Alas, I did not make it to the ballot in November

I want to thank everyone who supported me in various ways. I did not get enough votes in the primary to be on the ballot in November but I have learned a lot and am committed to remaining involved.

There are other good candidates for the school board who are still in the running. I am still hopeful that we will see some changes in the make up of the school board in the Fall. It is too soon for me to endorse anyone but I probably will and will explain why.

Thanks again!!

Norman

Letter to the Editor published today (Saturday, 17-Apr)

Thank you, Mike, for the great letter.  I've reproduced it below and you can find it on the Journal's website at http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2010/apr/17/missing-something/opinion-letters/.  It is the last letter published today, so just scroll down to the bottom or read it here:

Heart for the kids

I endorse Norman Hill for District Two of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School Board. Norman and I recently spent some time together discussing his ideas for improving the system and sharing what we believe to be most important.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson's Career-Ready Commission spent the past year studying the N.C. school systems and found that our students are facing "A Crisis of Relevance." In her comments to the State Board of Education on April 1, about the commission's final report by that name, she said, "Too many young people are failing to see that what they are learning in our K-12 public schools is relevant to their plans for future training, education and careers."
It is obvious that the current focus is wrongly placed and we need some influence on our board that will push for relevant curriculum with career preparation rather than pure college prep. Over half of students who go to college right out of high school drop out. We should be helping these students identify their gifts and encouraging them to follow their hearts rather than the path that the status quo says they should follow.Norman's heart is for the kids and that is why he has committed to serve our community. Please join me in supporting him with your vote.
MICHAEL H. SEARS
Winston-Salem

Signs, website, fliers, cards... OH MY!

Okay, we're starting to distribute yard signs.  Jennifer is doing a great job of keeping track of where they are going and finding places to put them in as many precincts as we can manage.  We also have fliers which are perfect to hand out or have on a counter or table to be picked up and cards which are perfect to hand out, post or have beside a cash register.   All the new material has the website address on it (www.normanhill4schoolboard.com) which should be up later tonight.  In the meantime the traffic is directed here to this blog which is okay.  The website will have a link to the blog and the facebook page anyway, but it will be a better place for static information such as how to find out whether you can vote for me and perhaps a link to donate to the campaign online.

That's it for now.  I'll post more later tonight.

EARLY VOTING STARTS on THURSDAY

If you like the convenience of early voting, it starts on Thursday.  Full details can be found on the Board of Elections website here.   This is also your opportunity to vote if  you missed the registration deadline - it is a one-stop deal - you can register and vote at the same time.   Please vote and encourage your friends to vote.  This election matters.  Nothing we do locally is more important than our schools and there are real choices to make. PLEASE VOTE! :)

Life in Forsyth: (chanting) NORMAN! NORMAN! NORMAN!

A big shout out goes to Esbee (aka Lucy) over at one of the best (personally, I think it is the best) local blogs, who just published a link to this blog. Thank you, Esbee!

Life in Forsyth: (chanting) NORMAN! NORMAN! NORMAN!

I attended the 2010 Poet Laureate Program tonight and got to hear some wonderful poets reciting their own poetry and they just happened to also be WS/FC students. It was a real treat and they were all winners in my book. I was surprised that only three school board candidates (including one incumbent) attended. Thanks to all who made the evening possible!  Thank you, Forsyth Educational Partnership, WS/FC School System, parents, teachers, and, most of all, our student poets who had the talent and the courage!  The results of this year's competition have not been posted yet but information can be found at http://www.allianceforeducation.org/poetlaureate.html and you can purchase books of the poetry which was entered.

By the way, I have decided that the time has come to solicit small donations.  I am still planning to stay under the $1000 threshold through the primary but I may order some yard signs before then and we'll definitely have fliers for distribution.   You may send your contributions in the form of checks made out to "Norman Hill for School Board" to me at 201 Turnbridge Dr., Lewisville, NC 27023.   If you contribute over $50, I am required to report your address and occupation along with your name, so please provide that information or I will not be able to accept your contribution.   The check must clearly indicate that it is a contribution to my campaign.

District Leadership That Works

The title of this post is actually the title of an interesting book I've been reading.  It is based on a meta-analysis of existing research studies and examines the relationship between district leadership and student achievement.   It does appear from this research that students benefit from clear, unified, direction by the district and that schools do a better job when given some autonomy towards reaching those goals.  The book begins by reminding us about William Bennett giving the nickname "the blob" to the administration of public schools which he said stood for "bloated educational bureaucracy."  This may be a prescient reminder.  However this book is not an assault on district leadership rather it contains suggestions on how district leadership can be more effective.  It involves setting clear, nonnegotiable goals for achievement and instruction in collaboration with schools, teachers, parents, and board members then giving the schools and teachers the freedom to pursue those goals.

This is turning out to be a very busy week so it may be next week before I write much more.  However,  I want to write about my thoughts about school assignment issues, how we should measure student achievement, discipline issues, and other issues as they arise.