Off the Clock Paperback - 2012

Fred Bramante

"School taught me I wasn′t very bright. Life taught me that school was wrong." These words from Fred Bramante summarize what drives him in his relentless quest to reimagine education in the United States.

Fred finished 206^th of 212 students in high school. Subsequently, every college that he applied to rejected him. He took night classes at Merrimack College in order to improve his grades and reapply to schools. Because he loved being around children, he reapplied to Keene State College in order to pursue a career in education. 4 1/2 years later he graduated with a 2.3 GPA. With ongoing shortages of Science teachers, Fred was delighted to be hired to teach middle school Science in Stamford, Connecticut where he taught for six years.

Fred left teaching in 1976 to dedicate his full time effort to the fledgling music business he started with his life savings of $600 in order to supplement his teaching salary. Today, Daddy′s Junky Music is among the top 20 music retailers in America. But, Fred never stopped being a teacher. Education was in his blood.

In 1992, Fred was appointed to the New Hampshire State Board of Education. After unsuccessful runs for governor on education platforms, Fred was appointed Chairman of the NH State Board and was charged by the Governor with the responsibility to lead New Hampshire′s′ first full scale education reform effort since 1919.

The results of Fred′s efforts led to landmark changes in New Hampshire′s education regulations including the move from credit for seat time, the number of hours a student spends in class (Carnegie Unit), to credit for demonstrated learning (anytime, anyplace, anyhow, any pace).

Fred′s efforts have received national attention. He speaks around the country and serves as a consultant with numerous states, education groups, and policy makers, including the National Governors′ Association.

In 1995, Fred received the Keene State College Alumni Achievement Award. In 2006, Fred received his Master′s Degree in Educational Leadership from Plymouth State University. In 2009, Plymouth State honored Fred with their Alumni Achievement Award. These honors, from both his undergrad and grad school alma maters, make Fred possibly the only person in America to be given the prestigious Alumni Achievement Award by two colleges that, when he applied upon graduating from high school, denied him admission.

Rose Colby

Ms. Colby is currently a Competency-Based Learning and Assessment Specialist assisting high schools throughout the state of New Hampshire in designing high quality competency, assessment, and grading reform systems. Ms. Colby has presented this work for the N.H. School Administrators Association, the N.H. Association of School Principals, the New England Association of Teachers of English, the N.H. National Educational Association.

Since 2007, Ms. Colby has been a partner in the Nellie Mae Education Foundation funded project centered on student success though Extended Learning Opportunities in partnership with Q.E.D. Foundation, PlustimeNH, and the NH Department of Education. She is currently part of the planning team for the N.H. Next Generation Learning Project.

Prior to 2006, Ms. Colby was the principal of Mountain View Middle School, which was awarded the N.H. Department of Education Excellence Award (School of the Year) in1996 and 2001. While on sabbatical in 2002, she served as Principal in Residence for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation′s N.H. School Administrators Leading with Technology project.

Ms. Colby is currently Adjunct Professor in Educational Leadership at Plymouth State University teaching courses in Staff Supervision and Evaluation, Leadership in Curriculum Development and Assessment, and Differentiated Instruction. She has both presented widely and provided coaching to school leaders and educators in differentiated instruction.