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I was lucky enough to spend 5 days in London at the beginning of the month (the weather was quite mild for December and there is still a lot of green around, even some geraniums and cyclamens blooming in pots and window boxes). It rained off and on almost every day, but we had umbrellas and were often just dashing from the Tube (the London subway system) to a pub or museum.  I didn’t notice any overt anti-Americanism, in fact, most people were quite friendly; however, we did overhear an exchange about American politics, during which one referred to Guiliani as ‘an idiot’, another said, ‘they’re all idiots’ and the first finished up to general laughter, ‘well, they’re Americans.’ 

There was a lot in the news about the American subprime mortgage problems and housing market ‘collapse’ (see recent post from Dick Howe here) and a sense that because of better regulation, ‘it can’t happen here,’ meaning there.  However, the current liquidity crunch, largely caused by the problems in the US, may put some UK homeowners in jeapordy.  They seem to have a much higher percentage of balloon mortgages (called ‘endowment loans’) which need to be refinanced to avoid paying off the ‘balloon.’  With funds scarcer and harder to get, some of those balloon payments are coming due.  (I think the US only has about 7% of this type of mortgage). 

The biggest shock about being in London was the high cost of everything.  Two coffees and croissants cost us 13 pounds one morning, not that bad for a major city, until you do the math:  the pound was worth over $2 when we were there which means our light breakfast cost over $25! Ouch! So, we took the tube or walked, went to pubs and got half-price tickets to see a play.  The good news is that there is a lot of free entertainment in London – just walking around, the many beautiful parks, most of the great museums and you can walk around Harrods without buying anything.

A true New Englander, I stocked up on food supplies early today (along with thousands of others apparently, considering the traffic). My family is all home now and grateful to be here. With the Christmas lights twinkling and the white powder adding its soft magic to my street, my neighborhood looks like a Norman Rockwell painting. Thankfully, I don’t have to go out tonight as everything has been postponed, and I’m looking forward to an evening of baking cookies and hanging with my family. So Old Man Winter do your thing…

School officials can draw a collective sigh of relief as members of the state’s Educational Quality and Accountability (EQA) team are winding down their audit of Lowell schools. Since Monday, the team has been interviewing teachers, administrators, staff, students, and school committee members, as well as observing classrooms across the city and visiting schools—some for all-day sessions. The general consensus among the staff is “optimistic” that many of the areas sited as weaknesses from the last EQA audit three years ago show great progress and the district will receive a good report. Some of the specific areas of concern from the last audit were around curriculum, whether it is consistent across the district and standards based (considered horizontal alignment), and whether it supports effective transitions for students (vertical alignment).  These areas, among others, have received extensive focus over the last few years. For instance, all third graders in Lowell now work with the same math curriculum and have specific standards they’re expected to learn that year (such as multiplication tables to 12). That is horizontal alignment. Eighth grade math teachers have also worked closely with freshmen high school teachers to align curriculum and expectations, so students learn what they need to be better prepared for future courses (an example of vertical alignment). There are many other areas EQA reviews—too many to list here—and many address student learning, which should also demonstrate marked improvement based on recent innovations around remedial support and increased challenges for high-achievers. The city will continue to get some low marks for failing students and dropout rates that exceed the state average, but it is expected this year’s report will recognize the accomplishments around student learning, as well as indicated what still needs to be done. More on that later, when the results are in.

This Saturday, WCAP 980 will hold its annual radiothon to raise funds for the Salvation Army from 6 a.m. to noon during the Warren Shaw show. Each year, the call-in radio show generates thousands of dollars for this great organization through cash contributions and the sale of auctioned items that run the gamut from weekend lodgings, restaurant gift certificates, sports events, flower arrangements, and furnaces—all donated by individuals and local businesses. This time of year, especially, there are lots of outstretched hands looking for assistance and deciding who to give to can be difficult. My family always supports the Salvation Army, in particular, because we have seen firsthand the services they provide to folks in need. (Years ago, the Salvation Army provided a night of shelter, food, and encouragement to a young family member who was away from home and low on cash.) Whether it’s temporary shelter, food, warm clothes, toys for needy children, or help for fire and flood victims, the Salvation Army is there for so many families in our community every day. You can be there for them by participating in the radiothon this Saturday, donating at the Salvation Army Corps office at 150 Appleton Street, or contibuting online here. 

