May 22nd Panel Discusses Successful Strategies for Indiana’s Schools

BLOOMINGTON, IN. – May 22, 2007 – In order for students to be prepared for the 21st century, educators say that an emphasis on collaboration and teamwork are the keys to creating a culture of success. The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF), MetLife Foundation, and WTIU today convened a town hall meeting to discuss strategies that transform schools by using innovative strategies that allow great teaching and learning to thrive.

Schools in which educators work in collaborative learning teams consistently deliver the greatest gains among students, according to NCTAF. These schools reinforce the culture of success through strong leadership, shared responsibility among teachers, ongoing professional development opportunities, and strong parental involvement.

“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."

Columbus East High School was featured at the town hall meeting in a short video, produced by WTIU, as an example of one school that developed strong learning teams among its ninth grade teachers. The discussion, which followed the video focused on how some of Indiana’s schools have been able to move from a factory-era model of schooling to one in which teachers and administrators no longer work in isolation, but collaborate, forming a support system that improves teaching quality and student achievement.

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.”

According to NCTAF, teachers are leaving the profession in droves because many schools are stuck in an old factory-era model that fails to encourage a collaborative, supportive work environment. Almost half of new teachers leave the profession in five years. The problem is particularly acute in low-income communities, where one in five teachers leave annually. Principal turnover is just as alarming, with four years or less in one school as the typical stint for many.

“Teacher and principal churn in schools undermines the ability to develop successful learning cultures because there is a constant rebuilding of staff,” said NCTAF’s President Tom Carroll. “It’s time to focus on strategies that work, especially if we are serious about retaining our best educators and improving student learning.”

Those strategies play out in different ways across the country, including small learning communities, professional learning communities, mentored induction, peer coaching, online learning communities, and other similar initiatives. While each method is different, the common element is the development of collaborative teams that allow for lesson plans and best practices to be shared among colleagues.

“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.

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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, please visit www.metlife.org.