Chef Morrison ready to throw risotto?

People who want to follow Superintendent Heath Morrison's metaphors may want to step up their viewing of reality TV.

I was perplexed when a presentation on school redesign ended with the goal of ensuring that  "families in CMS will love our schools,  not list them."  Someone explained that it's a play on the HGTV show "Love It or List It."

Now Morrison is eagerly telling his staff about Chef Ramsay throwing bad risotto.

Management role model? @*#%!

It's hard to imagine fiery-tempered, foul-mouthed Gordon Ramsay,  star of  "Hell's Kitchen,"  serving as a management role model for Morrison.  Morrison,  who considers a PB&J fine dining,  is quick to note that he's never tried risotto and doesn't really plan to throw food or  "call anyone a donkey"  like Ramsay does when he's displeased.

I'm not even sure Morrison has his risotto-throwing story right.  I found accounts of Ramsay throwing meat and chucking someone's phone into boiling water,  but the only risotto-toss my Google search turned up involved rival chef  Marco Pierre White.

But I think the idea he's trying to convey is that the proof is in the,  er,  risotto,  and Morrison is going to demand results from everyone charged with making schools better.

Speaking of which,  Morrison will announce his latest plan to make that happen at a news conference today.  Stay tuned;  I figured I'd set the stage for a lively discussion when we all know what's happening.

Fresh eyes on public education

Until this summer,  I never associated urban education reform with Davidson College, a private liberal arts school on a tranquil suburban campus.  But the college's new education scholars program has placed summer interns in the thick of Charlotte's quest to turn around inner-city schools. 

Davidson education scholars at work

The eight undergraduates are working with key players, mentoring high school students and living uptown at Johnson C. Smith University's Mosaic Village.  Among the assignments:  Shadowing  Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Deputy Superintendent Ann Clark,  helping the public-private Project LIFT analyze data and plan strategy, working with support and advocacy groups ranging from Teach For America to Communities in Schools,  and connecting directly with schools,  including CMS' Billingsville Elementary and Sugar Creek Charter School.  The students have a range of career plans,  but all see themselves making a difference in education.

The real-life experience is bound to teach them things they'd never learn in a college classroom,  even from the best of professors.  Their views are likely to energize the groups they work with and broaden the public discussion.  Part of their assignment is to blog about what they're thinking and learning.  They've already weighed in on digital education,  discussed the frustrations imposed by web filters designed to protect kids and discovered that red tape can bog down well-intentioned projects.  And one of them has demonstrated video blogging skill that leaves  me in the dust  (not that that's hard to do).

I got to meet the scholars early on,  talking to them about CMS and blogging during their orientation.  They struck me as smart, energetic people who ask good questions.  I'm eager to read more about their summer.  Maybe in a few years we'll all get to see some of them in action.

From biscuits to diplomas?

Will Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools'  new free breakfast program produce thousands more graduates?

Well  ...  I'd take that claim with a grain of salt.

Cindy Hobbs,  who heads the CMS child nutrition program,  was ecstatic when the school board OK'ed a plan to provide free breakfast to all students, regardless of family income.  By removing the stigma associated with getting a free meal,  supporters of the plan hope kids will start their school day with a nutritious meal,  eventually improving behavior, attendance and academic performance.

"We could be looking at 3,500 more children to graduate,  based on their 20 percent graduation rate,"  she told the board just before the 7-1 vote.

When I asked about that number,  she acknowledged it's more of a hope than a solid projection,  and one that would take many years to play out.

The CMS presentation used numbers drawn from  "Ending Childhood Hunger: A Social Impact Analysis," done by Deloitte for the advocacy group No Kid Hungry.  It's the kind of study designed to make a case,  with clear language, nice visuals and strong conclusions. It cites findings that students who participate in school breakfast programs attend 1.5 more days of school a year, score 17.5 percent higher on math tests and have fewer behavior problems.  The 20 percent figure comes from a different study,  which found that students who miss fewer than five days of school a year  --  not necessarily those who eat breakfast  --  are 20 percent more likely to graduate.  Based on that,  Deloitte extrapolated that the Maryland program they were reviewing might  "see up to 56,000 additional students achieving math proficiency and 14,000 more high school graduates over time."

Hobbs said she used that same approach to extrapolate a CMS increase in graduates over an unspecified period of time.

