and school improvement school statistics will be coordinated by which became the inspiration for this agreement. CAIS Commis- NAIS through Stats On-Line. You will be sioner Bitsie Root and HAIS Commissioners Nancy White and Mike able to create your own custom reports LaGory were instrumental in advocating for the new agreement through Benchmarking or view the na- with WASC. Don Haught and Marilyn George at WASC provided encouragement and guidance to the CAIS and HAIS executive di- tional statistics tables. Benchmarking with Stats-Online will allow authorized school rectors throughout the two year-long negotiation process. administrators and association executives to view statistics from schools that have completed the annual NAIS surveys. The NEW PROVISIONAL SCHOOL 2001 program is designed to provide member schools and associations with reliable in- H ILLCREST ACADEMY 29275 Santiago Road formation for their individual educational Temecula, CA 92592 benchmarking needs. Stats-Online allows Phone 909.676.4754 for the creation of a variety of tables and Fax 909.676.5316 graphs using data collected through the Maureen Manion, Principal NAIS surveys. Members of the CAIS staff Coeducational Day School will receive Stats On-line training this sum- Grades K - 8 mer. Please feel free to contact the CAIS Enrollment: 151 office if you have any questions.

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