tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14624897554703053652024-02-08T00:20:27.955-06:00The School Archive ProjectAn Open Source Student Motivation ProjectBill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comBlogger313125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-56847540322497829092018-10-28T10:19:00.000-05:002018-12-02T19:22:52.743-06:00Time Capsule Project Manual - October 2018<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">====== October 2018 - pk-12 - summary ======= <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">As of October 2018 there are 6 elementary, 10 middle, and 4 high schools in Dallas ISD that have School Time Capsule Projects. Each of them have a 500-700+ pound vault, prominently located in the school hallway or lobby, to hold these priceless pk-12 letters from year to year, and for the 8th and 12th grade 10-year reunions. Volunteers are being established at each school to keep letters organized so they follow students, and to ultimately plan 10-year reunions.<br /><br />Student motivation and parental involvement are the goals. The process begins as parents enroll their child in Pre-K and each write the first of 14 annual letters to their child about their dreams for their child. It is explained this will be an annual letter that will be increasingly easy to write until the child graduates high school. Each letter should include another story from the parent's history so their child becomes familiar with their family history and their roots. </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">This letter writing will hopefully help lead toward a life-long process of their child becoming grounded in their own family and heritage! At the same time students are reading their parents dreams for them each year. They are slowly building toward their own more solid written life goals that are annually updated after third grade.<br /><br />Before 3rd grade parents write out their dreams for their child each year as they enroll them for school. That practice changes in third grade as parents begin to respond to a letter their child writes to them asking for a letter about their parental dreams for them and one story from their family history.<br /><br />The student is encouraged more as the years pass to write letters to additional people important in their lives such as relatives, grandparents, close family friends.<br /><br />As the project evolves parents and the other letter writers will begin quietly planning forward each year thinking of the story they will share in next year’s letter. It will hopefully increase the frequency of families talking about their family history at home.</span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">As students receive letters from a parent or relative they immediately read them and ask the writer questions about the letter. They want to understand it well. They then bring all the letters collected to school for the day a second letter is scheduled to be written, the student's letter to themselves about their own life plans. </span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">In school that day they first prepare a self-addressed envelope to hold all their letters. This envelope should have the student's address, email, and cell phone numbers on them (as available), as well as another relatives address for backup. Then, as the teacher checks for potential errors on the self-addressed envelope at each students desk, students write a letter to themselves about their own dreams for their future, and how they plan to achieve those dreams.<br /><br />All letters are considered confidential unless the parent or child wants them to be read by others, or by their teacher.<br /><br />The letters go into each student’s self-addressed envelope and into the School Time Capsule Vault, separated by class. They remain in the vault until just before the same writing project the next year when they are returned to students. The same process is then repeated. </span></b><b><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">It is recommended that the last elementary school letters follow the student to middle school, helping to make an often difficult middle school transition into one that is more positive. It helps as letters from elementary school are read in middle school to continue the life planning process.</span></b><b><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br /><br />The exceptions to this process are in the 8<sup>th</sup> and 12<sup>th</sup> grades when all letters are written planning 10-years into the future. Those two years all letters are then gathered into an adequately large self-addressed envelope that will remain in the School Time Capsule until the 10-year reunion for the student's class. </span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span><b><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />It is recommended that 10-year reunions be planned just before Career Day so that returning students can be asked to volunteer to speak on Career Day. They will speak about life after 8<sup>th</sup> or 12<sup>th</sup> grades, their careers, and give their recommendations for success to current students.</span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Every school needs a volunteer team to help make certain these priceless envelopes follow the students year to year. These volunteers eventually help plan the 10-year reunions and send out those notifications, both online and through U.S. Mail. They manage the re-connection with former students. </span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">History:</span></b><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> The School Time Capsule Project started in 2005 with only 8<sup>th</sup> graders writing letters to themselves for 10-years into the future. That project immediately showed positive results as the high school most students attended gradually began to have fewer students drop out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> More students were successfully transitioning to the next grade. </span>Graduation rates rose from 33% to over 70% within a decade.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">In that same decade the discipline problems at Quintanilla dropped to 14% of what they used to be as counted by referrals made. Student pregnancies dropped significantly. In 2005, the first year 8th graders wrote letters, a girl ran out of the classroom leaving the future planning writing exercise. She knew she was pregnant. How that would change her future was too much for her to face. Active written plans for the future are the most effective birth-control available.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">It took a decade, but by 2015 the School Effectiveness Indices (SEI) for Quintanilla was the highest of all DISD middle schools.</span><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">However, Time Capsule Project changes made, moving letter writing to all grades and adding the first letter written to parents & relatives, now accelerate such school improvement to about 3 years in a normally resourced school.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">In 2009 parents were first invited to write letters to their child before the student wrote their letter to themselves planning their future. This followed a brilliant idea by Ms. Thompson, a teacher.</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The principals and/or teachers would send a message home asking for such a letter, but the percentage of students receiving letters back from parents never went above 30%.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">That changed dramatically in May of 2016. Quintanilla Language Arts Coach, Nicki Lincoln, had two brilliant ideas to improve the Project.</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">First she wanted students to write their own parents requesting the letter back themselves.</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> It would be a Language Arts writing project. </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Second, she wanted all students in all grades to write such letters, writing one each year and reading it a year later until the 8th grade when the 10-year letters are written.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">This expanded the positive effects of the Time Capsule future focus to the entire school. All students would receive back the letters they wrote the next year so they could read it and improve the letter they wrote that year. The 8th graders received back their 7th grade letter, studied it, and then at the end of the year they wrote their final 10-year letter. (As this point, if the school wants and students want, larger envelopes can be used so that all the letters from all three years could be placed into the Time Capsule for safe keeping for the next decade.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">It was an immediate success!</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Quintanilla teachers were reported in tears due to the results when as many as 85% of student received those valuable letters back from their parents and caretakers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">This started the recommendation of annual letter writing by all students from 3rd grade through 12th to help then connect with their roots and their goals more each year.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">This plan was tested in 2016/17 at Browne Middle School, a Time Capsule Project School for 2 years but still in its 5</span><sup style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> year as a failing school. Their 8</span><sup style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> grade writing Time Capsule Project had just completed the 2 years with some improvement, but Browne Middle School leadership and teachers loved the idea of all students in all grades writing to each of their parents asking for these priceless letters back, and then writing their letters to themselves.</span><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> Browne immediately did this in all grades and t</span><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">he results were astounding!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><b>Browne went from 5<sup>th</sup> year IR, to Meeting Requirements with 4 Distinctions for the 2016/17 school year!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their School Effectiveness Indices (SEI) went from just "below average" at 47.5 to 61.7, the highest SEI score for any middle school in all of DISD!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This tied the other largest one year gain by a middle school over the past 20 years in DISD!</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">By 2016/17 there were 6 active Time Capsule Projects in DISD middle schools. </span><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span><a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2017/11/school-time-capsule-project-update-11-6.html" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">All of them were comfortably above average in their SEI scores, and 4 of them were among the 5 highest SEI scores of all 33 middle schools in DISD.</a><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> This was reported to the public. In 2017/18 a total of 9 new Time Capsule Project were started, ending the year with 6 elementary, 10 middle, and 4 high schools.</span><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">By this time the DISD Curriculum Department was involved and monitoring the progress.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">The goals for 2018/19 are to activate the all-grade from 3</span><sup style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">rd</sup><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> through 12</span><sup style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> letter writing projects, 2 letters every year, in the 18 additional schools that will join Quintanilla and Browne in their progress.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">In the fall of 2018 a DISD Kindergarten volunteer, Elaine Wildman, suggested that when enrolling their child for school that parents of PK through 2nd grade parents include a statement of their goals for their child. This would begin the forward thinking process for parents, the putting of goals into words.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Letter writing recommendations:</span></b><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> These are only recommendations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ownership of this project is with each school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> School leadership </span>ultimately decide when and what to do. (It is requested that if schools develop significant improvements that they share their ideas with all schools with Time Capsule Projects, and with us. bbetzen@aol.com)</span></div>
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<b style="font-size: 13pt;">Timing:</b><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> all letters except the 10-year letters in 8</span><sup style="font-size: 13pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> and 12</span><sup style="font-size: 13pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> grade should be written during the first half of the school year. (8</span><sup style="font-size: 13pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> and 12</span><sup style="font-size: 13pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> graders could also write letters at the start of the school year and then get those letters back at the end of the year before writing their final 10-year letter. It is an alternative for school leadership to decide.) </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The end of October is recommended due to that being when full enrollment is anticipated. </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The 10-year letters should be written at the end of the school year so as to sum things up.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Recommendations for first annual letter:</span></b></div>
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">While it is recommended this start in the 3</span><sup>rd</sup><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> grade, teachers have spoken about earlier starts.</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">That certainly can be done.</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><b style="font-size: 13pt;">Recommended directions to give to students for writing that first letter to parents:</b></span></div>
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">
</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;">Here are three sets for directions that can be printed out to share with students with the directions for their letter writing to parents and other relatives they would like to have letters back from.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">***************************************</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Directions for 3rd through 5th grade students for the first Time Capsule Project writing lesson:</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 28.5333px;">What are your dreams for me?</span></b></div>
<b></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><b><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 28.5333px;">Time Capsule Project Letter Student Directions</span></b></b></div>
<b>
<span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 28.5333px;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 28.5333px;">Elementary School 3-8-18</span></b></div>
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.8267px;">Write a letter to each of the most important adults in your life. Write to your parents, grandparents, other relatives, or even school staff. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.8267px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.8267px;">Ask them to write you a letter telling their dreams for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.8267px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.8267px;">Ask them to write one story from your family’s history. It can be a story they want you to someday tell your own children. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.8267px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.8267px;">Your parents and/or relatives will finish their letter. Read it with them. Ask them questions so you can best understand their letter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.8267px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.8267px;">Bring the letters you have received to school. Bring them on the day your teacher says you will write a letter to yourself. In this letter write your dreams for your own future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.8267px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.8267px;">Place all these letters into one envelope. Put your name and home address on the envelope. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.8267px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Your envelope will return to you in one year.</span></div>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
***************************************</div>
</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Directions for 6th through 8th grade students for the first Time Capsule Project writing lesson:</div>
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 28.5333px;">What are your dreams for me?</span></b></div>
<b></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><b><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 28.5333px;">Directions for the first Time Capsule Project letter</span></b></b></div>
<b>
<span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 28.5333px;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 28.5333px;">Middle School 3-8-18</span></b></div>
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Write a letter to each of the most important adults in your life. Write to your parents, grandparents, guardians or other relatives. You may even write to school staff you may be close to. Write to adults from whom you would like a letter describing their dreams for you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">You may write your letter in any language. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">You will write such letters each year. You change a lot in one year. You will write letters to the adults observing your changes. They will describe how their dreams for you have changed as you change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Ask them to each write one story from your family’s history. It can be a story about themselves or any relative. It should be a story they consider valuable. It should be a story they want you to pass on to your children someday. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">When your parents and/or relatives finish their letter, read it at home with them. Ask them questions so you understand it. The goal is for you to understand the letter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Bring all the letters you have received to your Language Arts Class. Do this on the day planned to write a letter to yourself. On that day your teacher will give you an envelope. It will hold all the letters you have received. Place your name and address on this envelope. You will then write a letter to yourself about your own plans for the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">You will also place the letter you write into this self-addressed envelope. You will place that envelope into the School Time-Capsule. This will happen each year until you graduate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Every year you will receive back this envelope with your letters. The only differences will be in the 8th and 12th grade. Those years you will write letters planning your life 10-years into the future. Those same years the relatives writing to you will also describe their dreams for you 10-years into the future. These 10-year letters will remain inside the school time capsule for 10 years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">In 10 years your class will have a 10-year reunion. At that reunion you will receive these envelopes back. School staff will invite you to speak with the then current students in your former middle school. You will give your recommendations for success to them. You will describe life after middle school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
***************************************</div>
</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Directions for 9th through 12th grade students for the first Time Capsule Project writing lesson:</div>
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 28.5333px;">What are your dreams for me?</span></b></div>
<b></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><b><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 28.5333px;">Directions for the first Time Capsule Project letter</span></b></b></div>
<b>
<span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 28.5333px;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 28.5333px;">High School Students 3-8-18</span></b></div>
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Write a letter to each of the most important adults in your life. Write to your parents, grandparents, guardians or other relatives. You may also write to school staff you may be close to. Write to adults from whom you would like a letter describing their dreams for you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">You may write your letters in any language. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">You will be writing such letters each year. You change a lot in a year. You will write letters to the adults observing your changes. They will describe how their dreams for you have changed as you change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Ask them to each include one story from your family’s history in their letter. It can be a story about themselves or any relative. It should be a story they consider valuable. It should be a story they want you to pass on to your children someday. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">When your parents and/or relatives finish their letter, read it with them. Ask them questions so you understand it. The goal is for you to understand the letter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Bring all the letters you have received to your Language Arts Class. Do this on the day planned to write a letter to yourself. On that day your teacher will give you an envelope. It will hold all the letters you have received. Place your name and address on this envelope. You will then write a letter to yourself about your own plans for the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">You will also place the letter you write into your self-addressed envelope. You will place that envelope into the School Time-Capsule. This will happen each year until you graduate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Every year you will receive back this envelope with your letters. The only differences will be in the 12th grade. That year you will write a letter planning your life 10-years into the future. Your senior year the relatives writing to you will also describe their dreams for you 10-years into the future. Your senior year letters will remain inside the school time capsule for 10 years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">In 10 years your class will have your first 10-year class reunion. At that reunion you will receive these envelopes back. School staff will invite you to speak with the then current students in your former high school. You will give your recommendations for success to them. You will describe life after high school. You will give the recommendations you wish you had received. You can also talk about the recommendations you did receive and now regret not having followed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">But for now, plan the future you want and describe how you will achieve it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
====================================</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">The fifth such 10-year reunion will happen this year at Quintanilla, the first Time Capsule Project School, started in 2005. Quintanilla used to be a normal DISD middle school, but for the past several years Superintendent <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dr. Hinojosa, has called Quintanilla the best DISD middle school.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Such progress now happens much more rapidly in new Time Capsule Project Schools due to expanded, every grade, letter writing. It will no longer take a decade!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Expect a letter from your child!</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bill Betzen, 10-29-18<br /><span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="mailto:bbetzen@aol.com">bbetzen@aol.com</a></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="mailto:bbetzen@aol.com"><br /></a></span></span></div>
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Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-83632336837800097802018-04-30T13:58:00.001-05:002018-04-30T14:04:55.400-05:00Quintanilla Class of 2008 10-year Reunion, May 9th 6-7 The 8th grade Class of 2008 is being welcomed back to Quintanilla on Wednesday, May 9th, from 6 to 7 in the Quintanilla Cafeteria, remodeled since 2008. Presentations will begin at 6:15 pm regarding the May 23rd morning Career Day events. Would you like to talk with Quintanilla Students about life after 8th grade and your career choices, giving the advice you wish you had received a decade ago?<br />
<br />
Come with your ID so you can pick up the letter your wrote in 2008 to yourself in 2018 with your dreams and plans. If it is impossible for you to join with us on May the 9th, after that date you can connect with Ms. LaShonda Roberson who was a science teacher some of you may remember. She is now the Quintanilla Librarian. After May the 9th she will have the remaining letters not yet picked up. They remain in the Library at Quintanilla. Just come during school hours and bring your ID to pick up your letter but only after May the 9th. Ms. Roberson's email is LaRoberson@dallasisd.org<br />
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See you on May the 9th at 6 pm. I hope to be there by 5:30 pm to begin handing out letters. Bring your ID. The reunion is in the Cafeteria at Quintanilla.<br />
<br />
Former Computer Applications Teacher,<br />
<br />
Bill Betzen<br />bbetzen@al.comBill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-3908252594559952802018-03-18T18:00:00.001-05:002018-03-27T10:53:25.355-05:00Beginning a School Time Capsule ProjectA School Time Capsule Project can be started within a few weeks in any school serving grades from 3 through 12. It only requires a principal and staff who want to see over 80% of the parents of their students actively involved. They become involved by writing letters to their child both recording their dreams for their students and writing family history stories they want their child to pass on to grandchildren someday.<br />
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Two annual writing projects in Language Arts Class achieve these goals. The first is a letter written by students to their parents and other important adults in their life. That letter asks for a letter back to the student answering two questions of the adult: 1) "What are your dreams for me?" and 2) "Will you write me a story from your history that you want me to pass on to my children someday?"<br />
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About two weeks after that first letter, when most students will have received and studied the letters received back from all the people they wrote to, the second writing project happens. It involves the students writing a letter to themselves about their own futures.<br />
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All these letters are then placed into one self-addressed envelope for each student. These envelopes are then placed into the School Time Capsule, usually a 500 to 700-pound vault located in a central location in the school lobby.<br />
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Before these writing projects each year students and parents are given back the letters they wrote the year before. Children change a lot in one year. The quality of the letters almost always improves year to year. It is good for both parents and students to see those changes reflected in their letters.<br />
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The only big change in the annual letter writing is in the 8th and 12th grades when students, and everyone writing to them, write letters planning dreams for a decade into the future. These are the letters that remain in the vault for a decade. At their class 10-year reunion these letters are returned.<br />
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We are now planning the 4th such reunion at Quintanilla Middle School which, after 14 years of the School Time Capsule Project, is one of the highest performing middle schools of all 33 DISD middle schools. <br />
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The reunions are always planned a week or more before Career Day so that the returning former students can volunteer to speak that day with current students about their lives after middle school and how they chose their professions.<br />
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As students become more future-focused they also become more well-motivated. Behavior problems decrease. The School Effectiveness Indices (SEI) scores for all schools with active Time Capsule Projects have risen this past decade to be among the highest in all of Dallas ISD. See more details about progress in Time Capsule Project Schools in this report filed last November: <a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2017/11/school-time-capsule-project-update-11-6.html">http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2017/11/school-time-capsule-project-update-11-6.html</a><br />
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To begin this project you must simply schedule the two writing projects for all students in all grades. Plans to secure a vault must be made, but you do not need the vault to begin. It only needs to be secured before the next school year. A 43 cubic 700-pound vault is now recommended, but if your school has classes closer to only 100 students each, a smaller vault will be adequate. We are currently ordering the 700-pound 43 cubic vault from Costco.com that sells for $900, online at <a href="https://www.costco.com/Cannon-43.8-Cu-Ft-Executive-Series-Safe%2c-60-min-Fire-Protection.product.100341405.html">https://www.costco.com/Cannon-43.8-Cu-Ft-Executive-Series-Safe%2c-60-min-Fire-Protection.product.100341405.html</a> Smaller vaults are available but this vault gives potential for growth in the amount of materiel students can store in their letters. Larger envelopes can be used to allow all the letters to be collected for storage until the 10-year reunion.<br />
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Below are examples of directions recommended for students for the writing of that first letter to their parents, and other adults in their lives such as grandparents. They were written using <a href="https://readable.io/text/">https://readable.io/text/</a> so that they are written for three different reading levels.<br />
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Directions for 3rd through 5th grade students for the first Time Capsule Project writing lesson:<br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 20.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What are your dreams
for me? <br />
Time Capsule Project Letter Student Directions<br />
Elementary School 3-8-18<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Write a
letter to each of the most important adults in your life. Write to your
parents, grandparents, other relatives, or even school staff. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ask them to
write you a letter telling their dreams for you.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ask them to
write one story from your family’s history. It can be a story they want you to
someday tell your own children. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Your parents
and/or relatives will finish their letter. Read it with them. Ask them
questions so you can best understand their letter. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Bring the
letters you have received to school. Bring them on the day your teacher says
you will write a letter to yourself. In this letter write your dreams for your
own future.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Place all these
letters into one envelope. Put your name and home address on the envelope. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Your envelope will return to you in one year.</span><br />
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Directions for 6th through 8th grade students for the first Time Capsule Project writing lesson:<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 20.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What are your dreams
for me? <br />
Directions for the first Time Capsule Project letter<br />
Middle School 3-8-18<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Write a
letter to each of the most important adults in your life. Write to your
parents, grandparents, guardians or other relatives. You may even write to
school staff you may be close to. Write
to adults from whom you would like a letter describing their dreams for
you. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You may
write your letter in any language. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You will
write such letters each year. You change
a lot in one year. You will write
letters to the adults observing your changes.
