English as a first –and second—language

By Danielle Allen, Senior Vice President

When I accepted a short-term assignment in London, I was thrilled, not only to be escaping the white-hot Texas summer while in one of the world’s best cities, but also about the ease of the cultural integration based on our shared language.

Soon, rings of “Cheerio!” with faux British accents showered upon me. In the days that followed, one particularly popular conversation centered on the topic of British-isms I was likely to encounter. It was an entertaining pastime, and one that didn’t dulled during my three months there.

Upon arrival in Blighty, I knew the basics... I’d be living in a flat, taking the Tube, subbing in “-ise” in place of an “-ize.” Sprinkle in a few “bloody”-s, “fancy”-s and “God save the Queen!”-s, and I figured I was in business. I had a lot more material to learn, as I uncovered new gems daily.

My first week was an onslaught of new terms, learning of “forecourts,” known to us as gas stations. At the coffee shop, I stood in the “queue” as I waited to place my order for my “take away” latte. I was disappointed to learn that even in May, I would need to wear a “jumper” (sweater). Surprisingly, the characteristic British sarcasm was not in play when they described a government plan as a “scheme.” Math transformed to maths and sports to sport in British-speak. And, I was most disappointed to learn that no one actually says “Cheerio!”

Being a lover of food, I was fascinated by the culinary linguistics. From Asian cookbooks, I was accustomed to seeing coriander for cilantro, but rocket? I saw it on menus everywhere. After a taste test and some Googling, I learned it was arugula. Fries are known as chips, chips as crisps, and cookies and crackers are referred to as biscuits. Desserts are often generically called puddings. In Edelman’s office canteen, they served a signature daily “jacket” potato (baked potato). Lovely courgettes—zucchinis—were in season while I was there, turning up in abundance.

After a fortnight, I began to sink my teeth into the nuances of British grammar. When you tell Brits a sentence needs a period at the end, it will completely baffle them, just as it does us when we hear “full stop” is the punctuation-of-choice. The comma seems to show itself as infrequently as the sun in London. On correspondence, no comma—nor any punctuation, for that matter—follows the salutation and closing.

Lest you think this is uniquely an American pastime, have a look at this recent BBC article entitled “Americanisms: 50 of your most noted examples,” deplorable as they are.

Ta!

Helen Vollmer’s POV - Unheralded Heroes:Teachers

 By Helen Vollmer, President, Edelman Southwest

It’s clear that education in this country needs an overhaul. Just look at Texas, where according to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, we rank 49th in verbal SAT scores, 36th in senior graduation rates and 33rd in teacher salaries. Unforgivable. But while governmental budget deficits and antiquated policies and teaching methods are widening the gap in what needs to be done to reform schools versus what is achievable, I’d like to stop a minute to thank teachers, past and present, as unheralded heroes.

There are very few among us that when asked, “Who made a difference in your life?” can’t point to a teacher who gave us new direction, inspiration and knowledge.

For me, this was Mrs. Baker who in 2nd grade recognized I needed glasses to see the blackboard, Mrs. Sparham in grade school who instilled self-confidence, and high school’s Mrs. Zuschlag who infused me with a love of Latin American literature and a more global world view. Thanks also goes to Bernard Leskowitz, a Radio-TV Professor at UT at the time, who encouraged me to write via seriously critical reviews of my work. They may not remember me, but I remember them and how they changed the course of my life.

For more than a decade, I’ve worked with education clients to help them and their institutions - whether at primary, secondary or university levels - find their voice. Teachers, at their best, are mentors and guides who lead us down new paths and force us to find the best in ourselves. And while there are those in the classroom who clearly shouldn’t be there, all professions are touched by the incapable or, almost worse, the simply mediocre. There are plenty of educators who are gifted and exceptional. Teachers, as a profession should, on the whole, be revered and treated as the leaders they truly are.

The education system may be broken, but the fault doesn’t lie necessarily with teachers. The fault more appropriately lies with all of as community members, students, parents, and individuals who too easily find blame but don’t step up to the plate to be change agents. If we support teachers and the challenges they face every day in the classroom by ferociously advocating for reform with our elected and appointed officials as well as with local school boards and administrators, then teachers at least have a chance to focus on what’s truly important: making our children knowledgeable, well-rounded and productive citizens.

