“If you can’t take your child to work, then go to work for

your child . . . ”

January 24, 2011

Dear ICSD Teammates,

Today certainly was an engaging and energizing way to meet our new superintendent. It was
refreshingly clear that he wanted all of us to get to know some things about him, his family,
as well as the educational vision he has for his daughter and all of our community's children.
If relationships and personalization are indeed at the heart of offering an effective
education, Dr. Brown, in a personable and professional way, demonstrated that he wants to
forge meaningful connections with all of us. Through touching accounts, effective examples
through “ICSDtube” videos and anecdotes that made us laugh a little and think a lot we left
feeling inspired and motivated to be among the first followers to join this “lone nut” who is
now our community’s new educational leader.

Honestly, we were surprised to feel so engaged by the morning presentation. One of us

brought a crossword puzzle…but didn’t even do it! In more ways than one, it certainly
proved to be not just another Superintendent's Conference Day, but with a new name
executively decreed it also became our last. The vision of where we may be going relative to
where we currently are was surprising, especially by how much technology was modeled and
emphasized. Most of all, we were pleasantly surprised by Dr. Brown’s focused and positive
attitude. We feel like he’s already established himself as a part of our community. We sense
that this is more than just a job for him and that he really cares about what he’s saying and
doing. And because of this, it makes us care more too and we want to support him in working
towards the vision he began to share today.

We were both pleased and impressed with Dr. Brown’s well-prepared and clearly delivered
message. We liked that he compared our competency to our global partners, and he went on
to share that there is work to be done if we are to be true to any stated aspirations of
educational excellence. We appreciated that he was willing to convey his honest assessment
of where we are as a district and where he’d like to help take us. Introducing this to a
crowd of dedicated and well-intentioned educators was a bold move that could have yielded
an adverse response; however, the fact that he expressed his views not as an
admonishment, but instead as imploring us to end working so much on things that really don’t
matter and that distract us from those that do. The question of whether our hard work is
focused on the right things resonated loudly and while we want to continue working hard, we
all agree that we want to do so in ways that are progressive, relevant and meaningful.
As we listened, and were invited to “back channel”, the feeling was that we were respected
and being viewed as integral partners needed to further develop and create the 2027 vision
brought forth by our new colleague. The recurring emphasis on cultivating a culture of “us”
and an attitude of working as a team, and again modeling how technology can be effectively
integrated, as well as sharing a refreshing view of assessment by “measuring what we value
instead valuing what is easily measured” was also pleasing to hear.

As we look forward we know there will be challenges, as there are bound to be whenever
such lofty, ambitious goals and expectations are put in front of a team. We are aware that
some of the work will leave us feeling as if we are swimming upstream and that changing
currents will take time and effort. For this to all come to fruition will take a restored
commitment to time and resources that allow purposeful and collaborative professional
development to occur in a way that renews and expands our understanding of when and
where teaching and learning happens.

We see a need for a resurgence of our site-based councils within the district to help create
and move our vision in a positive direction. We need to have families, kids, community
members and educators all involved. Having upper-level administrators and board members
comfortable and willing to redefine their roles that allow for shared leadership is needed.
If this is to be a shared vision, then we expect that all of our voices will be welcome since
they need to be heard. This will allow us to trust each other more and create powerful
change together. We understand that not everyone’s going to pleased with every decision
and outcome, but as long as there’s an attempt to be fair and reach consensus then we’ll be
moving in the right direction.

We foresee financing the vision presented being a challenge, especially in tough economic
times, but we know it may mean letting go of some old ways in order to grasp on to some new
ones. Getting everyone on the bus will take time and a willingness to face some resistance
along the way. Will everyone buy into this vision and support this new “team” paradigm?
Probably not, but if a critical mass feels empowered to own a collective vision for what is
possible and what is right for our children great things can and will happen.

While we know that the Ithaca weather may be a little cold at times, we feel hopeful and
determined that with a ready and open mindset and the rich human capital that exists
within our professional learning community the feeling of warm solidarity will embrace and
meet the challenges of the vision we now all share. At the end of the afternoon, the
enduring sentiment following our first Dr. Brown-led district “professional learning
community” day was . . . “We can do this!”

With appreciation and anticipation,

The ICSD 1st Grade Team

Jan. 24, 2011

Supt. Conference Day

Letter

Dear ICSD Team:

The fifth grade educators were pleased to hear Dr. Brown’s inspirational presentation. It
was great how he used humor and family anecdotes to personalize his vision. We found
his use of technology motivating as he demonstrated during his talk, and how he wants to
incorporate it as relevant to students. We are excited about eliminating the Us.-Vs.-Them
barrier and validating the PLCs’ expertise and enthusiasm. As we move ahead, Dr.
Brown has encouraged our commitment to meet the upcoming challenges together.

The overall consensus was that people were surprised by the inspirational and engaging
tone of the presentation. Through Dr. Brown’s blend of current technology, humor and
personal reflections on his own life, he captured the interest of the audience. This was a
refreshing change from our past experiences. Many of us were also very impressed by
the fact that he emphasized the importance of community and community partnerships,
such as IPEI, GIAC, Village of Ithaca, and the Ithaca Youth Bureau.

Meanwhile, all change brings challenges. Financial resources for technology are limited
and becoming more so all the time. Time for training and collaboration for a functioning
PLC is scarce and expensive. It is critical that we cross the divide among schools,
administration and the greater Ithaca community. This would be an extreme culture
change for ICSD. We must take small steps while maintaining a long term vision to
implement change in curriculum, assessment and instruction. Involving all stakeholders
in this cultural change will be critical to the success of this endeavor.

Respectfully submitted,

ICSD 5th. Grade Educators’ Team .

