Partner School Strategies

1. Partner School Strategies RTI as a Lever for School Change School Partnerships for Change in Teacher Education Tom Bellamy—February 2, 2011

2. Discussion Topics • Partner schools as alternatives to placing student teachers individually with mentors • Potential benefits of partner schools • Processes and possible strategies for realizing these benefits • Thoughts about partner school planning and start-up

3. What are Partner Schools • Agreement between university and district to support a school-level partnership • Mutual commitment to improving student learning in both institutions • Group of teacher candidates placed in the school • School wide responsibility for candidate development • University support for the school, including consultation and professional development

4. Four Partner School Functions • Improve P-12 student learning • Prepare better new teachers • Professional development for faculties in schools and university • Inquiry to improve practice in both partners

5. From Teitel, 2003

6. Partner Schools as the NNER’s Framework for Simultaneous Renewal • They work at the confluence of two cultures, the university and school and have an expanded mission that enhances both institutions.

7. How Different from Student Teaching? • Internships as a school-wide responsibility, rather than individual mentoring • Systematic preparation for work in the school and district • Shared decision making about candidates • University commitment to support the school • Direct communication between university and school faculties • Long-term partnership—time to build capacity and plan for using extra resources

8. Potential Benefits, P-12 Students • More adults involved in instruction • Smaller groups • Faster remediation • Models for university attendance

9. Potential Benefits, Teacher Candidates • Greater integration of coursework and internships • Learn from more school professionals • Learn in context of exemplary practice • Participate in full range of school activities

10. Potential Benefits, P-12 Teachers • Professional development opportunities • More contact with university faculty • Opportunity to contribute to new teacher preparation • More time to take advantage of leadership opportunities in the school

11. Potential Benefits, Schools and District • Opportunity to develop teachers with skills for district programs • More people engaged in supporting student learning • More possibilities for professional development • Continuing and reliable number of teacher candidates in the school • Source of new leadership for the district

12. Potential Benefits, University • Ground curriculum in current practice • Established partnerships that support grant development • Documented faculty engagement with local school renewal • Opportunity to shift some funding from program logistics to to direct support of students

13. Points for Discussion • What interests you about Partner schools? • What questions do you have about what they are and what they can offer?

14. Processes to Achieve Benefits • Commitment to Common Purpose Possible approaches include: • Common vocabulary • Written agreements • Annual goals • Leadership programs • District goals for partner school outcomes

15. Processes to Achieve Benefits • Support for coordination of daily work Possible strategies include: • School-based partnership coordinator • University based school liaison • Participation in each others’ planning meetings • Operations that ensure equal status and democratic decision making

16. Processes to Achieve Benefits • Meaningful university participation in the school Possibilities include: • School liaison regularly scheduled on site • Participation in SIP • Joint grants for program development and inquiry • Professional development at the school site • Consultation to the RTI team • Leading PLC, book study, or action research effort

17. Processes to Achieve Benefits • Joint decision making about teacher candidates Possibilities include: • Participation in student admission • School selection of candidates (draft) • Mentor participation in student assessment

18. Processes to Achieve Benefits • Create a learning infrastructure Possibilities include: • Regular joint discussion of potential for improvement in both institutions • Constant professional development • Annual goals for improvement • Democratic deliberation

19. Build in Sustainability • Engage organizational leaders Possibilities include: • Networking and professional development for school, district, and university leaders • Annual meetings/reports of progress and outcomes • Opportunities for cross-institution relationship building • Special support for principals • District-level administrator with formal responsibility to coordinate partnership activities

20. Partner School Principals • A great principal, and MORE… • MORE outcomes to reach, partners to work with, people to get to know, schedules to manage, institutional cultures to accommodate, beliefs about instruction to consider, conflicts to negotiate, parking to assign, communication gaps to bridge,meetings to attend, mail boxes to create,issues to resolve with district and union, procedures to explain to families, people to orient to the school, more materials to manage, calendars to coordinate, work to give administrative staff, classroom visits…..

21. Why is the Partner School Principalship so Important? Exceptional leadership is needed to… • Give visible institutional support to the partnership • Involve more people in setting mission and vision • Bridge communications among more groups • Establish shared norms with a more diverse community • Organize to use more resources effectively

22. Build in Sustainability • Make a visible impact Possibilities include: • Keep focused on improving student learning • Evaluate and publicize results • Annual legacy projects for each school • Follow-up studies of new teachers prepared in the partnership

23. Build in Sustainability • Authentic joint decision making Possibilities include: • Multi-level structure with both policy and program coordination • Regular meetings to coordinate operations • Formal written agreements

24. Build in Sustainability • Expand participation Possibilities include: • Annual events for participating teachers and university faculty • Deliberate development of leadership roles • Link additional projects and grants to the partnership’s work

25. Build in Sustainability • Planning for transitions Possibilities include: • Discussion of partnership as a feature in candidate selection • Commitment to involve each other in leadership recruitment • Systematic joint leadership development • Participate in larger partnership networks

26. Partnership Structures. . . “As a principal, I came to appreciate highly these frequent days of study and reflection with other professionals who shared my vision of schooling. . . . It was here that the real partnerships between people were formed, where visions were shared and developed, where communication links were made and trust developed.” Brantigna, Foley, & McElliott, 2000, p. 17.

27. What do principals have to say? • “I am expanding my mentoring role, finding a way to communicate with the university and my campus staff.” - LTPS Cohort I Participant • “We now know the different cultures of school and university; would like to learn how to break down the barriers of communication…”

28. Points for Discussion • What strategies and approaches resonate with you? • What do you have questions about?

29. Thinking about Startup • District and school decisions about participation • Selection of schools • Partnership agreements • Staffing decisions in schools and university • Planning for implementation in the fall • Communication with school and program constituencies

30. Planning Considerations • Not every school can be a partner school (Those that are have additional expectations) • Special consideration needed from the district (What could be expected in return?) • University depends on knowledge that can be shared (How the school might be expected to participate) • Some differences in approaches to curriculum and instruction are inevitable (Can the school sustain a coherent culture and focus on student learning while managing these differences?)