They will describe how their dreams for you have changed as you change.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ask them to
each write one story from your family’s history. It can be a story about
themselves or any relative. It should be
a story they consider valuable. It should be a story they want you to pass on
to your children someday. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When your
parents and/or relatives finish their letter, read it at home with them. Ask
them questions so you understand it. The
goal is for you to understand the letter. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Bring all
the letters you have received to your Language Arts Class. Do this on the day
planned to write a letter to yourself. On that day your teacher will give you
an envelope. It will hold all the letters you have received. Place your name
and address on this envelope. You will then write a letter to yourself about
your own plans for the future.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You will
also place the letter you write into this self-addressed envelope. You will place that envelope into the School
Time-Capsule. This will happen each year
until you graduate. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Every year
you will receive back this envelope with your letters. The only differences
will be in the 8th and 12th grade. Those years you will write letters planning
your life 10-years into the future.
Those same years the relatives writing to you will also describe their
dreams for you 10-years into the future. These 10-year letters will remain
inside the school time capsule for 10 years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In 10 years
your class will have a 10-year reunion. At that reunion you will receive these
envelopes back. School staff will invite you to speak with the then current
students in your former middle school.
You will give your recommendations for success to them. You will
describe life after middle school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Directions for 9th through 12th grade students for the first Time Capsule Project writing lesson:<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 20.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What are your dreams
for me? <br />
Directions for the first Time Capsule Project letter<br />
High School Students 3-8-18<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Write a
letter to each of the most important adults in your life. Write to your
parents, grandparents, guardians or other relatives. You may also write to
school staff you may be close to. Write
to adults from whom you would like a letter describing their dreams for
you. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You may
write your letters in any language. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You will be
writing such letters each year. You
change a lot in a year. You will write
letters to the adults observing your changes.
They will describe how their dreams for you have changed as you change.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ask them to
each include one story from your family’s history in their letter. It can be a
story about themselves or any relative.
It should be a story they consider valuable. It should be a story they
want you to pass on to your children someday.
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When your
parents and/or relatives finish their letter, read it with them. Ask them
questions so you understand it. The goal
is for you to understand the letter. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Bring all
the letters you have received to your Language Arts Class. Do this on the day
planned to write a letter to yourself. On that day your teacher will give you
an envelope. It will hold all the letters you have received. Place your name
and address on this envelope. You will then write a letter to yourself about
your own plans for the future.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You will
also place the letter you write into your self-addressed envelope. You will place that envelope into the School
Time-Capsule. This will happen each year
until you graduate. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Every year
you will receive back this envelope with your letters. The only differences
will be in the 12th grade. That year you will write a letter planning your life
10-years into the future. Your senior
year the relatives writing to you will also describe their dreams for you
10-years into the future. Your senior year letters will remain inside the
school time capsule for 10 years.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In 10 years
your class will have your first 10-year class reunion. At that reunion you will
receive these envelopes back. School staff will invite you to speak with the
then current students in your former high school. You will give your recommendations for
success to them. You will describe life after high school. You will give the recommendations you wish
you had received. You can also talk about the recommendations you did receive
and now regret not having followed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But for now,
plan the future you want and describe how you will achieve it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-67917041065388097692017-12-19T07:48:00.002-06:002018-01-24T06:18:44.523-06:00Costco sale on 43-cubic ft vault continued till 12-31-17!I found out yesterday that the $775 sale saving $125 on the 43-cubic ft vault has been extended until 12-31-17! For those of us working as volunteers on the Time Capsule Project, this is news to spread!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQxyh8FLxBlmQ-gAH7TlLbsC3WnGnsAT-tHWv_6FleKAbfPTo0EKTekf4CUnqCes8mfJpohE9bkq7cvgl_zdXh3SFPdrS-Z5CBW8Y926_sGbrQOYEbpNK65HnsJqSmkNnL5lt-PA4oIc/s1600/43cuftCannonCostcotext2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="680" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQxyh8FLxBlmQ-gAH7TlLbsC3WnGnsAT-tHWv_6FleKAbfPTo0EKTekf4CUnqCes8mfJpohE9bkq7cvgl_zdXh3SFPdrS-Z5CBW8Y926_sGbrQOYEbpNK65HnsJqSmkNnL5lt-PA4oIc/s400/43cuftCannonCostcotext2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">See it online at </span><a href="https://www.costco.com/Cannon-CS72-Executive-Series-Safe-43.8-CuFt%2c-60-min-Fire-Protection%2c-45%22W-x-28%22D-x-59%22H%2c-Electronic-Lock.product.100341405.html" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.costco.com/Cannon-CS72-Executive-Series-Safe-43.8-CuFt%2c-60-min-Fire-Protection%2c-45%22W-x-28%22D-x-59%22H%2c-Electronic-Lock.product.100341405.html</a></div>
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This is the new vault delivered to C. F. Carr Elementary School:</div>
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This is the new vault at Carter High School. Both vaults remain on the pallet so they can be easily moved if another location is decided on for them in the school. Due to planned remodeling at Carter such moves are certain. Then they will be taken off the pallet in the permanent location.</div>
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Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-83561767699028192422017-12-18T13:57:00.002-06:002018-01-24T06:08:23.927-06:00What are your dreams for me? Tell me a story from your history. Students letter to parents.<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
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<h4>
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Suggestions to students:</span></span></b></h4>
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Write a letter to your parents, and/or
other adults, asking them to write </span></b><b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">a letter back to you about their dreams for you, and a story from their history.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></b><b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;">(Term “parent” below includes <u>important
adults you would like a letter from: aunts, uncles, grandparents, any adult who is special in your life</u>.)</span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;">First,</span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"> <b>select the people
to whom you would like to write a letter.</b>
They should be the most important adults in your life, each of your parents,
grandparents, aunts, uncles, pastor, teachers, anyone to which you would like
to write a letter asking them to write back to you answering your question:</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"> “What are your dreams for me?” The number of
letters is your decision, but at least one. You can send letters to relatives
who do not live with you or who even live in other countries. It is certain they would love to get your
letters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;">Second</span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;">, <b>write separate letters to
each adult in the above list</b>, i.e. one for your dad and one for you mom.
Your letter to them, and their letters back to you, can be in any language that
you understand, or that you can have translated for you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;">Third</span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;">, <b>ask them to also write one
story from their family or community history into their letter to you</b>. That
is why you write separate letters to each adult. They all have different histories to share
with you. It should be a story from their history that is also your history, stories
they would like you to someday tell your children. These can include stories from
your community history and events. This is also why you want to include older
members of your family, people with more history from your family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;">Find the street
addresses of the people you want to write to you and bring that information
back to class for the envelopes if they do not live with you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;">Such letters will be written each year</span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"> to request another letter from parents and/or
others. You change a lot in one year. The goal is for parents and
the other adults to observe your changes and write about how their own dreams
for you as they also are changing. They
are probably gaining more detail each year as you grow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;">The stories written
about can be about the person writing the letter, or grandparents, or aunts or
uncles, a valuable family story that they want passed on to your children
someday. These letters will help you gather a collection of valuable family
stories by the time you graduate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;">When any parents, or other
letter writer, is finished with their letter and gives it back to you, <b>immediately read it.</b> Ask the person who
wrote the letter any questions you may have about the letter. You must
clearly understand it. The goal is clear communication. Priceless
conversations can happen at this time. You are encouraged to ask questions. Be
certain to say thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;">After these letters are collected and brought
to school, the next step in this process will be when you write a letter to yourself
about your goals for life.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;">12-18-17 </span><a href="http://www.studentmotivation.org/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;">www.StudentMotivation.org</span></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-87479831767179245592017-12-10T08:12:00.001-06:002017-12-11T08:44:34.798-06:00Suggestions for Christmas letter writing, encouraging priceless family talks!Time Capsule Project schools are encouraged to have the following writing assignment before Christmas break, but any school can do this without a time capsule as well. See <a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2017/11/school-time-capsule-project-update-11-6.html">the wonderful gains by Time Capsule Project schools</a>, due partly to such letters, described below in the posting dated 11-6-2017. Browne Middle School went from the danger of a 5th year as IR in 2016/17, to meeting standards with 4 distinctions instead! All students wrote such letters home for the <b>first</b> time! Letters like this help to <b>change school climate toward being more goal-focused and grounded in personal family history.</b><br />
<br />
Students will bring home these letters that they write in class to deliver to the people they are intended for. <b>Such letters by students have led to as many as 80% of recipients writing potentially priceless letters back to the student.</b> As students read these letters and ask questions it could lead to some priceless family conversations, especially over Christmas break, conversations about dreams, goals, and family history. It will help fill the gap with their own culture too many of our students suffer from. It will help ease the multi-cultural blending we are all part of.<br />
<br />
A more sound foundation for academic achievement is built.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 20.0pt;">Suggestions
- Time Capsule Project First Letter(s),<br />
to each parent and/or other important relatives<br />
</span></b><b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">(Term “parent” includes <u>all important relatives student
would like a letter from</u>.)</span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This is a description of the letter writing process that is the
first step in each year’s Time Capsule Project letter writing. </span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">First, any older letters students may have written in previous
years that are in the school’s time capsule are returned to
students. They must be read and studied again by students who wrote them, and by each of
the parents who wrote letters last year. This is in preparation for the current year’s letter
writing process.</span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Have students write a persuasive letter to each parent.</span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Students
will be asking for each parent to give their response to the question: “What
are your dreams for me?”. Students will ask for as many details as the
person writing is comfortable with. Students also ask for each parent to
write one story from their family history, or community history, that parents
want the student to remember. They consider it valuable enough that they
want the student to pass it on to their own children someday.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As students consider to whom they will send such letters, they
should think of older family members who have a longer history and possibly
more stories of interest that they may write about. All letters can be written
in any language both student and writer understand, or that the student can have
translated.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Such letters will be written each year to request another letter
from parents and/or others. Every student changes a lot in one
year. The goal is for parents and the other adults to observe those
changes and write about how their own dreams for the student are changing and
gaining more detail each year as the student grows.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The stories written about can be about the letter writer, or
about grandparents, or aunts or uncles, a valuable family story that they want passed
on to the students’ children someday. These letters will help students gather a
collection of valuable family history stories by the time they graduate.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">=====================================================</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When parents are finished with their letter and give them to the
student, the student should immediately read them. The student should ask the
person who wrote the letter any questions they may have about the letter.