From Dr. Claudette James

 DeWitt Middle School
560 Warren Road
Ithaca, New York 14850
(Phone: 257-3222 – Fax: 266-3502)

Dear ICSD,

(What surprised you?)

We were surprised, delighted and relieved with what we heard in Dr. Brown’s presentation. We
enjoyed hearing the vision that we are all in it together and felt refreshed by his frankness and
willingness to be one of us. This small changed helped to re-inspire staff and helped us to feel
included and engaged. The humor that he used in his presentation along with the technology
made us feel warmth and brought us together rather than distancing us. Video integration,
Twitter, backchannel chat, iPods, Internet, and cell phones are all part of an all-encompassing
technological vision that still values books. We are surprised that Dr. Brown acknowledged that
we don’t always test what we value, and that not all assessments present a true picture of student
learning. Lastly, we realize that to become what we want to be, we need to look at what we do
well and build on it.

(What pleased you?)

We were pleased to hear humor, intelligence, depth and charisma coming from the top. We were
also pleased that Dr. Brown modeled so well what we should do as educators. His charismatic
presentation was earnestly engaging and interesting. He was personable, enthusiastic and
conveyed a sense of urgency. Amidst well-placed humor and humility he delivered a radical
message for change. Our own perceptions of teaching successfully were challenged. Dr. Brown
is addressing the same issues and questions that teachers are; he is in sync with us. As he crossed
out the “Superintendent’s Conference Day” before our eyes he reinforced the notion that as a
team we will move forward together. The re-definition of “professional learning community”
was invigorating.

Dr. Brown has a vision that incorporates a change of times. He is aware of the state of
technology in the district – that awareness was encouraging. It was inspiring to see a multi-media
presentation and backchannel at work. His expert integration of technology, hopefully,
foreshadows what is to come for our district. It was pleasing to hear technology would be a focus
for both instruction and motivation. The possibility of a laptop for every student is exciting to
imagine and hope for. We were encouraged by his support of information literacy as essential.

Dr. Brown had an understanding of leadership. He emphasized the use of knowledge, not just
acquiring it. Dr. Brown made us feel there is no “us” versus “them”. We’re all in it together.
Refreshing!

(What challenges do you foresee?)

There are three challenges we foresee: training, financial resources, and overall attitudes. The
number one challenge is where will the money come from, especially during a time of economic
instability and increased state and federal mandates? For example, in order to meet the 2027
technology goal, we need to train teachers, purchase software, upgrade to new hardware and
increase tech support. As partners with the community, let’s identify innovative resources for
financing so that we don’t impose an additional tax burden. The second challenge involves the
logistics of implementation. These include but are not limited to: administrative and community
support, professional development, how to build a community in a school the size of I.H.S., and
how to make and keep education relevant and meaningful. Our third and final challenge is the
morale and attitude of staff and community. Many powerful voices in the community may be
reflexively resistant to these initiatives, and we are soliciting their support to keep this inspiration
and vision alive.

Library Media Specialist

ISS/ESL/OT/Speech/Reading/AIS
 January 24, 2011

What Surprised Elementary Special Education Teachers

at Today’s Professional Learning Community Day?

Dear Ithaca City School District,

After Dr. Luvelle Brown’s presentation at today’s Superintendent’s Conference
Day (uh, we mean Professional Learning Community Day), the elementary special
education teachers were surprised about several aspects of his talk.
First, we were surprised about how engaged, inspired, and hopeful everyone
seemed when leaving the auditorium. Honestly, a two-and-a-half hour lecture in Kulp was
not what many of us wanted on this bitterly cold Monday morning, but many commented
about how fast the time went by because they were so engaged during the presentation! In
addition, many groups continued these conversations at lunch.
We were also surprised how flawlessly Dr. Brown incorporated many forms of
modern technology in his presentation. He seemed extremely prepared, and we were
impressed with the videos, the “back talk” (todaysmeet.com) forum, and the way we could
all be connected and communicate during the presentation.
Dr. Brown’s personality was refreshingly humorous, personable, and youthful! It
was great to get us all laughing right from the start and speaking about his own family and
personal life reinforced the “we” versus “us and them.”
Many people were surprised at what an immense change the district hopes to go
through. This is new to many people, especially those still trying to catch up with the
Internet, excel, PowerPoint, and even Smart board programs!
Finally, we were surprised about the timeline for these changes. This shift is
definitely going to take time, but in the meantime, we were left wondering what can we do
for our students tomorrow, not 2027?
All in all, we were pretty pleased with our first impressions of Dr. Brown today!

Sincerely,
The Elementary Special
Education Teachers
 January 24, 2011

Dear Ithaca City School District Community,

We came to “Superintendent's Conference Day”, with coffee, busy work, and knitting
in hand, ready for just another mind-numbing speech. Within moments, we were captivated by
Dr. Brown's enthusiasm, humor, and personable approach to the morning. We immediately
noticed a paradigm shift when he opened the Backchannel, shared personal stories, and allowed
us to feel as though he was talking with us rather than at us. This was also reflected in
changing the title of “Superintendent's Conference Day” to “Professional Learning Community
Day”. He revealed his commitment to change through his positive energy, leaving many of us
inspired and ready to listen. We were impressed that Dr. Brown included all members of the
ICSD community as a team. There is no “us” versus “them”, it's all us. They say actions
speak louder than words, and his presentation exemplified just that. We loved his use of
Youtube videos, Backchannel, and PowerPoint presentation to bring his words alive. Dr.
Brown is challenging us to embrace technology and use it as a tool to connect and enhance our
students' education with everyday life. It is encouraging to hear his approach and views on
assessment, in that it is important to measure what we value instead of value what we measure.
We must ask our students the how and the what, not just who or why as a means of expanding
critical thinking. Dr. Brown's strong leadership and determination for change will guide us
towards our goal for excellence by 2027.

