Week 6: Don't Just Hope, Know

Happy Friday!

Thank you for all the effort put into Week 6! It has been a productive week here at Mena Public Schools as our District Targets are beginning to come to light and building plans are being implemented. Our Walkthrough data is becoming very informative to us as to the teaching that is happening throughout the district. This information is helpful to all of us because if we know where we are going and we stay on the right path, we will reach our destination.

In this week’s Wrap-up, I want to emphasize the importance of using data to guide decisions and tell you about a resource that may just about end all of your menial, time-consuming job tasks.

Don’t Just Hope, Know

You have heard me say it before, "Don’t just hope, know." It is more than just a catchy phrase; it is an entire mindset shift that we are adopting across our school district and within our PLC teams. Hope is terrific; it keeps us aiming high and dreaming big. However, when it comes to the fine details of shaping the futures of our young people, we need more than just hope in our arsenal.

For our teachers, this is all about refining your craft. Do not just cross your fingers and hope your teaching style is resonating. Dive into the data, dig into those student assessments, and take a hard look at engagement levels. Knowing is power, folks! When you "know," you can focus in on what is clicking and what needs a bit more attention, elevating how we reach each student at their level.

And let us not forget our administrators. This mantra is your friend, too. Data does not lie, and it helps you make decisions that are not just well-intentioned but well-executed. Whether you are pondering over funding priorities or gauging the real-world impact of our latest professional development workshops, data provides you with the roadmap. Follow it to set achievable yet challenging goals and to steer us steadily toward them.

This is not just a minor shift; it is a transformation. We are swapping out a culture of hopeful guesses for one grounded in data-driven certainties. That leads to a heightened sense of responsibility, fine-tuned interventions, and better outcomes for our students. So when you hear, "Do not just hope, know," remember it is our rallying cry for an educational setting where we are all better prepared, continuously improving, and always pushing for success.

Working Smarter, Not Harder

On Tuesday, our board approved an Artificial Intelligence policy, and on Thursday, Mrs. Buckley and I attended a workshop for district leaders about artificial intelligence. Robin Finley, Federal Programs and Technology Coordinator from Alma Public Schools presented to us. She also has a website called Teachtime to be a resource for teacher technology. Her presentation is at this link but I want to explain some more about how learning to use this technology will make your job easier in so many ways.

You know I would have been a programmer in another life, so trust me when I say AI is not just for Silicon Valley. It has real, practical applications that can help us out in the classroom and the office.

Here are some examples:

1. **Grading**: You know how time-consuming grading can be. Tools like Gradescope can do the heavy lifting for us, even for written answers. That means more time for you to engage with our students.

2. **Tailored Learning**: Platforms like Squirrel AI adapt to each student's learning pace. Imagine being able to give every student a personalized learning path without burning the midnight oil.

3. **Resource Allocation**: AI, such as ChatGPT can suggest additional exercises or resources based on how our students are doing. It is like having an extra set of eyes that helps us focus our efforts where they are needed most.

4. **Cutting Red Tape**: Think about all those admin tasks that eat into your day. AI chatbots can handle scheduling and FAQs, freeing you up to do what you love—teaching.

#### Real Talk: Examples

1. **Georgia State University**: They used an AI chatbot to field over 200,000 student questions. That is a lot of time saved, which they redirected to improve student engagement.

2. **Newtown Public School District**: By using AI to sift through test scores, they pinpointed learning gaps and adjusted their teaching strategies. That is data put to good use.

3. **Mena Public Schools**: ChatGPT can create programming code based on you explaining what you want your programs to do. This has been helpful to me in writing Google Apps Scripts to automate some of the data processing I use to create reports for our dashboard.

#### Your Next Steps

Look, AI is not some pie-in-the-sky idea; it is a tool we can use today to make our jobs easier and our teaching more effective. If you are intrigued but do not know where to start, our tech crew is here to guide you. I have asked Cindy Brevik to begin creating AI PD for us. Let us use tech to not just meet but exceed our goals for our students.

Do you use AI already? If so, please use this Thought Exchange to give us all examples of the best use and resources. Here is another link to a long list of AI resources for teachers but a primary tool that is still free for now is Eduaide.ai.

Closing

It was a really good week at Mena Public Schools!! Let us keep pushing the envelope and make Mena Public Schools a place where we are not just keeping up with the times but setting the pace.

There is no football game tonight due to this being our bye week and school will be closed on Monday. So, I hope you have a chance to relax and enjoy a little bit of a break before hitting the ground running again on Tuesday.

We wish our senior volleyball team good luck as they compete in the Lakeside Tournament tomorrow!

There are several fundraisers going on to support our clubs and programs: JAG, FFA, Band, and there may be more. Please help these groups out if you can.

At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bearcatwrap.substack.com