The source cited in the Deloitte footnote is a 36-page academic research review on breakfast studies done since the 1990s.  It's harder to get through than a big bowl of unsalted grits.  I did my best,  and found several studies showing that students performed better on some tests,  logged better attendance and appeared to be better behaved when they had breakfast.  But,  as tends to be the case with real academic research,  it's chock full of qualifiers,  along the lines of  "not statistically significant"  and  "another data source produced contradictory results."

There's no mention of any study linking breakfast to graduation rates.

Common sense tells us that sausage biscuits aren't the golden ticket to education reform.  It brings me back to a notion I've written about before,  that real change comes from 100 one-percent solutions, not one or two big reforms.  It would be lunacy to offer free breakfasts and figure the work is done,  but CMS leaders are hoping it's one small piece of a program to help more kids succeed.

While we're on the biscuit beat,  did anyone else cringe at the notion that kids are getting "turkey sausage on a whole-grain biscuit"?  Hobbs told the board that school cafeterias avoid pork because many families have religious prohibitions.

I happen to like turkey sausage.  But a whole-grain biscuit?  Is that even a real thing?

Real biscuits?

Hobbs laughed when I asked.  "They're  ...  OK," she said tactfully.  As a Southerner, she said, she wouldn't serve or eat them,  but the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires certain portions of whole grains in school meals.

$94 million worth of success

The 8,000-plus members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Class of 2013 brought in more than 2,600 scholarships worth almost $94 million, the district reports.

The scholarship report always makes me twitch a bit. Years ago, I treated these tallies like hard data, trying to figure out why some schools were so much more effective than others in getting their graduates college money and why numbers fluctuated so wildly from year to year.

What I learned was that these totals rely on self-reporting by seniors and guidance counselors, both of whom have a lot of distractions at the end of the year.  So now I don't put a lot of energy into the specifics.

But the big point is worth recognizing: A whole lot of students leave CMS with a great education and bright prospects.

And let's face it,  lists are fun.  So in the spirit of celebration, let's take a look at the report and tip our hats to ...

Providence High topped the tally,  with 361 scholarships worth just over $16 million.  Next were Myers Park (302,  $13.7 million)  and Ardrey Kell (245,  $9 million).  Those were also the top three schools based on academic scholarships only.

Vance topped the list for athletic scholarships,  with almost $4 million,  followed by Mallard Creek ($2.6 million) and West Charlotte ($2 million).

Ardrey Kell logged $840,000 in military scholarships,  followed by Providence ($677,606) and Independence ($188,500).

South Meck topped the fine arts list with $537,290,  followed by Providence ($253,100) and Northwest School of the Arts ($184,500).  It's probably worth noting that the arts magnet is much smaller than the two traditional high schools.

And for band scholarships, South Meck was way above all other schools with $279,300.

All in all,  that comes to a lot of students and parents with good cause to celebrate.

Designing dream schools

Principals are described as lead designers of  "a dream school house"  in a presentation Superintendent Heath Morrison made to the school board Tuesday. He talked about the growing  competition from charter, private, online and magnet schools,  which can pull students away from traditional neighborhood schools.

"The iceberg is straight ahead,"  says one slide,  illustrated with a graphic of the Titanic.  "Do we continue on our same path with the same result?"


Plans handed down from central offices are part of the old path,  Morrison said.  "I believe that transformation and reform happens best when it happens at the schoolhouse."
 
Morrison talked a lot about finding ways to make each school  "a school of choice" that offers high-quality teaching, programs and schedules that suit the needs of the community.  Board member Ericka Ellis-Stewart suggested he consider a different label,  given the baggage that "choice" carries in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools  (the post-desegregation assignment plan that debuted in 2002 was called "the choice plan.")

There aren't a lot of specifics yet.  Morrison said he and principals will be hashing those out during the summer leadership institute and in the coming school year.  But there was some interesting discussion of the strategy.

A couple of board members asked how far the district would go in backing up a principal with a bold vision for change.  Morrison waved a caution flag.  If the vision is only the principal's,  he said,  it's going to fall apart when that principal leaves.  Any plan for change needs to come from the whole school community, he said.  And that means reaching beyond the handful of parents who may be regulars at the PTA meetings:  "It can't be a neighborhood school of choice if you haven't involved the neighborhood."

Any plan that's based on reports of success elsewhere will require in-depth research to make sure that model really works,  he added.  "I want to reward boldness,"  he said,  "but it's a calculated boldness.  You have to do your homework."

