The prize is sponsored by the Bank of America as part of its Neighborhood Excellence Initiative program through which the bank is donating $450,000 to Fairfield County non-profits. The Cardinal Shehan Center and Domus each received $200,000. Each of the Local Heros can direct $5,000 to the charity of their choosing. Mr. McCain seleceted to support the Norwalk Education Foundation.
In addition, five student leaders were recognized for their contribution to the community, including Jill Daley and Ariel Shachter of Norwalk.
"Bank of America created the Local Hero award to acknowledge and motivate those who show an extraordinary commitment to serving their community. Bob McCain is an example of what an educator can do for a community by providing confident and effective leadership and always putting youth first," said Bill Tommins, Fairfield County President at Bank of America. "As principal, Bob has motivated students to excel in the classroom and in life, and his tireless dedication has transformed Nathan Hale Middle School into a vibrant learning community."
Many parents and other community leaders are hoping that Mr. McCain applies for the vacant Superintendent of Schools position. In an interview with NorwalkNet on Friday, Mr. McCain said he has not decided whether he will apply.
"The award is very humbling and is the result of a combined effort of our school community," said Mr. McCain. "This is a great district with some of the hardest working teachers that I've ever met."
In addition to Mr. McCain the following people were also awarded "Local Hero" by Bank of American: Emilio Funicella, a Stamford resident and founder of Keep Stamford Beautiful, Nancy Kingwood, a Bridgeport resident for her work in HIV/AIDS prevention, Shalini Madaras, a Wilton resident and founder of Kick for Nick, and Joe and Gaye Yllanes, Newtown residents and foster parents to 10 children.
Below is copy of the remarks made by Mr. McCain's in speech at banquet held by Bank of America to recognize the recipients:
Everyday across America thousands of teachers and administrators enter their buildings and classrooms to help students achieve because they believe they can make a difference. They believe what they do each and everyday may, one day, change the world.
At NHMS we believe that we have the opportunity to make these changes for our students. I would like to thank the Bank of America for this wonderful honor that they have bestowed on myself and my school. I am truly humbled to be standing here in front of you.
Although this award is being presented to me, I really feel it should go to all the teachers, secretaries, aides, custodians, and parents who have made such a difference in the lives of the children at NHMS. I am so fortunate to work with such dedicated and enthusiastic people and it is an honor to go to work each day in Norwalk. I would like to thank my wife and children who have come tonight to support me along with my Dad and his wife Sylvia and my Father-in-Law, Eldon. Without strong family supports, I would not be standing here today. Although my parents never went to college, they instilled in me the importance of education. Being from a proud Navy family instilled a strong work ethic and gave me values of honesty, integrity and determination. They shaped me to be a good person and gave me confidence to believe in myself. I am so grateful to them.
I came to Norwalk 5 years ago with the vision of turning the least desirable middle school in the district into one in which the community could be proud and where student achievement became a priority. I came with a vision of how to accomplish this and was blessed with the faculty, staff, parents and students to make it happen.
Nathan Hale Middle School was a diverse school that had been on the decline for years. It was designated, by the State of Connecticut, as a “School in Need of Improvement” before I arrived because it had not made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) since the inception of the NCLB Act. It had never even reached the state average on the Connecticut Mastery Test in Math, Reading or Writing at any grade level at any time.
The suspension rate was over 30% and police were regularly involved in the school. Gangs were active and fights occurred frequently. The community called our school “Junior Jail.” We had bullet holes in windows, graffiti on the walls, broken furniture, and a school in turmoil. After touring the school with my wife for the first time, she got in the car and said, “Is it too late to back out and take the other job?” However, to me Nathan Hale was a diamond in the rough and I was in the place I needed to be.
The very first thing I did was meet with Team Leaders over the summer before school started, and I told them that our three year mission was to be a Connecticut Middle School of Year! James Collins once said that “Vision isn’t forecasting the future. It is creating the future by taking action in the present.” We adopted this belief and started building our future.