With Great Enthusiasm,

The Elementary Special Education Staff

 Ithaca High School1401 N Cayuga St. Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 274-2145
“All Students Achieving Their Dreams”

January 25, 2011

Dear ICSD: “Surprised” Paragraph (Library group). 1/24/11

We were surprised, delighted and relieved with what we heard in Dr. Brown’s
presentation. We enjoyed hearing the vision that we are all in it together and felt
refreshed by his frankness and willingness to be one of us. This small change helped to
re-inspire staff and helped us to feel included and engaged. The humor that he used in his
presentation along with the technology made us feel warmth and brought us together
rather than distancing us. Video integration, Twitter, backchannel chat, iPods, Internet,
and cell phones are all part of an all-encompassing technological vision that still values
books. We were surprised that Dr. Brown acknowledged that we don’t always test what
we value, and that not all assessments present a true picture of student learning. Lastly,
we realize that to become what we want to be, we need to look at what we do well and
build on it.

Dear ICSD,
What Pleased You?

We were pleased to hear humor, intelligence, depth and charisma coming from the top.
We were also pleased that Dr. Brown modeled so well what we should do as educators.
His charismatic presentation was earnestly engaging and interesting. He was personable,
enthusiastic and conveyed a sense of urgency. Amidst well-place humor and humility he
delivered a radical message for change. Our own perceptions of teaching successfully
were challenged. Dr. Brown is addressing the same issues and questions that teachers
are; he is in sync with us. As he crossed out the “Superintendent’s Conference Day”
before our eyes he reinforced the notion that as a team we will move forward together.
The re-definition of “professional learning community” was invigorating.

Dr. Brown has a vision that incorporates a change of times. He is aware of the state of
technology in the district – that awareness was encouraging. It was inspiring to see a
multi-media presentation and backchannel at work. His expert integration of technology,
hopefully, foreshadows what is to come for our district. It was pleasing to hear
technology would be a focus for both instruction and motivation. The possibility of a
laptop for every student is exciting to imagine and hope for. We were encouraged by his
support of information literacy as essential.
 Ithaca High School 1401 N Cayuga St. Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 274-2145
“All Students Achieving Their Dreams”

Dr. Brown had an understanding of leadership. He emphasized the use of knowledge, not
just acquiring it. Dr. Brown made us feel there is no “us” versus “them”. We’re all in it
together. Refreshing!

Dear ICSD community,

These are the Three challenges we foresee: training, financial resources, and overall
attitudes. The number one challenge is; where will the money come from, especially
during a time of economic instability and increased state and federal mandates? For
example, in order to meet the 2027 technology goal, we need to train teachers, purchase
software, upgrade to new hardware, and increase tech support. As partners with the
community, let’s identify innovative resources for financing so that we don’t impose an
additional tax burden. The 2nd challenge involves the logistics of implementation. These
include but are not limited to: administrative and community support, professional
development, how to build the community in a school the size of I.H.S., and how to make
and keep education relevant and meaningful. Our 3rd and final challenge is the morale
and attitude of staff and community. Many powerful voices in the community may be
reflexively resistant to these initiatives, and we are soliciting their support to keep this
inspiration and vision alive.
Dear Team,

We are inspired by Luvelle Brown’s presentation this morning. He showed

his vision and leadership qualities through his sense of humor and charisma. We
love his urgency, motivation and humility. We are energized! He emphasizes
collaboration among the team and the wider community. The respect inherent in
these relationships will strengthen us all. We look forward to using meaningful
assessments, curriculum and 21st century tools to engage students, their families
and the team to make Vision 2027 a reality.

We were surprised and happy with the energy, humor and honesty in Dr.
Brown’s inspirational presentation. Starting promptly and ending early
demonstrated respect for everyone’s time. Use of Back Channel implied trust and
showed a transparent leadership style and led to a positive, united response from
the audience. Dr. Brown’s bold, clear, transformative vision and comments on
“lone nuts” and “first followers” inspires hope. He seems to sincerely value
teamwork, human capital, and building relationships, often evident in the many
affectionate mentions of his family. Dr. Brown’s comments on how we use data
and create assessments to foster a collaborative vision are welcome. Additionally,
Dr. Brown acknowledged that students may be disengaged and that technology is a
critical tool to engage them.

To meet relationship, rigor, and relevance we have found several challenges.

First and foremost the Professional Learning Community who are needed to drive
the vision forward must be compensated and respected. This is a pre-requisite for
the changes that need to be made in order for Vision 2027 to happen. Second,
equitable staff development and technology training will be required to move these
changes forward. In order to achieve this vision, time for learning, collaborating
and creating the goals amongst professionals must take place. Through
conversation we must create an environment of trust and common understanding.
It is only when all involved can find common ground that we can push the vision
forward. Last but not least, we will need to find ways to fund the technological
and professional advancements we wish to accomplish.

We look forward to working together to make Vision 2027 a reality.

Sincerely,
Grade 2
 January 24, 2011

Health and Physical Education Department

Ithaca City School District
Ithaca, New York 14850

Dear ICSD Team,

During the afternoon session of Professional Learning Community Day, our

PLC wrote the following letter, with input from all attending members, that
addressed the three following questions:

What surprised us? (paragraph 1)

What pleased us? (paragraph 2)
What challenges do we foresee? (paragraph 3)

We left today’s Professional Learning Community Day with renewed

enthusiasm. Dr. Brown’s passion, sense of humor and ability to connect with
all of the staff in Kulp Auditorium has inspired us to believe we can achieve.
His use of “we” and “us” not “I” and “you” brought the entire district
together; from executive team to faculty and staff. Dr. Brown’s mastery of
technology in his presentation was inspiring; the use of back channeling and
ICSD tube, kept everyone focused and entertained. In his previous district,
Dr. Brown provided all students and staff with computers. We in the ICSD
hope that our students can be afforded a similar technological commitment
to enhance their education. Dr. Brown’s vision for the district has inspired
“us” to embrace his challenges as we achieve our goals. His positive passion
commitment can lead this community into the excellence of 2027.

