NCTAF, MetLife Foundation, and KNME Host Education Forum on the Important Role of Teachers in Making Schools Work
June 8th Panels Discuss Promising Practices and Policies for
Quality Teaching and Improved Student Learning
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – June 8, 2007 – The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF), MetLife Foundation, and KNME today convened an education forum to discuss ways to support teachers to make schools work in New Mexico’s P-20 system.
Panelists discussed some of the strategies currently implemented across the state and policies needed to strengthen quality teaching and learning. New Mexico’s key strategies for quality teaching include: 1) creating strong learning communities for teachers, 2) selecting, preparing, and retaining good leadership, and 3) significant policy with significant financial resources.
New Mexico’s strategies are in line with the policies for which NCTAF advocates, particularly learning communities, which provide an avenue to break down barriers of teachers working in isolation. “It is time to abandon the factory-era model of teaching and make way for the creative spirit and productive power of teamwork in our schools,” said NCTAF President Tom Carroll. “It is important that we dismiss the assumption that a stand-alone teacher working in isolation can achieve success for all students."
Schools in which educators work in collaborative learning teams consistently improve learning among students, according to NCTAF. These schools reinforce the culture of success through strong leadership, shared responsibility among teachers, mentoring, ongoing professional development opportunities, and strong parental involvement.
NCTAF advocates that schools move in this direction because the preparation of a 21st century workforce is a demanding challenge and even the best teachers should not be expected to do this job alone.
“Supportive relationships are important if we want to retain teachers and better ensure student success,” said Sibyl Jacobson, president of MetLife Foundation. “NCTAF is well positioned to promote the importance of collaborative learning teams as a way to strengthen our schools.”
“We must replace the notion that quality teaching is an individual accomplishment with a clear understanding that 21st century teaching and learning will require collaborative teamwork,” said Carroll.
The Hobbs School District was featured at the town hall meeting in a short video, produced by KNME, as an example of one school that has developed strong learning teams across the entire school district. The discussion, which followed the video, focused on how some other New Mexico schools have adopted a new model of schooling in which teachers and administrators collaborate, forming a support system that improves teaching quality and student achievement.
While there are many models for how this type of learning can be fostered, the common element is the development of collaborative teams that allow for lesson plans and best practices to be shared among colleagues.
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The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF) is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. NCTAF is dedicated to providing every child with competent, caring, qualified teaching in schools organized for success. With a network of 23 partner states and links to professional educational organizations across the nation, NCTAF provides leadership on innovation and improvement in teaching and learning in America’s schools. For more information, visit NCTAF’s website: www.nctaf.org.
MetLife Foundation supports programs that increase opportunities for young people to succeed, give students and teachers a voice in improving education, create connections between schools and communities and develop leadership. The Foundation works with national nonprofit organizations to develop a variety of programs, many of which address issues raised each year in The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher. For more information about MetLife Foundation, visit www.metlife.org.