We created a three year strategic plan in order to accomplish the mission. We read many professional leadership books together, debated over our belief statements, researched current trend in education and collected data. And we collected a lot of data! We adopted my schoolwide BARK philosophy where we modeled and taught all students Belief, Awareness, Respect and Kindness. We celebrated successes and showed students that we really cared about them. Together, we were building the future and it was an amazing transformation to witness.
Our suspension and retention rates started to drop and the number of students making the honor roll increased. We held Transition Nights for parents at our school and then brought those presentations on the road to Meadow Gardens, Grace Baptist Church, Roodner Court and the NEON Centers to ensure our entire school community understood our mission. We needed our entire community to support us!
Within three years, we were named a Connecticut Top Ten School three times for the academic achievement growth of our Black and Hispanic students by the CONNCAN Foundation. We were removed from the NCLB list and placed in “Safe Harbor” twice for our outstanding academic improvements, and we exceeded the State averages on the CMT in reading, writing and math. We became the number one school (out of 21 schools) in our District Reference Group established by the State Department of Education in Math, Reading, Writing and Science. Our scores on the state test have grown each year for students reaching goal level from 37 percent to the present where we are reaching goal in mid to high 70’s.
Our proficiency rates, which is what the Federal government uses to determine successful schools, has now at reached over 90 percent in math and writing. We were one of about 20 schools to be given an “Educational Citizenship Award” by the State of Connecticut for our outstanding work for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Finally, we were named a Spotlight School by the New England League of Middle Schools. This three year honor was only given to 5 schools throughout New England and made us not only a Connecticut Middle School of the year but a New England Middle School of the year for the next three years.
This year we have created a new mission and that is to be named a “Blue Ribbon Middle School for the United States” and we have begun to undertake the steps necessary to achieve this honor. We still have work to do such as reducing our Achievement Gap, forming successful Advisor/Advisee groups, and being permanently removed from the NCLB list. But we are proud of the work we have done.
I would again, like to thank the Bank of America for bestowing upon me this unbelievable honor. I also would like to thank one of our Nathan Hale parents Gloria Falcone for nominating me and writing the application. The $5000 award that the Bank of America is giving me will be donated to the Norwalk Education Foundation so they can continue their hard work with helping the children of Norwalk.
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This man needs to apply to become Norwalk's superintendent. What other candidate has such a record of success in Norwalk?
ReplyDeleteSome consider central office experience to be a requirement for candidates for superintendent, and while I think it is useful, I caution people to consider the greater requirements. These include vision and the ability to move a school toward making that vision a reality.
ReplyDeleteBob McCain had the vision of tranforming a school, and he led his staff to make that vision a reality. Even better, he isn't satisfied and so he now has the vision of an even better NHMS, and I am confident that he will move the school to that.
The issue in Norwalk is largely lack of leadership. Some principals have been allowed to be defiant and ineffective for years because the central office leadership allowed it. Some principals will oppose Bob McCain because he has the guts to force them to act differently, moving them outside their own comfort zones. With a new board of education, my hope is that there will be people with similar vision, people who recognize the need to shake things up. More of the same will get us more of the same results we have been seeing for years.
Changing a school of 600 is far different from changing a district of 10,000. I want to know specifics on how he is going to change almost all elementary principals, middle school principals and high school principals to move them in the right direction. Elementary principals, in lockstep, appear to follow their one leader and defy change. How is Mr. McCain going to change that? How is he going to shake things up with other leaders? Central Office alone is a job and a half! Is he going to fill the Director of Elementary Principals with a person from within? What a mistake that would be! Leadership at a district level is a very difficult job indeed.
ReplyDeleteBefore I agree that Bob McCain should be a superintendent of schools, I want to hear his plans for different level schools and for central office.
For starters, reforming his school of 600+ students is one more accomplishment than anyone else in Norwalk has achieved, but I agree that we first need to know his plans for improving the behaviors (and, we hope, the effectiveness) of the building administrators.
ReplyDeleteCentral office has too long been the refuge of people who work lock-step, most often doing their best to preserve the status quo. They are responsible for allowing the deterioration of NHMS for a number of years prior to Mr. McCain's arrival, but they are also responsible for protecting the professional butts of a number of principals who have been serious problems for a long time. The "good old boys (and girls)" network has been terribly destructive.
