Wyoming School-University Partnership

Higher Standards, Accountability and Collaboration

2012-01-20T13:29:00.006-07:00

Yesterday we held our regular meeting of the School-University Partnership governing board. We were lucky to have Scott Marion join us to share his insights about the impact of and implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Scott, who works for the Center For Assessment and used to be the assessment director for Wyoming, is leading the advisory council and legislative select committee work to develop a school accountability model for the state. Scott shared with the group that one of the goals of developing a common set of standards was to make the targets fewer, clearer and higher. It will also allow us to compare ourselves, hopefully favorably, with other states. The new Wyoming math and language arts standards, reviewed by groups of practitioners from across the state and sent to the State Board of Education for consideration, reflect the higher standards of the common core.

Scott reminded us all that the transition to these new common standards will not be an easy one. Part of the conversation centered around the idea of districts collaborating on their work rather than reinventing and duplicating work across the state. And Scott posed a question that is worth consideration. Does "going it alone" exacerbate the equity issues among our schools and for our children? Since the Partnership is about excellence and equity, this issue is a consideration for our work.

That leads us to another consideration for the Partnership. At our last meeting, we discussed at length the new admission requirements at the University of Wyoming. Even though the new, more stringent admission requirements would not exclude any student who can currently be admitted to the university, the status of the student's acceptance would change. So this whole focus on higher standards and more accountability really can lead the Partnership to explore a dialogue around how these higher admission requirements and these more rigorous academic standards in math and language arts can inform our important and vital Transitions work.

How can the Partnership be a meaningful player in the college-readiness work being done around the Common Core State Standards, the support of students entering the state's colleges and university, and championing the cause of equity for all the students in Wyoming?

Talk AboutTeacher Pay

2011-11-10T12:35:00.004-07:00

In this era of accountability, we have ramped up the reporting requirements and testing requirements...and we've ramped up the rhetoric. At the last University Partnership governing board meeting we talked briefly about what can be perceived as attacks on teachers as part of this call for greater accountability. Traditionally there has been a lot of talk about teachers being underpaid, and that lower pay makes it hard to attract young people to the profession. However, two researchers from the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research recently issued a report that teachers are not underpaid. The authors, in this US News article, mention that because teacher GRE and SAT scores are lower than those who pursue other majors, and their GPAs in college are higher, perhaps teachers aren't worth as much as those in some other professions.

This TIME article provides the other side of the story. Apparently there are those who still believe the old adage "you get what you pay for;" therefore, if we pay teachers less money, we will get fewer high quality folks attracted to the profession. The article cites a 2003 study that found only 4.7 percent of college juniors would even consider being a teacher at the current average salary. Imagine what that number might be if we were to actually lower those teacher salaries.

Take a look at these two articles...or read the actual report. School disricts are operating on increasingly tight budgets with increasing expectations. Could freezing or cutting teacher pay make sense? Or would that just make it more difficult for school districts to recruit and retain the very best to educate our children?

2011-11-07T14:42:00.001-07:00

Wall Wisher
On-going brainstorming activity for suggested ideas for Governing Board meetings.
Please follow the link to the Partnership's wall http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/uwyowsup.

A Discussion of Stewardship Wraps Up the Conference

2010-07-25T21:37:00.004-06:00

We ended the NNER Summer Symposium with a discussion of the idea of "stewardship." It was defined as taking care of another person's property or financial affairs...a responsibility of taking care of what you don't own. Some talked about it as "a gift" or "a loan."

The question arose: Is stewardship a necessary component of teacher ed? I think clearly Goodlad and crew would argue that it is. In Education for Everyone: Agenda for Education In a Democracy Goodlad writes, "teachers in [schools] must be purposefully engaged in the renewal process." He goes on to further state that no matter where the ideas come from, those "on the inside" must see them as reasonable and useful. Expanding teacher authority to make decisions within schools requires that they are educated well to use the authority properly.

Goodlad argues that there needs to be "disciplined socialization" as part of teacher education so that responsible stewardship of schools is ensured. That socialization includes the background to teach about democracy in public schools.

Goodlad's book states that this learning about stewardship does not systematically happen in teacher education programs currently. Think back on your own program. Do you think he's right? Do you think it even matters? Should all new teachers be taught to teach about the skills needed to be successful in a democracy?

