College of Education

College of Education April 24, 2008

Purpose of Today’s Meeting • Celebrate! Plan to attend the Spring Fling! • Summarize this Year’s Accomplishments • 2007-2008 Themes: • Building Connectedness • Opportunities and Challenges • Progress on the 6 Goals 2007-08 • Task Force reports • SWOT Analysis • Discuss CoE Strategic Goals for the Future • Discuss / approve Faculty Handbook / Governance Structure

Accomplishments 2007-2008 • Theme: Building Connectedness • Started COE newsletter (Fall/Spring) • Set up new college governance structure, Faculty Assembly (aka College Assembly) has been revising handbook • Additional faculty involvement in charter school sponsorship/oversight • Initial K-12 & secondary SIG forum • Partner Superintendent conversations

Accomplishments 2007-2008 • Theme: Building Connectedness (cont.) • Identified members of Deans Advisory Council (to begin Fall 2008) • Held meetings with SFCC and MCC regarding AAT articulation • Moved INST program (and Odin) to CTE • Starting a blog to assist in mentoring 1st/2nd year teachers (designed, should be up by graduation)

Accomplishments 2007-2008 • Theme: Identifying opportunities and challenges • Concluded work of task forces, a number of the recommendations have already been acted on • Revisions to structure & work of TEC • Survey of area superintendents and principals (also builds connectedness) • Creation of AIRE • New development officer Michelle Schubert • Funding for Midwest Clinic for ASD

Accomplishments 2007-2008 • Other highlights: • Hosted 1st annual summer special education symposium: Children of the Code (involved CTE, RPDC, EDSP) • Faculty in the COE organized two regional professional conferences (SRATE and SRCEA) • FACS celebrated 100 years • BTE finished an extensive 2-year curriculum review/overhaul process • UCM 2nd university approved for PLTW

Accomplishments 2007-2008 • Other Highlights, cont. • RPDC added Professional Learning Committees to its repertoire of training areas • MCCE initiatives to develop additional curriculum and professional development materials • COE has earned more Quality REACHE awards (4) than any other college at UCM • Submitted 18 SPA program reports ON TIME!

Progress on 2007-08 Goals • A health check-up • Planning for a long and healthy life • Assessment of current health (Focus groups) • Develop (or continue) Program Advisory Committees • Dean’s Advisory Committee • Build the foundation for a successful on-site NCATE review • On-going assessment and data reporting

Progress on 2007-08 Goals • Create synergy among units in College • College Leadership Team • College web site review • Volunteers needed! • Standardization of faculty productivity reporting

Long and Healthy Life • My task when hired • Cuts across all elements of our operations • SWOT analysis • Identify trends • Future opportunities • Build on our past, with our eyes on the future • Continuous improvement model • Creation of Task Forces

Dennis Ehlert, Skip Grigsby, Georgia Jarman Elementary Principals, Secondary Principals, Superintendents Focus groups of 4-6 Summary data only, not individual graduates Some consistent themes, ignore the outliers Doing a good job, some room for improvement West Central District Administrators’ Focus Group

Focus Group QuestionsThe Central graduate… • Is knowledgeable and competent with: • Curriculum: develops standards-based curriculum, units, and lesson plans. • Assessment: designs/uses appropriate formative and summative assessments for feedback to students, and uses the results for diagnosis and prescription of instruction. • Instructional strategies: Uses varied and appropriate instructional strategies to meet the needs of all learners, including the appropriate use of technology to support meaningful learning. • Classroom management: effectively manages instruction and behavior / creates positive learning environments / builds community.

Focus Group QuestionsThe Central graduate… • Develops and maintains professional relationships with colleagues, parents and community. • Understands and practices continuous improvement process / values and demonstrates a commitment to lifelong learning and a willingness to grow and change / accepts constructive suggestions.

Focus Group Questions • Final thoughts: • University of Central Missouri teacher education graduates are [better, as well, or not as well] prepared as new graduates from other teacher education programs in the region. Why? Please provide examples. • Are we on the “cutting edge”? Are there trends in the field that we’re not keeping up with? • What recommendations would you have for our teacher education program at Central? • Other? Are we asking the right questions?

Focus Group Results • All 3 groups indicated: • Our students are ready to engage in life-long learning and continuous improvement • Our students need work in presenting themselves professionally (dress and dealing with parents) • Students need more contact with the classroom, some suggested year-long internship, others 16 week student teaching • They were glad we were asking these questions.