When we ask who is to blame, we need to look at those who evaluate these people.
I want to know whether Bill Papallo or anyone from the BOE attended this award's ceremony after they skipped out on the Lone Pine Award that you reported on.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that they did not.
Bill Papallo should receive an "F" for the performance he has shown in Norwalk. The next time he is hired as an interim Superintendent somewhere the community should be warned that he is a seat warmer. Does not do anything but collect a salary and a car allowance.
Why is it that our education leaders are not celbrating the successes that we have?
In my mind this is an indication that we have to completely overhaul the Central Office and why it was right that the incumbent BOE was replaced.
We need everyone pulling togethers and an "all in" approach to supporting people and strategies that are working.
'The Good Old Boys' network in the schools is going to batton up the hatches and allow no one to destroy them. It would take an entire community to stop their behaviors and their lack of effectiveness...and then some! I want to hear the particulars about how they will be 'taken on.'
ReplyDeleteHaving heard about Mr. McCain's local hero award through the Nathan Hale PTO, I was honored to have attended in recognition of his accomplishments and to support the two students (Jill Daley and Ariel Shachter) whose community involvement were also being recognized.
ReplyDeleteSue Haynie was also in attendance as were representatives of the NEF.
Joining us were a large number of Nathan Hale teachers, staff and past & present NHMS parents.
10:18 Anonymous - I notice that 12:41 makes no mention of them, and so I, too, wonder if either of the top district administrators was in attendance. For such an honor, I think both should have been there. However, I do understand that they have lives outside the NPS, and so, assuming that there were extreme circumstances that made it impossible for either to attend, one of them could have sent a letter of congratulations. If they did that,
ReplyDelete10:43 Anonymous - It will require the board of education to give the superintendent their full support in bringing people into line, no matter who they are. No one is on the payroll involuntarily; they all have the choice of doing the job or paying the consequences. This is serious business, and it means taking off the gloves if necessary. There is at least one principal who has repeatedly challenged someone in authority to "bring it on." Anyone who fails to address such behavior because of the fear of an unpleasant fight doesn't belong in his position. However, the board has to be firm. With a few people now off the board, this may be possible.
Check with the State Department of Education. Based on the 2009 CMTs, regarding math and reading targets:
ReplyDeleteNathan Hale is in year 4 for not achieving Annual Yearly Progress!
Ponus is in year 2.
Roton is in safe harbor this year, but is in year 3.
West Rocks is in year 3 in needing improvement.
There are discrepencies here.
Is this data manipulation? What is going on?
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/pressroom/ayp2009/ct_publicschools_in_need_ofimprovement_cmt_08_09.pdf
ReplyDeleteHere is the site that sites all of Connecticuts' schools individually and states what year of improvement that they are in. Cut and paste this into your browser. If it doesn't work, go to the Connecticut State Department of Education's website and search for 2009 CMT results. From there, scroll down to Connecticut Schools in Need of Improvement. Click on that and scroll down to Norwalk. You will see Nathan Hale as the only school in year 4 of in need of improvement.
It's true!
Why is Bob McCain a hero? Surely not according to the State Department of Education!
2:49 Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteYour information is incomplete and I suspect that that was intentional on your part. I spent quite a bit of time looking at the actual data, and I was amazed at the improvement made at NHMS from Mr. McCain's first year there through 2009. In most cases, the school did far better than any of the other middle schools.
In some of the other schools, the results were actually lower than those of NHMS, but the schools made "safe harbor" because of a 10% improvement in performance. Making safe harbor for two years gets a school off the list until the next time it fails, and then the years start over again. Do you SERIOUSLY think that Ponus is doing better than Nathan Hale? Come on. You know that isn't true.
The more meaningful site is ctreports.com, which gives the numbers. No one can give partial truths on that site.
A greater issue here is that all of the schools need improvement. However, one of them is on a steep trajectory of improvement, and that is NHMS. Another greater issue here is that your focus seems to be only on attacking the principal of this school, who is a possible contender for the superintendent's job. Be honest. If you want someone else for the job, say so. If it is someone in the district, tell everyone about that person's accomplishments -- not only jobs held, but academic and other gains made because of that person's work.
