Montevideo American-News (Montevideo, MN)
June 9, 2011
Headline: Montevideo principal discusses education reform with feds
By John Givan

When U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited Dayton's Bluff Elementary School in St. Paul with U.S. Sen. Al Franken May 31, he was looking for ways to reform the widely criticized No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law.

Dayton's Bluff Elementary is characterized as a high-achieving school in a low-income neighborhood. This success has been attributed by Duncan and others to the high expectations set by school leaders.

Duncan's and Franken's visit was followed by a panel discussion involving educators and a question-and-answer session on education. There were 165 people in the audience.
Among the panelists was Montevideo Middle School Principal Brenda Vatthauer, who was invited by Franken's office to participate.

"They wanted a principal from Greater Minnesota from a district with a higher percent - about 40 percent - of students who qualify for free and reduced lunches," said Vatthauer. "Plus, we haven't made AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) in several years."
Approximately 43 percent of Montevideo students qualify for free and reduced price lunches.

Franken has introduced legislation related to cultivating effective school principals, and Vatthauer's name was given to his secretary as a school administrator who had completed the Minnesota Principals Academy and was using the training to improve school achievement.

Vatthauer attended the academy three years ago with 20 other principals from the Iron Range.

"It was the best training I ever had," she said.

The question that was put to Vatthauer during the question-and-answer session was: How has the academy influenced you as a principal in a Greater Minnesota school?
Her answer was that it lays out curriculum ideas, assessment strategies, and safety nets for those needing them.

"We've only started in Montevideo to implement these ideas," said Vatthauer, who was hired as middle school principal in 2009. "We've got a way to go, but we have quality people here and we will get to where we need to be."

Franken specifically asked Vatthauer a question regarding how teachers can teach the standards and not "drill and kill" for the test.

"He's very interested in how we do that," she said, adding, "I was very impressed with Franken and his curiosity."

She apparently impressed the senator, as well. Franken's secretary called her Friday and said the senator wanted to speak with her again regarding standards, curriculum and engaging students.

Vatthauer added that Duncan assured those at the session that NCLB will look different this fall.

The 9-year-old No Child Left Behind law, which sets a goal of having 100 percent of students proficient in math and reading by 2014, has been criticized for branding schools as failures even though they demonstrate progress, and for encouraging teachers to teach to the test.