Overall the Physical /Health Department cannot remember a Conference

Day that was so enjoyable and entertaining. The things that we found most
pleasing about the morning session were Dr. Brown’s sense of humor, his
energy, his enthusiasm and passion for what he does. We also appreciated
learning about our vision of 2027, especially as it pertains to the potential for
human capital and technology integration. We look forward to coming
together as a district to make "Vision 2027" a reality.

The Health and Physical Education professionals foresee the following

challenges in the pursuit of the 2027 vision.
1. ICSD acceptance
a. Staff acceptance of 2027 goals
b. Community ( all on the same page) taxpayers, those in parental
roles and community organizations
2. Money- resources
3. Time and Training
4. Implementation, consistency and longevity support
5. Application of technology in health and physical education as an
addition to our existing curriculum.
6. Continued support of the value of health and wellness of our students
and staff

With successful attention to these challenges the Health and Physical

Education Department believe and support the ICSD 2027 Vision.

Sincerely,

The ICSD Health and Physical Education Department

Letter to the ICSD Team
From: Secondary Special Education (blue group)
Date: January 24, 2011

What surprised you?

Dr. Brown’s presentation surprised many of us. His use of humor and his
presentation style led many of us to feel motivated, inspired, and eager to
participate in the work to realize the vision of 2027. The promise of having the
necessary resources to carry out and implement these changes, and the
sincerity of Dr. Brown’s words, were very encouraging. Dr. Brown’s
presentation even went so far as to demonstrate, through the back channel, a
way of incorporating technology into an effective lesson. The high level of
engagement of the audience, demonstrated by the response at the end of his
talk, bodes well for the district as we begin this complicated, difficult work.
Ultimately, we are surprised and encouraged by the high level of
communication among all district stakeholders that would be facilitated by the
technology which Dr. Brown has demonstrated.

Written by: Justin Karram, Marguerite Uphoff, Peggy Jasinski, Linda Myers,
Laurie Hill

What pleased you?

The special education department was overwhelmingly pleased with the style,
including the technology and personal anecdotes of Dr. Brown’s presentation.
It was refreshing to hear a humorous, optimistic and engaging message which
defined the inspiration for the 2027 vision. We were also pleased with the idea
of integrating a more modern level of technology while acknowledging its
limitations. As special educators, we all understand the importance of
collaboration on a daily basis and we appreciated his motion of valuing human
capitol. As we all agree, the passion needs to be on the students.

Written by: Stephen Kirsch, Maggie Dalton, Erik Frank, Robin Flach, Evalyn
Brazeau

What challenges do you foresee?

In our team we identified four main challenges that we foresee creating

difficulty with the implementation of 2027. The first challenge the team sees is
funding for the initiative of 2027. What is going to be the trade-off/cost for
technology integration? In an already fiscal stressed time, where will the money
come from: staff cuts, reduction of services, increase in class size etc. In order
to appropriately implement Vision 2027, the team feels that technology cannot
be discussed solely without considering the training and ongoing support of
the ICSD staff. As with Spiderman “with great power, comes great
responsibility,” and as with technology will come the responsibility to be willing
to train, update, and support the devices and individuals incorporated. Another
challenge that the team foresees will be that we are investing in proven best
practices, while creating a balance between the old and the new. It must allow
for open lines of communication between the school district and the community
as a whole. The final concern is how the ICSD staff focuses on the vision when
they are preoccupied and overwhelmed. (SINI, AYP, NCLB, IEP, etc.)

Written by: Karen Ruston, Karen Kiechle, Chris Skeele, Meggie New, Jim
Scarpulla, Colleen Cole
Letter to the ICSD Team
From: Secondary Special Education (red group)
Date: January 24, 2011

What surprised you?

Most people were surprised by how dynamic Dr. Brown is. He used humor,
technology, and personal energy to make an engaging presentation. Teachers
expressed that the two hours passed quickly and people really listened. They
were not tempted to leave or at the very least grade papers. The audience was
receptive to the vision Dr. Brown presented. He is knowledgeable about
technology. Teachers were surprised about how much emphasis was put on
technology as the way achieve. Teachers were also surprised about how many
comments regarding inclusion are still being posted to Back Talk.

Written by: Judy Sprague, Janet Souter-Kline, Christene White, Monica Sherman,
Bridgid Cooper

What pleased you?

It was pleasing to listen and be part of the group in attendance when Dr.
Brown shared this morning. His presentation was passionate and displayed and
communicated energy and enthusiasm. One pleasing theme was the concept of
shared or “distributed” leadership replacing a culture of “us” and “them”. A
second theme that was pleasing to hear was a new vision beyond the traditional
classroom, including different ways to think about assessment and curriculum.
This segues into the third theme of meeting kids where they live everyday by
integrating technology to excite and engage students in learning.

Written by: Karen Olsen, Trisha Porcheddu-Ion, Chris Rugg, Kristen Schnek

What challenges do you foresee?

