The Three Keys to Closing Students’ Academic and Social-Emotional Gaps

Strategic Planning, Proven SEL Strategies, and Student-Centered Multi-Tiered Services and Supports

[CLICK HERE to read this Blog on the Project ACHIEVE Webpage]

Dear Colleagues,

Introduction

   There is no school in the country whose students have not been touched by the pandemic-related (and other) events of the past two to three years.

   I do not need to re-review the many studies showing our students’ academic delays—especially emphasizing the disproportionate gaps for our students from poverty, our students with disabilities, and our students of color. Indeed, the recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, reported the past two to four weeks, show not only significant declines across all student groups, but even more striking declines in the groups above.

   And I do not need to re-review the many studies showing our students’ diminished social-emotional skills and interpersonal interactions, the increases in their discipline problems and chronic absences, and the wide range of stresses they report and are exhibiting. These problems, once again, are disproportionately affecting students from poverty, students with disabilities, and students of color—many of whom (along with their schools) have less access to the mental health and other intervention resources that they need.

   And, finally, I do not need to re-review the toll that all of this has taken on teachers, support staff, and administrators. . . exacerbated by staff shortages, less professional development and coaching, and more political and societal turmoil.

   There are no easy answers or fixes to the circumstances above. But maybe that is the point.

   Far too many schools are pulling heavily marketed, endorsed, or touted interventions and programs—some clothed with circumstantial data—off the proverbial “rack,” implementing them without regard to their validity, their applicability to their specific students, or their potential to exacerbate the problems that exist.

   Other schools and districts are analyzing their student data, researching and linking their selected interventions and programs to the root causes of their problems, investing in the training needed to ensure their success, and collecting more formative and summative data to realize that success.

   These districts are taking “the long view.”

   And they are more than weathering the storm, they are supporting their students and staff, and they are demonstrating progress and long-term benefits for both their achieving and struggling students.

   And with this progress, their school climate and student-staff morale is more positive, attendance and motivation in both groups is higher, and these districts are attracting higher quality staff and retaining them longer.

   But what is the “secret sauce”?

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Schools’ Top Three Keys to Success: Strategic Planning, Evidence-based SEL, and Student-Centered MTSS Interventions

   The districts and schools described above are succeeding because they demonstrate ongoing effectiveness in three areas: Strategic planning, evidence-based social-emotional learning (SEL) systems, and student-centered multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS).

   While it seems simple to “rattle” these three areas off, districts’ implementation of strategies in these areas succeed when they are (a) systemic and comprehensive in nature, (b) leverage significant district- and school-wide commitments and resources, and (c) utilize proven blueprints and integrated strategies that address the individual needs of different schools’ students, staff, and communities.

   Moreover, it is critical to recognize that there are many implementation layers within each of these areas, and while the layers necessarily overlap, some have distinct or unique characteristics or elements.

   Finally, it is critical that those reading this Blog understand that I am not talking about the strategic planning, SEL, and MTSS frameworks and processes that most state departments of education advocate, push, or (even) require.

   As discussed and demonstrated in my Blogs over the past five-plus years, these frameworks (a) are largely unproven; (b) they have not been comprehensively field-tested in large samples of schools with diverse populations; (c) most of their successes are “cherry-picked” from the larger sample of schools that have tried them; (d) most have not been sustained past three years of “implementation;” and (e) many of the “successful” schools have not maintained these “successes” after the external, supplemental funding, resources, and/or coaching was withdrawn.

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   Last month, I discussed these three success areas with Larry Jacobs, the host of Education Talk Radio, in a 38-minute interview. We discussed how schools across the country are “missing the mark” because they are trying to address the staggering problems in our schools today either (a) with “quick-fix” strategies, and/or (b) programs and strategies that are unproven, simplistic, not comprehensively field-tested, poorly matched to specific students and staff, politically-motivated, or unable to be truly sustained.

   You will find the interview immediately below. After that, there is a brief discussion—with links to past Blogs that provide more complete information—so that you can explore and share this information in more depth.

[CLICK HERE for Education Talk Interview]

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Expanding on Strategic Planning, Evidence-based SEL, and Student-Centered MTSS Interventions

   As noted above, below are links to previous Blogs that provide science-to-practice discussions on how to effectively analyze, design, and implement effective, user-friendly, and outcome-based school-wide approaches to strategic planning, social-emotional learning systems, and multi-tiered systems of support.

