First, Understand the "Why"

EDUCATOR TESTIMONIAL

Matthew Murphy
Superintendent
Ramsey Public Schools
Ramsey, NJ

Dr. Murphy has been Superintendent of the Ramsey Public Schools since 2012. Before that he served as the Chief School Administrator in the River Vale Public Schools. Prior to becoming a Superintendent, he served as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Director of Elementary Education, and Principal in the Westwood Regional School District. He began his career in Wyckoff, New Jersey as a teacher, a building-based technology coordinator, and a Vice Principal. Dr. Murphy is also an adjunct professor at Ramapo College where he teaches in the Educational Leadership program which emphasizes the role a leader has in curriculum and supervision.

Dr. Murphy earned his Doctorate and Professional Diploma from Fordham University. He earned a Master's of Science/Technology in Education from Long Island University and a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Rhode Island.

What should district leaders consider before implementing video observations in schools?

Matthew: Understand the "why" first. So, it's really not about the video, it's not about the platform. It's about what you eventually want to produce in your students. So they need to lock that down first, and the video is just a tool to help get our school system to produce a Ramsey's student well. I think sometimes people use video as a savior like they use technology: "Oh if we only had X device we would improve achievement." Well that's really not the case. So when I am working with superintendents I often ask them what is your final outcome. And then let's use video to help you get there. As compared to let's just use video because it's a cool thing to do.

Yeah, the why for us as a Ramsey student will we have 10 dispositions and skills and understandings that we want our students to be able to do when they graduate. We're one-to-one district but we didn't go to one to one until we identified what we want to a graduate of Ramsey to be able to do. And then video and our are one-to-one devices are just tools to help us get there along with other aspects of coaching and professional development.

I have two teenagers. They're in middle school and high school. And I see what they're being asked to do. And I know that disconnect between what we schools think they need to have to be successful and what the real world really needs our young people to be able to do. Which is to be able to collaborate, be creative, to communicate. And those are the types of things that I bring to the table, and I think a video can actually help us prove the practice to get us to those outcomes. So right now I take it personally that there is a big disconnect between what our schools are doing and what our children are or young adults are going to be asked to do for the rest of their lives.