One last shout out—to my mom, Helen Dromgoole Vollmer, and her mother, Helen Deermont Dromgoole- who were amazing classroom teachers but as great life lesson coaches, instilled a love of learning in me and my siblings. Well done, ladies. It’s time to pay it forward.

Strong Communications and Public Engagement Key to Effective Education Reform

 By Marni Futterman, Vice President, Chicago

For the countless Americans interested in revitalizing our nation’s public schools, the current back-to-school season certainly is heralding an exciting time.

In Chicago where I reside, our new Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has made public education a top priority, and his new schools chief Jean-Claude Brizard, will begin their first school year leading the nation’s third-largest school system when students return on September 6.

In a May 3 article by the Chicago News Cooperative shortly after he was named head of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Jean-Claude Brizard spoke about his goals for CPS, including “raising graduation and literacy rates, improving communication with parents and teachers, and enforcing accountability of principals.” He also emphasized the importance of “send(ing) the right message to the community.”

I commend Brizard for acknowledging the central role effective communications and public engagement plays in improving our public schools. Too often, in light of the myriad financial and political challenges they face, education leaders neglect inadvertently the critical task of fostering an open dialogue with parents, teachers, principals, union, business and community leaders, and the community at large.

But what’s the best way to go about communicating these complex issues to diverse audiences? In my experience counseling districts around the country about education communications, it’s important to work from the inside out. From a communications perspective, the first task of a new district leader must be to build a rapport with current teachers, principals, parents and union leaders. One of the best ways to do this is through asking for their input and truly listening to their thoughts and opinions about both challenges and possible solutions. The next step is reporting back to them on what was learned from these conversations, both the positive and the negative, and sharing how their opinions and ideas will be incorporated into the district’s action plan moving forward.

It’s also critical to engage business and community leaders in the dialogue about how to improve our schools. By creating opportunities for them to get involved, through ongoing volunteer leadership roles as well as forums and events, education leaders can garner much-needed financial support and creative ideas from those with experience in other disciplines.

Finally, it’s important to make the broader community aware of what’s happening within our schools. One way to do this is through local and national events that inform and engage the public around specific education issues. Traditional and social media also serve as critical conduits for telling education stories to the community. Too often, media coverage of our schools focuses on the controversial and confrontational. What’s needed is a much more intensive – and effective -- communications drive to illuminate and celebrate the student-achievement programs that succeed. State and district leaders can do this by highlighting to the media the data that illustrates initiatives that are working, as well as by leveraging the voices of teachers and principals in the classroom to share their personal success stories. In addition, it’s important that school systems tell their own story effectively through their websites and the social media channels where their constituents are already engaged.

This collaborative approach to communications can go a long way toward building a school system and community with a shared commitment to and concrete plan for transforming our schools and providing our children with a high-quality education.

Wise Mentors

 By Harlan Loeb, Edelman US Director, Issues, Crisis & Risk and Northwestern Law School Professor, Crisis Litigation & The Court of Public Opinion

The ancient Roman philosopher Cicero wrote that the Greek philosopher Socrates “brought wisdom down from the heavens and into the households.” In today’s volatile global markets and political landscape that are sparking great instability and crises, we need modern sages like Socrates.

In recent years, rather than look to wise mentors or perceptive counselors, our instinct has been to thirst for anything that will cool down a hot spot. So when we examined the most recent bleak jobs report, we took solace that it wasn’t as bad as expected. We didn’t look for those who could offer longer-term answers for making real progress on the job front. Instead, we favor functionaries to provide a process that makes us feel that any motion we sense is real progress – even though it simply delays the inevitable.

Where are smart and sharp mentors to help us think broadly and dynamically? The astute advisors who recognize that solutions are a function of insight, planning and hard choices that frequently involve conflict. Those who can provide a safe platform and permission to explore, test and hypothesize with results that no other relationship can duplicate?

