PDS Partnerships: Promoting Teacher Leaders

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PDS Partnerships Promoting Teacher Leaders

• Ms. Rachel Gemo, Principal
• Ms. Nancy Meskel, 1st grade teacher
• St. Benedict School, Chicago, IL
• A DePaul University PDS Partner

2008 Professional Development Schools National
Conference April 10-13, 2008 Orlando, Florida
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Presentation Overview

• Give background info of St. Benedict Elementary
  School (SBES) PDS partnership with DePaul
  University
• What the PDS Partnership means for SBES
• How the PDS Partnership has increased teacher
  leadership at SBES
• Questions and Comments

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St. Benedict School Background as a DePaul PDS
School

• Chicago, IL
• 430 PK-8 students
• DePaul University
• 1 of 7 PDS partners
• 5 elem schools (2 are Catholic)
• 2 high schools
• Joined partnership in 2004-05

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DePaul University PDS ProgramLINK-INitiative

• Learning,
• Inquiring,
• Networking,
• and Knowing
• through Integration, Innovation, and Induction

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Main DePaul LINK-INitiativePDS Partnership Goals

1. focus on the individual teacher, the classroom
   context, communities of support for teacher
   change, and collegial inquiry
2. support study team efforts with a multifaceted
   network of colleagues, Core Teams, interns, and
   University faculty partners
3. facilitate collegial relationships among
   university faculty, leverages university
   resources, and creates opportunities to conduct
   and learn from research in the urban school
   setting and
4. use of data to inform progressive inquiry.
   Action research will be designed and implemented
   throughout the Initiative structure
5. raise PK-12 student achievement!

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St. Benedict School PDS History Year One
Discussing, Planning, and Learning

• DePaul getting buy-in from constituencies
• SBES asking big questions what does it mean for
  us? Can we be true to our Catholic mission? What
  is our cost?
• Getting to know DePaul faculty leadership
• Whole faculty is needed to support PDS

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St. Benedict School PDS History Year Two Goal
Setting for the Network

• DePaul established PDS network initiatives
• LINK-INitiative (structure enhanced)
• Funded by Chicago Community Trust
• Team building among PDS partner schools and
  university faculty
• SBES study groups focused on teacher driven
  topics supported by DePaul PD

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St. Benedict School PDS History Year Three
Local PD Focus and Teacher Mentoring

• SBES School strategic plan DePaul to help with
  academic excellence
• PD Focus Teacher created student portfolio
  assessment program
• PD Focus How do teachers become better mentors
  for pre-service teachers? What structures are
  needed?
• PD Focus begin evaluating math program

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St. Benedict School PDS History Year Four
Local Initiatives Grow

• Continuing portfolio program w/focus on authentic
  and effective assessment
• New reading initiatives in K-5
• New one-to-one laptop program in 6 7
• Higher demand for quality PD
• Initial structures and procedures in place for
  pre-service teacher mentoring (orientation)
• Curricular alignment between DePaul and SBES
• Will clock over 2500 clinical hours with
  pre-service students and trained 7 student
  teachers, 2 admin interns

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PDS Partnership What it Means for the Principal

• Expectation that all staff participate
• Define expectations for staff
• Hire new staff with framework in mind
• Focus on a few main initiatives
• Dont try to do it all
• Say NO to other non-essentials
• Create regular time for staff PD
• Commit resources to support initiatives
• Work closely with DePaul liaison
• SBES attracts quality teacher and teacher interns
  

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PDS Partnership What it Means for Teachers

• Raises self-imposed standards so pre-service
  teachers see good practice
• More professional development opportunities
• Access to resources (organized events, classes,
  funding, classroom materials, experts in the
  field)
• Practicing teachers keep current
• Exchange fresh ideas teacher learning in the
  classroom
• Teachers accomplish more
• A more professional culture

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PDS PartnershipWhat It Means for DePaul Students

• Feel welcomed and actively involved
• Mutual professional treatment
• Quality mentoring
• Witness a collaborative professional environment
• Link between what is learned in the university
  course and classroom experience
• Professional development opportunities
• Grow with professionals already on staff

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DePaul PDS Partnership at St. Benedict
Elementary School

• So what have we accomplished?
• Evidence of Increased
• Teacher Leadership

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Unexpected Outcome Increased Teacher Leadership

• PDS Partnership supports several local school
  initiatives deeper teacher learning
• PDS Partnership requires several key roles at the
  school level to implement initiatives
• PDS partnerships increase teacher mentoring
  abilities

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What is Teacher Leadership?