Both Bill Martin and Karla Brooks Baehr took the high road on the radio (UML 91.5) this morning in response to pointed questions about Lowell politics.  Martin maintained that whatever motives, political and/or personal, caused the delay in the superintendent hiring process (achieved through what he called “an obscure parliamentary move”), he didn’t sense that there was an attempt to try “to rig the process” for an insider candidate.  He regrets the loss of two weeks at what could be a prime time for school leaders to contemplate a career move, reasoning that the holiday vacation period would be a logical time for qualified candidates to think over their options and take a look around at what’s available.  He also agreed that the district will have to “up the payscale” to attract the right person.  No surprises there! I have to admit I was never a big fan of Bill Martin’s until this last term where he has shown real integrity and vision in a position of leadership, both on the council and on the school committee. I’m sure these qualities were there all along, but maybe not as visible. He’s really come into his own and I’m going to miss having him as our mayor. 

Both Martin and Baehr pointed out the recent successes in the district around hiring practices, new teacher training and test scores, while noting the challenges of our school population, some of which bear repeating constantly to critics of the administration:  Forty percent of our children who take the MCAS in English are non-proficient in the language, 75% receive free or reduced-price lunches – an indicator of poverty. Martin said that one of the things that impressed him about Dr. Baehr from the beginning was that she really wanted to come to Lowell, she wanted the challenges of the urban school system.  For her part, Baehr was more than generous in her praise of Lowell as a terrific city, a place where so many people care so deeply about the education of the children in our schools.  This was in response to what advice she would give to her successor about Lowell. I was thinking she might say, “watch your back,” but Karla Baehr is always classy, always forward-looking. I’ve said all along that we were lucky to have her in Lowell, and I wish her the best of luck in her next endeavor (hopefully as our new Commissioner of Education).

Tune in tomorrow morning to 91.5 FM UML Sunrise for two important segments regarding the Lowell Schools.  First, at 7:05 a.m.,  Mayor Bill Martin will speak about “his stymied proposal to begin a search for a new superintendent.” Then, at 7:32 a.m., Superintendent Karla Brooks Baehr will be on the air for the regular “education update.”  I’m sure the focus tomorrow morning will be on her future plans and the future of the Lowell School system.  It should be an interesting morning.

Well, the metaphor about scoring doesn’t work for boxing, but it’s sports-oriented and it’s the truth.  The latest play from the MRT is a winner, but I’m sorry to report that Sunday was the final performance of Tunney/Shakespeare in Six Rounds by David E. Lane.  I went at the last minute, having missed my regular night and switched my tickets twice (luckily they are very forgiving toward regular subscribers), and I’m so glad I made it.  I couldn’t figure out how boxing and Shakespeare could intersect in a meaningful way, but the playwright wove the facts about world heavyweight champion Gene Tunney into an engrossing narrative about life, luck, and philosophy that is a total knockout (there, that one works!).  Tunney came across Shakespeare accidentally when in the Marines and heading off to war in 1918 and reading the plays literally changed his life.  He uses lines and scenes from the plays (not all of them the big names like Hamlet either; he draws on The Winter’s Tale, Troilus and Cressida and, especially, Coriolanus) to highlight turning points in his own life and to illuminate the behavior of other boxers.  He credits Shakespeare with his successes both in and out of the ring, but also with an ability to see beyond success, to capture small, rare, hard-won insights into the meaning of life.  Actor Jack Wetherall was flawless in delivery and timing and portrayed a genial, thoughtful, big-hearted man, a thinker as well as a man of action.  We couldn’t believe this was David Lane’s first play! I’m just sorry I can’t go see it again right away.