The major challenges we face for Vision 2027 are equity, discipline,
technology/money, and school culture. Equity means opening up opportunities
by dismantling tracking, and looking at new ways to teach. We need more
diversity and differentiation in all classes. To make a positive learning
environment possible we need discipline which is equitable, consistent, and
effective as we shift the paradigm to a more technologically engaging
curriculum. We need to be innovative about where we get the funding for
technology in our schools. We need to be innovative by using colleagues that
are more technologically savvy to provide on the job training as opposed to
workshops. Another big issue in changing the school culture is funding. Will the
community be moved to fund technology? And how can that happen? Working
without a contract provides uncertainty for employees who are being asked to
invest time and commitment to major changes. For these changes to occur, all
teachers need to be on board. We need to keep energy going to create a new
learning community. The us vs. them (for example: elementary vs. high school,
community vs. teachers or teachers vs. students) mentality is a hindrance to
systemic change. As Dr. Brown said: Innovation is not improvement to an
existing system, but changing the system we have. For students we need to
change the paradigm that some kids fail and some kids succeed and provide
open opportunities for kids that have not been given the opportunity to learn.

Written by: Joby Greenspun, Diana Ozolins, MaryAnne Pitzer, JoAnn Palmer,
Robbie Sauners
 Responses from Para-Educator Group at York Lecture Hall

What pleased you?

Dear ICSD:

We are part of the ESP community. Here are some of the things that pleased us
about this morning. We are glad that the “supt. Conf. day” is now called PLC Day. Dr.
Brown started with an upbeat tone. He is a dynamic speaker, interesting, and seemed
approachable. He has new and fresh ideas.

We are pleased that Dr. Brown wants to erase the “us and them” division. Here
are some things that Dr. Brown could do towards that end. We would like to be included
in or informed about the new PLC meetings during the school day on a regular basis. We
loved the “backchannel” idea and would like to see something similar in our buildings.
We were glad that Dr. Brown wanted feedback from individual groups. As a group, we
are excited by the change and innovation suggested by Dr. Brown. As para-professionals,
we hope to have a voice in the changes. We look forward to community involvement in
this change and we appreciated that Dr. Brown realizes that change won’t happen
overnight.

Respectfully submitted,

Para –educators of ICSD

What surprised you?

Dear ICSD:

As para-educators in the school district we’re surprised that we were not

mentioned at all in your presentation this morning. During our afternoon session we
were asked to answer three focusing questions. At this time, we’d like to elaborate on the
question, “What surprised you?” One of the main topics that came up was the emphasis
on technology. For instance, the focus on technology may be too much too fast; in
correlation to our current budget and existing needs. The “back channel” reinforced
current technology needs that have yet to be met.
As the para educator staff there was so much confusion about where we were to
meet for this afternoon’s workshop. This is a chronic concern throughout the district with
people within our position. Unfortunately, this did not come as a surprise to any of us,
because this has always been a common occurrence. We are looking to Dr. Brown to
help close the gap between “us and them.” We would appreciate the opportunity to meet
with you collectively.

Respectfully submitted,

Para-educators of ICSD

What challenges do you foresee?

Dear ICSD:

As para-educators, we foresee great challenge within the realm of communication

and integration with the other educational staff. We want and hope to eradicate the “us
vs. them” mentality, but we feel as though we are at the bottom of the hierarchy, which
prevents us from being integrated into the staff/teams. We feel as though this integration
and dialogue with teachers is necessary to implement our “Vision 2027.” There are over
230 para-professionals who want to be included and communicated with, but there does
not seem to be anything that works. In addition, we feel as though it is imperative for the
paraprofessionals to maintain and update our special education training with workshops
that offer the latest thinking for the specific challenge we face with our students on a
daily basis. This will provide the utmost support for the children throughout our district.
The fact that we have very little access, or none at all, to the internet community,
prevents us from being as involved as we need to be. Or libraries are public places which
makes it difficult to access confidential information (IEP’s). Additionally, we are often
left out of the loop when it comes to any or all communication.
Lastly, Dr. Brown, please make an appointment to gather the para’s to hear from
us and collaborate on how we can help enrich and support our “Vision 2027.”

Respectfully submitted,

Para-educators of ICSD
 Professional Learning Community Day
January 24, 2011
Pre-K Teachers and Paraeducators
Danby Conference Room

Dear ICSD Team:

We were pleased that Dr. Brown spoke about engaging differently on many levels. It was
refreshing to feel included as a member of the team. We found his valuing the education
of young children encouraging. His enthusiasm, humor, warmth and openness were
inspirational and motivated us. We appreciated seeing his use of technology in the
lecture this morning, which inspired us to visualize ways to use technology in our
classrooms to make learning relevant and fun.

Dr. Brown, of all the things that surprised us the most, we broke them down into three
overall themes: technology, your vision, and your motivating approach.
For technology, we were intrigued most specifically by the backchanneling. We were
also intrigued by your thoughts on making technology applicable for PLC’s, in academic
learning communities, and in the home. The use of backchanneling, embedded videos,
and your powerpoint in the presentation were perfect examples of using technology in a
professional setting.

With regards to your optimistic vision we were pleasantly surprised by your use of catch
phrases. They tied right into many key concepts of the presentation that stuck with us
such as: no more “Us vs. Them”, “any century skills”, distributive leadership, if you’re
not relevant you’re obsolete, and MOTIVES! Even now they resonate with us. They
were well chosen and articulate many of the current issues that we face.
And, finally, your enthusiastic, motivating, humorous approach. It made us feel
comfortable. It was something we could relate to. Your ability to weave your vision from
your personal life into our learning community inspired us. We really do have more
questions. We are ready to follow you, ya lone nut!
We foresee five major challenges as we move forward. These include money/available
resources, implementation issues, curricular concerns, adapting to technological changes,
and resistance to the changes being suggested. As we think about these challenges we
have the following questions:
• Where is the money coming from to facilitate this vision given the current
economic climate?
• Where is the additional time coming from?
• What will the new curriculum framework look like? How will we articulate it to
all of the players involved?
 • What is developmentally appropriate and how do we incorporate technology in
our programs? How will training be targeted to our specific needs?
• Change is difficult and coming at us from many directions. How can we assure
all stakeholders accept the changes being made?
Respectfully,
Pre-K Staff
 January 24, 2011
Dear Ithaca Community,