They must clearly understand it. The goal is clear communication. Potentially
priceless conversations happen in the process during such conversations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This letter will go into the self-addressed envelopes along with
all the letters received from parents and other adults. This will be repeated
each year.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the 8<sup>th</sup> and 12<sup>th</sup> grade all
letters written will be focused 10-years into the future. What do students
hope they will be doing and how will they get there? These are goals 10-years
into the future. The final 8<sup>th</sup> grade and 12<sup>th</sup> grade
letters, and letters parents and others have written about their dreams for
students 10 years into the future, will all remain inside the student’s
self-addressed envelope and inside the vault for 10 years</span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Emphasize that life plans almost always change. The goal
is to develop the ability to change, with education providing many more choices
to be available during any change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">12-10-17 Bill Betzen, </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="mailto:bbetzen@aol.com"><span style="color: #888888; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">bbetzen@aol.com</span></a></span>Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-24991970708126897452017-11-06T08:38:00.002-06:002018-07-11T13:20:05.383-05:00Improving 20 DISD Schools with a Time Capsule Project<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The School Time Capsule Project exists to motivate students toward the highest achievement possible. That achievement is driven by students who know where they came from, their roots, and
where they are going, their plans. Students and parents must discuss as much as possible the history they share. With that foundation students focus more completely on their own goals by constantly updating them. Such grounded student motivation is the mission of the School Time Capsule
Project.</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After
14 years of improvements due to constant input, one of the 6 active Time
Capsule Project middle schools have had the highest annual School Effectiveness Indices (SEI) score of all 33 Dallas ISD middle schools for three of the past 4 years! This past year that number one school had been in danger of being a fifth year IR, failing, school. Instead, with full, all grade, involvement in the Time Capsule Project, and most parents writing letters to their child, the school not only met standards but achieved 4 distinctions, and their School Effectiveness Indices went from only 47 to 61, the greatest one year increase in a DISD Middle School in 8 years, and the highest SEI among all 33 middle schools!</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On 10-19-17, when the most recent SEI data was released, it was also discovered that four of the five DISD middle schools with the
highest SEI's this past year were Time Capsule Project Schools! <a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2017/11/school-time-capsule-project-update-11-6.html">(The School Effectiveness Indices (SEI) is a DISD measurement of school performance that has been used 20+ years to measure performance in each DISD school every year.) </a></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It must be emphasized that there are only 6 active Time Capsule Project middle schools among the 33 DISD middle schools, and four of them are among the highest 5 middle school SEI scores in all of DISD. </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> There are two additional inactive Time Capsule Project schools which have no letters written in recent years. They are not counted as "active" and all have SEI scores below the 6 schools counted as active. </span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">See page
2 of the</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://mydata.dallasisd.org/docs/SEI/SEI1617/201617_SEI_LIST.pdf" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="new">2016-17 Summary List</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">at </span><a href="https://mydata.dallasisd.org/SL/SD/SEI/Default.jsp" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: windowtext; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">https://mydata.dallasisd.org/SL/SD/SEI/Default.jsp</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> for the middle school listings which are repeated in the chart below. Notice below that the 'worst' SEI for an active Time Capsule Project school still places them better-than-average as 13<sup>th</sup> best among 33 middle schools. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWq8mUIu_3KzxV7cjJ-T9v14W_IXnTAtQ97qwq9U88Cpzr_YNRfNntikD6VlyI4RL7ox3260rSIwunlyFY6mFzxlasxeejR74JT9jaoFAS7wGNXlDzLOKWs5S5A_tPRMEPyhzySKwH84/s1600/2017sei-middleschooldata2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWq8mUIu_3KzxV7cjJ-T9v14W_IXnTAtQ97qwq9U88Cpzr_YNRfNntikD6VlyI4RL7ox3260rSIwunlyFY6mFzxlasxeejR74JT9jaoFAS7wGNXlDzLOKWs5S5A_tPRMEPyhzySKwH84/s640/2017sei-middleschooldata2.jpg" width="524" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dallas ISD Middle Schools in order by 2017 School Effectiveness Indices Scores</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
Time Capsule Project is expanding this year to 9 more schools, including elementary
schools for the first time. From third grade through 12<sup>th</sup> grade there
will be two annual lessons:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1.<span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Students write a persuasive letter to their
parents, and/or other relatives, asking for them to write a letter back.
Students ask for two things in these letters: "What are your dreams for me?"
and "Please write one story from your personal family history that you
want me to pass on to my children someday."</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> As many as 80% of families have responded and write potentially priceless letters since this change was made in 2016. </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br />Students
then talk with anyone they asked to write a letter about what they have written.
Students must be certain they understand the letter. Such conversations can be
priceless, reinforcing family relationships. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">2.<span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The resulting letters from lesson 1, or copies if
the family wants to keep the originals, are brought back to Language Arts Class
where each student prepares one self-addressed envelope to hold them. Then the student
writes their second letter, this time to themselves about their own goals and
dreams. All letters then go into that self-addressed envelope for each student. The date this envelope is sealed must be on the envelope near the return address. This is critical in the sorting and management of letters.<br /><br />These envelopes go inside a 500-pound, or larger, School Time Capsule Vault in the school
lobby. The first 11 vaults were 25 cubic feet inside, weighing 500 pounds and bolted to the floor, costing $1,200 each. In 2017/18 we are focusing on a 700-pound, 43 cubic foot inside measurement Costco vault costing $900 delivered and no longer bolted to the floor due to the weight. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
previous year’s letters are always studied by students before the next letter-writing
actions. In 8<sup>th</sup> and 12<sup>th</sup> grades all letters are written
focusing on goals 10 years into the future. Students know they will be invited back for a 10-year reunion to pick
up their envelopes, usually scheduled just before Career Day. At that reunion they
will be asked to return and speak on Career Day with then current students
about their recommendations for success, their profession, and life after 8<sup>th</sup>
or 12<sup>th</sup> grade.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
fourth such 10-year reunion will happen this year at Quintanilla, the first Time
Capsule Project School. It is still a 95% high-poverty school, but Dr.
Hinojosa, DISD Superintendent, last summer named Quintanilla as the best middle
school, the model middle school inside DISD. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The newest recommendation is, when possible, that a school secure the large 43-cubic-foot vault below, now on sale at Costco for $775. With such a large vault every student can be given a large 9"x11" envelope to use in storing their envelopes every year in the vault. Each year students can read what they have written before as they plan that years letter. Ultimately the school can leave all letters in the vault for the 10 years. Fewer letters will be lost. The 10-year reunion will become more significant, especially with letters from parents and other relatives each year.</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Quintanilla
has had SEI scores among the top 20% of DISD middle schools every year for the
past 4 years. Such progress will now happen much more rapidly in new Time Capsule
Project Schools due to improvements outlined above. It will not take a decade!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One
or more volunteers are needed to function as Time Capsule Masters at each
school to help manage the Time Capsule Project. They sort and help
teachers return each year the letters from the previous year by each
student. Once the 10-year reunions begin, these volunteers help
manage the reunions. This is exceptionally rewarding volunteer work. I have
done it for over a decade, one of many volunteers with many wonderful stories
to tell from the Project. We need more volunteers, at least one at each school.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last
year Browne had all students in all grades write letters as described above. Parents
responded wonderfully! The photo below shows today’s Browne Time Capsule with the
results:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAJfv6WRqwcAEJr9dRBVHmXRs7oDZaRRueQg6KMU3KDH3Vr4W8BiLA-b6DfbwVk1BoG4MALBFrunNs1H0ZQ5zJvIXq5BtzmYSn6JqX5l4P6vABV684jbym2u7-7JJSChAF1XNqNUyHMM/s1600/BrowneVault10-30-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1450" data-original-width="1545" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAJfv6WRqwcAEJr9dRBVHmXRs7oDZaRRueQg6KMU3KDH3Vr4W8BiLA-b6DfbwVk1BoG4MALBFrunNs1H0ZQ5zJvIXq5BtzmYSn6JqX5l4P6vABV684jbym2u7-7JJSChAF1XNqNUyHMM/s320/BrowneVault10-30-17.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Notice that the
shelf for this year’s 8<sup>th</sup> grade class, 2018, as well as next year’s
8<sup>th</sup> grade class, 2019, are already filled with letters. These are
the letters written last year by then 6<sup>th</sup> and 7<sup>th</sup>
graders. They will be returned to those
students, and read, before this year’s letter writing. By the end of this year new
letters will fill these shelves. The only difference will be that shelf “2018” will
hold letters about dreams and plans for 2028. Those letters stay on that shelf
until 2028. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is
recommended 6<sup>th</sup> and 7<sup>th</sup> grade classes write letters at
the beginning of the year to have the greatest effect on achievement that year.
It is best 8<sup>th</sup> graders wait until the end of their 8<sup>th</sup>
grade year to be able to reflect on more of their middle school experience as
they write their letters planning 10-years into the future. Such future-focus by
all students was one of many factors that helped Browne achieve the highest SEI
scores of any of the 33 middle schools in DISD for 2016/17<b>. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The year these letters were written by all Brown students the SEI for Browne went up
14.2 points in just one year to being the highest SEI score for any DISD middle school! Browne went from 5th year IR to not only meeting standards but also achieving 4 distinctions! See <o:p></o:p></b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.dallasisd.org/Domain/621">https://www.dallasisd.org/Domain/621</a> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">A
School Time Capsule Project only works in a school that is already a high
functioning school under solid leadership. Once you have that, and add to it the
grounding in family history and planning for the future reinforced by the Time
Capsule Project, you have even greater achievement due to stronger student
motivation. P</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">ositive student behaviors increase!
<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">School
Time Capsule Vaults should be located in the highest student traffic area of a
school, usually the lobby, to remind students daily of their parents’ letters,
and their own plans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">For
more details on this open-sourced, low budget, volunteer-based project, see </span><a href="http://www.studentmotivation.org/"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">http://www.StudentMotivation.org</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">, and the attached blog. Please share.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">If you want to help another Dallas ISD school purchase a vault to start their Time Capsule Project, please send donations to: Time Capsule Project, c/o Lulac National Education Service Center, 345 S. Edgefield Ave., Dallas, Texas 75208. If you want to help a specific school, talk with that principal to see if they are willing to start a Time Capsule Project, and then specify which school you want your money used for.<br /><br />You also may just buy a vault and bring it to the school, and help install the needed 10 shelves inside the vault. This is a very flexible system! Help your local schools! Below is one large vault on sale until 12-31-17 for $775 from Costco, a large 770-pound 43 cu. ft. vault.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2a2e2e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Any school can start a Time Capsule Project on their own with any modifications they may want. We only ask that if you come up with what is considered a very successful improvement, that you share the details with us so more students can benefit. The students are the only reason for this project.<br /><br />Finally, this is year old data that is still correct if you looks at the DISD Data Portal enrollment for today: Sunset High School has the largest senior class relative to freshman class size of any of the 22 non-magnet high schools in DISD. This chart was made a year ago, October of 2016, but shows how Sunset is the best at keeping student to graduation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sunset stands out for many reasons due to Mr. Tony Tovar who turned it around during his 7 years as principal, and due to the wonderful staff who remain at Sunset. It also stands out due to the future-focus, one grounded in family history, that these students begin in the middle schools feeding into Sunset: Rosemont, Quintanilla and Greiner who all have active Time Capsule Projects. Then the same focus continues with the Time Capsule Project at Sunset.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Bill Betzen,
11-10-17, </span><a href="mailto:bbetzen@aol.com"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">bbetzen@aol.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
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www.StudentMotivation.org</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">See it online at <a href="https://www.costco.com/Cannon-CS72-Executive-Series-Safe-43.8-CuFt%2c-60-min-Fire-Protection%2c-45%22W-x-28%22D-x-59%22H%2c-Electronic-Lock.product.100341405.html">https://www.costco.com/Cannon-CS72-Executive-Series-Safe-43.8-CuFt%2c-60-min-Fire-Protection%2c-45%22W-x-28%22D-x-59%22H%2c-Electronic-Lock.product.100341405.html</a></span><br />
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Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-34362340224152735262017-09-22T18:42:00.000-05:002018-04-10T20:17:46.417-05:00Government Response to 4-21-15 Supplantation Complaint against Dallas ISD.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: start;">Here is the 9 page 9-22-17 letter from the U.S. Department of Education, Office For Civil Rights, that closed the 2 year 5 month old complaint filed 4-21-15 by 15 DISD parents, and residents. Find a summary of the complaint at <a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2015/06/title-vi-complaint-against-disd.html">http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2015/06/title-vi-complaint-against-disd.html</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">During these 2 years and 5 months over 300 pages were given to the government documenting these allegations. There were several in-person interviews. This is the response. It closes the case by giving technical grounds for not doing an investigation into each one of the 15 allegations identified. <b>It does not invalidate a single one of the 15 allegations. </b>Comments are welcome: <a href="mailto:bbetzen@aol.com">bbetzen@aol.com</a> .</span><br />
<span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: start;">Mike Miles, the superintendent during the 3 years this situation was created, resigned 6-23-15. That was 3 weeks after a comprehensive report on the evening news about these allegations. If that resignation had not happened, the continued fighting of this case would have been necessary. The degree of the supplantation has definitely lessened in DISD since that resignation. Work still continues to document the extent to which it may continue, and to determine how widespread it is throughout Texas, and in other states. <a href="https://billbetzen.blogspot.com/2018/04/school-equity-spreadsheet-for-dallas-isd.html">(See the creation of the School Equity Spreadsheet.)</a><br /><br />Few things destroy racial equity more than the hidden, ongoing supplantation of need-based federal funds. </span></div>
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<br />Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-22187915053557031852017-01-22T15:46:00.000-06:002017-07-31T03:41:01.484-05:00What are your dreams for me?<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 18.0pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">A
parent’s dreams for their child drive school achievement</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">(This was also written up in the Dallas Morning News in October 2016 at <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2016/10/03/letter-writing-campaign-boosted-quintanilla-middle-schools-scores">https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2016/10/03/letter-writing-campaign-boosted-quintanilla-middle-schools-scores</a>)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Due to <a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2016/10/dallas-isd-time-capsule-project_28.html">ongoing improvements in student achievement in schools with active Time Capsule Projects,</a> Dallas ISD is preparing
to place the two letter writing lessons from the Time Capsule Project into the DISD Language Arts curriculum. Beginning in the 3rd grade, and then annually through the 12th grade, all students will have these two connected letter writing lessons each year. A 10-year Time Capsule component may be seen as an additional alternative.<br /><br />With these two lessons added to the writing curriculum, hopefully a core of volunteers will form at each school to help in the writing and collection of letters from students, and then the storing and returning of them to students a year later. This will happen for all students except, of course, the students no longer at the school, the students who went on to middle school or high school the previous year. Those final year letters are not returned for a decade. They must be stored for the reunions that volunteers help plan and coordinate in 10 years. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is exceptionally rewarding volunteer work! Observing students begin to become serious about planning their futures, and then the reunions, are all powerfully positive events. Volunteers see progress happen, and students who are proud of achievements.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The letter writing instructions change for students in their final year in their school before leaving for the next school in their educational process. The letters written the last year in a school are written with plans and dreams focused 10 years into the future. These final envelopes remain in the school time capsule vault, or are otherwise stored, for a decade, until the class 10-year reunion. It is recommended the final letters be written during the last month in the school year. These letters will be documenting plans as they existed at the end of this time in the child's education in that elementary school, or middle school, or high school. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Needless to say the complexity and quality of the letters will grow from year to year.<br />
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The first letter writing assignments are recommended for the start of each school year in all grades except the final grade in each school. That final 10-year letter should be written toward the end of the school year. <br /><br />The letter writing process starts with students writing one or more letters to their parents, and/or other
important people in their lives. They write this letter to ask for a letter back about that person's
dreams for them. This "What are your dreams for me?" letter also
requests one story from their family or cultural history to be included in the letter. It is a story that
the person writing the letter considers so valuable they would like that story
to be passed on someday to the student's children.<br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Such a story would strengthen a child's
awareness of their own heritage, their roots, and their community history.