Why Mentors are Necessary

Let’s be clear why they’re needed: They can stabilize our emotions and help us channel our thinking into constructive engagement. Examples of these difference makers abound throughout history. Often they provide their guidance quietly and without fanfare. They offer it not just to presidents and politicians but to CEOs as well. They make a difference that others, often those closest to the particular leader, could never provide.

We saw a good example of that this past year when the movie The King’s Speech captured the astute wisdom that speech therapist Lionel Logue employed to help England’s King George VI overcome his stammer and regain his voice and stature. Logue’s wisdom extended well beyond speech therapy.

In industry, Warren Buffett credits famed investors Ben Graham and David Dodd for serving as mentors to him when they taught him at Columbia University. Their guidance forever changed the multibillionaire’s life. And Irene Rosenfeld, chairman and CEO of Kraft Foods, looked to a working mom, Jane Goldwasser, for advice and for providing good examples in Rosenfeld’s early days at General Foods, which later became a part of the Kraft family of brands. The wise counselor Goldwasser would take off her little bow tie (because they wore suits with ladylike bow ties in the 80s) and say, “Let’s get this done.”

Why We Need Them Now

I’m not talking about heroes here. A hero is admired for courage or noble qualities. A mentor is a trusted counselor or guide, much like Mentor in Greek mythology who served as a trusted counselor to Odysseus and educated his son.

Who are the wise advisors to our president and to his GOP presidential rivals? Who are the respected counselors to House and Senate leaders? These aren’t the political strategists who rarely put aside petty politics to truly consider how to deal realistically with critical economic, financial and social issues. Issues that must be dealt with now and not until after the next election. Who are those men and women distinguished for offering wisdom and sound judgment?

Lest you consider this philosophical piddle, let me conclude by emphasizing that it’s in times of crisis that the advice from a wise sage or two is most necessary and invariably our clients turn to us. We can serve as invaluable internal crisis communicators who decision makers listen to and respect. After the recent tumult to our markets and our mindset, when more crises seem to emerge daily, it seems vital to look for and listen to mentors who can make a difference.

Back to School No More!

 By Erika Briceno, AAE, Dallas

This school year marks the first time in twenty years that I am not taking part in the first day of school. As a recently nationalized American, I can’t help but think about the current state of the public education system in the country I now call home.

I grew up attending school in both Latin America and the U.S. This experience provided me a unique perceptive, as I always found it mind boggling to think about the learning disparities from one U.S. public school to another.

The way I described this to my family back in Venezuela was by quoting Dickens (my favorite author), “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” For such an elaborate and successful public school system, the learning gap is too wide, and the best of the system can be overshadowed by the worst. In the Dallas public school system, there are two extremes that reflect this dilemma: a top fifteen school and a school with the seventh highest dropout rate in the country.

Growing up in Venezuela, it felt like everyone attended a private school and, in actuality, everyone around me did. In Latin America, public school systems hardly exist and, sadly, the average student drops out by the fifth grade.

When my family moved to the U.S., after reading so much about the gap in education mainly by the U.S. Hispanics population in public schools, my parents choose to enroll me in private education. This was clearly a generalization, as not all Hispanic students fall behind in public school, but it is a frightening statistic.

For a Hispanic migrating to the U.S., being held back in school is not something you want to take a chance on if you can prevent it. It’s hard enough to deal with making new friends in a foreign place, learning a new language and adjusting to new customs and cultures.

It is unfortunate that in most of Latin America, private schooling is usually the only path for those that seek higher education, thus it is hard for many of us to part from our preconceived notions.

It is also unfair to compare public education between the U.S. and Latin America. However, it is not unfair to question the reason for the education gap in public school districts across the U.S.

When deciding my post graduate career path, I considered accepting an offer with Teach for America, an organization that works in impoverished public schools to provide every child with adequate education. It is programs like this that help bridge this education gap in the public school system.

For many Hispanic immigrants, private school is not an option, thus it is important that public schools have the adequate resources to ensure that all students, regardless of their nationality, do not fall behind and add to the U.S. learning gap.

Although my “back to school” days are behind me now, I’m thankful to have had such a diversified educational experience. One that has helped shape my career path and sparked my passion for education.