Beyond Partnerships: Building Great Teaching Together Rod Lucero Associate Professor, CSU, Fort Collins Jennifer Roth Fort Collins High School Nick Baltzel Social Studies Teacher, Fort Collins High School Mark LaCelle-Peterson November 4, 2014 Vice President for Policy and Programs, AACTE Chicago, IL
A most momentous anniversary 175 years ago this fall… • 1 st US teacher preparation program established, • fulfilling a dream of our 1 st chief state school officer, Horace Mann: • the Normal School in Lexington, Mass., (1 st of 3), • our first explicit, effective policy effort to ensure effective teachers for democratic public schools American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
Why create a new institution to do it? …because the then-new common schools , the already-established secondary schools (academies, seminaries, grammar schools) and the (some of them) long-established colleges were altogether disconnected from each other. Teacher Education filled a void and created connections. American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
175 th Anniversary Congratulations to State education departments The profession of teaching …. and to all of us! We’ve been at this for a long time! ….and we’re not finished yet.
What is our challenge today? Ensuring coherent entry into a great profession . …we haven’t fully solved the ‘connection’ problem Can we grow beyond ‘partnerships’ that are locally negotiated & personality dependent to a policy- supported integrated ‘pipeline’ that creates a coherent transition from preparation, through articulated clinical experiences, to induction/residencies, to practice and persistence ? American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
Every system is perfectly designed to achieve the outcomes it produces. — Tony Bryk Overall, o ur career entry system gives us… • Insufficient high-quality sites for candidates • High rates of turnover in clinical personnel • Challenges coordinating across systems — Adversely impacting consistency and data • Brilliant problem-solvers and negotiators American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
Despite our challenges, however, we have numerous local examples of excellent partnerships for clinical preparation that are: — personally negotiated — require extraordinary effort — provide tremendous benefit — are often short- lived…. but not always ! American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
The “rule” has been to bank on the exceptions— exceptional efforts by exceptional individuals with exceptional support for limited duration. But a few ‘lighthouse’ relationships have been enduring and effective American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
…a tip from a valued mentor The key to success is simple…. never do anything for the first time. — Bob Menges American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
Some relationships are built to last Colorado State University in partnership with Poudre School District and Thompson School District Partners for +22 years 6 high school sites 12 junior high sites American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
Fort Collins High School Leroy Clyde American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
Mutuality How are matches made? Who feels responsible? Why has it lasted? American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
Persistence Tough job, tough market, why do some thrive? What aspects of preparation matter? What supports persistence? American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
Impact What difference do the candidates make? How do practicing educators benefit? Does the model matter? American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
The last words go to Horace Mann… Where anything is growing, a single former is worth a thousand reformers. Let us not be content to wait and see what happens, give us the determination to make the right things happen. Horace Mann (1796-1859) American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
Thank You!
www.aacte.org
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