• Set of skills demonstrated by teachers who
  continue to teach, but also influence beyond
  their own classroom
• Mobilizing and energizing others
• Engaging in complex work with others
• Passion for the core mission of the school
• (Teacher Leadership That Strengthens Professional
  Practice, Charlotte Danielson, ASCD, 2006)

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Why is Teacher Leadership a Big Deal?

• Necessary for sustained and substantial school
  change
• Teachers tenure usually longer than principals
• Effective teachers dont have to leave the
  classroom to be leaders
• Collective endeavor rather than a collective of
  individual initiatives
• Principals NEED teacher leaders
• (Teacher Leadership That Strengthens Professional
  Practice, Charlotte Danielson, ASCD, 2006)

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Structural Factors Impacting Teacher Leadership

• Mechanisms for Involvement in School Governance
• Mechanisms for proposing ideas
• Time for collaboration
• Opportunities for skill acquisition
• (Teacher Leadership That Strengthens Professional
  Practice, Charlotte Danielson, ASCD, 2006)

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Cultural Factors Impacting Teacher Leadership

• Culture of risk taking
• Democratic norms
• Teachers as professionals
• (Teacher Leadership That Strengthens Professional
  Practice, Charlotte Danielson, ASCD, 2006)

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Why Are PDS Partnerships Important for Teacher
Leadership?
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Revised Blooms Taxonomy of Learning
Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn Models and
Strategies to Develop a Classroom Culture of
Thinking, Pohl, Michael, (2000) Hawker Brownlow.
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Teacher Learning Remembering

• Knowing the business of the day
• The way the school runs
• Where resources are located
• Basics of professionalism
• Dress code, attendance, etiquette
• Paperwork

This teacher may be a beginning teacher or
passive learning teacher.
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Teacher Learning Understanding

• Explain how classroom works
• Explain how curriculum is followed
• Articulate classroom management/discipline
• Articulate teacher organization techniques
• Communicate this to others

This teacher may be a good teacherbut not a
teacher leader!
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Teacher Learning Applying

• Applying lessons learned in workshops, peer
  observations, professional sharing, etc.
• Applying what is being taught by university
• Applying what is being learned from other PDS
  partners
• EX Staff applies new (for SBES) PK-8 created
  portfolio assessment program

Teacher leadership begins to take off at this
stage.
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Teacher Learning Analyzing

• Analyzing breaking into smaller parts
• Looking at individual students or teacher
• Looking at one aspect of a program
• Compare/contrast with faculty, PDS partners, PDS
  learning communities
• Reflection by teachers and teacher groups
• What is working? What needs to be changed?
• What else do I need?
• EX May PD Day with staff picked the program
  apart!

Teacher Leadership Grows - impacts students and
teaching partners.
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Teacher Learning Evaluating

• Collecting and evaluating data
• How do I know this is making a difference?
• Action research
• Informal and formal assessment
• Using data and observations to revise programs
• EX Is this impacting student learning? What can
  be done to impact more? Is this meeting our goal?

Teacher Leadership Grows - impacts larger
educational community.
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Teacher Learning Creating

• Teachers as collective groups driving school
  change to enhance student learning
• Research-based
• University supports with PD
• Funds committed by administration
• EX Portfolio revised according to feedback and
  informal data
• The process is cyclical!

Teacher Leadership Grows - impacts all levels of
the education profession.
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Blooms Taxonomy Applied to Teacher Learning
Long-term change in practice
Using data to improve
Reflective practice
Applying lessons learned
Explain how classroom works
Knowing business of the day
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Increased Teacher Learning Increased Teacher
Leadership
Long-term change in practice
Level of Teacher Leadership
Using data to improve
Reflective practice
Applying lessons learned
Explain how classroom works
Knowing business of the day
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PDS Partnership Catalyst for Increased Teacher
Leadership
Long-term change in practice
Teacher Leadership
Using data to improve
Reflective practice
Applying lessons learned
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The PDS Springboard
Explain how classroom works
Knowing business of the day
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Higher Teacher Learning Increased Teacher
Leadership Wider Influence Outside Classroom
Pre-service Teachers
DePaul Faculty
SBES faculty
Teacher Leaders Level of Impact Increases
SBES students
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Levels of Impact on Partner Groups
Pre-service Teachers SBES Faculty DePaul Faculty Student Learning
Creating
Evaluating
Analyzing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering
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Pre-service Teachers Faculty University Faculty Student Learning
Creating
Evaluating
Analyzing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering
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Challenges for SBES

• Our PDS Partnership is still evolving
• Only so much time
• A lot of work to do!
• Novice teachers

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Questions? Comments?

• Thanks to DePaul University
• Searle Funds at the Chicago Community Trust
• McDougal Family Foundation