“New David Douglas superintendent Don Grotting says his philosophy is 'no excuses' (The Oregonian)” plus 3 more

New David Douglas superintendent Don Grotting says his philosophy is 'no excuses' (The Oregonian)
Eagle County jail is a facility with a philosophy (Vail Daily)
Katharine McPhee's Birthday Philosophy: Skip the Gym! (People Magazine)
Christian faith: five points of New Calvinism (The Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News)

New David Douglas superintendent Don Grotting says his philosophy is 'no excuses' (The Oregonian)

Posted: 27 Mar 2010 06:25 AM PDT

By Kimberly Melton, The Oregonian

March 27, 2010, 6:08AM

Don Grotting
Don Grotting is moving west, leaving the eastern edge of Oregon to become superintendent of the David Douglas School District on July 1. For the past 10 years, Grotting has led the 1,200-student Nyssa district.

Grotting hasn't traveled the typical road of most education leaders. After graduating from Coquille High School, Grotting entered the military and spent three years in Germany before returning to work for the Georgia-Pacific plywood plant in Coquille. After 13 years, the plant closed, and Grotting, then 33, debated what he wanted to do next.

Encouraged by friends and having worked as a coach, Grotting decided to return to school to become a teacher. He jokes that he and his eldest son, Josh, often did trigonometry and other homework together. Grotting received his bachelor's degree in three years from Linfield College and took his first teaching job in Powers. From there, Grotting's rise to administration was swift. While teaching, he worked on his master's degree, spending summers at Portland State University. After two years teaching, he became the superintendent in Powers, where he stayed for six years before moving to Nyssa.

Age: 53

Family: Wife, Lisa; sons, Josh, 33, and Conner, 18; daughters, Kim, 30, and Kennedy, 12

Education: Undergraduate degree in elementary education from Linfield College; master's degree in education from Portland State University

Hobbies: Watching kids participate in athletics, coaching, fishing, buying and selling classic cars

Gold star: In 2005, Nyssa became the first school district in Oregon presented with a Closing the Achievement Gap Award by the Oregon Department of Education. About 60 percent of Nyssa's students are Latino, and nearly 70 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. But those students' successes come close to mirroring those of their white counterparts. In 2008-09, more than 70 percent of low-income students met state benchmarks in reading and math.

Grotting recently fielded questions about his experiences in Nyssa, his education philosophy and his decision to come to David Douglas. His responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Nyssa has gained state and national recognition for the success that you've had serving students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. What's been the key to doing that?

Other than being in the service, where I was able to experience a lot of diversity, I had never really been exposed to that until I came to Nyssa. But I had firsthand experiences with poverty. I grew up in a poor family -- six kids -- and we did not have indoor plumbing until I was a sophomore in high school. Part of it is being able to recognize that a lot of these students come to us with a lot of different issues especially if they're coming from poverty. Giving these kids skills to succeed is really important to me.

We're 60 percent Hispanic, and it's been an absolutely great experience for me. Regardless of race, socioeconomic status, I believe that every child has an unlimited capacity to learn. I believed it when I went to Nyssa. Once that belief is carried out through the staff, it resonated with students, who started achieving and going beyond what people expected of them.

I have a philosophy -- no excuses. There may be barriers as to why certain populations don't achieve. But we don't make excuses because of one's socioeconomic status or race.

Why did you choose to come to David Douglas? What do you aim to bring to the district from your experiences in Nyssa?

I have had multiple opportunities to go to many districts, but I had a loyalty here. I believe a superintendent needs to stay six or seven years just to see some of the things put in place will be sustained and not short-lived.

But I think it was time to get back west. My son and daughter-in-law teach in Sutherlin. I have a daughter in Hood River and a son going to the University of Oregon. There were several districts open in the Willamette Valley. We visited David Douglas, talked to employees and called past administrators and teachers. I decided to put in my application. I was interviewing them as much as they were interviewing me.

The board was very upfront with me with what some of the challenges were and the direction they would like to head. They want that connection with all aspects and parts of the community so they do feel they are connected to David Douglas.

The pressure's on me.

How have you been able to take the idea of believing in students and transform that into action and achievement growth in the classroom?

I have lots of people come from all over Oregon to find out what our silver bullet is. The silver bullet is believing in kids and doing the best you can with the resources that you have. That's the silver bullet if you can get that belief system throughout the community, throughout the staff. Once that's there, kids feel connected and they do absolutely amazing.

I'm not saying that education strategies don't help break down some of the barriers. It is pretty amazing what we're expected to do.

In Nyssa, 40 percent of kindergarten kids come in not speaking English. We do not have a dual language program. But, when I walk in towards the end of the year and kids are reading in English, I'm amazed at the work the staff does. The strategies are important. We double-dose kids with reading and sometimes math. But none of those strategies would work if the kids didn't have the belief system that we care about them.

A lot of people talk a good game. But the accountability is to look at the test scores and how kids feel through formal and informal assessments. If it's not really happening, it's not going to show up in the scores.