Unfortunately for Mr. McCain, he inherited a failing school. That slate did not get wiped clean with the state when he took over. I am not sure how exactly it works, but the years in safe harbor don't count against you but it doesn't erase your failing status unless you have two in a row. And if you look through other pages on that site, NHMS is struggling in subgroups, two schools seem to have a problem with the whole school and subgroup scores.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/pressroom/ayp2009/ctpublicschools_not_ayp_cmt_08_09.pdf
Using your website, I further investigated these figures. I chose to disaggregate the grade 7 scores for two reasons.
ReplyDelete(1) Grade 6 has a greater influence from the education derived from the elementary schools.
(2) Grade 8 had no black population reported from Nathan Hale
So, given the facts according to your website,
Percent of Nathan Hale students at or above goal: (disaggregated at grade 7)
MATH
Black: 22.2%
Hispanic: 54.3%
White: 66.7%
READING
Black: 48.1%
Hispanic: 60.0%
White: 86.4%
WRITING
Black: 32.1%
Hispanic: 40 %
White: 90.5%
I think I have copied these correctly. If I miscopied, please feel free to correct me. I did not do so intentionally.
I could continue by posting the other schools. It is most interesting to see how Nathan Hale compares with the minority population. The Black population should have cause for worry at Nathan Hale. At Ponus, 56.7% of the Black population is at or above goal in reading. At West Rocks 52.6% of the black population is at or above goal in reading. At Nathan Hale, the Black population is at 48.1%, quite low, wouldn't you agree? Not that any of these figures is anything to brag about...BUT they show that Nathan Hale is not closing the gap. Where is the upward movement for THIS population????
I could continue if you wish with writing especially, where Nathan Hale has only 32.1% of the Black population at or above goal.
Do you want more?
Interesting you didn't take it a step further and look at the data the state and federal gov. use - students at or above proficient. Talk about data manipulation. I assume you are black since you do not consider Hispanics to be part of the minority population - only blacks. That also is an interesting point of view. I hope our new superintendent doesn't chose to overlook people and data as you just did.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, there are things to celebrate this year in many schools in the CMT results. But the negativity and arguing has to stop. It's time to look toward a brighter, more hopeful future for the children of Norwalk.
So, when do we look at the dismal West Rocks scores-- neither black nor white students showed any improvement from 7th to 8th grade for the most recent CMT results? But, I guess if the Kim Jong Il of Norwalk's middle schools spent less time posting here and complaining about the election, she'd have more time to help her students.
ReplyDeleteNo, I am not satisfied with proficiency. That is a willingness to settle for mediocrity. I was intentionally looking at meeting the goal.
ReplyDeleteThe reason that I posted is because of a quote by Bob McCain.
'Within three years, we were named a Connecticut Top Ten School three times for the academic achievement growth of our Black and Hispanic students by the CONNCAN Foundation.'
I am left wondering about this statement. Does the principal not know how poorly his Black students are achieving compared to the other schools? Or is the 'data expert' just better able to skew the results in his favor?
By the way, be careful who you slander here. I am not the person with whom you seek revenge.
Actually, his Black students did better than their counterparts at the other middle schools in most categories, at both the goal and proficiency levels.
ReplyDeleteAs for the poster who talked about not settling for mediocrity, the proficiency level isn't mediocrity. However, setting a higher standard is a good thing. If we are going to be talking about NCLB, we need to discuss proficiency levels because NCLB looks only at those.
Clearly, there is some anti-Bob McCain here, and I sense that it is for highly personal reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with concern for Black, Hispanic and other subgroups.
Actually his Black students did not do better than the other schools. Look at the percentages that were posted. They were not invented. Check the site posted.
ReplyDeleteWhy were there no percentages for the Black population at the eighth grade level? Were there not enough students in that subgroup who took the test? Check the chart to which I refer. Neither of us is able to discuss progress or lack of progress in grade eight.
You are wrong on your accusations. I am here only to post the facts. If you don't understand them, ask someone at central office to explain it to you.
I have no personal gripe with Bob McCain, and I care about all groups in Norwalk.