Focus Group Results • Elementary Principals: • Our students have a general knowledge, but are not well prepared, in the areas of curriculum-assessment-instruction. • Classroom management needs some work • Students need more development in GLEs and their use, curriculum alignment, scoring guides, literacy, and use of curriculum guides. • Want to see college professors supervising student teachers

Focus Group Results • Secondary Principals • Students need more knowledge and use of GLEs, assessment, relevant feedback, and differentiated instructional strategies • Students need additional classroom experience

Focus Group Results • Superintendents • Generally speaking, elementary teachers are better prepared than secondary teachers • Other institutions’ students have a stronger background in literacy instruction • Secondary needs improvement in both management and instructional strategies • Not enough communication between content areas in secondary • The PDS is an outstanding program that should be expanded to secondary

Focus Group Results • When comparing our graduates to other institutions: • Some superintendents prefer to hire exclusively from UCM • Some principals and superintendents do NOT believe our graduates are as well prepared • Some expressed concern that our program has remained the same over a period of time while other institutions have stepped up their instruction

Focus Group Results • Has UCM remained on the “cutting edge” in teacher preparation? • Both elementary and secondary principals said we have NOT, superintendents mixed. • Need increased instruction in the appropriate use of technology • Want to see college professors supervising student teachers • Need work in data analysis and alternative intervention strategies

Focus Group Recommendations • More time in the classroom • More knowledge of special education • Stay current with RPDC • More knowledge of GLEs, classroom management and differentiated instruction • In secondary education • More methods classes, • Earlier blend of methods and content area

Task Force Reports • Defining Excellence • Organizational Structure • Joint Appointments • 21st Century Learning Environment

Defining Excellence Task Force • Charge: Define “excellence” as it pertains to the reputation of the new College of Education. What attributes characterize leading colleges of education? Which institutions do we aspire to be like? What will enable UCM to move from its strong reputation as a regional leader to a national leader in teacher education?

Defining Excellence – General Concepts • Success is defined by performance relative to mission • Definition of excellence determined by our passion, what we are best at, and how we use our resources • Right decisions are made no matter how difficult or painful to achieve mission and long-term greatness • “Good is the Enemy of Great!”

Defining Excellence – Characteristics of Exceptional Programs • Interweave coursework and clinical experiences throughout entire program • PDS experience for ALL education majors • Last year of program 100% field-based • Supervision of student teaching by regular full-time faculty

Defining Excellence – Characteristics of Exceptional Programs • Reflective integration of theory into practice • Mentoring (faculty/students, faculty/public teachers) • Shared vision, mission, and goals • Learning communities • Committed leadership • Assessment data drives instruction

Defining Excellence – Recommendations • Establish PDS at all levels: cohort structure • Build stronger partnerships (UCM, RPDC, MCCE, public schools, Charter schools) • Instructional technology integrated within all courses and field experiences – model best practices in the use of technology • Establish criteria for measuring excellence, teacher qualifications, and effectiveness

Defining Excellence – Recommendations • Incorporate multiple job-embedded experiences: highly effective mentors, extended clinical experiences, modeling research-based instructional practices, case study analysis, cohort structure • Strengthen mentor-professor relationships

Organizational Structure Task Force • Charge: Study potential reorganization of programs within the college. • The purposes of reorganization could include: • Improving learning connections for students. • Creating a new, unique vision for the CoE to enable UCM to move from its strong reputation as a regional leader to a national leader in teacher education. • Developing or strengthening program synergy. This should be based upon program alignment, rather than faculty who may teach in multiple areas. • Improving efficiency with respect to both faculty and administrative work loads.

Organizational Task Force - disclaimer • This is a fairly comprehensive report that the TFOS spent a good deal of time on. Their work spanned several months and involved conversations, meetings, readings, and the TFOS survey which was completed by 75 of our CoE colleagues. There were several different recommendations and even different levels or degrees of recommendations (including short term and simple ideas, and longer-term ideas that need further consideration). There are a number of long-term issues raised in the TFOS report that will be address the future.

Organizational Structure – Early Ideas • To better ensure qualified graduates, identify a common CoE core of courses for undergraduate programs • Collapse/combine educational/developmental psychology core courses to emphasize educational issues/applications • Establish a new department: Foundations of Educational Practice. This could facilitate a rigorous, coherent, and organized curriculum across educational programs and could include joint appointments of PEF members, increased field experiences, and increased interaction with the CoE centers and local public schools.

Organizational Structure – Early Ideas • Establish a CoE Research & Technology Center to assist faculty and students with research and other scholarly work including grant writing and technology applications in instruction. • Organize professional learning communities around common goals and work activities (within and across departments)

Organizational Task Force – Four Final Recommendations • We recommend that the Office of the Dean carefully read and consider both this report and the survey data. • We recommend that the Office of Dean carry out the “Quickly available and less-obtrusive recommendations”

Organizational Task Force – Final Recommendations • We recommend that the Office of the Dean work together with faculty and other relevant constituencies to formulate plans for proposals that, if applied, would bring the various CoE constituencies into greater geographic proximity to one another. • We recommend that the Office of the Dean work together with faculty and other relevant constituencies to formulate plans for proposals that, if applied, would restructure CoE departments in a way that there is a more optimal balance across departments in terms of size, FTE, and administrative support.