-- Kimberly Melton

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Eagle County jail is a facility with a philosophy (Vail Daily)

Posted: 27 Mar 2010 11:46 PM PDT

County jails serve a transient clientele, holding prisoners for a short time until either the penalty for minor crimes is paid or the court system sends those convicted of major offenses into the state prison system.

Kaufman stresses that it is not the law officers' job to delve out justice. Courts handle that task.

"Once the arresting officer comes through the door with a prisoner, they are ours. We need them to behave, get through the booking process and live with us," he says.

When prisoners first come into the jail, they are classified based on the incident that landed them in the detention facility and on their criminal history. Violent criminals go to the traditional cell section of the jail, and do not have the option of entering the direct supervision pod. Once in the jail, it is the inmate's behavior that determines whether he can live in the relative freedom of the direct supervision facility.

The jail administrator estimates that about 95 percent of the people who end up in the Eagle County jail are not violent by nature.

"Most people come in here high (on drugs) or drunk. If they are in here long enough and sober up, they become somewhat sociable human beings … so why not threat them like one?" Kaufman says.

The rules and expectations for the direct supervision inmates are clearly spelled out and posted on the walls. The prisoners are responsible for cleaning the pod three times a day. They must be respectful of one another, and of the jailer who "lives" with them during his work shift.

They are encouraged to participate in life skills classes and programs such as English language classes and Alcoholics Anonymous. They can also gain some credit by participating in "restorative justice" programs that help criminals understand the true impacts of their crimes.

Good behavior is rewarded, perhaps with a movie played on the big screen television, use of the Wii, a phone call or the opening of the commissary.

There is zero tolerance for violation of the rules. On a recent afternoon, one inmate who had attempted to stare down a detentions officer was immediately remanded back to a jail cell.

Although there are five detentions officers on duty during any shift at the jail, only one stays in the room with the prisoners, talking with them, answering questions and building rapport. That is one of the reasons there are no individual cells with walls and doors.

"If you can't see them, you don't know the culture of the jail. We want to see the officers in the pods, talking to inmates," says Kaufman.

"The idea is to develop a rapport," explains Toby Baldwin the officer on duty in the pod on a recent afternoon. "The inmates see you as a person, not just an authority figure."

That relationship means a safer working situation for the officers and the inmates, and fewer lawsuits, adds Kaufman. There are fewer inmate fights or officer assaults.

"I don't like the other (cell) jail. This is better," said one orange-clad inmate, who had another 10 days of a jail sentence to serve. He had no problem with completing the assigned chores.

Another inmate, who said he had served time in several jails, was moved to the pod after exhibiting good behavior on the cell side of the jail.

"You just keep your nose clean, and do what you're told. I'm serving my time quietly, and peacefully, and getting along," he said, "… you don't get to play Wii on the other side."

The relationships built inside the jail, can create the kind of trust that ends up helping out officers on the road.

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Katharine McPhee's Birthday Philosophy: Skip the Gym! (People Magazine)

Posted: 27 Mar 2010 08:41 AM PDT

Albert Michael/Startraks

Katharine McPhee decided to give herself a break for her 26th birthday.

"My trainer texted me to come to the gym and do weights today," she tells PEOPLE. "But I just laughed. 'Haha, very funny. I ain't coming to the gym on my birthday!'"

McPhee wanted – and got – the mellow day she had hoped for. "I'm more of a homebody," she says. "I'm not one to make a big deal about birthdays."

So after sleeping in till 10 a.m., she decorated Easter eggs over lunch at the Pepsi Refresh cafe (which raised money for her favorite charity, Feeding America), where she enjoyed a chocolate cake. Then she visited her voice teacher and dug into a plate of Gorgonzola gnocchi for dinner with husband Nick Cokas and her mom at her favorite local Italian restaurant, L.A.'s Panzenella.

Last stop of the day: British jazz-pop artist Jamie Cullum's show at the Wiltern Theater in L.A., where a mutual friend introduced McPhee to fellow concertgoer Clint Eastwood.

"I kept my composure," she says. "I really enjoyed the show, and meeting Clint was a plus."

The gifts weren't too shabby either. While Mom got her two crystal chandeliers, her husband of two years followed up on an early present – a custom-made pave diamond initial necklace – with something more practical: gym clothes.

"He is so funny," she says. "I am the worst-dressed person at my gym. I always look like I'm in my pajamas, so he got me a bunch of proper gym clothes."

McPhee, whose sophomore album Unbroken was released in January, says so far 26 "feels great."

"I've had some years where I've woken up and I'm like, 'I'm so old,' and I'm not. People thinking 22 is old is unfortunately part of growing up in Hollywood," she says. "I'm not concerned with the number. I don't feel any different."

Next up for American Idol's season 5 runner-up, who starred in The House Bunny and recently guest-starred on NBC's Community: The network's new comedy pilot The Pink House, where she'll play a girl-next-door pharmaceutical rep.

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Christian faith: five points of New Calvinism (The Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News)

Posted: 27 Mar 2010 08:56 AM PDT

Gary Singh buzzed up: Family rejoices at release of contractor in Iraq (AP)

6 minutes ago 2010-03-28T02:59:01-07:00

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.