These letters will provide priceless connections, priceless records of family stories. A different story should be told each year.</span></span><br />
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A note from the school is attached to each student’s letter written. The note will reinforce details about the letter writing assignment. It recommends everyone
writing a letter go over it with the student before the student brings the letter back to school. Priceless conversations will happen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Back at school with the
letter(s), the first thing students do is prepare a self-addressed envelope for all these letters. The return address on the envelope should include their teacher's name, the date, and the school's return address. It will be addressed to them at their home address with email address and cell phone number also recorded on the envelope. <br /><br />Students then write a letter to themselves about their goals and how
they will achieve them. This student letter may include other stories
students want to remember. When finished, each student places their letter, and
all their other letters from parents, relatives and others, into the self-addressed envelope they prepared. This completed envelope is then placed into the school’s time capsule, on the shelf
dedicated to each student's class, or it is otherwise stored by the school.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Each year the previous
year’s envelope is returned to each student before the next letter writing
process. In their next request letter to each relative students include the letter
written by that relative the year before. The year-old letters are read before new ones are
written to update dreams and plans, and to see what was being thought about a year earlier. How has the writer of the letter seen the student change? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Students may want to reclaim these older letters to have a file of them at home that will grow over the years. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It is a growing
process. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Students are reminded of it often if they are in a school with a 500-pound Time Capsule
Vault bolted to the floor in the school lobby that they pass daily. They see the vault and maybe they are reminded of the letters that are in it from their family. Hopefully the vault is even under
spotlights to increase visibility and reinforce the value of planning for the future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This year will be the third 10-year reunion at Quintanilla Middle School. It will be in April or May of 2017 for the 8</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><sup>th</sup> grade class of
2007. It’s scheduled before Career Day to secure volunteers for Career Day from
the students coming to the reunion to pick up their decade old letters. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">On Career Day 2017, these volunteers from the Class of 2007 will talk to current students about life after middle school, their employment and preparation for it, and what they would do differently if they were 12 again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Such annual
goal-focused letter writing is now moving into the elementary grades in several DISD elementary schools. Writing this letter to parents and other adults prepares a student to be more open to what they will receive back in the letters they will receive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It is never too early
for a child to discuss their life plans with parents and others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">As the years pass, with
this letter writing between parent and child happening, the potential for parental involvement in school will grow. Parents will improve
in their understanding of what is happening in school. Their understanding of
goals possible with education will improve. They will be more comfortable
asking questions.<br />
<br />
The School Effectiveness Indices for the involved schools will continue to
rise, especially above schools with a less active Time Capsule Projects. See some of the data
and history of this project as it improved over the years. See <a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2016/10/dallas-isd-time-capsule-project_28.html">http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2016/10/dallas-isd-time-capsule-project_28.html</a><span style="color: #666666;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">1-22-17 Bill Betzen, <a href="mailto:bbetzen@aol.com"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">bbetzen@aol.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-49426798916106970822017-01-18T11:11:00.001-06:002017-03-29T10:49:09.138-05:00Ten largest Texas ISD's & letter grades given in 2016<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The people of Dallas can be very proud of recent progress in Dallas ISD! While the letter grading system has multiple issues, it also reflects some of the progress in DISD, the highest poverty large urban district in all of Texas! In spite of that poverty, DISD did well, including having the highest post secondary (college) readiness grade of all 10 districts!</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRBuKFUeBnj__0wRRxo-Zl0vpJIK6IgYdArmIviIJJF3Kp2fHyg_twjdNg8dsIxW9N0oQEUScqy5sziI4kn9BTteQ90X6W-jW_lZ9fMjomKi4FiXtEMm-kadMGUWrAnr82V_wSguJNcY/s1600/TEA_GradeRatings10largestISD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRBuKFUeBnj__0wRRxo-Zl0vpJIK6IgYdArmIviIJJF3Kp2fHyg_twjdNg8dsIxW9N0oQEUScqy5sziI4kn9BTteQ90X6W-jW_lZ9fMjomKi4FiXtEMm-kadMGUWrAnr82V_wSguJNcY/s640/TEA_GradeRatings10largestISD.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ten Largest Texas ISD's and letter grades given in 2016 by the Texas Education Agency</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Due to the significant poverty handicap that Dallas ISD endures it can be strongly argued that it is the highest achieving large urban school district in Texas. Only 2 districts with a fraction of the DISD poverty rate are receiving higher ratings.</span>Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-50686688013819669932017-01-08T18:55:00.004-06:002017-02-06T17:22:26.720-06:00KIPP has over 65% more revenue per child but is not spending that much more on Instruction!<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="163an" data-offset-key="dl8rn-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="dl8rn-1-0" style="font-family: inherit;">There is a general pattern in charter schools having higher student turnover, (<a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2012/04/kipp-truth-academy-student-movement.html">http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2012/04/kipp-truth-academy-student-movement.html</a>), a charter student dropout rate that is many times higher than ISD's, and a teacher turnover rate twice that of ISD's. The result is an average charter school teacher tenure that is less than half that of ISD's. (Verified at the blog at the last link below.)</span><br />
<span data-offset-key="dl8rn-1-0" style="font-family: inherit;">T</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">oday I discovered that one of the more prominent charter schools systems, KIPP, also has an unusually large amount of money per student more than Dallas ISD, and KIPP is NOT spending correspondingly more on student instruction! While charter schools on average spend 5 percentage points less of their budget on Instruction, that number is usually about 40% of revenue. At KIPP that number is closer to 30%!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Texas Education Agency Snapshot data shows that the 2 KIPP schools in Dallas are both getting about 70% more per student in income (Item 73 shows $17,979 for KIPP vs $10,595 for DISD) than Dallas ISD. However, they are only spending about 25% more on instruction (Item 88 shows $6,000 for KIPP vs $4,801 for DISD. 2014 expenditures were almost equal between KIPP and DISD even though the income per students was almost as high as 2015!) It makes you wonder where the extra money goes, and wonder even more why the percentage of all students passing all tests (Item # 23) is only 2 percentage points higher for KIPP than DISD (67% vs 69%). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Given a more select student population (impossible to avoid when parents both select the school and must have resources to provide transportation to the school) KIPP should be doing much better. KIPP teacher turnover is almost double that at DISD, and average teacher tenure is only 2 years compared to 10 at DISD, so those are certainly factors. Higher teacher turnover is a very common pattern at charter schools. Look at the data at <a href="https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/snapshot/2015/district.srch.html">https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/snapshot/2015/district.srch.html</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Unless the charter schools are able to lessen transparency surrounding their operations, and keep parents quiet about what is happening to their children in school, the true public schools, ISD's, will win this war. Meanwhile what is the loss to students? See more data for the entire state of Texas for charter schools and ISD's, with a comparison to DISD, at <a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2016/12/review-of-2014-2015-texas-education.html">http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2016/12/review-of-2014-2015-texas-education.html</a></span></div>
</div>
Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-17663767061334409942017-01-02T14:58:00.002-06:002017-01-30T10:12:21.907-06:00Building Self Respect<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For fewer behavior problems and higher achievement in high
poverty, urban schools</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 16.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Children without life goals develop into adults without life goals.
Behavior problems, teen pregnancies, and criminal behavior are all more common,
while academic achievement is much more rare without life goals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">As students advance though school they have increasing ability
to identify, document, and update life goals. Sadly, it is too rare that this growing
ability is used for what should be a consistently recorded annual event in each student’s
development, an event their parents or guardians should also be actively
involved in so that they also can also identify their goals for their child.
What are their goals as parents? This project encourages parental involvement in the development of priceless parental goals for every student.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">As both parents and students develop the ability to identify and
update life goals, self-confidence and
self-respect grows for all involved. With that growth, behavioral problems decrease and teen
pregnancies will almost disappear. The best birth control in the world is self-control
built on the foundation of a solid vision on one’s future life and goals. Negative
behaviors lessen, and the potential for criminal behavior almost disappears, as
a student’s grasp of future goals strengthens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Such a future focused, life goal identification project called
the Time Capsule Project, is now 12 years old in Dallas ISD. Quintanilla Middle
School began a goal-focused project for student motivation in 2005. It started
only with letters by 8<sup>th</sup> graders to themselves about their goals for 10 years into the future. Those letters were to be opened after a
decade in a huge vault bolted to the floor in the school lobby with 10 shelves
inside for 10 years’ worth of letters.
The graduation rates at the high school most students attended
immediately began to improve every year as discipline problems and other
negative behaviors decreased. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">In 2009 parents and guardians were invited to join in with their
own letters to their child about their dreams for their child. While
only as many as 1/3 of parents wrote such valuable letters, that practice was
encouraged as the evolving Time Capsule Project spread to 7 more middle schools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">All Time Capsule Project schools have seen their School
Effectiveness Indices (SEI) measurements improve significantly faster than
other DISD middle schools during the three academic years from 2013/14 through
2015/16. (</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">See documentation in blogs at <a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2016/10/school-effectiveness-indices-3-years.html"><span style="color: #888888;">www.StudentMotivation.org</span></a>.) The two oldest Time Capsule Project Schools
have the highest three years average SEI of all 35 middle schools in Dallas
ISD! The remaining 5 schools had an
average three year improvement of 6.7 points on their average SEI while the 24
remaining non-magnet middle schools in DISD had their annual SEI scores go down
an average of 0.7 points. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">In spite of this impressive increase in SEI scores for Time
Capsule Project schools, the level of parental involvement by writing a letter
to their child has rarely, if ever, gone above 30%. That changed in May of 2016
after the above SEI progress was documented. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">In the past, the request for this parental letter had always
came from school staff in a letter sent home. In May of 2016, Quintanilla
changed the source of the request, and decided to have all three grades in the
school to be involved. The request for parents to write to their child
about their dreams for their child now comes directly from that child in a
letter the student writes in class to their parents. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Immediately the percentage of parents writing a letter to their
child increased almost threefold to as much as 85%! When the request comes
directly from their child, parents respond!</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Remember, Quintanilla also stopped limiting involvement to only
8<sup>th</sup> graders. They expanded this priceless goal-centered letter
writing between parent and child to all grades.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Due to the immediate success of these changes it is now
recommended that Time Capsule Project schools have all students write one
letter to each parent, and/or involved relative, each year asking them to write
a letter back about their dreams for the student. Students in the fourth grade
and above should also ask that one story from their family history be included
in each letter, a story to be passed on to grandchildren. This strengthens a
child's awareness of their family heritage, their roots, and provides priceless
documentation of it.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">A note from the school can be attached to each student’s letter
sent home. It reinforces details about the Time Capsule Project. It recommends
everyone writing a letter go over it with the student before the student brings
it back it school.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">At school, students then write a letter to themselves about
their goals and how they will achieve them. This letter includes stories
students want to remember. When finished, each student places their letter, and
all relative letters received, into the self-addressed envelope they should
have addressed as the first thing to do in class, before writing their letters.
They use their complete home address with email and cell number placed in
the second and third lines of the address above the street number and name on
the envelope. The return address should have teachers name, the class, and the
date the letter is written. Addressing envelopes is critical so letters
are not lost. The completed envelope is placed into the school’s time capsule,
on the shelf dedicated to each student's class.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Each year the previous year’s envelopes are returned to students
before the next letter writing process. In their request letter to each
relative students include the letter written the year before. The year-old
letters are read before new ones are written to update dreams and plans.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">It is a growing process. Students are reminded of it as they see
the 500-pound Time Capsule Vault often, passing it several times daily in the
school lobby, where it should be centrally located under spotlights.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">This process changes for students in their final year in their
school before leaving for the next school in the educational process.
That last year letters are written with plans and dreams focused 10 years into
the future. These final envelopes remain in the time capsule for a
decade, until the class 10-year reunion.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">The third Quintanilla Middle School 10-year reunion to pick up
letters will be in 2017 for the 8<sup>th</sup> grade class of 2007. It’s
scheduled before Career Day to secure volunteers for Career Day. On Career Day,
these volunteers talk to current students about life after middle school, their
employment and preparation for it, and what they would do differently if they
were 13 again.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Such annual goal-focused letter writing is now moving into the
elementary grades in at least two DISD elementary schools. At what age could a
child write such a powerful request to their parents in a letter? Writing the
letter prepares the student to be more open to what their parents will write
back. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">It is never too early for a child to discuss their life plans
with parents. Nothing increases the potential for fewer behavioral problems
than having an active vision of one’s future life, a vision that parents are
involved with.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">1-2-17 Bill Betzen, </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="mailto:bbetzen@aol.com"><span style="color: #888888;">bbetzen@aol.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-6038751675751480022016-12-14T15:55:00.003-06:002016-12-17T06:47:39.931-06:00DOI Presentation 12-14-16 before DISD School Board<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Testimony for 12-14-16 Dallas ISD Board Meeting on planned study of District of Innovation alternatives for DISD:<br /><br />President Micciche, Honorable Board, Dr. Hinojosa,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">First,
everything I say now is already posted, in much more detail with links to data, in
the blog at <a href="http://www.studentmotivation.org/">www.StudentMotivation.org</a>. (That is this blog you are now reading.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Second, congratulations on the brilliant Highland Hills Library presentation of Dallas ISD to the community along with the International Leadership Texas schools, last night. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Mr. Conger of ILT was brilliant and is formidable competition. There was no Q and A. Therefore, after the presentations I went to Mr. Conger to ask about his 36% teacher turnover and teacher tenure of only 2.2 years. When he heard my name he asked if I did an education blog. I verified that. He said he used the K-8 research I had collected in the February 2012 posting (<a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2012/02/separate-middle-schools-vs-k-8.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2012/02/separate-middle-schools-vs-k-8.html</a>) in designing his schools on the k-8 feeder pattern model. He was very thankful. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">I wish DISD was more actively working toward a Pk-8 centered configuration for all feeder patterns such as ILT. <b>Without that, the Eddie Congers of the world will fragment and take over Dallas education, and students will not gain!</b> (<a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2012/02/why-dallas-should-say-no-thanks-to.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2012/02/why-dallas-should-say-no-thanks-to.html</a>) <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">I am here to speak against the District of Innovation model. Please do not waste valuable board time in this consideration. Mike Morath was correct when he said that not enough time is spent in board meetings discussing student achievement. DOI is not an alternative that any research shows will help student achievement. (See more on this at <a href="https://www.atpe.org/en/DOI" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">https://www.atpe.org/en/DOI</a> and <a href="http://kut.org/post/why-are-some-central-texas-schools-resistant-districts-innovation" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">http://kut.org/post/why-are-some-central-texas-schools-resistant-districts-innovation</a>) DOI is only 18 months old! Even the two changes DISD is considering with this DOI proposal have no research to back them up. Plus, they are changes to standards that all 1,200 districts in Texas are working under. If they are truly valuable changes, this needs research, and then a statewide legislative change.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Now to invest time on student achievement. You know I have been working for over 12 years with the Time Capsule Project. The two oldest Time Capsule Project middle schools now have the highest SEI average over the past three years of all 31 DISD middle schools. The next 5 Time Capsule Project schools over 3 years old have gained an average of 6.7 points in their SEI during those last three years. The remaining 24 middle schools in DISD have seen their average SEI <b>fall 0.7 of a point</b> during these same three years. Are we a data-centered district? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">This project to date has cost DISD nothing beyond paper, pencil, and postage. The vaults were all donated. It is easy to find such donors.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">We have struggled since 2009 trying to get parents to write a letter to their child about their dreams for them. This has resulted in priceless letters, but they are written to only about 30% of students. This past May, instead of a letter from the principal, we experimented with students writing these request letters to their parents asking for that priceless letter back themselves about their parents dreams for them. The results were dramatic! In several classes as many as 85% of parents responded! Numbers almost tripled! Parents responded directly to their children!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">(See documentation in recent blogs below.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 13.2px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Since May it has been recommended to all 11 Time Capsule Project schools to expanded to all grades writing letters each year. Year old letters are returned each year to be read before new letters are written. Only the letters written in the final grade of a school (5th, 8th or 12th) are letters planning 10 years into the future, and are the only letters that remain in the vault a decade. Now Time Capsule Projects are starting in elementary schools. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">With these improvements, and that significantly higher level of parental involvement annually, the SEI scores will rise much more rapidly at the 5 additional Time Capsule Project Schools now in development, as well as the 11 other already high performing Time Capsule Project Schools. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">This is how we need to spend more of our time at DISD Board meetings, not in discussing things like Home Rule and DOI! </span></div>
Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-47598667764110835802016-11-14T11:04:00.000-06:002018-11-09T17:09:24.461-06:00Time Capsule Project Achievements Since 2005 - a focus on the future!<div style="margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; text-align: left;">
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</div>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "rockwell condensed" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The oldest Time Capsule Project DISD middle schools (Quintanilla
2005 & Greiner 2009) now have the highest 3-year average SEI* scores of all
31 DISD middle schools! </span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "rockwell condensed" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The 5 middle
schools with newer Time Capsule Projects have achieved an average 3-year SEI
gain of 6.7 points per school! </span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "rockwell condensed" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The 24
middle schools with no Time Capsule Project suffered an average 3-year SEI loss
of 0.7 points during the same years. </span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "rockwell condensed" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sunset, with the oldest high school Time Capsule Project, has now changed
one of the worst DISD graduation rates a decade ago into the highest of all 22 non-magnet
high schools! (Calculated as the balance between 9th grade size and number of diplomas given within 4 years without corrections allowed in state calculations.)</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "rockwell condensed" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">See charts & details in October 2016 blogs at </span></b><a href="http://www.studentmotivation.org/"><span style="font-family: "rockwell condensed" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">www.StudentMotivation.org</span></a><b><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "rockwell condensed" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">.</span></b></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "rockwell condensed" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Annual goal-focused letter writing is
now recommended for all grades in Time Capsule Project schools. It is also
recommended that the request for parents to write a letter about their dreams
for their child come directly from the student in a personal letter. This was
first done in May 2016 with the result that the old 30% parental response rate almost
tripled! As many as 85% of parents responded with a potentially priceless
letter to their child. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "rockwell condensed" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The third Quintanilla 10-year reunion
will be this year, scheduled as planned before Career Day. The 8<sup>th</sup> grade class of 2007 will
return to pick up their 2007 letters in time for volunteers to be secured for Career
Day. Eighth grade students were told a decade ago to be prepared to give such
talks. They speak with current students on Career Day about life after middle
school, their employment and preparation for it, and what they would do
differently if they could be 13 once again. Is it easy to understand why the
SEI is rising? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "rockwell condensed" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">*</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "rockwell condensed" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> “School Effectiveness Indices (SEI’s) are Dallas ISD's value-added
measure of the academic performance of a school's students. The SEI model is an
alternative to evaluating school performance with absolute measures such as
passing rates. SEIs are a fairer method for determining a school's effect on
student performance because they take into consideration known factors over
which school personnel have no control, such as socio-economic status, language
proficiency, and gender.” <br /> From </span><span style="font-family: "rockwell condensed" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://mydata.dallasisd.org/SL/SD/SEI/Default.jsp"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">https://mydata.dallasisd.org/SL/SD/SEI/Default.jsp</span></a></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "rockwell condensed" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> with 18 years SEI data by school.</span><span style="font-family: "rockwell condensed" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5lHWa2OGhGjDjMZeFTPEX9AbiyqNJyG9uQboKZusv5xesm1gUgOai4GLPkpzICVlmka0XoBdyFynGayBXJRWGm23LWtzVOThacPBf4DYDSHqgUftugMOZ8eQy6sY5spi4dHOTW0a40g/s1600/09-18-16Cartoonandvault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5lHWa2OGhGjDjMZeFTPEX9AbiyqNJyG9uQboKZusv5xesm1gUgOai4GLPkpzICVlmka0XoBdyFynGayBXJRWGm23LWtzVOThacPBf4DYDSHqgUftugMOZ8eQy6sY5spi4dHOTW0a40g/s640/09-18-16Cartoonandvault.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-60655755408912129402016-11-07T17:59:00.000-06:002017-02-06T17:21:32.089-06:00Review of 2014 & 2015 Texas Education Agency Snapshot Data for Texas Charter Schools compared with ISD’s<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 107%;">This review uses
data from the Texas Education Agency Snapshot pages for 2014 and 2015, online
at </span><a href="http://tea.texas.gov/perfreport/snapshot/index.html"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">http://tea.texas.gov/perfreport/snapshot/index.html</span></a><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 107%;">. This data is inserted below in three three-pages
containing all 98 data items from each year for all charter schools and ISD’s
in Texas, and for Dallas ISD, for these years. Items that are identified as
more significant have an “X” to the far right.