   Many of these Blogs integrate two or three of these areas together.

   The goal is for districts and schools to implement comprehensive and sustained strategies that are evidence-based and that produce actual, functional academic and social, emotional, and behavior outcomes with all students—including those who are struggling and/or presenting with significant challenges.

Strategic Planning

   Strategic planning involves a core set of scientifically-proven principles, components, and practices that are applied to different professional settings and situations. Educators, sometimes, have not been fully trained in how to utilize effective strategic planning practices and, thus, their strategic initiatives do not attain the outcomes desired.

   Below are three Blogs that discuss how to systematically use strategic planning strategies in districts or schools. . . as applied to school improvement, professional development, and students’ behavioral challenges and violence.

Saturday, June 25, 2022

In Order to Improve. . . Schools Need to Understand How to Improve School Improvement Begins with Principles before Principals: Paying It Forward

[CLICK HERE to Link to this Blog]

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Saturday, May 14, 2022

Reconceptualizing Professional Development for the Coming School Year: Moving Away from Fly-by, “Spray and Pray,” and Awareness-Only Training

[CLICK HERE to Link to this Blog]

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January 22, 2022

(Pandemic-Related?) Behavioral Challenges and Student Violence in Our Schools Today: Preparing for Action by Pursuing the Principles Needed for Assessment and Intervention

[CLICK HERE to Link to this Blog]

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Evidence-based Social-Emotional Learning Systems

   The goal of a multi-tiered, school-wide social-emotional learning system is to teach students, from preschool through high school, social, emotional, attributional, and behavioral self-management skills that, over time, they can independently apply to different situations.

   Said a different way, we want students to learn and demonstrate (a) positive and prosocial interpersonal skills; (b) effective and developmentally-appropriate social problem-solving skills; (c) sound conflict prevention and resolution skills; and (d) consistent emotional awareness, control, communication, and coping skills.

   To accomplish this, schools need to use scientifically-proven components and activities across students, staff, settings, time, and circumstances in consistent and sustained ways.

   Below are four Blogs that discuss these elements in general, relative to our current pandemic-influenced times, and as applied to school discipline and disproportionate disciplinary actions specifically with students of color and with disabilities.

Saturday, October 23, 2021

Addressing Students’ SEL Pandemic Needs by Addressing their SEL Universal Needs: What Social, Emotional, Attributional, and Behavioral Skills Do ALL Students Need from an SEL Initiative (Part I)

[CLICK HERE to Link to this Blog]

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Saturday, November 6, 2021

The Current State of SEL in our Schools: The Frenze, Flaws, and Fads. If the Goal is to Teach Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Skills, Why are We Getting on the Wrong Trains Headed “West”? (Part II)

[CLICK HERE to Link to this Blog]

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Saturday, September 25, 2021

How Have Districts Tried and Failed to Eliminate Disproportionate Discipline Rates for Students of Color and With Disabilities? It’s Not About the Plan, It’s About What’s IN the Plan. . . and the Most Frequently Recommended Strategies Do Not Work

[CLICK HERE to Link to this Blog]

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Saturday, August 14, 2021

The Components Needed to Eliminate Disproportionate School Discipline Referrals and Suspensions for Students of Color Do Not Require Anti-Bias Training: Behind Every Iron Chef is an Iron-Clad Recipe (Part II)

[CLICK HERE to Link to this Blog]

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Student-Centered MTSS Interventions

   Districts are required by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to design and implement a local, comprehensive, and “personalized” multi-tiered system of supports that meets the needs of their specific students in both academic and social, emotional, and behavioral areas.

   In today’s educational world, this—again—needs to factor in the impact of the pandemic on these broad areas.

   To accomplish this, districts need to use a strategic planning process (see above) that includes needs assessment and resource analysis activities that identify what they are doing that is and is not working, and what curriculum, instruction, and intervention gaps still exist.

   These, then, need to be integrated into their comprehensive academic instruction and intervention systems, and their social, emotional, behavioral (SEL—see above) systems.

   Below are two Blogs that provide a “primer” regarding how to establish effective “tailor-made” multi-tiered systems for individual districts and their schools.

Saturday, February 6, 2021

Implementing Effective Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports during a Pandemic: Upgrading Your Academic and Social-Emotional Prevention, Assessment, and Interventions. It’s Not Your Fault. . .

