Brain Waves

“Brain Waves” is our Superintendent's Blog

In this area of the website, I will discuss a variety of timely issues and provide information that I hope will be helpful to Gooding School District staff, parents, students, and community members. This is a place where I will post some of my thoughts and reflections as the “lead learner” of our district about current events related to the superintendency. To suggest topics, please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

I look forward to hearing from you!

Dr. Heather Williams
Superintendent of Gooding Joint School District #231

Opening Comments for Staff at GSD

Written by Dr. Heather Williams Monday, 27 August 2012 11:33

I shared with staff last Monday my hopes for the coming year, and I have no doubt they will make a tremendous difference in the lives of our scholars this year. I encouraged them to live in the moment because this is an extraordinary moment in public education. We have so many opportunities and yet so many challenges to overcome. It is a time to "go after it" with our scholars and our colleagues and challenge ourselves to take risks together. There will be roadblocks, hurdles, detours but we have to fight through them for what is best for student learning. We can't be obsessed with red tape, fixed mindsets, low expectations, or blending in on the path of least reistance. We must be "solution seekers, ethical decision makers, communicators, creative thinkers, collaborators, and innovators."

I encouraged my teachers to open their doors and flaunt their work so the world can see the amazing things that happen inside our classrooms every day. Our students are counting on us and we must keep our values of choice, community, discovery, and play intact. Our students (our scholars) grow from the relationship they have with their teachers and the course content. But they need both - an engaging teacher to activate their learning AND engaging curriculum. We all must continue to model life long learning and grow in our own learning. Keep learning, keep playing, and keep growing!

In the words of Dr. Brett Jacobsen....

We are building something exceptional here. We need the work of your hands, the widsom of your mind, and the discernment of your heart. Become the most of something in our field. Look at the familiar as if you have never seen it before. Search for new ideas in new places and faces. Welcome to The Year of Collaboration. At our respective schools, may this be a year that we stop making a case for change because change has already taken place. We must collaborate - our students deserve it!

Idaho Superintendent's Network

Written by Dr. Heather Williams Monday, 30 July 2012 11:15

Dr. Williams will continue to participate in the Idaho Superintendent’s Network. Established in 2008, ISN is part of the State Department’s Statewide System of Support. The network is comprised of superintendents who work together to develop a cohesive and dedicated leadership community focused on teaching and learning. ISN members support each other as they bring about change and collectively brainstorm obstacles that prevent improvement in the quality of teaching and learning within their districts. The Department’s goal is not to drive the conversation, but to be part of meeting the individual needs and challenges of each individual superintendent. In that effort, the SDE works with members of ISN to find speakers, research, and resources that match participants’ self-identified challenges. In addition to district superintendents, the network invites leaders from the business community, legislature, institutes of higher education, IASA, ISBA, and the public sector, to share their expertise in systems change.

Superintendent Tom Luna is part of the network, as are Deputy Superintendents Nick Smith, Carissa Miller, and Rob Sauer. The meetings are facilitated by Marybeth Flachbart, President of Neuhaus Education Center and former Deputy Superintendent of Student Achievement and School Improvement for the SDE, in collaboration with Steve Underwood, the Director of the Statewide System of Support. Funding for the network is provided by Idaho’s Title I School Improvement funds. Dr. Williams has participated in the network since 2008 in an effort to improve outcomes for Gooding School District.

Gooding School District Uses Silverback’s Milepost System

Written by Dr. Heather Williams Monday, 02 July 2012 08:30

Gooding (Idaho) School District has used Silverback’s Milepost system to replace the district’s former system of using Excel spreadsheets and highlight pens to trace a student’s achievement on different subjects over time. The new system spares teachers from having to track down previous teachers’ records and notes of what worked with each student and what didn’t, says Gooding Superintendent Heather Williams. Click here to read more.

Mathematical Thinking for Instruction (MTI) Fall Schedule 2012

Written by Dr. Heather Williams Tuesday, 19 June 2012 15:43

The MTI schedule for the Fall 2012 Session is now posted.

To view the course schedule for the Fall 2012 Session, please go to the following link, http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/math/mti.htm, and click on the “Fall 2012 MTI Course Schedule” link to determine if one of the course locations, dates, and times will work for you. Registration for the Fall Session will open, Tuesday, May 15^th.

Gooding Schools Recognized by HSTW for Best Practices

Written by Dr. Heather Williams Tuesday, 19 June 2012 14:49

High Schools That Work (HSTW) is pleased to present the eighth and final online newsletter highlighting best practices presented at the 2011 HSTW Staff Development Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. These newsletters contain information about successful actions schools across the nation are taking to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st-century workplace and further studies. Click here to read the newsletter regarding Gooding.