Here are some of the more critical items. They are identified with the number in the
far left-hand column of the spreadsheets, starting with page 1 below.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Items 3
through 16 cover basic demographic information. While economically
handicapped minority students are over represented in charter schools, items 6
and 11, this is mainly due to the fact that charters collect in urban, high poverty areas. Within those urban areas they focus on areas like District 6 here in southwest Dallas where about 50% of school attendance is in charter schools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Items 18, 19
and 20 indicate that the <b>charter dropout
rate is over three times that for ISD’s while charter graduation rates are
between 20 and 30 percentage points worse than ISD’s.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
percentage of charter students passing all statewide tests, item 23, remains
about 2 percentage points lower than in ISD’s in Texas.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVZDN-mYCcyHOkfSfN2p8bqtUT_wk6lLdSrtJSzgc5rAnIpfnONWLDhN89tz6EVOoDwjDlg42vUOCgKKIzY-LIcemSOg8kaCAKCqyTxy-WXudZvjISpSLDFIq7m78PtlTHT9G8O8TafQ/s1600/Snapshot2014-15items2-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVZDN-mYCcyHOkfSfN2p8bqtUT_wk6lLdSrtJSzgc5rAnIpfnONWLDhN89tz6EVOoDwjDlg42vUOCgKKIzY-LIcemSOg8kaCAKCqyTxy-WXudZvjISpSLDFIq7m78PtlTHT9G8O8TafQ/s640/Snapshot2014-15items2-35.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Page 1 summary Texas Education Agency Snapshot Data for years 2014 & 2015 with Dallas ISD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 13pt;">On page 2 below,
item 36 indicates a positive trend in charter school of higher percentages of
children classified as economically disadvantaged & passing all statewide
tests.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Items 37
through 40 indicate that while between 17 and 20 percent less charter school
students are taking either ACT or SAT tests, this select group is still testing
below the ISD students for Texas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Items 43 and
44 indicate that charter schools invest about twice as much in administrative
and leadership positions in their schools.
Item 46 indicates they spend over 5% less in teachers. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Item 52 shows
that the average charter teacher salary is $6,000 less than the average ISD
teacher salary while the charter teacher has an average of between 1 and 2 more
students in each charter class, item 55.
Items 56 and 57 show ISD teachers have over twice the average teaching
experience of a charter teacher and less than half the turnover.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIolkmzC1vi8OwTAdkmOcm5SLGKCZuNxqzrh_Gg1fk-nT3o7S1zCFKL5_6XL4zUhg-PzC1eP83FL7ttRn6b9AmKga1zlpMadkm97Ds2y2dedjzHwl1cBXmj_oDYHyEtwjOP_4plWChT0/s1600/Snapshot2014-15items36-67.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIolkmzC1vi8OwTAdkmOcm5SLGKCZuNxqzrh_Gg1fk-nT3o7S1zCFKL5_6XL4zUhg-PzC1eP83FL7ttRn6b9AmKga1zlpMadkm97Ds2y2dedjzHwl1cBXmj_oDYHyEtwjOP_4plWChT0/s640/Snapshot2014-15items36-67.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Page 2 summary Texas Education Agency Snapshot Data for years 2014 & 2015 with Dallas ISD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On page 3 below,
items 81 through 85 show again how more money is invested in charter
administration, leadership, and building expenses and less in charter school
instruction. This distribution
apparently varies state to state. In
Massachusetts, this is apparently not true based on the 11-6-16 article
“Schools That Work” posted in the NY Times about Boston charter schools. This article by David Lionhardt stated that Boston
charter schools “devote more of the resources to classroom teaching and less to
almost everything else.” If that is
true, it is the opposite of charter schools in Texas. (<b>I wrote on 11-7-16 to Massachusetts education staff asking for similar data from
their state to compare charter funding of classroom instruction in
Massachusetts. No response received as of 12-10-16.)</b><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcaxOAYzeCobDMqzQdW6NYM9NlxnvpJorDDOYfOyNfpQ4_BBFUaFXQVyfiGnxoj91NNhSnLu5L18KaaTGdmGm5yHNJ37trDgHpeYZIz9GaEh0c-Q1nqtCEcd0Wo_62t9auHg2ZjaWn9Y/s1600/Snapshot2014-15items68-98.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcaxOAYzeCobDMqzQdW6NYM9NlxnvpJorDDOYfOyNfpQ4_BBFUaFXQVyfiGnxoj91NNhSnLu5L18KaaTGdmGm5yHNJ37trDgHpeYZIz9GaEh0c-Q1nqtCEcd0Wo_62t9auHg2ZjaWn9Y/s640/Snapshot2014-15items68-98.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Page 3 summary Texas Education Agency Snapshot Data for years 2014 & 2015 with Dallas ISD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">This fast review only starts a conversation
about the 98 TEA Snapshot data items for 2014 and 2015. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
<br />
11-7-16, Bill Betzen</span>Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-9966564699112926572016-10-26T23:51:00.001-05:002016-10-27T07:35:50.584-05:00Dallas ISD dropout indicators as of 10-01-16 enrollmentThis is a chart of the 22 Comprehensive High School in Dallas ISD and their enrollment by grade as of 10-1-16. The balance between 9th grade enrollment and 12th grade enrollment is a general indicator of the dropout numbers that each school will be enduring. <b>Sunset is the best in DISD by over 10 percentage points!</b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnsfA_69X7RGL75beYyhQ29pVCZDdgvkmxrxZrGjWVfguz-7AutlYz1_UnlSheh4CxApRz5nYcSyXfrICN5RqgHEZwFll3HglbWIJxlbnSrdUr1UEqxwu2UtF6dSwCRuIWKde3Pfd8gw/s1600/10-1-16enrollmentdropoutindicators.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnsfA_69X7RGL75beYyhQ29pVCZDdgvkmxrxZrGjWVfguz-7AutlYz1_UnlSheh4CxApRz5nYcSyXfrICN5RqgHEZwFll3HglbWIJxlbnSrdUr1UEqxwu2UtF6dSwCRuIWKde3Pfd8gw/s640/10-1-16enrollmentdropoutindicators.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dallas ISD Comprehensive High Schools enrollment by grade as of 10-1-16 and dropout indicators.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The position of Sunset at the top of this chart is a reflection of 12 years active work in the Time Capsule Project and a reflection of the fact that Sunset receives most of their students from Quintanilla who started the Time Capsule Project in 2005, and Greiner Middle School who started their Time Capsule Project with Sunset in 2010.<br />
<br />
The above statements still need to be researched. There are multiple other variables that can also, and probably did, account for this monumental progress at Sunset. Sunset used to be one of the highest dropout rate high schools in all of DISD.<br />
<br />
To provide a little history on Sunset, here is a chart covering the decade of enrollments and graduations before 2012 at Sunset. Notice the imbalance in enrollment that was slowly disappearing with the onset of more future planning students:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPPGIyO-mWDQFg7cG9qj3ygWDzzrghafME99glB_BjKAlxyd7-yhgr5QgER7kGOkyU1OV2tHy1BinukJYrSxQaShFHSqWPKKWvHT90hqVjHjbUm8zfOnitGO0QT3FXS7b2edrpBfR22Y/s1600/SunsetHighSchoolEnrollment1997-2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPPGIyO-mWDQFg7cG9qj3ygWDzzrghafME99glB_BjKAlxyd7-yhgr5QgER7kGOkyU1OV2tHy1BinukJYrSxQaShFHSqWPKKWvHT90hqVjHjbUm8zfOnitGO0QT3FXS7b2edrpBfR22Y/s640/SunsetHighSchoolEnrollment1997-2011.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sunset High School enrollment by grade history from 1997 to 2011</span></td></tr>
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Notice how the balance between 12th grade enrollment and 9th grade enrollment began to balance once the Time Capsule Project students began entering Sunset in 2005. The changes started the next year as a higher percentage of 9th graders when on to the 10th grade, a percentage that increased almost every year from that time forward. That is the power of students having once written serious plans for their own future. Now we recommend such student writing happen every year in Language Arts classes in every grade. Just once a year is enough. <br />
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Sunset installed their own vault the summer of 2009 along with Greiner. Here is a history of Sunset's graduation rates back in these early days of the Time Capsule Project:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eyMUfZcem84IJY_kpHgxDljW2kQq8usZjzovd85QbZkc1iVVr3lxQJXI027-Pb6ppVXkto0vVp5N_a2LIfPb0s9rXLdupCHBxnmD3fsj5gjWB0zysT4pMr3giQ-hYXl2PAxVOtDnT-Q/s1600/ChartwithoutSunseta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eyMUfZcem84IJY_kpHgxDljW2kQq8usZjzovd85QbZkc1iVVr3lxQJXI027-Pb6ppVXkto0vVp5N_a2LIfPb0s9rXLdupCHBxnmD3fsj5gjWB0zysT4pMr3giQ-hYXl2PAxVOtDnT-Q/s640/ChartwithoutSunseta.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sunset High School & DISD Graduation Rates Compared from 2000 to 2010.</div>
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Principal Tony Tovar came to Sunset in 2005, same year Time Capsule Project started at Quintanilla.</div>
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The progress at Sunset continues to this day! More improvement is needed even when you are on top.Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-9861995623476482382016-10-15T12:08:00.000-05:002016-12-08T10:39:59.231-06:00School Effectiveness Indices over 3 years & DISD Time Capsule SchoolsThe 11 Time Capsule Project Schools serving over 15,000 Dallas ISD students are the most rapidly improving schools in the district. <br />
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It is clearly documented that the 8 Time Capsule Project middle schools have the most consistently improving School Effectiveness Indices (SEI) scores of all 31 Dallas ISD middle schools!<br />
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Dallas ISD has a 14 year collection of priceless school achievement data in the School Effectiveness Indices (SEI) database, online at <a href="https://mydata.dallasisd.org/SL/SD/SEI/Default.jsp">https://mydata.dallasisd.org/SL/SD/SEI/Default.jsp</a> . The SEI is a measure of how much students are improving during their years at a school. It is one of the most valuable education measurement available in school district management. Magnet schools do not necessarily have the highest SEI scores as the students who enter them are already achieving at a high level. Record setting progress beyond that is a challenge. <br />
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Below is a chart of the most recent three years of SEI scores for all 31 non-magnet DISD Middle Schools. The 7 schools with Time Capsule Projects are highlighted in yellow. All 31 schools are listed in order starting with the highest most recent SEI score. The three year average is also given with the ranking by that average given.<br />
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<b>The two schools with the oldest Time Capsule Projects have the highest average 3 year SEI scores of any middle schools in DISD. Since they were already achieving high SEI scores three years ago, their rise has slowed down. The 5 newest Time Capsule Project schools which started three years ago with an average SEI of only 42.8, are improving rapidly to catch up with the two more tenured Time Capsule Project schools. They have improved an average of 6.7 points over the past 3 years! The rest of the 24 non-Time-Capsule-Project schools reflect no such progress as a group. They have lost an average of 0.7 points during the last 3 years. </b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dallas ISD Time Capsule Project Middle Schools compared with normal Middle Schools on SEI</span></td></tr>
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(Since Rosemont was the newest middle school, and has a relatively small student body compared to the other schools, it was not included in this listing.)</div>
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<b>The above chart is about improved SEI due to only having 8th graders write letters planning their futures. Many improvements have happened within the past 6 months! </b><br />
This year each of these schools began to have all three grades of students writing letters each year to practice and improve their letters year to year, building toward the 8th grade letters that stay in the schools time capsule for a decade.<br />
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In addition, now students have one additional writing project that starts off the project each year. They personally write a persuasive letter to their parents asking for a letter back about their parent's dreams for them. This change both prepares the students to receive their parents thoughts back on this central issue and replaces a letter from the teacher or principal. It has more than doubled the percentage of parents who write a letter to their child about their dreams for them. <b>Now as many as 85% of parents are writing letters to their child!</b><br />
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Next year all 7th and 8th grade students, and their parents, will receive back the letters they wrote this year to read before new letters are written. The quality of the letters being written will hopefully continue to improve.<br />
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With this increased focus on the future, and planning by both parents and students every year, the schools SEI scores will continue to rise. <b>None of these improvements are reflected in the above SEI scores. </b>The SEI scores should continue to improve as these changes become normal annual events in Time Capsule Project schools.<br />
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<b>At this time one elementary school is planning to apply such a future planning system to their language arts writing projects, storing the letters in a vault they have in the school.</b><br />
<br />Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-23084856676246834542016-10-11T23:16:00.001-05:002016-10-15T11:30:10.116-05:00Increasing Student Resilience with a Time Capsule Project As students know they can, and will, and must, know how to change, they become more resilient. That was underlined in an article in today's Dallas Morning News, page 1 of the Arts and Life Section. The article was by Jan Hoffman, titled "Cultivating resilience," and was originally published in the New York Times. See it at <a href="http://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-dallas-morning-news/20161011/282776356051915" target="_blank">http://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-dallas-morning-news/20161011/282776356051915 </a><br />
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The message is simple. <br />
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As students in the active Time Capsule Project schools read letters from their parents about their parental dreams for them, and then have written their own plans for the future, and then re-reading those plans the next year before writing new ones, annually modifying the old plans, they develop the ability to change. They see the ability to change. They understand it is good. They understand it is normal. The most critical component to resilience is reinforced.<br />
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<br />Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-8304473890659538252016-09-08T17:32:00.002-05:002016-10-08T22:29:41.490-05:00Dallas ISD Achievement Gains - Constant Improvement<div style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18.48px; margin: 0in;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;">The School Archive Project started in 2005. This note was posted in a December 2005 national school newsletter:</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmw8Adk-cx4-yH6kCwp717_XMnOlLqeMQJXW3E8jL51N86YislrbRb_x7ail0clmusZm9Eyvfq_YANM6h7B3D5HTsB_vJi7T-zopfn-m50XE0Tu5Z4cQmJ3wn8F2m-HH4tTaWeVJms4s/s1600/2005BetterTeachingCartoononProject.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmw8Adk-cx4-yH6kCwp717_XMnOlLqeMQJXW3E8jL51N86YislrbRb_x7ail0clmusZm9Eyvfq_YANM6h7B3D5HTsB_vJi7T-zopfn-m50XE0Tu5Z4cQmJ3wn8F2m-HH4tTaWeVJms4s/s640/2005BetterTeachingCartoononProject.jpg" width="624" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;">Once Quintanilla 8th graders started planning 10-years into their futures, graduation rates at Sunset High School, where most students attend, began a steady rise from 33% in 2006 to over 70% by 2013. By 2009 the Sunset Principal had noticed the differences in Quintanilla students and started the Sunset Time-Capsule Project. That same year a teacher at Greiner Middle School had read about the project and started the Greiner Time-Capsule Project. There are now 11 DISD schools in 2016 with active Time-Capsule Projects. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">In the process to name "School Archive Project" changed into a more descriptive "School Time-Capsule Project" name.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;">Also in 2009 a Quintanilla Language Arts Teacher, Ms. Thomas, had the idea of asking parents to start the process with a letter to their child about their dreams for their child. A letter was sent from the principal to 8th grade parents asking for such letters to the students. That priceless parental letter was read by the child before they wrote their time-capsule letter, and was then placed with their child's letter into the vault for a decade. That started a very positive process that continues to this day. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;">Sadly, in the years that followed not all schools were able to get letters written each year. Also, with the addition of parental letters, only 30% of parents on average would write such potentially priceless letters. That low response rate continued until 2016. That is when the Language Arts Coach at Quintanilla, Ms. Lincoln, had the idea of having students themselves write a letter to their parents asking for that valuable letter back. This idea was great! The results were parental response rates as high as 85%! </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;">Quintanilla had already achieved the highest <a href="https://mydata.dallasisd.org/SL/SD/SEI/Default.jsp" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">School Effectiveness Index (SEI)</a> of all 35 middle schools in Dallas ISD by 2014/15. Since that achievement the 10-year class-reunions have started with the first one in May of 2015. With the 2016 Class reunion the tradition of returning students speaking with current students was started with very positive results. Also in 2016, not only was the parental response rate more than doubled, but this goal identification process and letter writing was spread to 6th and 7th grade students at Quintanilla, with plans for the updating of goals happening each year for all students and all parents. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;"><b>It is almost certain that the SEI for Quintanilla will continue going higher.</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;">Identified and updated goals affect motivation. That drives achievement. In the process almost all negative behaviors, including crime, gang involvement, and unplanned pregnancy, are lowered! </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 18.48px;">The goal from involving all grades is to expand the achievement gains to earlier grades while giving all students practice writing goal-centered letters. The quality of the final 8th grade letters will improve. The 8th grade letters are the letters that will remain in the Time-Capsule for a decade.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;">Students also </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;">ask in their request letter to their parents for one story from their family history to be included in the letter from their parents. It should be a story the parent wants to be passed on to their grandchildren, an important piece of their family history. Parents and grandparents have lived critical years in U.S. History. Where were they when critical events happened in U.S. History? Such stories help a child realize their own place in U.S. History.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">The resulting parental letters should be immediately shared at home by parents with their child. They should be studied by the students at home so any questions can be answered by parents. This will often lead to valuable family discussions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Then these parental/relative letters are brought to school and used in Language Arts Class to give ideas to students as they write letters to themselves about their own plans for the future.<o:p></o:p></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Parents and/or relatives should be prepared to write such letters to their child every year from 6<sup>th</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>through 12<sup>th</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>grade, until their child graduates from high school. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;">A child changes greatly in just one year. Each letter will be different. Each letter will contain a different story from the family history. The more a child knows about their family history, both painful stories and wonderfully positive stories, the better. It all helps ground a child in a valuable personal heritage providing a solid foundation for life, and for school work needed to better prepare for life. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">A written record is being created.<o:p></o:p></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">All the letters for each child (more than one relative can write a letter) are placed together into one self-addressed envelope for each student, along with the student's own letter to themselves. This valuable envelope is then stored in the school time-capsule, a 500-pound vault bolted to the floor in a prominent place in the school lobby.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">The vault is not necessary if teachers have other ways of storing such priceless letters. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 18px;">If parents immediately see how priceless these letters are, they can certainly ask to keep the letter at home and only send photocopies to school to place inside their child's time-capsule envelope. Or a photo copy can be kept at home with the original in the vault. Such requests are </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">certainly understandable regarding these valuable letters.</span><span style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Each year the letters from the previous year are returned to the child and their parents for use in preparing to write new letters. Reading of previous letters will help improve the 8th and 12th grade letters that are </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">written with plans for 10 years into the future. The 8th and 12th grade letters remain in the middle school and high school time-capsules for a decade. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">A student can also choose to collect all the letters from each year leading up to the 10-year letter so all can be placed together into that one final envelope, the one kept secure in the vault for a decade. It is a potentially powerful record of the evolution of life plans during middle and high school years. (This is why the vault should be at least as large as having 26 cubic feet of interior space.)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Students must know that upon their return in 10 years to get back their letters they will also be invited to speak with current students about their recommendations for success. Such priceless mentoring has already started at Quintanilla Middle School with the reunions now happening every year. It is an event that will be making the future ever more real for Quintanilla students. Achievement at Quintanilla will continue to improve.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Imagine how powerful high school 10-year reunions will be as students read their letters, and their parents letters, once again. Most important, imagine the power of what these former students can say to students sitting in the same seats they were in a decade earlier!<o:p></o:p></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">These are the plans working within the School Time-Capsule Project as of Fall of 2016. We are now planning the third 10-year reunion at Quintanilla Middle School this April or May for the 8th grade class of 2007.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Here are links to the most recent <a href="https://mydata.dallasisd.org/SL/SD/SEI/Default.jsp" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">School Effectiveness Index (SEI)</a> for Quintanilla, the highest of all 35 middle schools in Dallas ISD! The chart below was made from the listing of all SEI scores for middle schools in DISD found in the DISD Data Portal at </b></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="https://mydata.dallasisd.org/docs/SEI/SEI1415/201415_SEI_REPORT_LIST_no_div.pdf" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">https://mydata.dallasisd.org/docs/SEI/SEI1415/201415_SEI_REPORT_LIST_no_div.pdf</a> </b></span></span></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR2Hz5YzqQJMpGgnuYlLuA9A9V_BOPoPNNUrp_-66hqnAxkaJaiU9Z_isu-dQqTiioiD14YKktzPgAvppDzESOD7Ujx3fNlxFTPjv82-9lc2CQM3pU9Ja_uTWeECJ_7aaU9PO8Kv3_ZY/s1600/2013-14-15_SEI_Report_DISD_LIST_Middle_Schools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR2Hz5YzqQJMpGgnuYlLuA9A9V_BOPoPNNUrp_-66hqnAxkaJaiU9Z_isu-dQqTiioiD14YKktzPgAvppDzESOD7Ujx3fNlxFTPjv82-9lc2CQM3pU9Ja_uTWeECJ_7aaU9PO8Kv3_ZY/s640/2013-14-15_SEI_Report_DISD_LIST_Middle_Schools.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="602" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">School Effectiveness Indices (SEI) details and history are online at https://mydata.dallasisd.org/SL/SD/SEI/Default.jsp</span> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">These achievements happened in spite of the 96 percent poverty rate for Quintanilla students, which places Quintanilla within the most poverty stricken third of all middle schools in Dallas ISD! In addition, discipline problems and pregnancy rates at Quintanilla have dropped dramatically since 2006. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The best birth control is active personal planning for the future!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Again, this year was the first year that all students from all three grades wrote letters for the Quintanilla Time-Capsule. It used to be only an 8th grade activity, but Quintanilla wants to raise their record SEI score even higher than the 59.3 in the above chart. This change will intensify the focus on a future grounded in family heritage for all students in all grades. With the return of the previous year's letters it should help lead to improved letter writing and planning in the 7th and 8th grades. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Quintanilla will stay on top with the highest SEI unless the other 7 middle schools who have their own Time-Capsule Projects continue to have an increasingly active and ever more effective future focus with all of their students as well. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">This is the best competition possible for Dallas ISD students!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">A shortened report on the project was published in the Dallas Morning News on Ocober 4, 2016. It is found at <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2016/10/03/letter-writing-campaign-boosted-quintanilla-middle-schools-scores">http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2016/10/03/letter-writing-campaign-boosted-quintanilla-middle-schools-scores</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;">************ </span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;">Technical Notes **************</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">1) Addressing of the envelopes to contain these valuable letters is critical. It is recommended the envelopes be addressed first, before the letters are written. Thus teachers will have time to walk around checking each of the envelopes to verify that the address form is correct with all needed information. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">2) Envelope information includes the schools return address with the date and grade in school for the student above the schools' return address. The date the letter is written is critical as is the grade the student is in. You do NOT want letters getting mixed up with other classes. Next, be as certain as possible that address is correct and complete. Email addresses and cell phone numbers should be included to help in locating students if they move. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">3) The envelopes for the 10-year letters need to have students place on the back side of the envelope two additional addresses of relatives or friends to help in their being located in 10-years, along with phone numbers and email addresses for these two people. We want to be able to locate students in 10-years to return their letters, which remain in the library for at least one additional decade to be picked up, with proper ID. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">4) To help students collect all of the above mentioned envelope information you may want to send a blank form home to help the student. They can then have all the address information recorded in one place to bring it back to school.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">5) The vaults we have been using in Dallas ISD since 2005 are 520 pound vaults with about 26 cubic feet inside. They each serve schools of about 1,000 to 2,000 students. We now have 11 schools. <b>The initial 2005 vault was only 16 cubic feet and is now jammed full of letters with all 10 shelves full. It is proving to have been too small due to above recommendations to now have letters written by all three grades each year. There is no space for the extra letters these two overlapping years. It should have been a 26 cubic foot vault. It needs to be replaced with a new vault.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">6) The best location for the vault is in the highest visibility location possible,<b>a place of respect, where the most students will pass it each day.</b> Our first vault we bolted to the floor inside a closet in the wall with a glass door. I now think that was a mistake and minimizes vault visibility too much. Vandalism fears have been unfounded. Since 2009 an additional 10 vaults have been installed and there has never been vandalism other than stealing of the knobs to the vault. That problem is solved with superglue being used to seal the knobs to the vault permanently. It is best to have the vault out in the open and very visible. The practice of bolting vaults to the floor in one permanent location has continued, but that remains a school decision. The more students see the vault and are reminded of the contents inside, and the letters from their mother or father or relatives, the better. It appears that a respect for the vault develops in each school as the contents become well known. The goal is to reinforce a focus on the future and increase the number of opportunities that exist for parents, teachers, and students to discuss plans for the future. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">Bill Betzen<br />9-8-2016</span></div>
Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-88983088099339238622016-07-12T11:52:00.001-05:002016-07-12T16:48:08.445-05:00Failure to admit cause for Civil War, & ongoing cost for that failure.<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Sons of Confederate Veterans are having
their national convention this week in Richardson, an excellent opportunity for
exploring U.S. History. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Most Confederate Monuments were erected,
and Confederate names given to buildings, over 60 years after the Civil War. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">More significantly, the monuments and Confederate names only began to appear in greater numbers a decade after the founding of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It would suggest that the naming and
raising of monuments was associated with active work to defend “separate
but equal” and segregation. It ended by 1960 with few if any such monuments, or Confederate
names given to buildings, after the end of the 1950’s. Even though the legal foundation was laid with the Brown v Board of Education 20 years earlier, the last major city to legally
integrate all schools was Dallas in 1976. The reason for Confederate names and
monuments was gone long before 1976, but the failure to discuss and admit the reason for the Civil War has continued to this day at great cost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The attempt to create a sanitized
history of the motivation behind the Civil War was universal across the
south. The large majority of slaves were
owned by less than 2% of the wealthiest citizens of the south who were the
major architects of the Civil War. That justification for the war disappeared
after the war. “States’ Rights” were fabricated as the central cause. This
happened in spite of the ample historical documentation, most recently recorded
in the 2015 book <b>“</b></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>The Myth of the Lost Cause: Why the South Fought the Civil War and Why
the North Won,”</b></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 107%;"> by Edward
H. Bonekemper III.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">There is little doubt that this sudden appearance of Confederate
names and monuments across the south, especially during the final 30 years
before “separate but equal” was declared illegal, was only another method used by
those fighting to keep “separate but equal” required by law. What else would
explain this 30-year focus on the resurrection of Confederate names and
memorials, then suddenly it was stopped?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Sons of
Confederate Veterans Convention this week is an opportunity to revisit critical
U.S. History. If there is agreement as
to the true main causes of the Civil War, we will have taken a first step
toward a peaceful resolution of the agony now being faced in our streets. It is no accident that those who are fighting against groups such as Black Lives Matter are also groups who erect monuments like this:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieI2srqA5yCsmgmsPWqlWG7bDjOXwoEsS7p5JWXSGnSFkhw7_5L0bunrYYJ6Uw9hDKod_QZZ9r0Ne3SuF-2vZw6Ix3bafW-Zoo1-7w8cZ6-__qsO-qMv57EMlzemvuDVFV7-5bDIilkh4/s1600/SonsofConfederateVeterans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieI2srqA5yCsmgmsPWqlWG7bDjOXwoEsS7p5JWXSGnSFkhw7_5L0bunrYYJ6Uw9hDKod_QZZ9r0Ne3SuF-2vZw6Ix3bafW-Zoo1-7w8cZ6-__qsO-qMv57EMlzemvuDVFV7-5bDIilkh4/s640/SonsofConfederateVeterans.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Here is a
review of “The Myth of the Lost Cause” that helps shed light on this history
that is part of today’s battle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">== review
from </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Lost-Cause-South-Fought/dp/1621574547"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Lost-Cause-South-Fought/dp/1621574547</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> ===<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #111111; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A
July 5th Washington Post article this year quoted Patricia Hardy, a member of
the State Board of Education in Texas, as stating that slavery was a “side
issue to the Civil War. There would be those who would say the reason for the
Civil War was over slavery. No. It was over states’ rights.”</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Ms. Hardy should read Ed Bonekemper’s latest
book, "The Myth of the Lost Cause." In this, his sixth Civil War
book, which is perhaps his finest, Mr. Bonekemper uses his gifts as both an
historian and a lawyer to shred revisionist history that has tried to sanitize
the reasons Southern states seceded from the Union. Mr. Bonekemper’s research
is thorough; his arguments are compelling. The high percentage of slaves
compared with the total population in the seceding states (57 percent in South
Carolina) and the high percentage of slave-holding families in those states (49
percent in Mississippi) are strong indicators of the importance of slavery in
the decisions of these states to leave the Union. The reader is provided with
the actual language from the declarations at the state secession conventions.