Does anyone know why black students in particular fall so far behind and aren't reaching the proficiency levels? It's interesting that the scores seem to be higher for Hispanic students who frequently come into the school system speaking English as a second language. Are there any studies that look at this?
ReplyDeleteConnCan site on Norwalk middle schools, impartial, 3rd party, no dog in this fight, McCain didn't make it up.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.conncan.org/action_center/great_schools/reportcard_rankings_middle.asp
This blog should be renamed McCain-the king of the district. Let's face facts here ladies and gentlemen, this blog was created by Nathan Hale parents to get Nathan Hale parents elected to the board of education. Additionally, their next feat is to get McCain in as the superintendent of schools. Who nominated him for the latest award? I believe he asked a parent to do so.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the data debacle, if you look closely at the demographics at Nathan Hale, you will see a dearth of minority children. Who orchestrated that????? Why is the number of black students so small in eighth grade that the scores were not reported? Something is amiss.
Corda made sure that Nathan Hale was always in the spotlight because McCain was his buddy. Corda sold the other principals down the river. Ask them. Nobody celebrates when other schools make safe harbor or improve their scores.
I, for one, am sick of all the behind-the-scene machinations to promote a middle school principal to the position of superintendent. Notice how all of a sudden everyone on this site is saying how central office experience is not necessary. Think of the learning curve for anyone who has not been involved at the central office level. Being a middle school principal does not qualify one to be a superintendent. Period......I don't care how many phony awards he has gotten, it does not change his skill set. He is not ready and saying so does not make it reality.
I have a feeling that the new board members will exclude that specific criteria even though many of the people in the focus groups have said that central office experience is important. Watch---they have to exclude it or they will not be able to get him aboard as the next superintendent.
Stay tuned for the next chapter in As the World of McCain Turns according to his devoted Nathan Hale fans and friends.
I looked at the site. It speaks for itself and isn't McCain manipulating anything.
ReplyDeleteI think after re-reading the speech he gave, NHMS has been lucky to have a principal who was thoughtful enough to go out into the community to meet the parents and was thoughtful enough to publicly share his moment of recognition with his entire staff. Whether you want to nit-pick some pieces of data is up to you, bottom line is the school has moved forward and his actions were classy. Congratulations to Mr. McCain and NHMS staff!
1:46 poster seems to have all the answers. Maybe you should run for BOE or maybe go back to school and become certified to be SOS.
ReplyDelete1:46, you seem unduly upset about the attention Bob McCain has received -- that is, unless you have a personal stake in this.
ReplyDeleteI have no allegiance to the guy; in fact, I don't really know him, although we have met briefly once or twice. (No, I'm not part of the NHMS community.) I've looked at the various websites by the state dept of education and by ConnCan, and I see better results at Nathan Hale than at the other middle schools in most categories of the CMT. That isn't the only measure of a school's success, but it is the most public measure, especially because of NCLB.
As for the minority enrollment in the eighth grade at NHMS, consider the sixth grade at Roton, which also lacks a sufficient number of Black students for their scores to be reported. This is a district that has had racial imbalance for decades, not merely years, and despite a short-lived study on racial imbalance, it continues. That has no more to do with Sal Corda than it does any other superintendent because it began long before his arrival. Actually, it is a Bruce Morris responsibility to report such issues, and he hasn't done a good job of it, but ultimately, it is a board of education responsibility to require better racial balance at the schools. Norwalk still has majority White schools, despite very heavily minority schools elsewhere in the city.
I have known a lot of central office administrators over the years, and I know none that I would want to see become superintendent. Some are good at pushing paper and getting other people to do the real work, some make the work of those in the schools more difficult than it needs to be, and some protect those in the schools who should have been fired long ago. Working in central office doesn't anoint someone to do special work; in fact, it isolates most people from the real work of educating kids.
Do I want Bob McCain to be superintendent? I don't know enough about him yet. How well do you know him?
let's think about this for a minute... everyone says a principal has turned a school around...really...look at the data...how man students have really moved foreard. what are the real numbers...not just percents...start asking the questions..to get accurate account. also, what about the labeling of students...how could we have this in pour district...