Morrison talked about helping each school market itself,  but added that  "I don't want our principals to be used car salesmen."

Also at Tuesday's meeting,  the school board approved this $36 million plan for Title I spending in 2013-14  (read more about the plan here).  It calls for supporting 1,800 Bright Beginnings prekindergarten students,  well under the current total of 3,000.  Deputy Superintendent Ann Clark says that's not a cutback;  it's just because Title I money only pays for part of the program.

References to FOCUS schools may also prove confusing.  In this context,  it's a state label for schools with weaknesses in test scores or graduation rates,  which qualifies those schools for help from academic coaching teams.   The CMS  "FOCUS school"  program,  which provided extra money and supplies to high poverty schools,  has been phased out,  officials said.

The list of Title I schools targeted for special aid also notes that Sterling,  Windsor Park and Allenbrook elementary schools have been named  "reward schools," a state designation based on high performance or growth.  I asked Clark what kind of reward they get.

If you have any familiarity with the way these things work,  you won't be surprised at the answer:  None.

No squawks about CMS

I thoroughly enjoyed "Charlotte Squawks,"  the ninth annual musical lampoon of our area's characters,  institutions and foibles. But something feels amiss.

There are spoofs of Congress and the N.C. General Assembly.  Mayor Anthony Foxx makes frequent appearances,  and Pat McCrory's dance number is inspired.  Mecklenburg County gets three whole songs,  for the county commission,  County Manager Harry Jones'  departure and the revaluation flub.  Even the Observer's paywall got a poke,  to the tune of  "Skyfall."

"Pat McCrory" shows his "Governor Style"

But there's nary a peep about Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools,  one of our largest public institutions.

I could claim it's because the cast hasn't found lookalikes for Superintendent Heath Morrison or school board Chair Mary McCray.  But the truth is,  this crew just isn't very funny.

It wasn't long ago that the district's leaders provided regular fodder for skewering.  Remember when the board was regularly described as divided and dysfunctional?  When national consultants used videos of CMS board meetings as examples of chaotic governance?  When protesters were getting hauled out of board meetings in handcuffs?

If you don't like the current board's direction,  it's probably not much consolation that they're working more cohesively.  But it's got to be a good thing for the community when the folks in charge of educating children behave like grown-ups.

Of course,  reporters take a perverse pride in covering the wackiest characters in town.  I admit to feeling some nostalgia for the days when a new superintendent took office and promptly tried to ban a children's book about gay penguins.

Collins

Since I saw only the dress rehearsal,  I checked with founder/producer Mike Collins to see whether things might change before the show ends on June 21.  The musical numbers are set,  he said,  but a satirical newscast is updated daily.

"If they do anything funny or absurd or worth making fun of, that will find its way into the news,"  Collins added helpfully.

Well, I can always hope for a good laugh.  But we might have to settle for a leadership team that seems to have gone sane.

  

CMS shakeup afoot

Superintendent Heath Morrison is reorganizing his administration,  but his office says he won't be ready to announce any changes until at least next week.

Morrison

The timing makes sense,  as he wraps up his first year with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.  When Morrison made his first round of appointments last summer,  I voiced surprise that he hadn't brought anyone from his previous district in Reno, Nev.  He said he told his top people he wanted them to stay in place for at least a year to help the new superintendent with the transition.  After that, he said, he'd consider hiring them.  That told me Morrison,  who is nothing if not methodical,  was looking ahead to a second stage of filling out his leadership team in Charlotte.

The Wake County school board's delay in hiring a superintendent leaves a lingering question mark for CMS,  with Deputy Superintendent Ann Clark as one of three Wake finalists.  Clark played a key role in Morrison's first year,  but he's clearly prepared to fill the gap if she gets the job.  And he's been holding off on hiring a chief academic officer,  a post he calls crucial to the district's long-term success,  while letting Clark oversee academics.

I wouldn't be surprised to see changes in the administrative zones that schools report to.  CMS currently has six:  The Project LIFT zone,  encompassing the West Charlotte High feeder area;  two others that oversee all other schools with poverty levels of 75 percent or higher;  and three that split the lower-poverty schools geographically.  Two of the zone superintendent posts are vacant,  and superintendents tend to like to line up schools by their own method.

Let me know what you hear about the changes,  and what you'd like to see happen to make central offices work effectively for schools,  employees and taxpayers.