Organizational Task Force – Final Recommendations – “Less Obtrusive” • “Don’t work harder—work smarter.” Honest evaluation of policies, practices, traditions, and habits that could be modified to be more efficient (while not compromising any of the excellence that we feel called to) and proactive, particularly with regard to the demands/restrictions on faculty and staff time and energy, should be undertaken. • the CoE leadership should intentionally/by design foster increased opportunities and situations (including incentives) for departments, programs, and centers to meet and work together, advancing collaboration and synergy among CoE constituents.

Organizational Task Force – Final Recommendations – “Less Obtrusive” • The CoE leadership should continue to increase communication among all CoE departments, programs, and centers. Special attention should be paid to PEF members in colleges other than the CoE. • The CoE leadership should produce and make available a simple report or organizational chart that clarifies the relationship between the CoE, its constituent parts, and the TEP Unit.

21st Century Learning Task Force • Charge: Define what we believe an appropriate learning environment for the future would look like in the College of Education. What attributes characterize learning in the future? What type of learning environment will enable UCM to move from its strong reputation as a regional leader to a national leader in teacher education?

21st Century Learning Task Force - Background • Two important characteristics are crucial to the entire enterprise: Adaptability and Flexibility. • We know that students are changing – most of them are not afraid of technology and can competently use multiple tools, sometimes simultaneously. • They multitask, have expectations different from those of the generation that preceded them, and have very different world views from most of the educators who are teaching them – due in part to the changing world and the rapid development of information tools.

21st Century Learning Task Force - Background • We are moving away from the idea of “rote” knowledge and into an environment that requires higher level thinking. • Structure can inhibit and restrain, or support and it must always be revisited to determine if it is working effectively.

21st Century Learning Task Force - Report • The report was organized under six broad themes: (1) Envisioning the learning environment, (2) Administrative and Legislative support for change, (3) School Structural Changes, (4) Role/skills of the teacher, (5) Role/skills of the student, and (6) Technologies for learning.

21st Century Learning Task Force - Report • The College of Education should consider preparing students to effectively teach in a learning environment that reflects: • Current research (brain, multiple intelligences, learning styles, etc.) • Problem-based learning and/or Project-based learning • Integrated/interdisciplinary learning • Team-based learning • Connectivity - anytime, anywhere • Connections to community, careers - life • International opportunities • Service learning • Open entry - open exit curriculum to promote continuous, life long learning and the tools/technology/resources to make this effective.

21st Century Learning Task Force - Report • What would an educational model look like that blends together all of the following: Websites, library databases, podcasts, ebooks, books, games, virtual environments, manipulatives, testing, educational videos, educational audio, Kindle, learning objects (digital objects used for instruction), artificial intelligence, platform independent web-based applications (Google docs), open source applications, learning management systems, “cloud” systems, Wi-Fi / WiMAX / broadband wireless, IM/texting, and/or real time satellite feeds?

21st Century Learning Task Force – Questions / Recommendations • What infrastructure is needed to support changes? • How is innovation rewarded? • How can action plans be implemented? • How are resistance and anxiety overcome in a secure and humane manner? • How can we integrate lab and other school experiences into the UCM CoE process to put these ideas into place?

Joint Appointments Task Force • Charge: Identify potential benefits and liabilities of implementing joint appointments for PEF faculty and the College of Education. Make recommendations for possible configurations within the CoE.

Joint Appointments Task Force • Identified areas of concern, including • Promotion & tenure • Increased work load for faculty • May potentially drain resources from one dept. • Faculty member may be caught between competing departments • Merit pay determination

Joint Appointments Task Force • Potential Benefits • Increased involvement of PEF faculty with cross-discipline or “core” courses • Closer relationships between colleagues in different depts. or colleges

Joint Appointments Task ForceRecommendations • We do NOT recommend wide spread implementation of Joint Appointments at this time, but should consider in the future • As a first step, regular meetings between faculty across campus in teacher education should meet more often to discuss common issues.

Foundation for Successful NCATE Visit • Steering Committee – monthly meetings • SPA reports submitted on time! Kudos! • Revision of Conceptual Framework • Review of “core” Professional Education block for all education majors • Joyce Downing, J.P. Burke, Dennis Ehlert, Nicole Nickens, Jerry Neal

Conceptual Framework Graphic

NCATE Foundation (cont.) • 2 Teams sent to NCATE training in Arlington, VA • Review of Dispositions • TEAC data • Focus on identification of concerns and specific plans to remedy • Middle School AFI’s addressed

College of Education