[CLICK HERE to Link to this Blog]

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Saturday, February 16, 2019

Redesigning Multi-Tiered Services in Schools: Redefining the Tiers and the Difference between Services and Interventions

[CLICK HERE to Link to this Blog]

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Summary

  These are incredibly challenging times in education, and the pressures are coming from many different sources.

   And yet, while the effects of the pandemic are still affecting our students and staff, districts and schools are again being evaluated as if the pandemic never occurred.

   This Blog referenced what we all know. . . that students are exhibiting significant academic and learning delays, and they are demonstrating social, emotional, and behavioral challenges that are interfering with the interventions that are focused on addressing these delays.

   Added to this is (a) the disproportionate impact on students of color and with disabilities; (b) schools that are understaffed and missing the special education and mental health specialists they need; and (c) communities with limited resources and large numbers who live in poverty and disarray.

   But this Blog predominantly focused on the scientifically-proven solutions that will help students, staff, schools, and systems to make the needed short-term and long-term progress required.

   The “keys to success” discussed are Strategic planning, Evidence-based SEL systems, and Student-centered multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS).

   The Blog provided links to a recent interview on Education Talk Radio, and to a core set of earlier Blogs with the content needed for successful implementation in these three interdependent areas.

_ _ _ _ _ _

   I hope that the information in this Blog (and the earlier, linked Blogs) is practical and useful to you.

   In many ways, my goal in writing these Blogs—often based on my experience in working intensively with districts and schools across the country—is the same as your goal:

To help you to maximize the academic and social, emotional, and behavioral learning, mastery, application, and independence of your students.

   While I trust your skills and expertise, sometimes an “outside” voice helps to facilitate the progress you need “inside” your organization.

   If I can help to be that voice—for you, your colleagues, your school, your district, or your specific professional setting—please feel free to send me an email, and let’s set up a time to talk. I would be honored to assist.

Best,

Howie

[CLICK HERE to read this Blog on the Project ACHIEVE Webpage]

Emotionally Responding to a (Hurricane) Disaster: Short-Term, Long-Term, Adults, and Children

Fight, Flight, Freeze, Resilience, and Resolve

[CLICK HERE to read this Blog on the Project ACHIEVE Webpage]

Dear Colleagues,

Introduction

   A few short weeks ago, Hurricane Ian swept through Florida (and many other states), devastating property and lives.

   While many have directly experienced natural and/or weather-related disasters over the past decade and more, most of us empathetically view the impact from the comfort of our living rooms, moving on when the news cycle recycles.

   And it’s not that we forget or don’t care. It’s just that we become consumed with our own lives, contexts, challenges, and realities.

   But for those at a disaster’s “ground zero,” there are compelling physical, safety, psychological, financial, and other issues related to short- and long-term survival.

   And critically, decisions need to be made.

   But decision-making during a crisis often occurs in the absence of all the needed information.

   Moreover, some of the decisions are made for you—for example, by emergency management teams, law enforcement, FEMA, or insurance companies. Some of the decisions that you can make have limited options or degrees of freedom. And some decisions are made where, in the moment, you cannot fully predict whether they truly are the best decisions.

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In the Eye of the Storm

   While I was not physically present, Hurricane Ian has me closer to a disaster, disaster management, and the decisions above than ever before in my life.

   You see. . . not five days before Hurricane Ian blew through Fort Myers, Florida with its 150+ mile per hour winds and an unimaginable storm surge from the Gulf. . . my wife and I bought a property there, and sold our home in Little Rock.

   When the Hurricane hit, we were still in Little Rock, but one of our sons—who has worked on Sanibel Island for almost 20 years—was in his apartment in Fort Myers near our new home. In addition, many of his friends and colleagues rode out the storm on Sanibel Island, which was virtually destroyed by Ian.

   Fortunately, my son and his friends all survived. . . although some needed to be airlifted from Sanibel because parts of the causeway—the only road connecting the Island to the mainland—were damaged.

   Many of my son’s friends have lost all of their possessions, their homes and cars are total losses, their jobs are gone, and—without electricity and water for many days—their very survival was tested.

   For us, we received notice that our newly purchased home also survived. And now, it seems that a November or December move-in is possible.

   We all are truly blessed. . . but this experience, for me, has been (and continues to be) a case study in how people respond during, immediately after, and over time to a crisis.

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The Anatomy of a Natural Disaster

   While there are many ways to “cut the cake,” there are four phases that occur during and after a natural disaster.