It was surprising to see and hear such a unified response to Dr. Brown’s inspirational
presentation from our splintered district. By embracing the very same technology that we
grapple daily with in our classroom, he modeled how we can incorporate positive applications to
harness our student’s interest. Dr. Brown exuded a warmth and accessible personality that
invigorated the audience. His anecdotes added to his engaging approach to the morning. He
seems genuine and sincere in his eagerness to learn about all the climates in Ithaca. Dr. Brown
has made it a priority to visit the schools and meet the teaching staff and students. Encouraging
educators to develop authentic more relevant assessments could lead to the creation of a
sustainable model of teacher led curriculum development.

After hearing Dr. Brown’s presentation today, many folks reported feeling that staff may
be more empowered, respected, acknowledged and inspired by the new leadership. They also
were pleased by his mien- that he seemed pleasant, humorous, sincere, and honest. The honesty
and humor that Dr. Brown presented this morning was refreshing and surprising. This anecdotal
approach and acknowledgment of the struggles tat teachers face on a daily basis gives us hope
that we will be more focused and unified as we push forward to meet district goals. We need to
work together to ensure a district that focuses on rigor and quality not quantity.

Clearly, the ICSD teaching staff is pleased to welcome an inspirational and charismatic
leader. As hard-working professionals, we seek engagement and satisfaction, both personally and
professionally. We appreciated Dr. Brown's intelligent, approachable manner. He spoke easily,
with a warm and caring tone, and truly connected to the staff on a personal level (showing a slide
of his daughter, for example). We also appreciated his desire to include teachers in long-term
planning, re-thinking assessment, and in confronting the status quo. Dr. Brown's out-of-the-box
thinking about such issues as technology, homework, and data that instructs, rather than blames,
was refreshing. In addition to the personal leadership characteristics, we admired earlier today,
we found substance we could support. Dr. Brown's intelligent and bold approach to high-stakes
testing (his own admission about the drudgery and lack of effectiveness of NYS certification
exams, and the idea that we should assess what we value rather than value what we assess) struck
us as innovative, important, and worthy. We like the idea of being a district that sets trends in
assessment rather than following. We are pleased at the prospect of being led and inspired us in
our work by someone who also appears to be pleased at the prospect.

Our most significant concern is the feasibility of Vision 2027. How can we look forward
to the vast expenditures of time and money when we are already suffering the pinch of budget
constraints? Currently, we have a significant lack of funding for professional development &
support (i.e. teachers attending trainings within the ICSD/BOCES system and out); we lack
simple supplies (i.e. tissues, printer toner, chalk, paper); and when things break, they often do not
get fixed. Budgetary issues only reinforce the declining teacher morale, which is at an all time
low. Additionally, we have been working without a fully-negotiated contract since year 2007,
and most recently suffered a salary freeze that has been exacerbated by a health insurance
increase as well as an increase in our job expectations (i.e. increased class sizes, mandated
curriculum projects, mandated RTI/504s/Special Education reports and meetings, D/F reports,
daily/weekly progress reports, PLCs, and the significant time required to successfully manage
the district email received, etc.). As much as any of us would like to keep the children’s best
interests at the forefront, we wonder when someone will consider ours. We are prepared to be
first-followers when the lone-nut is committed to healing the climate.

Cultural change is the challenge in a district that is dysfunctional, fractured, and under-
supported without contract, and time limitations. Our technology is a symbol of the
dysfunctional nature of this district; everyone is functioning at a different level with technology,
money, and support. It feels like yet another example of an unfunded mandate. The lack of
funding is an endemic problem – an extension of our current culture. This impoverishment is not
just material, but also a reflection the lack of the unified coalition. If teachers are valuable
assets, then we cannot begin to move toward the idea of “us,” and a new culture, until teachers
are given a contract, which clearly values the cultural innovations they can offer.

Sincerely,

The ICSD Secondary English Department

Professional Learning Community Day Facilitators:
1/24/11 Denise Gomber
Secondary Social Studies Colleen Ledley

What Surprised You?

PLC Vision
Dr. Brown supports the PLC process but is also committed to helping set up the logistics for it to
work in the school day. He seems to have respect for the teachers’ autonomy and input which we
really appreciate.

Community Vision
It is great to have a leader who articulates a strong vision and shares our sense of urgency. His
emphasis on community building through effective communication between all stakeholders
including building principals, school board members, students, families, teachers, etc. was
refreshing because it seemed authentic.

Technology
If used as a tool and with careful forethought, the technology available to us is incredibly
valuable for building skills, establishing relevance and getting student buy in. We must be careful
though not to assume that technology alone is the solution.

Dynamic Leadership

The fact that he’s young, 36 years old with an ability to present information with the level of
enthusiasm helped to present a clear and transparent vision. His presentation clearly mapped out
what he wants for the district. The substance of his message was realistic and inspirational. He
has a plan that can happen.

Skepticism and Cynicism

“There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.” Winston Churchill
There will always be skepticism when something new is introduced. Cynicism in education is
common because of the constant rewriting of the whole process. People want to believe in a new
vision, but have seen so many come and go that it’s hard to fully commit. It will be very difficult
to bridge the gap between state mandated assessments and the valuable, thoughtful process in
which this new vision wants us to become.

What Pleased You?