In today’s Sun, the “Column” mentions the compensation discrepancy between outgoing Lowell Superintendent Baehr and other school chiefs from smaller districts (such as Tewksbury paying about $35K more with less than a third of the students). Last week, I wrote about the issue here, and frankly, it still rankles: Having to pay thousands more to attract someone to replace Dr. Baehr adds insult to injury considering the demonstrated progress under her leadership. Interestingly, the same paper that spent months attacking the superintendent and her supporters (myself included), now has plenty of ink to devote to the costs associated with replacing her. On top of that, the recent delay tactic regarding the search for her replacement will not help the district attract the most qualified candidates—assuming, of course, that’s the primary objective of all those involved in the process. (Since some campaigned on the claim—which also got lots of ink despite little evidence—that the superintendent did not hire or promote enough Lowellians, there is the possibility that these players want to limit the outside talent pool or at the very least, have tight control of the process.) Regardless of the timing, transparency, or inclusiveness of the search, without competitive compensation, choices will be limited. A teacher I saw this morning put it this way: “You shouldn’t have to be altruistic to be superintendent in Lowell.” I agree, but this search is not only about paying more in times of shrinking resources. Given the job’s importance and the impact visionary leadership has had on student learning here, the real issue is the quality of education our children receive after Dr. Baehr. With student learning at stake, personal-political agendas could have devastating consequences, so pay attention please and be involved.

I have seen firsthand the difference a group of people united around a cause can make—in my neighborhood with the Friends of Tyler Park and in my life as an involved member of the Citywide Parent Council (which ultimately led me to run for school committee). The Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) is a group with some clout among state leaders and legislators, and as an advocate for better public schools, I got involved with the organization as soon as I was elected. First, I completed the MASC orientation training required by law for incoming members.  Then I became a member of the advocacy subcommittee. I have also served for two years as the Lowell delegate voting on MASC resolutions (more on resolutions in a later post). At its November conference, I was elected Chair of the MASC Urban Division, leading one of nine divisions of the organization. The division includes sister cities such as Worcester, Haverhill, Framingham, Somerville etc—many of whom share similar challenges around educating urban populations. Lowell will host our first division meeting in March, which will focus on the needs of English Language Learners (ELL). As a gateway city, the district is well suited to lead this discussion since Lowell has the highest population of non-English-speaking students, and they perform better than the state average. That said, there is much work to be done because this population is also the most at-risk to fail or drop out of school.  As chair, the new role affords me the opportunity to lead efforts with other, like-minded MASC members to improve educational opportunities for urban youth. It will also bring some much-deserved recognition to the expertise Lowell schools have, particularly in meeting the needs of our newcomer students. I welcome the opportunity and the challenge to continue to unite people around causes that impact positive change in our schools.

Despite efforts by the mayor, a majority of the school committee, and several speakers from the community, the search for a new superintendent for the Lowell Public Schools was put on hold tonight due to a parliamentary move by school committee member Regina Faticanti. After hearing from speakers representing the Citywide Parent Council and Stand for Children, all of whom advocated for immediate action and parental input in the search process,  as well as much discussion between members, the committee voted 6-1 to support Mayor Bill Martin’s motion to move forward with the search to find a replacement for Supt . Karla Brooks Baehr. Dr. Baehr told the committee in late November that she would not seek renewal of her contract, which expires in June 2008. The mayor’s motion called for the committee to meet over the next few weeks to recommend a timeline for advertising the position, a list of criteria for applicants, and suggestions for ways to include community input in the search to replace the controversial superintendent who, in seven years, led an overhaul in curriculum and instruction that resulted in significant progress in student learning. After Faticanti voted against the motion, she changed her vote and moved that the matter be tabled for reconsideration until the next meeting. Under Roberts Rules of Order, by which the committee abides, Faticanti was able to stall any search actions until the committee’s next meeting on Dec. 19, which will be its last for this term. The new committee will not meet until Jan. 9, 2008. By delaying search efforts for another month and potentially losing qualified candidates in the process, it’s difficult to see how this maneuver will benefit Lowell children or the district’s efforts to replace Dr. Baehr with the best qualified candidate. Instead, the move appears to be politically motivated to safeguard the complete authority of the incoming committee. Other matters were also discussed at the meeting—more on that later.