Programs Highlighted in What Matters Most (1996)
Hammond Leadership Academy, Hammond, Indiana
Created as a support and resource provider for schools working on restructuring efforts, the Hammond Leadership Academy serves as a districtwide resource service to build capacity for school restructuring. Examples of site-based support include consultants and facilitators to assist the change process, trainers in teacher and administrative leadership skills, researchers in current educational issues, and a network for staff development activities. The Academy also writes grant proposals for the district and supports schools in researching funding sources and writing school grant proposals.
Jefferson County Public Schools/Gheens Academy, Louisville, Kentucky
Originally created during the mid-1980s to improve the quality of schools and to prepare an effective workforce for Louisville businesses, Jefferson County Public Schools' Gheens Academy serves as the professional development arm of the district as well as a center for innovation and school improvement. Gheens provides support and expertise to teachers and principals working to restructure schools, rethink established roles and routines, and continue with innovative learning techniques.
North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Cullowhee, NC
The mission of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) is to advance teaching as an art and a profession. Recognizing that caring and skilled faculties make the best schools, NCCAT offers a full complement of residential professional development for teachers at the pre-kindergarten through twelfth-grade levels. The center also provides seminars of support for special state initiatives, including seminars for beginning teachers and their mentors and for teachers undergoing the rigorous preparation process for National Board Certification.
The Foxfire Fund, Incorporated
Coordinated through Foxfire offices in Rabun County, Georgia, Foxfire works with teachers and learners around the country to encourage an active, learner-centered approach to education with authentic and meaningful connections to local communities. Grounded in John Dewey's ideals of experiential learning and built on the daily experiences of thousands of teachers and learners in schools across the country, the Foxfire approach offers an integrative way to bring together various educational methods and ideas. Teacher networks provide seminars, group meetings, newsletters, and other opportunities for their membership.
National Writing Project
The National Writing Project is based on the philosophy that successful teachers make the best teachers of other teachers. At 167 sites in 49 states, monthlong summer institutes bring together teachers of all grade levels and subjects to demonstrate classroom practices that have proven successful with their students, respond to each other's work, discuss current research, and practice their own writing. Summer institute participants then return to their local schools and districts, where they provide professional development workshops for other teachers during the school year. Sites also offer programs for experienced Writing Project teachers, providing an ongoing community where these teachers can continue to grow professionally.
Columbus, Ohio's Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) Program
In 1986, Columbus (OH) Education Association joined with the Columbus Board of Education to design and implement the Peer Assistance and Review program (PAR) to ensure student success through the quality of teachers. PAR is an example of a cooperative effort between teachers and administrators. The program, consisting of intern and intervention components, is facilitated by a group of highly successful consulting teachers who are released from full-time classroom assignments. A unique feature of the program is the close partnership with the College of Education at The Ohio State University. Graduate-level courses are provided to train the consultants and support the teachers being served. In a system of more than 5,400 teachers, PAR has served almost 5,000 teachers since its beginning.
|