Far and away, the greatest number of responses illustrated that people were pleased with the
humor and inspiration that Dr. Brown brought to our cold Monday morning. People also cited Dr.
Brown’s willingness to take risks and encouragement of “team members” to be the “lone nut” or
the “first follower”. Many ICSD staff members were excited about the modeling of twenty-first
century teaching methods, technology, and the potential for implementation in classrooms.
Finally, team members were pleased with Dr. Brown’s emphasis on collaboration, relationship
building, and overcoming the “us vs. them” duality.

What challenges do you foresee?

FUNDING
Our group decided to tackle some bigger issues of implementation in each category.
We will need substantial funding for new technology and ongoing maintenance and replacement.
We have so many central office administrators. Why not reassign one of them to responsibility
for grant writing (and relationship-building with businesses) so that we can get more of the
equipment we need?
We could look at ways of reallocating and more creatively using the resources we already have.
There are also resources already at large in the community and our classrooms – like cell phones.
Our Tech Mentors may know about a lot of technology freebies available to use (clickers, etc.).
Our district has a past pattern of amply funding central administration needs for technology and
staffing assistance/positions in comparison to schools. Can this be made more equitable and
reallocated around our vision for kid-centered learning?

TRAINING
We need more empowerment of teachers and students in making decisions around technology
purchasing and implementation. Authentic engagement of students in decision-making around
resource allocation and opportunities would particularly help. They have out-of-the box ideas
for social networking in creative ways, for example. This would also help to address the
disconnect between students’ lives and school.
We need systematic training of staff tied to our realistic classroom needs. If we are going to do
curriculum integration we need ongoing technical and coaching support. We need to get late
adopters on board in a way that addresses their comfort-zone needs and fluency needs. We also
need to create a sense of urgency and expectation so that they step up to the challenge. Modeling
successful practice is a powerful way of moving this forward. This requires forums and coaching
assistance to make this happen. Teachers need access to these models, and the support for
follow-up reflection, evaluation and revision.

CHANGE
When you ask teachers to do something new, you also have to tell them what they can stop doing
that is old/outdated/lower priority. Teachers are already on overload and are often pushed to do
things that are not really of the highest priority. One example of how this can work well, is that
adopting the SchoolTools attendance software has helped teachers in of keeping track of students
who are skipping class and also allowing the Asst. Principals access this data directly for
themselves, and clearly see patterns.
Letting teachers know how they can save time and energy by using the right technology
strategies, is highly motivational. Also highly motivational is requiring the use of such strategies
if they really are essential and efficient. Providing alternative backup can undermine this. A
good example is expecting all staff to get information via email, and providing no paper copies.
The current assessment structure drives a great deal of what happens in secondary social studies,
particularly at the high school level. Regents exams wag the dog for many students’ learning
experiences, especially for regents-level students who struggle with the assessment. At the state
level, the list of curriculum expectations is severely overloaded. We need to be able to prune
them in ways that make sense.
 ICSD SCD Social Workers and Psychologists

January 24, 2011

Dear ICSD Team,

We are very pleased with Dr. Brown’s vision for moving our district
forward. It was well defined and transparent. Dr. Brown used humor in all
aspects of his presentation to actively engage us and convey his respect
and understanding of the hard work we all do, yet recognizing that we
still have a long way to go. We were pleased by being addressed as a
team and giving us the room for collaboration and sharing our thoughts,
experiences and expertise to move forward from good to excellent. We
were pleased to see the possibilities that technology has to offer to our
students and staff and the value placed on moving forward to meet our
students in an ever changing world. We especially appreciated Dr.
Brown’s ability to role model every aspect of what he was promoting
including best instructional practices, engagement through use of
technology and humor, sharing personal stories and being in relationship
with others.

What surprised us was how immediately captivated we felt and how

inspired and engaged we feel about our new leader and his vision. Dr.
Brown by sharing stories about his family, demonstrated the importance
of relationships as a thread to teaching and learning. Dr. Brown’s stories
about his extended family demonstrated that he will not only be a strong
leader for ICSD but also for the entire community. His vision of shared
leadership naturally leads to the breakdown of the “us versus them”
mentality. We were also surprised and impressed by how the seemless
integration of technology enhanced Dr. Brown’s message and how he
modeled for us ways that we can engage our students. Lastly, we are
surprised by Dr. Brown’s recognition of personal, local, national and
international standards of excellence which will help lead us into the
future to develop our skills as educators.
The main points the psychologists and social workers made regarding the
challenges we foresee are:
• How to operationalize the present vision
• How to garner the financial resources required to bring us up to
speed, and to maintain us on the cutting edge.
• Combating staff and community resistance to change. How to
communicate to every Ithacan that their input, thoughts and ideas are
valued.
 ICSD SCD Social Workers and Psychologists

• Concerns about equity in resources in accessing technological

accelerators.
• How to eliminate the “us vs. them” mentalities and create a sense of
belonging for all.
• How to build trust in order to break the barriers that have created the
“us vs. them” structure. How to cultivate the relationships that are critical
to our success.
• How to be thoughtful and envision that which is impossible to see
definitively, but to move towards the future in an informed manner.
• How to eliminate barrier thinking and promote possibilities thinking.
• How to capitalize on that which is working as we strive to minimize
those practices that are no longer effective.
We are excited and inspired by today’s Professional Learning Community
Day. We want to make sure that Dr Brown knows about Ms Tucker’s
Catering, 307 South Plain Street, Ithaca, NY 14850-5245 (607)
273-2258.