   These can be generalized to many other crisis situations—in life, at home, or in a school or educational setting. And for my educational colleagues, these can be applied to ourselves, our colleagues, and especially to our students.

   Relative to the latter, we need to be astute observers and learners because we may not initially or immediately know (a) how long the student has been in crisis; (b) what the crisis—with all its variations and dynamics—entails; and (c) which phase of the crisis the student is in.

   Indeed, there are times when a student’s in-school emotional or behavioral interactions actually represent an out-of-school peer or family-related dilemma or crisis.

   Given everything that has occurred over the past two to three years, the potential that this is true is higher than ever before.

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The Four Phases When Responding to a Natural Disaster

   The four phases when experiencing a natural disaster are:

·       Survival: One’s immediate emotional and behavioral response to a disaster in progress

·       Stabilization: One’s post-event actions focused on continued survival and an initial stabilization of the settings, people, and subsistence 

·       Assessment and Rebuilding: Making decisions—based on resources, time, and personal status and preferences—on how, where, and with whom to rebuild one’s life, home, livelihood, and future 

·       Recognizing and Applying Lessons Learned: Stepping back and reflecting on the personal, familial, professional, and other lessons learned during and after the disaster. . . and applying these to future prevention, preparation, and planned actions.

   Critically, some of these phases will overlap, and their timeframes will differ as a function of the disaster itself and the people and communities that are experiencing them.

   But more important are the emotional and behavioral reactions, responses, and cycles that people experience in the midst of a disaster—individually (adults versus adolescents versus children versus toddlers), and as a function of their life settings (for example, home and family, work and community, school and with friends).

   Significantly, it is important to factor in people’s available resources—for example, their financial resources, as well as their community’s access to resources.

   Let’s be honest.

   People with financial resources can more easily leave the devastation within a disaster area, and rebuild—over time—more quickly than those without.

   And low income communities often receive less immediate disaster response and relief, and less long-term and sustained rebuilding attention and resources.

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Riding Out Hurricane Ian: In Little Rock and Fort Myers

   When I watched Hurricane Ian hit Florida’s Gulf Coast on the Weather Channel, my immediate response was to freeze in disbelief.

   I was transfixed by scenes of 150+ mph winds, roofs being blown off buildings, hotels and houses flooded instantaneously by the storm surge, and debris being projected through the air like missiles in a war.

   I also froze because I was powerless. There was nothing that I could do during the storm or its immediate aftermath to protect my newly-acquired home in Florida, or to protect my son who lived there and was riding out the storm.

   But much of my “Ian experience” was vicarious.

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   Survival. As Ian hit Fort Myers, we had limited and spotty cell phone communication with our son, as he spent most of the storm fighting to hold his front door closed while watching water simultaneously seep into his apartment.

   Beyond his own safety, he was more worried about his friends on Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island.

   Stabilization. Immediately after the storm—without electricity or water—our son was isolated by a round-the-clock curfew, he was cut-off from local information or resources, he could see the storm’s extensive damage from his balcony, and virtually everything in his life was being controlled by other people or other forces.

   Summarizing the few, brief phone conversations immediately after Ian left the area, my wife noted that, while my son was trying to assure her through his calm demeanor, she knew that he was in shock— momentarily traumatized by surviving the worst hurricane to ever hit his community.

   Over the next few days, as electricity and internet service was restored, my son reconnected with his friends, and began to help others who fared much worse than him. Social media interactions became a God-send, and he waited in long lines for water, food, and eventually, to sign up for unemployment and other services. 

   After these initial experiences, I received a text from him that simply said, “I have seen things in the last few days that I have never seen in my life.”

   Assessment and Rebuilding. Eventually, about two weeks after Ian, my son drove to Little Rock for “a visit.”

   This actually was an opportunity for him to escape from a community in crisis to a more normalized setting—helping him to physically, emotionally, and situationally recalibrate and re-establish a sense of stability and self-determination.

   During this time. . . removed from the ever-present reminders of Ian’s impact, triggered by simply walking out of his apartment. . . he has been able to more calmly and objectively evaluate his status and circumstances. This, I am sure, will result in a realistic, multi-faceted rebuilding plan.

   [NOTE: We and he are nowhere near the Recognizing and Applying Lessons Learned recovery phase right now.]

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Fight, Flight, Freeze. . . or All Three?