Noting Democracy In Action

2010-07-23T10:19:00.012-06:00

On Wednesday afternoon, our assignment was to go with our group members out into Seattle and observe democracy in action. We used a list of "conditions required for democracy" from Roger Soder's "Education for Democracy" from Developing Democratic Character in the Young (Soder, Goodlad and McMannon, 2001) as the basis of what we were searching for. I was lucky to get a terrific group of folks including Francisco Rios. Our group wanted to focus on kids, and we settled on our first destination, the University District Youth Center, that provides services for homeless youth.

Francisco was familiar with the University district, so he helped us get oriented. We ended up visiting the youth center and two churches that provide services to homeless youth including a free "Teen Feed" at night. One church houses a program called Roots, which is an overnight center for 18 to 25 year-olds. We met and talked with the women who manage those centers, and their stories were powerful examples of dedicated individuals who have given their lives over to working for those less fortunate. Everyone we talked to, including Pastor Peter, are part of a network called the University District Service Providers Alliance who are "working together for the greater good...to solve problems." One director, Alice, said "we walk with them."

We saw an incredible network of safety nets for homeless youth; but that safety net can't reach every young person. It certainly can't replace a home and a caring family network. We became aware of the many challenges faced by kids who "age out" of foster care and have nowhere to go.

After we visited the shelters, we walked the "Ave" which is an area of restaurants and shops near the university. Then, we ended our tour with a walk through one part of the University of Washington. The stark contrast between the campus and the shelters couldn't be missed, and certainly shouldn't be ignored.

We had reflective conversations in putting together our presentation about the implications of what we learned in our explorations.

Here is a link to our presentation without the sound.

The accompanying song, entitled "Would you Harbor Me" by Sweet Honey in the Rock, is available here. (To listen to the song while viewing the presentation, right click on the link to this song, and select "Open Link in new Tab." Then click on the link to the presentation above.)

We focused on the condition of "social capital," which is people needing the social and political skills to work together to understand problems and create solutions as opposed to simply accepting orders. We saw people working together to provide services to the homeless youth...but we still were faced with the problem of homeless youth. What do you think we can learn from this about social justice and the teaching of democratic principles?

Immersing Ourselves in Democracy

2010-07-22T22:18:00.003-06:00

We began the day today in a Socratic dialogue led by our own very able Francisco Rios! The topic of discussion was the book Teaching for Social Justice: Voices from the Front Lines by Connie E. North. One thing I thought of just as an aside is that the format we used today would be a good one for us to use when we do book studies among the partnership members.

North's book features four case studies of different teachers, each one illustrating a different kind of "literacy." The kinds of literacies discussed in the text are functional literacy, critical literacy, relational literacy, democratic literacy and visionary literacy. A couple of "big ideas" I took away from the book discussion were that we generally don't think of literacy in these terms, so nearly everyone's perspective was broadened in some way by this reading. Another thing was that we each saw bits and pieces of ourselves and/or people we know in each of the teachers profiled in the book. It's clear that very few mortals possess the intricate skills to master the teaching of all the kinds of literacy on an everyday basis. However, each of us can likely do better...and we can help others be better through our partnership. How do you usually "define" literacy? Do you think of it in the terms North uses?

We spent the rest of the day either planning for or taking part in our "Democracy Walk" around Seattle. More on that tomorrow.

A Leap of Faith

2010-07-21T10:04:00.003-06:00

We began day two in cloudy Seattle renewing our conversation about what partnerships are like...how we can describe them. Folks described partnerships as being based on trust, risk-taking, climbing a rocky road...but it seemed like many thought partnership relationships were like a leap of faith. This might be a good consideration as we try to add member districts to our ranks.

We spent a lot of time in the morning talking about access to education. What does access really mean? It became clear it didn't mean the same thing to all of us. We all had different ideas about what it even means to have equal access to education. And you know what? We didn't even all agree on what education means. I think we often take things like access for granted in Wyoming. We should maybe talk about that sometime when we are together. Do you think all kids in Wyoming have equal access to a quality education?

Finally we discussed an article by Nel Noddings in which she asserts "the main aim of education should be to produce competent, caring, loving, and lovable people." Hmmmm...quite a debate ensued. What do you think?