Mississippi got right to the point: “Our position is thoroughly identified with
the institution of slavery.” At that time, the issue of states’ rights was not
on the agenda of the seceding states; Southerners were dissatisfied instead
with the Northern exercise of their states’ rights – failing to return fugitive
slaves in accordance with the Constitution and Federal law! Additionally, the
South’s rejection of the use of slaves as soldiers and the South’s failure to
promise to end slavery to gain the diplomatic support of Britain and France
demonstrated that the independence of the Confederacy was a lessor priority
than the preservation of slavery. It is clear that the only states’ right the
Southern states were interested in was the right to maintain slavery.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">I agree with one reviewer’s assessment that the
first 95 pages alone are worth the price of the book. After refuting the
states’ rights myth, the author refutes other popularly held beliefs: (1) the
Confederacy had no chance to win the war; (2) Robert E. Lee was one of
history’s greatest generals; (3) General Longstreet, not Lee, was responsible
for the Confederacy’s loss at Gettysburg; (4) Ulysses S. Grant was a “butcher”
who won the war with superior numbers and brutality; and (5) the North won
because it waged total war against the South. Mr. Bonekemper explains that the
allegation that the North won by waging total war is a myth, because it fails
to distinguish between “hard war,” which involves the destruction of enemy
armies and property, and “total war,” which adds the deliberate and systematic
killing and rape of civilians. As the author demonstrates, unlimited,
large-scale attacks on civilians are absent from the Civil War.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">There are two reviewers who inexplicably gave
this extraordinary book only one star. One reviewer said that the book was
intentionally deceptive, but he failed to say in what way. He further claimed
that the author omitted important facts, but he failed to clarify what these
were. It is questionable whether this reviewer even read the book, and I find
his unsupported conclusions to be a disservice to potential readers. Although
the second one-star reviewer did provide specific objections, they were either
irrelevant to the author’s points or they were factually incorrect. The
reviewer states that only 10 percent of whites were wealthy enough to own
slaves, even though a chart is provided showing that the percentage of
slave-owning families in the 11 states that seceded ranged from 25 to 49, with
the average being 31. Moreover, Mr. Bonekemper points out that fear of Negro
equality by Southern whites who were not slave owners helped to reinforce the
institution of slavery. This is an exceptional book, well written and
meticulously researched, and should be read by all who want to truly understand
the history of the Civil War. I challenge the State Board of Education in Texas
it to make "The Myth of the Lost Cause" part of its curriculum.</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrm_xtRviyGBiWKtUvmlbuR7LO7Yxy1wr0L6arZmYx5gAdZZTAnqZ2Y8SIN9hiwdZax-kGFucsmCwtMslfErXGBGvg32Xj7n2OG_yAiDa9TYpwgNG6O3kcYhL7psCjW3DuRyU0DRSI80/s1600/07-11-16MythoftheLostCause.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrm_xtRviyGBiWKtUvmlbuR7LO7Yxy1wr0L6arZmYx5gAdZZTAnqZ2Y8SIN9hiwdZax-kGFucsmCwtMslfErXGBGvg32Xj7n2OG_yAiDa9TYpwgNG6O3kcYhL7psCjW3DuRyU0DRSI80/s640/07-11-16MythoftheLostCause.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Myth of the Lost Cause by Edward H. Bonekemper, III</span></td></tr>
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Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-25316988319378825032016-06-27T14:59:00.002-05:002016-09-09T16:31:22.801-05:00Enrollment dropping - DISD staff claim otherwise 10-22-14<br />
<article class="fyre-comment-article fyre-comment-source-1" data-author-id="199623354@twitter.com" data-message-id="tweet-747070411452481537@twitter.com" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Comment" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(217, 217, 217); box-sizing: border-box; color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 16px 18px 0px; position: relative;"><div class="fyre-comment-wrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
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<header class="fyre-comment-head" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 0px;">A series of posts to <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20160216-talkdisd-an-open-ended-ongoing-discussion-of-all-things-dallas-isd-related.ece" target="_blank">http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20160216-talkdisd-an-open-ended-ongoing-discussion-of-all-things-dallas-isd-related.ece</a> agonize over dropping enrollment not reflected in DISD 2016/17 Budget. They also bemoan the 10-22-14 meeting where misleading information from DISD staff claiming enrollment over budget was used to get approval for $6.4 million for additional staff while that day the enrollment was 1,033 under budget and the official 2014/15 school year was recorded as being 1,268 below budget. </header><header class="fyre-comment-head" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 0px;"><br /></header><header class="fyre-comment-head" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 0px;">Sadly the video of the 10-22-14 meeting documenting this series of events, that was online a week ago, now cannot be located.</header><header class="fyre-comment-head" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 0px;"><br /></header><header class="fyre-comment-head" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 0px;">DISD now has a budget projecting an increase in student enrollment when Dallas County Birth records and the growing number of charter schools both indicate DISD enrollment will be going down again in 2016/17.</header><header class="fyre-comment-head" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 0px;"><br /></header><header class="fyre-comment-head" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 0px;">Following are these posts made to <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20160216-talkdisd-an-open-ended-ongoing-discussion-of-all-things-dallas-isd-related.ece" target="_blank">TALKDISD Blog</a>.</header><header class="fyre-comment-head" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 0px;"><br /></header><header class="fyre-comment-head" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 0px;"><span itemprop="author" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; cursor: pointer; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 15px; opacity: 0.825; outline: 5px; text-decoration: none;"><a class="fyre-comment-username" href="https://twitter.com/?_ga=1.177261286.272738358.1462409787#!/billbetzen" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; cursor: pointer; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 15px; opacity: 0.825; outline-offset: -2px; outline: -webkit-focus-ring-color auto 5px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Bill Betzen</a></span> <a class="fyre-twitter-handle" href="https://twitter.com/#!/billbetzen" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: 700; margin-right: 2px; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="fyre-user-level fyre-user-twitter" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 12px;">@billbetzen</span></a><a class="fyre-twitter-handle" href="https://twitter.com/#!/billbetzen" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: 700; margin-right: 2px; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a><a class="fyre-social-provider" href="https://twitter.com/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55acee; display: inline-block; font-family: "fycons-1.4.5" !important; line-height: inherit; opacity: 0.75; padding-left: 6px; speak: none; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: inherit;" target="_blank"><time class="fyre-comment-date" style="background: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #acaeb3; float: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; height: auto; line-height: 11px; margin-left: 0.3em; margin-top: 4px; padding: 0px;">26 Jun</time></a><span class="fyre-comment-archive" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><div class="fyre-comment-premod" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: -17px; position: absolute; right: 15px; z-index: 2;">
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<a class="fyre-hashtag" hashtag="talkdisd" href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/%23talkdisd" rel="tag" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: bold; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">#talkdisd</a> 44,414 births in 2007 remain Dallas County record. 2011, 2012, 2013 births stable, within 100 of 38,700. <a href="https://t.co/IUpj0gWl1I" rel="nofollow" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: bold; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/IUpj0gWl1I</a></div>
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<header class="fyre-comment-head" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 0px;"><a class="fyre-comment-username" href="https://twitter.com/#!/billbetzen" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; cursor: pointer; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 15px; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span itemprop="author" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Bill Betzen</span></a> <a class="fyre-twitter-handle" href="https://twitter.com/#!/billbetzen" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: 700; margin-right: 2px; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="fyre-user-level fyre-user-twitter" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 12px;">@billbetzen</span></a><a class="fyre-twitter-handle" href="https://twitter.com/#!/billbetzen" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: 700; margin-right: 2px; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a><a class="fyre-social-provider" href="https://twitter.com/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55acee; display: inline-block; font-family: "fycons-1.4.5" !important; line-height: inherit; opacity: 0.75; padding-left: 6px; speak: none; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: inherit;" target="_blank"><time class="fyre-comment-date" style="background: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #acaeb3; float: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; height: auto; line-height: 11px; margin-left: 0.3em; margin-top: 4px; padding: 0px;">26 Jun</time></a><span class="fyre-comment-archive" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><div class="fyre-comment-premod" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: -17px; position: absolute; right: 15px; z-index: 2;">
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Dropping Dallas County birth numbers & growing charter school numbers negate any planned growth in 2016/17 DISD enrollment. <a class="fyre-hashtag" hashtag="talkdisd" href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/%23talkdisd" rel="tag" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: bold; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">#talkdisd</a></div>
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</article><article class="fyre-comment-article fyre-comment-source-1" data-author-id="199623354@twitter.com" data-message-id="tweet-746856567291600896@twitter.com" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Comment" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(217, 217, 217); box-sizing: border-box; color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 16px 18px 0px; position: relative;"><div class="fyre-comment-wrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
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<header class="fyre-comment-head" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 0px;"><a class="fyre-comment-username" href="https://twitter.com/#!/billbetzen" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; cursor: pointer; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 15px; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span itemprop="author" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Bill Betzen</span></a> <a class="fyre-twitter-handle" href="https://twitter.com/#!/billbetzen" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: 700; margin-right: 2px; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="fyre-user-level fyre-user-twitter" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 12px;">@billbetzen</span></a><a class="fyre-twitter-handle" href="https://twitter.com/#!/billbetzen" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: 700; margin-right: 2px; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a><a class="fyre-social-provider" href="https://twitter.com/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55acee; display: inline-block; font-family: "fycons-1.4.5" !important; line-height: inherit; opacity: 0.75; padding-left: 6px; speak: none; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: inherit;" target="_blank"><time class="fyre-comment-date" style="background: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #acaeb3; float: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; height: auto; line-height: 11px; margin-left: 0.3em; margin-top: 4px; padding: 0px;">25 Jun</time></a><span class="fyre-comment-archive" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><div class="fyre-comment-premod" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: -17px; position: absolute; right: 15px; z-index: 2;">
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Staff who knowingly facilitated 10-22-14 incident are still with DISD except for the one who exposed 160,488 enrollment that day. <a class="fyre-hashtag" hashtag="talkdisd" href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/%23talkdisd" rel="tag" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: bold; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">#talkdisd</a></div>
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<header class="fyre-comment-head" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 0px;"><a class="fyre-comment-username" href="https://twitter.com/#!/billbetzen" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; cursor: pointer; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 15px; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span itemprop="author" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Bill Betzen</span></a> <a class="fyre-twitter-handle" href="https://twitter.com/#!/billbetzen" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: 700; margin-right: 2px; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="fyre-user-level fyre-user-twitter" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 12px;">@billbetzen</span></a><a class="fyre-twitter-handle" href="https://twitter.com/#!/billbetzen" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: 700; margin-right: 2px; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a><a class="fyre-social-provider" href="https://twitter.com/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55acee; display: inline-block; font-family: "fycons-1.4.5" !important; line-height: inherit; opacity: 0.75; padding-left: 6px; speak: none; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: inherit;" target="_blank"><time class="fyre-comment-date" style="background: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #acaeb3; float: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; height: auto; line-height: 11px; margin-left: 0.3em; margin-top: 4px; padding: 0px;">25 Jun</time></a><span class="fyre-comment-archive" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><div class="fyre-comment-premod" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: -17px; position: absolute; right: 15px; z-index: 2;">
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Official 2014/15 enrollment was 1,268 BELOW budget. $6.4 million needed for staff ABOVE budget? WHY? See <a href="https://t.co/uae4X3EHDx" rel="nofollow" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: bold; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2016/06/6-23-1…</a> <a class="fyre-hashtag" hashtag="talkdisd" href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/%23talkdisd" rel="tag" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: bold; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">#talkdisd</a></div>
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<header class="fyre-comment-head" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 0px;"><a class="fyre-comment-username" href="https://twitter.com/#!/billbetzen" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; cursor: pointer; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 15px; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span itemprop="author" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Bill Betzen</span></a> <a class="fyre-twitter-handle" href="https://twitter.com/#!/billbetzen" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: 700; margin-right: 2px; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="fyre-user-level fyre-user-twitter" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: grey; font-size: 12px;">@billbetzen</span></a><a class="fyre-twitter-handle" href="https://twitter.com/#!/billbetzen" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: 700; margin-right: 2px; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a><a class="fyre-social-provider" href="https://twitter.com/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55acee; display: inline-block; font-family: "fycons-1.4.5" !important; line-height: inherit; opacity: 0.75; padding-left: 6px; speak: none; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: inherit;" target="_blank"><time class="fyre-comment-date" style="background: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #acaeb3; float: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; height: auto; line-height: 11px; margin-left: 0.3em; margin-top: 4px; padding: 0px;">25 Jun</time></a><span class="fyre-comment-archive" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><div class="fyre-comment-premod" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: -17px; position: absolute; right: 15px; z-index: 2;">
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10-22-14 Miles requested $6.4 mil for 165 staff for enrollment above budget. Video shows 10-22-14 enrollment 1,034 below budget! <a class="fyre-hashtag" hashtag="talkdisd" href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/%23talkdisd" rel="tag" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: bold; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">#talkdisd</a></div>
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Is 10-22-14 DISD Board meeting video now removed due to testimony at 6-23-16 DISD Budget Hearing? <a class="fyre-hashtag" hashtag="talkdisd" href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/%23talkdisd" rel="tag" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: bold; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">#talkdisd</a> <a href="https://t.co/uae4X3EHDx" rel="nofollow" style="background: none; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f98ec; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: bold; opacity: 0.75; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2016/06/6-23-1…</a></div>
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</article>Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-82746230447010137622016-06-23T16:06:00.004-05:002016-06-23T16:12:12.202-05:0006-23-16 Board Testimony regarding 9400 North Central Expressway Purchase<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 9pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 16.5pt;">Items 9.13 and Item 10.2 relating to the new DISD Administrative
Headquarters at 9400 North Central Expressway</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 16.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">At the DISD School Board meeting on 4-28-16 the 8 trustees voted
5 to 3 to purchase a $46 million building at 9400 North Central Expressway as
Administrative Offices. Two of the yes-vote trustees are no longer on the
board. Now it appears this issue has
been pulled from today’s agenda. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">That is sad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">This current Central Headquarters is actually north of the DISD student
population center for DISD. The 9400
North Central Expressway location will simply be 6 miles more distant from most
DISD students and parents. DISD wants parents to get more involved, but is
moving 6 miles farther away from the large majority of parents. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">The original vote on this purchase was only made public within a
week of the board meeting. The only
testimony at the meeting was against it, by me. I gave copies of a map,
online linked from dallasisd.us, to the trustees to document how this is a move
away from the children. That was apparently not important except to the
three trustees who represented far south Dallas and the schools that would
simply all be 6 miles more distant from DISD Headquarters. Now there are two new trustees whose
districts will also be 6 miles more distant from this new “Central” location
and thereby negatively affected by this move.
DISD must have a second vote as only 1/3 of the current board approved
this damaging move. The people should be
represented.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Here is the map I handed out at the 4-28-16 meeting:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdXtHDraoOQGyXhrP6wqhnw3tI5OX4T3VkhayMyBGVM_mui5q9XyuQqrIw7rVy0goe9TIWBZAddXWvDuG3cnZask7gi8UR7piHhOfBdWbkxL50XtyoF0eW-6zDHf3T322oP30xdATaHQ/s1600/DISDSchoolMap9400NorthCentralExpressway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdXtHDraoOQGyXhrP6wqhnw3tI5OX4T3VkhayMyBGVM_mui5q9XyuQqrIw7rVy0goe9TIWBZAddXWvDuG3cnZask7gi8UR7piHhOfBdWbkxL50XtyoF0eW-6zDHf3T322oP30xdATaHQ/s640/DISDSchoolMap9400NorthCentralExpressway.jpg" width="526" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">This map clearly shows how the 9400 North Central Expressway location pulls the "Central" Headquarters much farther away from the center of DISD and away from the large majority of DISD schools. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Also, I have not heard data about the energy costs in this new
location. Buildings this age are often
imploded due to maintenance and energy costs.
Is that a factor with this building?
At the meeting discussing this building I do not recall hearing
questions about energy consumption. Now
we are already talking about $12 million for modifications. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">I have gone to examine the building on a cold morning and could
not help but notice locations where air was obviously leaking around windows
from the building. Are such repairs
included in the modification?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">The logic behind centralizing staff is very good, but not when
it is 6 miles more distant from most DISD families. The Nolan Estes Plaza is a much better
location and within 5 miles of three times the number of schools of the 9400
North Central Expressway location. Clearing that land for a new building seems
to be the most efficient move, especially if we can take advantage of the next
Dallas building downturn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-52818415147411735422016-06-23T09:32:00.001-05:002016-06-28T15:14:11.418-05:006-23-16 Testimony at 2016/17 Dallas ISD Budget Hearing<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">(See testimony below illustration of Board Constrants below on the 10-22-14 request for $6.4 million. This 10-22-14 testimony is either evidence of incompetence due to statements that enrollment was over 3,500 students higher than it actually was, reflecting ignorance of basic enrollment numbers, or these were simply lies knowingly said by that same staff trying to claim student enrollment above the budget allocation to justify the $6.4 request.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Title I and other Federal need-based funds must serve the neediest
DISD students without these same students suffering an under-allocation of regular
funding. Sadly as you know such
supplantation was documented in a 76-page complaint made to the Department of
Education a year ago. (See </span><a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/266976224/Title-VI-complaints-filed-against-Dallas-ISD" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">https://www.scribd.com/doc/266976224/Title-VI-complaints-filed-against-Dallas-ISD</a><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">
) Following that complaint there was increasing news coverage of this issue leading to the most complete coverage on June 3, 2015. (</span><a href="http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/investigates/budget-director-leaves-amid-questions-of-misspent-disd-at-risk-funds/148904332" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/investigates/budget-director-leaves-amid-questions-of-misspent-disd-at-risk-funds/148904332</a><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">)
It was 20 days after that news coverage that Mike Miles resigned,
an action that obviously involved multiple variables.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Regular
funding cannot be taken from high poverty, high need schools so as to fund other
needs within DISD. That is against federal law.
