Conversation 14: Interview with Joan MacDonald, Linda Perdaems, & Colleen Wambach

2007-02-01 - MacDonald, Perdaems, Wambach (47:30 mp3)

Today I had a wonderful conversation with three extremely data-savvy principals here in Minnesota. Joan MacDonald is principal of Bluff Creek Elementary in Chanhassen; Linda Perdaems is principal of Woodland Elementary in Brooklyn Park; and Colleen Wambach is principal of Irondale High School in New Brighton. All three agreed to meet with me over lunch and share their perspectives as part of our podcast series on data-driven decision-making in K-12 schools.

Comments about this conversation are both welcome and encouraged. Happy listening!

Comments

[Wanda Erwin]

I'm going to see if I get this posted this time.

[Corey Haugen]

What a great conversation! I found the discussion around the idea that DDDM leads teachers to teach to the test to be very interesting. I have had those same comments thrown my direction as we work to implement DDDM in schools throughout our district. The idea that teaching to the standards is ok, but teaching to the test is negative seems to be quite contradictory. If the assessment/test is aligned to the standards, as it should be, aren't they one in the same? If the test assesses the standards, then what is the issue? As the principals stated, “good practice begins with defining your outcomes and then defining/creating your assessments to measure your progress and effectiveness.”