FSBA Winter Joint Conference 2012

Last week I attended the Florida School Board Association Joint Conference and School Board training.  These conferences are an important opportunity for board members to receive trainings on how to be more effective board members and for board members to learn about changes in education and its effects on our communities.

One of the keynote speakers at the conference was Dr. Ioannis Miaoulis, the president and Director of the Boston Museum of Science.  Prior to being director at the Boston MOS Dr. Miaoulis was Dean of the School of Engineering at Tufts University.  Dr. Miaoulis was on the Massachusetts Curriculum Development Team that was the first in the nation to develop a K-12 curriculum framework and assessments for technology/engineering which included STEM.  Dr. Miaoulis shared that he believes the United States has in the past taken the wrong approach to teaching science.  He feels too much emphasis has been put on natural science and not enough in the engineering sciences.  He shared that in the real world careers and daily life, engineering sciences will make up the greatest part of what our students will use, where far less of the natural sciences will typically be used.  He has helped move Massachusetts, one of the leading performers in Science and Math, to embrace this philosophy and approach.  He encourages the teaching of engineering sciences for students spending more time exploring automobiles, airplanes, and machinery.  He shared how much can be learned about chemistry in a Gourmet cooking class where chemistry and physics standards are taught then in a traditional chemistry class.  He noted that often doctors, lawyers and ‘forensic scientist’ are ranked as heroes by high school students in the workforce. Often the only example in media that high school students know that works is engineering, Homer Simpson. (“D’oh!”)  Dr. Miaoulis believes that if we are going to be completely successful internationally in the science and engineering fields then we must change how we teach it and better provide real world applications to best engage students.

During this conference I attended a special session on ‘Legal Hot Topics’ by current school board attorney and former legal counsel for the Navy Judge Advocate General, C. Wesley Brisges II.  I also attended a session Common Core by Florida Department of Educational Deputy Chancellor of Curriculum, Instruction and Student Services, Mary Jane Tappen.

During the conference the FSBA held a board meeting and shared about many of the educational and legislative challenges that Florida will be facing. The legislator’s and Governor’s pro charter school movement continues to be a concern.  As I have shared in the past, in Florida, generally Charters Schools fail at twice the rate of public schools.  In addition charter schools are not required to following the same requirements that Florida DOE and the Florida Legislation require from public schools.  This favoritism and inequity continues to be a grave concern as it is tax payers that are paying the bill for this movement.

I enjoyed my time at FSBA, especially the time I get to meet and share with other school board members from around the state.  We enjoy bragging about Citrus County Schools, our students, teachers, staff and administrators.  Sharing with these other board members often helps us learn how other districts meet their challenges and learn from one another and it also often affirms the work and decisions we are doing for Citrus County Schools.

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