Hello from the NNER Summer Symposium

2010-07-20T13:47:00.004-06:00

Thank you Brenna for allowing us the opportunity to share our thoughts and pose some questions from Seattle!

Yesterday we spent the day establishing relationships and being introduced to the NNER. Many of us are somewhat new to NNER or will be serving in new roles in partnerships across the country. One of the quotes that I found powerful from yesterday's introduction was this: Public schools must be understood as public, not because they serve the public but because they establish us as a public" (Benjamin Baker). That seems to really be a fundamentally different way to look at public education than the ways we usually converse about it, don't you think? Or not?

We also talked a lot about equal access to knowledge, to education, and what that means to each of us in our different settings. There are folks here from Brooklyn, South Carolina, Ohio, Texas, New Jersey, and Nebraska. The perspectives are in some ways so different...and in many ways much the same. It's fascinating that even though we are in such different settings, we have so many commonalities. Building upon those commonalities was a general theme of day one.

Another focus was an in-depth discussion of social justice. What does it mean to us? How do we define it? Practice it? What do we see as socially unjust (hmmm..is that a word)? Two words came up that caught my attention. Someone shared a concern about how "polarizing" and "political" education has seemed to become.

We ended the day talking about metaphors for partnerships...what a successful partnership might look like...when we know it's time to "call it quits," so to speak. It seems like summer time, before we all get back into the rat race of another school year, might be a good time to reflect about what is really successful in our partnership relationships and how we can continue to build upon them.

The photo is of the Wyoming contingent at the conference, Francisco Rios, Paige Fenton Hughes and Kevin Roxas.

Heclo Book Study Group - WEEK 4

2010-03-10T09:35:00.003-07:00

Book Study Group Participants,

Below are Week FOUR's excerpts from Hugh Heclo's On Thinking Institutionally. Please read through the excerpts, mull over his words and how it plays into education in Wyoming, and post your comments below.

Week 4, March 8-14

Chapter 6, "Ways of Thinking, Ways of Being," pages 185-195. Please pay particular consideration to the following excerpt on page 187:

"The rational basis for evaluating institutions is not a matter of personal whim. The basis is the good any given institution produces for human well-being. The deep-seated purposes of institutions are aspirations in that upward direction. Those are aspirations to which we can appropriately hold ourselves accountable. In a perplexing world, they can orient the modern search for "authenticity" in our individual life commitments. They can help us discern the limits of loyalty to any particular organization or process, though they can never shield us from the agony of having to make hard choices.

Is it really so difficult to cut through the fluff and blather of our popular culture to see the things that need to be taught and learned? The chronicle of misdeeds discussed at the beginning of this book points toward the immense gains to be had from thinking institutionally. Those gains are both societal and personal in nature."

Use the "Post A Comment" text box below to write your response. Please be sure to include your name in the body of each of your posts!! When you have finished typing your response, select "Anonymous" from the drop down menu, and follow the instructions for submitting your comments.

Heclo Book Study Group - WEEK 3

2010-03-03T09:55:00.001-07:00

Book Study Group Participants,

Below are Week THREE's excerpts from Hugh Heclo's On Thinking Institutionally. Please read through the excerpts, mull over his words and how it plays into education in Wyoming, and post your comments below.

Week 3, March 1-7

Chapter 5, “Applications, Dangers, and the Uphill Journey,” pages 130-133; 133-135; 142-; sections titled “Profession, Office, Stewardship,” “ Profession,” and “Stewardship”

Heclo Book Study Group - WEEK 2

2010-02-24T10:06:00.001-07:00

Dear Fellow Book Study Group Participants,

Below are Week 1's excerpts from Hugh Heclo's On Thinking Institutionally. Please read through the excerpts, mull over his words and how it plays into education in Wyoming, and post your comments below.

Week 2, February 22-28

Chapter 3, “From Thinking About Institutions to Thinking Institutionally” pages 48-49, Box 3.1, "An Institution Is...", and

Chapter 4, “Being Institutionally Minded” pages 81-82 (a definition of ethos) and page 128 (the final paragraph).