If you authorize such supplantation you are legally responsible. I strongly recommend you ask the supplantation
question today about this budget before you approve it so as to be assured by
accounting staff that no supplantation is present. That would help relieve you of legal
liability. I am not a lawyer. I have no idea if that is an adequate removal of such
liability. Consult your own attorneys.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">(Supplantation is still happening as of May 2016 even in multi-year Improvement Required elementary schools that should be having extra resources available to them instead of less. See <a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2016/05/5-26-16-improvement-required-turnaround.html">http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2016/05/5-26-16-improvement-required-turnaround.html</a> .)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On another issue,
you have in front of you a copy of slide # 5 that is posted on page 13 of this
budget. It lists the Board of Trustee
Constraints. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6BZZX3g8pgga_uEX18rt3YfK8HPZPzfpEFlbPrxsXRRe9h4C3PScf16C2uQT8unUFMOPgDuaBIn7pqGgUaBVoR5aUnF-Ipj4TRd_uabNum10N5zXxAMTfijT1ziHiw-MIG7z_N_9Nto/s1600/Page5BoardConstraints2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6BZZX3g8pgga_uEX18rt3YfK8HPZPzfpEFlbPrxsXRRe9h4C3PScf16C2uQT8unUFMOPgDuaBIn7pqGgUaBVoR5aUnF-Ipj4TRd_uabNum10N5zXxAMTfijT1ziHiw-MIG7z_N_9Nto/s640/Page5BoardConstraints2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have already addressed your violations of 2 and 5 above and do not have time for 3 and 4. I will only
focus on number 6: “Do not allow the board to be without needed information in
a timely manner.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The failure
of the board to meet the legal obligation to have needed information has led
to very embarrassing incidents. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On 10-22-14 it led to a exceptionally confusing board
meeting. That confusion is documented sixteen minutes into the video on agenda item
7A1, pulled from the consent agenda by a minority of board members concerned about transparency. (See video at <a href="http://www.dallasisd.org/Page/35453">http://www.dallasisd.org/Page/35453</a> Go to 10-22-14 date, click view video. Go to item 7A1.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The board is discussing the request
for $6.4 million to cover 165 new staff, 137 of which are teachers, allegedly
to serve student enrollment above the enrollment budgeted for of 161,521 students. The
accounting director at that meeting claimed there were 2,500 students above this
budget projection, but said "Don't hold me to that." Trustees continued to ask for details and
another staff person went to Data Portal to report that
days enrollment number was 160,488, <b>1,033 BELOW budget that day</b>. The
official enrollment that was frozen at the end of October was 160,253 for the official annual count. <b>This was 1,268 students BELOW the budget projection.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The 10-22-14 Board meeting conversation awkwardly ended after the quiet statement captured on the video that current enrollment was 160,488. The allocation was approved with NONE of the critical inconsistencies pointed out during the meeting due to lack of timely data. None of the trustees appeared to understand what had just been said!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">(Here is the budget page for DISD to allow you to see this and all the past 10 annual budgets: <a href="http://www.dallasisd.org/Page/338">http://www.dallasisd.org/Page/338</a>. Here is a blog on this event: <a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2015/06/lies-at-10-22-14-dallas-isd-board.html">http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2015/06/lies-at-10-22-14-dallas-isd-board.html</a>)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Trustees
cannot function without monthly basic data about DISD! They must have monthly
data reports on basic data such as current student enrollment! Nothing affects the following of any 632 page budget more. Trustees must know what is happening!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">(Here are some items recommended for such a monthly report: <a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2015/01/superintendants-monthly-report-must.html">http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2015/01/superintendants-monthly-report-must.html</a>.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">These 10-22-14 actions continued to
haunt the trustees 4 months later in news coverage:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150221-instant-messages-raise-questions-about-6.4m-for-new-teachers.ece">http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150221-instant-messages-raise-questions-about-6.4m-for-new-teachers.ece</a> and <a href="http://educationblog.dallasnews.com/2015/02/deputy-superintendent-ann-smiskos-letter-about-the-6-4-million-for-new-teachers.html/">http://educationblog.dallasnews.com/2015/02/deputy-superintendent-ann-smiskos-letter-about-the-6-4-million-for-new-teachers.html/</a>, and <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150226-dallas-isd-officials-deny-misleading-trustees-in-hiring-request.ece">http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150226-dallas-isd-officials-deny-misleading-trustees-in-hiring-request.ece</a>. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-88673135394518763402016-06-02T22:33:00.001-05:002016-07-26T15:52:28.072-05:00Parental Involvement more than doubled in a middle school!<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; margin: 0in;">
<div style="color: #666666;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">Written parental dreams for a child can become a treasured possession. Sadly for the years since 2009 when a project to get such letters from parents started, a 30% response rate was about the best achieved. Now that has changed to over 80%! </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">The process of discussing these goals within the heritage of the family, and updating those dreams over time, changes lives. The world becomes a very different place, especially in middle school and high school.</span></div>
<div style="color: #666666;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The School Time-Capsule Project started in 2005. Then it was only focused on students writing letters to themselves at the end of 8th grade. Since 2009 the project has encouraged parents, and/or important relatives, to write letters to their student about their dreams for them. Such potentially priceless letters have rarely been written for more than 30% of students. A copied request for this letter sent home with students has not been very effective in getting parents to write. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>A new approach was started in 2016. </b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>First, instead of being only an 8th grade exercise the letter writing was expanded to be done by all students in Quintanilla, all three grades. </b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Second, students themselves wrote a personal letter to their parents asking for a letter back about their dreams for them. </b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>The results have been dramatic. As many as 85% of students have now received one or more such priceless letters back, almost a 200% increase! </b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>The letter may not be written in English, but that makes no difference! It is priceless.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;">Students also </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;">ask for one story from their family history to be included in the letter, a story the writer of the letter wants them to remember 30 years into the future, an important piece of their family heritage and history.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">The resulting letters should be immediately shared with and studied by the students at home so any questions can be answered. That often leads to valuable discussions at home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Then the letters are all brought to school and used in Language Arts Class as students write letters to themselves about their own plans for the future.<o:p></o:p></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Parents and/or relatives should be prepared to write such letters to their child every year from 6<sup>th</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>through 12<sup>th</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>grade, until their child graduates from high school. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18.48px;">A child changes greatly in just one year. Each letter will be different, with a different story from their family history. The more a child knows about their family history, both painful stories and wonderfully positive stories, the better. It all helps ground a child in a valuable personal heritage providing a solid foundation for life, and for school work. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">A written record is being created.<o:p></o:p></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">All the letters for each child (more than one relative can write a letter) would be placed into one self-addressed envelope for each student, along with the student's own letter to themselves, and then stored in the school time-capsule, a 500-pound vault bolted to the floor in a prominent place in the school lobby.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">The vault is not necessary if teachers have other ways of storing such priceless letters. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 18px;">If parents immediately see how priceless these letters are, they can certainly ask to keep the letter at home and only send photocopies to school to place inside the time-capsule. Or a photo copy can be kept at home. Such requests are </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">certainly understandable regarding all these letters.</span><span style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Each year the letters from the previous year are returned to the child and family for use in preparing to write new letters. That changes with the 8th grade letters that are </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">written with plans for 10 years into the future. The 8th grade letters remain in the time-capsule for a decade. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">A student can also choose to collect all three years of letters for placement into the final envelope that is kept secure in the vault for a decade. It is a potentially powerful record of their middle school years.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Students must know that upon their return to get back their letters in 10 years they will also be invited to speak with current students about their recommendations for success. Such priceless mentoring has already started at Quintanilla Middle School with the reunion of the Class of 2006. It will now be an annual event, making the future ever more real for Quintanilla students. Achievement at Quintanilla should continue to improve.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">In high school the annual letter writing pattern continues. The final 12<sup>th</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>grade letter will also be planning for 10 years into the future. <o:p></o:p></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Imagine how powerful high school 10-year reunions will be as students read their letters, and their parents letters, once again. Most important, imagine the power of what these former students can say to students sitting in the same seats they were in a decade earlier!<o:p></o:p></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">These are the plans working within the School Time-Capsule Project as of June of 2016. We have just completed the second 10-year reunion at Quintanilla Middle School.</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Graduation rates for Quintanilla students have more than doubled and continue to rise. Behavior problems are down and pregnancy rates are down. <b>The most recent <a href="https://mydata.dallasisd.org/SL/SD/SEI/Default.jsp" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">School Effectiveness Index (SEI)</a> for Quintanilla is the highest of all 35 middle schools in Dallas ISD! The chart below was made from the listing of all SEI scores for middle schools in DISD found in the DISD Data Portal at </b></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: trebuchet ms, trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><a href="https://mydata.dallasisd.org/docs/SEI/SEI1415/201415_SEI_REPORT_LIST_no_div.pdf">https://mydata.dallasisd.org/docs/SEI/SEI1415/201415_SEI_REPORT_LIST_no_div.pdf</a> </b></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR2Hz5YzqQJMpGgnuYlLuA9A9V_BOPoPNNUrp_-66hqnAxkaJaiU9Z_isu-dQqTiioiD14YKktzPgAvppDzESOD7Ujx3fNlxFTPjv82-9lc2CQM3pU9Ja_uTWeECJ_7aaU9PO8Kv3_ZY/s1600/2013-14-15_SEI_Report_DISD_LIST_Middle_Schools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR2Hz5YzqQJMpGgnuYlLuA9A9V_BOPoPNNUrp_-66hqnAxkaJaiU9Z_isu-dQqTiioiD14YKktzPgAvppDzESOD7Ujx3fNlxFTPjv82-9lc2CQM3pU9Ja_uTWeECJ_7aaU9PO8Kv3_ZY/s640/2013-14-15_SEI_Report_DISD_LIST_Middle_Schools.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="602" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;">School Effectiveness Indices (SEI) details and history are online at https://mydata.dallasisd.org/SL/SD/SEI/Default.jsp</span> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">These achievements happened in spite of the 96 percent poverty rate for Quintanilla students, which places Quintanilla within the most poverty stricken third of all middle schools in Dallas ISD! In addition, discipline problems and pregnancy rates at Quintanilla have dropped dramatically since 2006. The best birth control is active personal planning for the future!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Again, this year was the first year that all students wrote letters for the Quintanilla Time-Capsule. It used to be only an 8th grade activity, but Quintanilla wants to raise their record SEI score even higher than the 59.3 in the above chart. This change will intensify the focus on a future grounded in family heritage for all students in all grades. With the return of the previous year's letters it should help lead to improved letter writing and planning in the 7th and 8th grades. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Quintanilla will stay on top with the highest SEI, unless other middle schools begin to also have a more effective future focus with all of their students, the best competition possible for Dallas ISD students!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt;">Actively planning for their futures, in active cooperation with parents and relatives sharing family heritage and dreams with them, will continue to help students of poverty achieve more like, and in some cases certainly better than, middle class students from any Dallas suburb! The progress must continue.</span></div>
Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462489755470305365.post-11084246254313355772016-05-26T12:56:00.001-05:002016-05-29T03:05:51.552-05:005-26-16 "Improvement Required" Turnaround Damaged by Supplantation - Testimony<br />
Today (at a 5:30 hearing on 5-26-16 before the DISD Board on turnaround plans) we are discussing 24 schools that have been failing and rated as "Improvement Required" for two years or longer. They are all schools of poverty. They are all victims of the supplantation that takes local funds from them due to high amounts of federal funds they are receiving due to student poverty, ESL status, and disabilities. This is federal money that is supposed to be supplemental but instead is supplanting, or replacing, hundreds of dollars of "regular" funding <b>for each child.</b><br />
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<b>******* Historical Note: *******</b></div>
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Thirteen months ago 15 Dallas residents <a href="http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/investigates/budget-director-leaves-amid-questions-of-misspent-disd-at-risk-funds/148904332" target="_blank"><b>filed a Title VI complaint with the Federal Department of Education against Dallas ISD</b></a> for the supplantation of federal funds. Supplantation is the taking of "Regular" funding (from Dallas taxes) from schools that receive large amounts of federal funds for children of poverty, and/or children who do not speak English, and/or children who suffer from handicaps. Supplantation is illegal. It could lead to incarceration for those authorizing it. A DISD budget director resigned after the complaint was filed. Dallas ISD Superintendent, Mike Miles, surprised everyone by resigning himself 62 days after an expanded 76 page complaint was filed 4-21-15 to replace the original complaint and within three weeks of this news report covering the facts of this complaint: <b><a href="http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/investigates/budget-director-leaves-amid-questions-of-misspent-disd-at-risk-funds/148904332">http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/investigates/budget-director-leaves-amid-questions-of-misspent-disd-at-risk-funds/148904332</a> </b>.</div>
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While some adjustments have been made by DISD due to admitted "coding errors," the full corrections demanded by the 4-21-16 complaint have not been done. To our knowledge this complaint is still un-investigated by the Department of Education.</div>
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See the 4-page complaint summary followed by a link to the complete 76 pages at <a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2015/06/title-vi-complaint-against-disd.html">http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2015/06/title-vi-complaint-against-disd.html</a>.</div>
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<b>******* End Historical Note: *******</b></div>
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Below is a copy of the most recent documentation of the continuing supplantation still happening within Dallas ISD even to these multi-year IR schools. It focuses on 9 of the 24 schools for which this hearing is about, 9 elementary schools that have been rated as "Improvement Required" (IR), or failing, for 2 years. It covers actual budget history and the "regular" fund allocations for the past 5 years, and the projected allocation this year for these 9 schools. The line beneath the listing of schools gives the average allocation per student by year for these 9 schools as reported on the PEIMS Financial Report web site at <a href="http://tea.texas.gov/financialstandardreports/">http://tea.texas.gov/financialstandardreports/</a>.<br />
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Then a list of 5 non-IR North Dallas Schools follows. Notice the significant difference in poverty levels. The lowest poverty level is 89.3% among the IR schools while only one of the North Dallas schools had a higher poverty level. That school, Pershing, also sticks out from the other 4 north Dallas schools in receiving significantly less "Regular" funding. <br />
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Pershing Elementary has a poverty level that is actually higher than 4 of the IR schools. Due to this, and the fact it is also under-funded like the other high poverty schools, a calculation was made without Pershing to show the difference in funding between the 4 more affluent schools and the 9 IR schools. The more affluent schools received anywhere from an <b>average</b> of $270 more per child this year to an average of $486 more per child in 2012/13. <br />
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Individually, all of the four affluent North Dallas schools are receiving over $5,000 in "Regular" funding. While 3 of the 9 IR schools receive over $5,000, most, like Burleson Elementary now budgeted to receive only $3,936 this year, receive significantly less.<br />
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We are talking about additional money not given to the more poverty stricken 9 schools that have now been IR for the past 2 years. In spite of the alleged extra assistance they are supposed to be receiving due to their IR status, they are STILL receiving an average of $270 less "regular" funds this year than the 4 North Dallas schools listed.<br />
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Imagine how great the difference would be if these 9 schools were not getting the additional attention due to being IR! That difference was addressed in the complaint. It even went over a $2,000 difference per child for some schools!<br />
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I was amazed today to find a funding difference is still present even with schools allegedly being assisted with additional funding to get out of IR. It is still not enough to eliminate the supplantation! Notice the line titled "Extra money with Pershing removed." <b>Those differences must disappear! </b><br />
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(The only alternatives would be a reduction of the administrative expenses added during the Mike Miles years such as the over 400 additional administrative positions and the exceptional salaries given to many staff. Given the <a href="http://schoolarchiveproject.blogspot.com/2015/09/dallas-isd-20-years-of-improvement.html" target="_blank">explosion of the DISD/Texas Student Achievement Gap back to levels not seen in 7 years</a>, it is difficult to document improvements from this staff investment by Mr. Miles.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handout for 5-26-16 Testimony on <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: -webkit-left;">Turnaround Plans for Multi-year Improvement Required Schools</span></td></tr>
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Supplantation of federal funds contributes to high-poverty schools going IR. Federal funds are to supplement a foundation that should be equal for all schools, a relatively equal amount of "Regular" funds for each child in each school. <b>When that equality is compromised, as is documented above even with actively IR schools, the potential for getting off IR status is damaged and the potential for falling back into IR status grows. </b><br />
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<b>How can turnaround plans be made without first ending the unequal distribution of local tax funds per student?</b><br />
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Allegedly a 10% variance is allowed before supplantation can be legally validated. That variance has been broken repeatedly. <br />
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What if that variance is only used to move "Regular" funds from schools of poverty to schools of relative affluence? <b>The people of Dallas need to know this is happening so they can respond.</b><br />
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The bigger issue far beyond today's hearing is the statewide under-funding of Texas schools. It makes the supplantation of federal funds in urban districts <b>appear</b> necessary for the funding of low poverty schools. <b>Supplantation is common in Texas. It must be identified and admitted. It must end so the real under-funding problem in Texas is addressed.</b>Bill Betzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806780572021894097noreply@blogger.com