Thursday, December 30, 2010

Importance of Effective Educational Leadership to Successful Student Outcome by Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa


America’s high schools have an important role to play in preparing students for college and work in the 21st century. In the last decade, schools have been impacted by such things as technological advances, changes in society, a shortage of qualified educators, and increased accountability pressures. Calls for dramatic reform in our educational organizations will no doubt change the way our schools will be doing business in the future.

School success is more important now than ever before for the health of our economy.  Due to our current economic conditions, high school reform is of particular importance as Federal, State, and Local leaders devote attention and resources to improving high school graduation rates and increasing the attainment of college and work readiness.  
 The definition of leadership adopted by Yukl and Van Fleet in their seminal literature review states that leadership is, “a process that includes influencing the task objectives and strategies of a group or organization, and influencing people in the organization” (Yukl, 1992). According to the American Educational Research Association findings from research on school leadership, the following claims were submitted:
1.         Leadership has significant effects on student learning, second only to the effects of the quality of curriculum and teachers’ instruction.
2.         Other potential sources of leadership exist besides administrators and teacher leaders.
            3.         A core set of “basic” leadership practices are valuable: articulating a vision, setting high expectations for performance, facilitating the acceptance of group goals, monitoring performance, communicating, offering intellectual stimulation, providing individualized support, strengthening positive school culture, building collaboration processes, and maintaining a positive environment.
4.         Successful school leaders accept policies that emphasize accountability as opportunities. These principals create a competitive school by empowering others to make decisions, providing instructional leadership, and performing strategic planning efforts.

5.         Successful school leaders understand the challenges of educating diverse groups of students. These principals see this challenge as an opportunity to build powerful forms of teaching and learning, develop strong communities in schools, and nurture the development of families’ educational culture.           

Most effective schools studies have identified school leadership as a key characteristic to being a successful and effective school. Most of these studies also indicate that good schools have good principals. These principals are considered good because they are able to articulate a common vision (U.S. Department of Education, 1996 embraced (Hodges 2000).

For public school systems in the United States, high school graduation rates represent a key indicator of school performance. Schools and districts in which more students earn high school diplomas are generally regarded as better performers than those school districts with more students dropping out of school.  Engaging students in school and helping them work toward graduation is a critical task for many educators at this time.  We all can play an important role in providing quality school leadership in our schools.  Key points to keep in mind related to school leadership are:
·         Everyone should take on a leadership role in educating our children.
·         Be active in local school decision making.
·         Volunteer your time and expertise to local schools.

Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa is a mother, educator, and wife living in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.  She is a PhD student with Our Lady of the Lake University in Leadership Studies.  Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is the President of the Leadership Empowerment Group, LLC and is currently researching the relationship between the leadership of the high school principal and the high school drop out rate.  Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is the author of Are You A Ten?  The Ten Characteristics of a Servant Leader.   For ordering information, please contact Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa at Barb313679@aol.com.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Kirk Franklin - Brighter Day


Here's to a Brighter Day! Big Blessings to You! Spread the Love!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Importance of Education in Individual Success by Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa

America’s expectation that all students will graduate from high school has increased throughout the 20th century and continues to be a focus for educational policies in the United States.  High school graduation rates have gained increasing prominence as a key issue in educational policy since the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was passed into law in January 2002. The NCLB has generated a great deal of research regarding high school dropouts.


Marian Wright Edelman, Founder and President
Children's Defense Fund

According to the Children’s Defense Fund, researchers agree that every nine seconds a student decides to permanently leave high school prior to graduation.  This early exit from high school has forced policymakers to investigate and research the educational, economic, and civic impact of dropouts on society. 

A high school diploma has long been regarded as a requirement for economic and social well-being. Generally, the higher levels of education an individual has, the higher the income, the more stable the employment, and the less the individual is dependent on public assistance.

The decision to drop out of high school is rarely caused by one event.
Many students show warning signs years before they leave high school. Whatever the causes, a decision to drop out of high school can have future negative effects on the individual as well as society. 



Every year, more than one million United States students decide to drop out of high school.  These dropouts are unprepared for meaningful work or postsecondary education.  Our communities can no longer afford to allow this trend to continue. 

We All need to work together to keep children in school and improve the well being our communities.  



Here are some things you and I can do to help:
  • If you are a parent and you want your child to graduate on time and prepared for college, talk to your child’s teachers and counselors to ensure that he/she is on track to meet the school’s graduation requirements.
  • If you are a concerned citizen, attend local school meetings to gather more information of what your local high school reform efforts are.
  • If you are an educator, pursue professional development opportunities that present new ideas about high school curriculum and instruction.  Have an open mind.

Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa is a mother, educator, and wife living in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.  She is a PhD student with Our Lady of the Lake University in Leadership Studies.  Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is the President of the Leadership Empowerment Group, LLC and is currently researching the relationship between the leadership of the high school principal and the high school drop out rate.  Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is the author of Are You A Ten?  The Ten Characteristics of a Servant Leader.   For ordering information, please contact Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa at Barb313679@aol.com.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Where is the Love? Part 1

Know how sometimes you're sitting somewhere and someone says something that you recognize as the answer to a prayer question that you yourself had asked of God? The person who says it usually has no clue that they've blessed you. Well...tell 'em!

First and foremost, I want to thank Dr. Jimmy D. Hunter, Pastor of The Toliver Chapel Missionary Baptist Church for the idea for this title and confirmation (in the sermon of the same name) that LOVE should be the topic of the next few posts.  It’s so critical to living an abundant life. 

Period.

I’d also like to thank my ‘other’ Mom, Erna Watkins, for inviting me to present the Bible lesson at a Women’s Ministry Meeting that she hosted in her home some three years ago. I researched and wrote about Love. Pastor’s recent sermon was on another commandment regarding love that will make for an excellent follow up topic. It’s about how we are to love one another.

This series, “Where is The Love?” is based on Matthew 22:37-39.
“Jesus replied, ‘You must love The Lord Your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

So let’s explore what it means to Love The Lord Our God with All of our heart, soul and mind; plus what it looks like to love our neighbor as we love ourselves

I welcome your comments.

Before we get started, I want you to see this video by Man Navales. It’s really something to think about.


Thank you so much for reading, sharing and for your very kind words. 
They mean a lot! 
Stay tuned! God Bless You!

It's Only A Test, Bishop Morton

Open the floodgates of Heaven...Let it Rain! Let it Rain on You! I feel the Rain!!!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

In the Presence of Love ...a note from Mary Robinson Reynolds

WELCOME NEW READERS from Qatar, Sri Lanka, Australia, Croatia, Russia, Slovenia, Kyrgyzstan and the US! I'm So Pleased that You have joined us!

While putting the finishing touches on a new series called, "Where is The Love?" I was blessed to get the following in my email box this morning. I listed the site below so you can have access to some really life enriching material. 