   During a crisis or situations involving high levels of emotionality, the amygdala in our brain and our broader limbic system are programmed to react.

   Traditionally, this results in a conditioned “Fight, Flight, or Freeze” response.

   But I want to suggest that this response (a) is cyclical—across the four phases above; (b) may vary—for the same person—over time, in different situations, and based on previous crisis situations, responses, and resolutions; and (c) may not always be externally apparent.

   This is especially important to note for those working and/or interacting with children and adolescents. . . in school or other educational settings, or in after-school or other away-from-home settings.

   For example, for adults, during the Survival stage of a disaster, most people initially freeze—some for a matter of seconds, and others for longer periods of time. Then, their “survival instinct” kicks in (or someone pushes them into action), and a “fight” or “flight” response results.

   During Stabilization and Assessment and Rebuilding, the same patterns prevail. Some are actively and constructively involved in the process, while others may be emotionally or behaviorally “paralyzed”—requiring outside motivation, assistance, decision-making, or intervention.

   Fight or flight, here, take on a different context. For some, stabilization and rebuilding requires that they leave (flight) the community struck by the disaster, and “start a new life.” For others, they are hell-bent (fight) on staying, restoring, and not letting the source of the disaster “win.”

   Ultimately, during the last phase, most people eventually rebuild to the extent that they can, reconcile the unpredictable nature of life and the unwanted and unfair tragedies that occur, and consider and apply the disaster “lessons learned.”

   This is not to say that those experiencing significant disasters have completely emotionally “healed,” or that they will not emotionally revisit or “flashback” when triggered by similar or impending events (like, for example, reports of a future hurricane).

   But. . . most people do cope with devastating events over time. Recovery is a process, everyone is on their own timeline, and there is no one set formula that works for every person.

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Helping Children Cope with Disasters

   The National Association of School Psychologists has produced a number of fact sheets and handouts with reminders of how to help students deal with disasters.

   Among their most important recommendations for adults and educators:

During a disaster event, children look to the significant adults in their lives for guidance on how to manage their reactions after the immediate threat is over. Parents, teachers, and other caregivers can help children and youth cope in the aftermath of a natural disaster by remaining calm and reassuring children that they will be all right.

 

This occurs when adults:

 

·        Remain calm and reassuring. 

·        Acknowledge and normalize their feelings. 

·        Encourage children to talk about disaster-related events. 

·        Promote positive coping and problem-solving skills. 

·        Emphasize children’s resiliency.

·        Strengthen children’s friendships and peer support.

·        Take care of their own needs, and avoid using drugs or alcohol to feel better.

 

With the help of naturally occurring social support systems, most children will be fine. However, some may have reactions requiring professional help.

Adults should consider getting professional support for children whose significant and pervasive reactions continue or worsen after a week or more.

 

Communities that experience repeated disasters or crises may be at risk for compound or cumulative trauma. Parents and schools should work together to provide consistent and strategic support to children, recognizing that their social, emotional, and behavioral needs after a disaster will vary and change over time.

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Summary

   While natural or weather-related disasters are uncommon, they do occur, and it is important to learn from them. . . just in case.

   This Blog has shared some personal experiences and personal/professional reflections prompted by Hurricane Ian’s assault last month—beginning in Florida and extending up the Atlantic Coast.

   While we could shift into a conversation of “why bad things happen to good people” (Kushner, 1981), let’s recognize that sometimes “bad things just happen to people.”

   Life, to some extent, is a series of probabilities and possibilities. Religion, destiny, or predetermination aside, life often just happens, and we do our best to prepare, respond, and learn how to be resilient—with support from family, friends, and others.

   For some, the initial “bad things” in a crisis or disaster can turn out to be the “best things” to happen in their lives. . . many times because we learn to overcome the inherent challenges, uncovering hidden strengths and/or a realization of the blessings in our lives.

   In this regard, we—as adults—need to be mentors and coaches for our children and adolescents. From a developmental perspective, they experience disasters or crises differently than us, and their ability to process and understand what is occurring, short-term and long-term, similarly differs.

   Resilience occurs through both internal and external interactions. For children and adolescents, however, the internal often is a function of how we externally guide, help, and support them.

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   Thank you, as always, for reading and thinking about what I share in these Blogs. I hope they are useful and relevant to you, and that you can apply some of the information, reflections, or “lessons” to your personal and professional lives.