We look forward to helping our community trust the Ithaca City School
District to use best practices to educate all of our children, to value what
we measure and celebrate possibility thinking.
Hooray for Human Capital!
 Monday January 24, 2011

Dear Ithaca City School District,

Today was engaging and inspiring! After numerous

discussions with our colleagues, we are left with many ques-
tions.
We recognize the vision for 2027, however how do we
get there? Will there be a GPS to lead us to this vision?
There will be many roads and roadblocks on our path while
moving forward.
The next question that arose is how do we overcome re-
sistance to change? How do we develop effective, collabora-
tive teams in spite of strongly held philosophies?
The third question is all about the money. How will we
determine our priorities when allocating funds to meet the
initiatives set forth (e.g. technology, training, curriculum and
assessment development, etc.)? Will we generate moneys
through donations, grants, collaborative partnerships and ef-
forts?
The clock is ticking on our fourth question. Time is an
overriding concern: time for training, time to develop Profes-
sional Learning Communities while addressing contractual
issues and time to teach.
In conclusion, our fifth and final concern involves cur-
riculum and assessment. How do we link curriculum and as-
sessment and hold teachers accountable to “measure what
we value” rather than “value what we measure”? We believe
that if Ithaca City School District can create the 2027 vision
that we will become the lone nut on the hill joined by many
other nuts!

Sincerely,
A Group of Inquisitive Special Educators
 Dr. Brown seems to have a clear vision of the future and ideas of
ways in which this vision can be put into use. He did not deliver a
prescription of what needs to be done, as other leaders have done in the
past without giving the opportunity for input. Rather he introduced his
vision of the future for the district with the belief that we are all in this
together and will all have ownership in helping to realize this vision. He
inspired hope and encouragement through a motivating, humorous and
entertaining presentation that is believable and full of the energy needed
to motivate and inspire us. His use of technology is helpful in modeling
to us his commitment to moving forward into the future with an
innovative vision for our students. Although there seemed to be a slight
disconnect between the vision of the Board of Education and the vision of
Dr. Brown, there is hope that all stakeholders will work collaboratively to
realize the vision that was presented today.
Collectively, we agree the things that pleased us based on our first
impressions of Dr. Brown are his energy, articulation and sense of humor,
which we have not really seen in the last few years. We see these traits
and feel that he truly wants to build a relationship with us, the students,
staff, faculty and community of ICSD. Part of this comes from being able
to have information presented to us in an innovative method while having
the ability to provide feedback in real time.
We feel that some challenges that lay ahead, although we feel that
Dr. Brown demonstrated a great vision, but we need a contract to
establish buy in within the district. Come June paraprofessionals,
administrators and educators will not be under contract. The actions that
result from contract negotiations will demonstrate whether Us vs. Them
is a reality.
Buying into information technology is a large and exponential
expense, which will create additional obstacles in our budget. We need to
investigate the spending in technology and the application of these
resources to limit our spending on textbooks and related materials. There
is a direct correlation between technology and cost; we need to weigh the
outcomes with the cost to make informed decisions. The district also
needs to be prepared for a ‘replacement budget’ due to the constant
upgrades in computers and programs. Students need to be prepared to
use technology and be acclimated to technology based instruction when
they enter college and work place. However, we are faced with a
challenge in how to meet these needs spending money rationally and
pragmatically- for the students’ best interest.
Cost of training teachers to teach students will also create an additional
cost. Teaching methods need to change with the changing means of
student learning (web based vs text). Students need equal access to
technology despite their socio economic status. Curriculum needs to be
developed for all learners to be successful. The district currently caters to
students going to college, taking AP courses etc. however, technology
needs to cater to the needs of ALL students and their postsecondary
goals.
As we’ve seen through history, the technological advances cannot
be reversed, and they come with many advantages and disadvantages.
The use of technology introduces the notion of online learning, which
could eliminate the social piece of a students learning and development.
We realize, that although technology will threaten current jobs, it will also
create new jobs within computer media and environmental/’green job
market. However, those who are resistant to change, will delay the
progression and advancement in technology, and we need to be prepared
to address this resistance.
January 24, 2011
Dear ICSD Team,

These are the top 7 surprises in this morning’s presentation:

1. Interactive nature of the presentation provided a venue for immediate and uncensored
input.
2. The large number of attendees
3. Being invited to have input into what is important instead of being told – the
inclusiveness that is inherent in distributed leadership.
4. The use of a business model to help the district move toward excellence. We don’t think
of education as becoming obsolete, but the way it is delivered must stay relevant.
5. Having a vision as far-reaching as 2027.
6. It was surprising if what was intended by today’s video clips was to present technology as
the only acceptable way to engage students fully in the learning process.
7. Lack of acknowledgement of resource scarcity in our current operating environment.

The World Language teachers found much that pleased us in Dr. Brown's presentation today.
Many of us commented that his humor and obvious comfort with technology made him a skilled
communicator. Also, folks appreciated that Dr. Brown did several things that made us feel really
included in the discussion, such as
• having the running backchannel
• giving a positive shout out to world languages (elementary level, too!)
• promising that goals and assessments will reflect what WE teachers value

Several teachers were pleased to by the emphasis on PLC (making it an organizational

cornerstone; the possibility of the "PLC day") and by the recognition of the growing importance
of technology as central to instruction.

Thanks!

Without a doubt, the biggest challenge that is foreseen by the discussion group has to do with
money, though exactly how is a highly variable question. There are questions about the
implementation of technology, from the aspect of how are the new pieces of technology going to
be purchased to how will the teachers be supported in becoming proficient in the new technology
as well as how will the technology itself be supported. The next biggest challenge foreseen has to
do with buy-in and motivation: how will PLC time and training time be built into the schedule
with the least amount of negative impact on the classroom and the greatest amount of positive
impact on staff. The old adage applies here that "Time is Money" and it feels as though we've
been operating for some time with a shortage of both and we wonder how either will be added
back into our daily life if such a way that can facilitate all of the wonderful ideals we were
pitched today.

From: World Language Teachers and an elementary library aide.