Enjoy and Thanks for Sharing! 

~~~~~~~ 

Each person's core purpose in life is to be loving. Love and compassion don't solve problems, they just get you into the best frame of mind and heart to reach beyond where you've gone before, to find new, creative, peaceful and healing solutions.

Mary Rowland in her book Dare to Believe! has described how you can double the good in your life by simply putting love first:

          "If you are not attracting the good that you desire in your life, learn to express love; become a radiating center of love; and you will find that love, the divine magnet within you will change your whole world ... when your heart is filled with love you will not be critical or irritable, but you will be divinely irresistible."

Florence Scoval Shinn wrote, "Every man on the planet is taking his initiation in love." 

To which Catherine Ponder concludes: "Whatever your problem, it is but a test in love. If you meet that test through love, your problem will be solved. If you do not meet that test through love, your problem will continue until you do! Your problem is your initiation in love."

Christmas is the time of a new birth in consciousness ...and a return to that which created each and every one of us: Love.

With peace, comes love. Peace can be found in the silence.

Sometimes we may feel it is just too hard to feel love, let alone express love. It is times like this that you can reach for compassion first, understanding second. These two simple pre-emptive steps will get you to a place of peace. From peace, love flows easily.

This holiday season, simply try putting compassion first. No matter what the situation, find the compassion. Whether it's about money, relationship or job dissatisfaction, health, weight ... any and all situations in your life where a solution has not been found, simply be compassionate with yourself first, compassionate with those involved second, and you will feel the world light up with new inspired solutions because, and to quote from The Power of Compassion: 7 Ways You Can Make A Difference Gift Book & DVD:

“Research about the brain reveals that compassionate thoughts literally light up the frontal lobe of a person's brain. (The frontal lobe is where the mind can access solutions.) When we are resentful or angry, there is no light in that part of the brain, and so we shut down and fail to function well. As soon as we deliberately think compassionate thoughts, this part of the brain lights up, and we can literally go from "impossible" to "possible" in an instant.

Whether you are devoutly religious or deeply spiritual, an atheist, an agnostic or a skeptic, when you simply decide to think compassionate thoughts, the power of the feeling that is ignited is palpable. The connection is instantly available and deeply real.”


Expect Miracles!

Mary Robinson Reynolds
Author & Founder of Heart Productions & Publishing

 ********

(Note: This post was not a paid endorsement. I just appreciate the work and wanted to share.)

Thank You for Reading and Sharing! The series: "Where is The Love?" will debut this week.

Stay Tuned and Please click "Follow" to the right top of the page to be alerted of new postings. 

Thanks in Advance!
Big Blessings to Each of You!

Friday, December 10, 2010

"Walk This Way" featuring cartoonist, Thomas Yoon!

He who walks honestly walks securely, but he whose ways are crooked will fare badly. (Proverbs 10:9)



Welcome Cartoonist, Thomas Yoon! 
Thank you for allowing use of your Great Work!
To see a variety of cartoons, please visit:


Thank You, Readers! This post is celebrating the milestone of 1,700 page views! 
Thank You So Much for Making this Happen. I just brought the "Follow" button to the top. Please click it.
Thanks in Advance! May God Bless and Keep You!

This Song is Just for You!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The Crisis: High School Dropouts and the Effect on our Communities by Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa


The United States, once the world leader in graduating students from high school, is in an “unrecognized educational crisis,” according to former United States Secretary of Education Rod Paige (Amos, 2008). Bill Gates calls United States high schools “obsolete,” while Oprah Winfrey has said that the nation is in a, “state of emergency” because of them (Amos, 2008).

President Barack Obama issued a challenge to the American people. The Presidential challenge was for every American citizen to become actively involved in improving the K-12 public education system. Even though President Obama reported that students themselves are responsible for their educational progress, he challenged all Americans to embrace this responsibility as well. “It’s up to all of us,” he said.

This educational challenge came to the American people during a troubling time in our nation’s schools. Each year, nearly one-third of all public high school students (and almost one-half of minorities) fail to graduate from high school with their class.  High dropout rates have negative consequences for dropouts themselves, our economy, and the civic fabric of communities.

Dropouts are much more likely to be unemployed, living in poverty, receiving public assistance, in prison, on death row, unhealthy, divorced, and single parents with children who drop out from high school themselves (Bridgeland, et al, 2006).  Cities and states with a large number of high school dropouts find it more difficult to attract new businesses.  At the same time, high dropout rates produce additional spending on social programs and the criminal justice system which, ultimately drain state and federal budgets.

The more dropouts we have, the less human potential and tax revenues we generate.

Dropouts are less likely than others to be employed, more likely to receive public assistance, and much more likely to be incarcerated (Princotta, 2009).

Each high school dropout costs the public approximately $209,100 over a lifetime.  Altogether, dropouts cost the United States more than $300 billion per year (Amos, 2008). In addition, communities with high dropout rates experience a less vital democracy and a weakened ability to compete in the global economy.

Our nation can no longer afford to lose students at these rates every school year. The public high school dropout situation is nothing short of a crisis. Addressing the dropout crisis is one of the most effective ways we can support long-term economic growth in our nation.

We all can take on a leadership role in making sure our community supports access to quality education for all our children.

The following tips just may help a child stay in school:
  • Support local schools – volunteer at a school, support school fundraising efforts, and hire local high school graduates.
  • Interact with local young people – when you are out and about in your community, ask local young people what school they go to, how they are doing, what their goals are, etc. 
  • Get involved in decision making – work with local leaders to help develop policies and procedures that promote keeping students in school.




Amos, J. (2008). Dropouts, diplomas, and dollars. Washington, D.C.: Alliance for Excellent Education.

Bridgeland, J.M., Dilulio, J.J., Jr. & Morison, K.B. (2006, March). The silent epidemic: Perspectives of high school dropouts. Civic Enterprises.


Princotta, D., Ryena, R. (2009). Achieving graduation for all.  A governor’s guide to dropout prevention and recovery.
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices.



Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa is a mother, educator, and wife living in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.  She is a PhD student with Our Lady of the Lake University in Leadership Studies.  Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is the President of the Leadership Empowerment Group, LLC and is currently researching the relationship between the leadership of the high school principal and the high school drop out rate.  Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is the author of Are You A Ten?  The Ten Characteristics of a Servant Leader.   For ordering information, please contact Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa at Barb313679@aol.com.