   If I can help you, your colleagues, your school, your district, or a related professional setting to complete an organizational, school improvement, SEL, multi-tiered services, or special education needs assessment and strategic planning process, feel free to contact me at any time, and let’s discuss the critical directions that you want or need to go.

Best,

Howie

 

[CLICK HERE to read this Blog on the Project ACHIEVE Webpage]

Reflecting on My 50th High School Reunion and What I’ve Learned

 A Sequel to “American Pie”

[CLICK HERE to read this Blog on the Project ACHIEVE Webpage]

Dear Colleagues,

“We interrupt this Program for a special announcement.”

Introduction

   Five years ago, I attended my 45th high school reunion and reflected in my Blog about how the interpersonal and student-focused dynamics of high schools in the early 1970s were similar and different from the high schools I worked in—at that time—in 2017.

   Today, I attended my 50th high school reunion, and it is striking what has happened in our country and across the world over the past five years.

   And while I will detail some of that history in a poem below, let’s recognize that every generation feels that it is unique, and that it contributed something essential to American history and our social fabric.

   Simultaneously, most generations often look at “the younger generation” and shake their collective heads thinking,

·       “They just don’t get it; if only they knew.”

·       “They’ll never be able to lead; they’ll ruin our country and way of life.”

·       “It was never like this when we were growing up and in charge.”

   Today’s message for educators is that—in the context of school improvement (as opposed to “school reform,” “school transformation,” or “school reinvention”)—it is important to understand educational history and past accomplishments so we can identify what worked and why, what nearly worked and why, and what did not work and why.

   We also need to understand today’s students, staff, schools, and social contexts so we can (a) use or improve what has worked in the past; (b) modify and adapt previous successes—establishing new successes; and (c) create new systems and strategies to focus on the novel demands that, today, need to be addressed.

   Said a different way: Let’s not over-reform, over-transform, or needlessly invent unnecessary “innovations”—throwing the baby out with the bath water.

   Instead, let’s take an objective, planful, and strategic look at where we are, what we need, what we already possess, and where and how we need to go.

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   But more broadly, today’s theme is about generational reflection, learning from experience, and learning from others.

   And all of this is accomplished symbolically and/or metaphorically in the poem below.

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The Contexts

   I wrote this poem this past week, and it was delivered today (October 1, 2022) at my 50th high school reunion. Our reunion was celebrated by over 100 graduates of the 1972 Class from Framingham South High School in Massachusetts.

   Perhaps (for once), I am not going to analyze or interpret the essence of this poem below. It will stand on its own, and you—the Reader—will need to inhale it, reflect on its meanings, consider its implications, and decide how you want to use it.

   At the same time, with no disrespect intended, some readers may not fully understand some of the historical allusions embedded in the lines. Hence, I hope the poem generates multiple teachable moments.

   At the same time, there are a few important contexts that many—who did not grow up in the late 1960s or early 1970s—will not understand without an advanced explanation.

·       One of the most popular songs during our senior year in high school was American Pie by Don McLean. This single became the #1 song in America on January 15, 1972. It stayed at #1 for four weeks, and it was also a #1 hit in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand (#2 in Great Britain). 

American Pie was voted the most popular song by our Senior class, its lyrics were featured in our Yearbook, and it was the foundation to the poem below. 

According to Wikipedia: 

The repeated phrase (in American Pie) "the day the music died" refers to a plane crash in 1959 that killed early rock and roll stars Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens, ending the era of early rock and roll; this became the popular nickname for that crash. The theme of the song goes beyond mourning McLean's childhood music heroes, reflecting the deep cultural changes and profound disillusion and loss of innocence of his generation– the early rock and roll generation – that took place between the 1959 plane crash and either late 1969 or late 1970. The meaning of the other lyrics, which cryptically allude to many of the jarring events and social changes experienced during that period, have been debated for decades. 

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·       Hogan’s Heroes was a popular TV comedy that ran from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1971. Believe it or not, it was set in a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp during World War II where the “prisoners”—led by Colonel Robert E. Hogan and his international crew of crazies—had free reign, hilariously frustrating and poking political fun at the camp’s unaware Nazi commander (Colonel Klink) and its bumbling lead guard (Sargent Schultz). 

