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CT Assoc. of M.S. Principals Board of Directors
Minutes from meeting of 10/20/2008
Connecticut Association of SchoolsMiddle Level Board of Control
Center for Early Adolescent Educators
October 20, 2008
Minutes
1. Joint Meeting with Elementary Board of Control. The boards were informed of the likely legislative initiatives in the General Assemble this year by Dennis Carrithers. Members were urged to be proactive in supporting the new secondary school initiative and other bills. The CAS Legislative Committee is hoping to gather a cadre of about five or six principals from each level who would agree to be available at short notice to address the legislature on issues of interest. Each board of control will endeavor to develop this group. David Maloney solicited ideas of how the CAS Student Activities Committee could support middle and elementary schools. Lou Pear spoke to the opportunities for Unified Sports at the elementary and middle levels.
2. The middle level boards have selected Patti Kinney, NASSP Assistant Executive Director for Middle Level Services as their first choice as a keynote speaker for the scholar/leader banquet. Earle will contact her and issue the invitation.
3. 2008-2009 Goals: It was established that there will be two major goal areas for this school year. The first revolves around secondary school reform and the second around surveying the middle level membership regarding CAS services.
a. The primary goals for the work of the boards will be to raise awareness of the uncommon opportunity to positively impact middle level education in Connecticut through the secondary school reform initiative. To this end, the boards will:
i. Create ad-hoc groups as needed to study and to advise the SDE on various aspects of the initiative (student success plans or early intervention plans, for example)
ii. Host information forums in various parts of the state to inform middle level educators about the plan and to enlist support
iii. Establish a cadre of middle school principals willing and able to testify before the legislature on short notice relative to this, and other initiatives of interest to middle level education.
b. Following the work of Jim Collins in “Seven Measures of Success, What Remarkable Association Do That Others Don’t” the middle level boards will endeavor to “…make every effort to understand members’ needs and attempt, within the confines of the mission, to meet them.” To this end a survey will be developed relative to perceived effectiveness of CAS middle level direction and services. A copy of the executive summary of the book will be forwarded to the boards. Members are asked to suggest areas to be included in the survey and email them to Earle Bidwell.
4. In place of a November meeting, members are invited to a forum on the new
anti-bullying legislation featuring Attorney Tom Mooney and SDE expert Dr. JoAnn Freiberg on November 20, 2008 from 3:30 – 5:30.
The next board meeting will be on December 16th at CAS.