Heclo Book Study Group - WEEK 1

2010-02-17T14:21:00.005-07:00

Dear Fellow Book Study Group Participants,

Below are Week 1's excerpts from Hugh Heclo's On Thinking Institutionally. Please read through the excerpts, mull over his words and how it plays into education in Wyoming, and post your comments below.

Week 1, February 15 -21

Chapter 1, “Introduction: Respect for the Game,” pages 1-10 and

Chapter 2, “Our Modern Impasse,” pages 11-14; 42-43 (start with first full paragraph on page 42)

Use the Post A Comment text box to write your response. Please be sure to include your name in the body of each of your posts!! When you have finished typing your response, select "Anonymous" from the drop down menu, and follow the instructions for submitting your post.

If you haven't done so already, click here to read the Heclo Book Study Group Introduction.

Heclo Book Study Group Introduction

2010-02-17T11:32:00.009-07:00

On Thinking Institutionally, by Hugh Heclo

Book Study Group Discussion:

Thanks for your interest in reading a little Heclo! You are demonstrating a commitment to understand the power and challenges of institutions in our culture, especially those around schooling. I hope that various sessions at the January 28-29 In Praise of Education conference have kept you thinking and talking with each other about thinking institutionally, and also the Agenda for Education in a Democracy.

We’ll launch the discussion group this week (February 16) and go for about a month, through March 15. I’ve pulled some excerpts from On Thinking Institutionally, but those who want to read the entire book, have at it! The excerpts and weekly schedule are listed below.

I’ll suggest some reading/discussion norms to observe:

1. Have fun with this intellectual challenge and social network!

2. Read as much as you can and want, but please commit to reading the excerpts listed below.

3. When you post a comment, question, or response, please identify yourself.

4. Try to read the selections for the week and comment about that week’s selection.

5. Keep the book, if it would be useful to you. If not, consider passing it along to a colleague, friend, even a policy maker like a school board member, or another elected official. Then, have a conversation with that person about what you think is important about Heclo’s writing and important issues in your setting.

Week 1, February 15 -21

Chapter 1, “Introduction: Respect for the Game,” pages 1-10 and

Chapter 2, “Our Modern Impasse,” pages 11-14; 42-43 (start with first full paragraph on page 42)

Week 2, February 22-28

Chapter 3, “From Thinking about Institutions to Thinking Institutionally,” pages 48-49, Box 3.1, “An Institution is ..”

Chapter 4, “Being Institutionally Minded,” pages 81-82 (a definition of ethos) and page 128, (the final paragraph)

Week 3, March 1 – 7

Chapter 5, “Applications, Dangers, and the Uphill Journey,” pages 130-133; 133-135; 142-; sections titled “Profession, Office, Stewardship,” “ Profession,” and “Stewardship”

Week 4, March 8-15

Chapter 6, “Ways of Thinking, Ways of Being,” pages 185-195

If you have questions about the discussion topics, please contact Audrey (email or 307-766-6358).

If you have questions about how to post a comment or other website related issues, please contact Heather(email or 307-766-3274).

Pictures from the 2009 NNER Annual Conference

2009-10-22T16:07:00.004-06:00

From Left: Nicole Roden, Jennifer Grooms, and Cammy Rowley.
From Left: Kay Persichitte, Linda Hutchison, Poudre Valley, Colorado Administrators Manny Ortega and Jerry Wilson.
Kathy Bruce, Judy Ellsworth, Audrey Shalinsky, Heather Duncan and Diana Wiig.
Teddi Benson and Barb Deshler.
Dave Barker, Roger Humphrey, Ray Schulte, and Bob Bryant.
Carol and Bob Bryant holding Pete Moran's book.
Ray Schulte, University of Nebraska-Kearney's John Anderson, and Roger Humphrey.
Kevin Roxas.
Guests visiting with each other at the Wyoming reception.
Guests visiting with each other at the Wyoming reception.
Angela Jaime, Linda Hutchison, Stella Nowell, and Mary P. Sheridan-Rabideau.
Margaret Hudson and Dave Barker discussing dissertation topics.
Heather Duncan and Kathy Bruce plus other guests.
John Kambutu, Audrey Shalinsky, and Lydiah Nganga.
Paul Theobald formerly from the University of Nebraska-Kearney and now at Buffalo State.