Similar to M*A*S*H’s take on the Korean War, Hogan’s Heroes used plot and comedy to make many political statements. In fact, the actors who played the four major German roles in the Series were Jewish, they had all fled the Nazi’s during World War II, and some in the cast were imprisoned in Concentration Camps during the War. Werner Klemperer, who played Colonel Klink and was the real-life son of conductor Otto Klemperer, fled Hitler’s Germany with his family in 1933. During the show’s production, he insisted that Hogan would always win against his Nazi captors—otherwise, he would not play the part of Klink. 

The Hogan’s Heroes theme song was the most popular song that our high school marching band played. In fact, we played it at every football game as we entered the stadium, and it was often requested throughout the game by fans. 

When we graduated on that same football field in June 1972, the band played the song as the recessional, and our class danced its way down the field and off to our futures.

Playing this song at our Reunion was a “no brainer,” and you can see how it is used symbolically in the poem.

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   Given these two contexts:

   “Here’s the rest of the story” (Paul Harvey).

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The Creation

 

Framingham South High’s Class of 1972 Reunion. . . Pie

A long, long time ago
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
And I knew if we stood our ground
That we could move the world around
And maybe make a difference for awhile.

But Viet Nam—it made us shiver
And racial equity was not delivered
Drugs and sex and rock ‘n roll
But bells for Martin and Bobby—we heard them toll.

I can’t remember if I cried
When I realized classmates really die
But something touched us deep inside
The day Hogan’s Heroes last played.

So why, why, Framingham South High
Grabbed my knowledge—went to college
But I didn’t know why.
And then some others—went their own different ways
Growth is a journey—Based on happiness each day.

Did you write the book of love?
Was your high school crush chosen from above?
Or did you have the nerve to reveal. . .
That she was the one that you adored,
Or that he could make your feelings soar
In that adolescent way. . .

And yet some sweethearts are still together
And others found happiness—and they’ve weathered
The children, confirmations, and life events
That tested resolve, and left us spent
But we’ve love them through it. . . unrelenting.

We once were young and unafraid
And now we see the paths we’ve laid
Had some big hits and some regrets. . .
And yet we’re here because we can’t forget
The day Hogan’s Heroes last played.

So fly high, Framingham South High
Grabbed my knowledge—went to college
But I didn’t know why.
And then some others—went their own unique ways
Success is a journey—Based on happiness each day.

And so we were all in one place
A generation watching “Lost in Space”
But then the real thing happened when. . .

The LEM, it landed on the moon
And technology began to swoon:
Computers, cable, e-mails, Twitter
AI, Smartphones, the Dark Web sitters
Google, Tic Toc, and all the rest
But is this progress? Or just a test?

Of all the values I think we had
From our families—from our moms and dads
Where did they all go?

Today, it seems that everything’s divided
And rights and wrongs have so collided
Truth has become a commodity
That’s changed by changing channels on your TV.

Women’s rights and salaries
The insurrection—and the inquiries
Black Lives Matters, assault gun scenes
Is everyone living at the extremes?

The pandemic shut the whole world down
We donned our masks, Others donned their gowns.
A miracle! These great vaccines,
But politics reduced them to “injectable chlorines.”

It’s easy to say that we know best
While belittling the opposition’s zest
The younger generations, they just don’t know
And yet we sometimes forget the glow
The day Hogan’s Heroes last played.

So sigh, sigh, Framingham South High
Grabbed my knowledge—went to college
But I didn’t know why.
And then some others—went their own distinct ways
Wisdom is a journey—Based on happiness each day.

Now for fifty years we've been on our own
Some left town, some still call here home
But no one has forgotten when. . .

We shared the stage, the labs, the fields
We cheered our teams and sailed our dreams

But not to romanticize or be naïve:

We had our cliques, we made mistakes
We went too far in heated debates
Some did drop-out or abdicate
And others waited until it was much too late

But somehow we tried to make it work.

And I, for one, forgive our faults
And to our Class, we should exalt
That we did succeed and should all be proud
Of what we’ve done since we walked the halls
And sat in classes with favorite teachers
And on that day with our parents in the bleachers
The last day Hogan’s Heroes played.

So bye, bye, Framingham South High
Grabbed my knowledge—went to college
But I didn’t know why.
And then some others—went their own diverse ways
Life is a journey—You deserve happiness each day.

 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Summary

“And that’s the way it is. Saturday, October 1^st, 2022.”

 

“It’s 10 PM. Do you know where your children are?” [TV Sign-Off]

 

[CUE: Star Spangled Banner]

 

[CUE: TV Test Pattern]

Best,

 

Howie

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