Dr. Patty J. Horn, President, ASA Higher Education Division July 21, 2009

The Higher Education Division was created to provide a service and be of service to the PreK-12 community. As stated in the constitution and By-Laws: “The purpose of the division is to collaborate with other divisions to further the cause of education through the improvement of educational practices generally and of educational administration and supervision programs of preparation specifically.” How can we use the resources we all have to better support our professional communities and serve the needs of our students? 1. Listen to what one another has to say. Dr. David C. Berliner, Arizona State University Regent’s Professor, was the keynote speaker in 2009 at the Arizona Professors of Educational Administration annual Spring Drive-In Conference. Dr. Berliner challenged us as leaders to review, analyze, and act on what research says to us in regard to high-stakes test scores. In his provocative book, Collateral Damage: How High-Stakes Testing Corrupts America's Schools (2007), he and his co-author Sharon Nichols draw on their “extensive research to document and categorize the ways that high-stakes testing threatens the purposes and ideals of the American education system. Their analysis provides a coherent and comprehensive intellectual framework for the wide-ranging arguments against high-stakes testing, while putting a compelling human face on the data marshalled in support of those arguments.” What are we doing to change a curriculum that binds our thinking and learning rather than allowing our thinking and learning to explore, create, and provide solutions? 2. Find one another’s strengths. The scientists at Gallup (http://www.gallup.com) have spent 40 years studying human strengths and they now have created a StrengthsFinder assessment (Rath, 2007) that assist all of us in not only finding our own strengths but assisting those around us to find their strengths. How many of the people around you say, “At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day”? Gallup studies indicate that people who do have the opportunity to focus on their strengths every day are “six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs and more than three times as likely to report having an excellent quality of life in general” (p.iii). How can we create “strength zone” environments for everyone instead of looking at our work from a deficient zone? As leaders, what can we do to allow every student to find their strengths? 3. Act as a change agent. Here is the formula from StrengthsFinder (p.20): Talent (a natural way of thinking, feeling, or behaving) x Investment (time spent practicing, developing your skills, and building your knowledge base) = Strength (the ability to consistently provide near perfect performance) Wouldn’t it be a different world if we were all in the “strength zone” to create change within our environments? It is an honor and a privilege to serve as President of this prestigious group. We are proud that we are included as an integral part of ASA. We welcome your comments and your suggestions on how we can be of service. Always know that we are here for you in support of all PreK-12 + endeavors.