ReplyDeleteNo one said that the school is where it needs to be. Turning around means making a 180 degree change in direction, which the school has done. It is moving in the right direction. Over the past 15 years, there have been four principals at that school, and the school was clearly on a steep decline. Bob McCain is helping the school move itself out of the hole that was being dug for the school for years before McCain's arrival; he had nothing to do with it, but he has led the charge to reverse a negative turn. The school is nowhere near the top of the hole yet, and no one (including Mr. McCain) claimed that it is. At least the man has vision for what the school can become, the intelligence and the leadership skills to get the work done, and the faith that it will happen.
ReplyDeleteAs for numbers versus percentages, anyone can do the math because each CMT subtest reports the number of students taking the test. There is no secret.
The only thing that is obvious here is that 'He who walks on water' is one of the most controversial candidates for the job ever. Frankly, I'm tired of reading about Him. Something about this whole site is beginning to sound like it was created to put Him in the job.
ReplyDeleteThe only people (person?) referring to Bob McCain as a deity are (is?) whoever are (is?) so antagonistic about him. There is no doubt an agenda here, and it isn't the one that the 6:03 anonymous poster claimed.
ReplyDeleteI find 6:03 to be very funny. I was thinking the same thing as 9:02. The only one (s) who refer to Mr. McCain as a deity are the people against him. Others just think he is someone who works hard to get a job done. And he obviously, judging by his letter, does not take all the credit. He knows it is a team effort. Hard worker, team player, good communicator with a vision - it's no wonder people are happy.
ReplyDeleteYour last two sentences are the real character attributes needed for a superintendent, although a solid understanding of good instruction and of effective professional development are also very important. I am certain that he has those attributes too.
ReplyDeleteIt's about time that Norwalk chose a superintendent for the right reasons because the last two were chosen for other agendas. Herbert was to be a hatchet man, and Corda was chosen because one candidate dropped out, and the female candidate was considered suspect by the Republicans. She was the better qualified.
The last two regimes left a lot of damage, and most of us don't know the extent of the damage from Corda's administration. One more bad administration (or even a weak one) can easily result in a district that will never recover. If you think it can't happen here, you are mistaken.
I know I am one of many leaving this thread so that the McCain worshippers can continue to push their candidate. Those who are teachers, and I know there are some, should really go back to work and teach the students. Some students are going home and reporting that their teachers are very busy on the computer. Yes, teachers on the computer while on the taxpayers dollar. One might ask, who is monitoring these people?
ReplyDelete1:41: Yes, teachers should do their computer work outside class time. For all you know, a teacher writing to this blog during the school day may be doing so when he/she isn't assigned to teach. In the elementary schools, it may be when the students are working with art, music, phys ed teachers, etc. In the high schools, it may be during study hall or during a prep period. I assure you and everyone else that I have never spent any time on a computer when I was supposed to be teaching my students.
ReplyDeleteIt is amusing that you and perhaps others are using considerable hyperbole (using a term like "worship") in reference to favorable comments some of us have made about Mr. McCain, and I don't know why you are bent so far out of shape over the remarks.
To the 3:43 teacher -
ReplyDeletePrep time (preparation time) is paid for at the expense of the Norwalk taxpayer. You teachers always complain that you take work home from the classroom. I guess that can't be true if you don't need your 'prep' time for school work! You should be ashamed of yourself using prep time for politics!
If you think prep time even approaches the amount of time it takes to plan lessons and to grade papers, you have absolutely no understanding of teaching. Beyond that, I have spent countless hours before and after school, working with students in a volunteer capacity (student clubs) and in providing extra help.
ReplyDeleteThe "politics" to what you refer is the future of the school system, which is surely a legitimate interest for any teacher.
This is directed to the above teacher.
ReplyDeleteEthically speaking, preparation time and politics SHOULD be separate.
My husband is a teacher and I do know about teaching.
Your being married to a teacher hardly makes you an expert about teaching, just as my being married to an attorney doesn't make me in any way expert at the law.
ReplyDeleteFor the 5 minutes it took to write the posting, I'll keep myself after school (with students) for an extra half hour this week.