1. To generate and inform a national dialogue about preparing professionals to design and implement school-to-work educational reforms.
2. To summarize and disseminate research, studies,commission reports, best practices, and design principles.
3. To create action-oriented collaborations and networks toadvance School-to-Work
teacher learning and professional development.
Educators at all levels of their preparation and practice will actively develop their
understanding of and collaboration with businesses, community-based organizations, and
other non-school settings. Professional development designs and practices that connect
teachers and these out-of-school communities will: enrich the curriculum with real-world
examples, create teaching strategies focused on authentic achievement, create new pathways
for students' career development, and ultimately contribute to both students' increased
academic attainment and their successful transition from school to work.
The NCRVE-led Initiative on Teacher Learning in the Workplace and Community will serve
leaders and implementers of School-to-Work initiatives from three sectors: local
partnerships, State agencies, and universities or colleges. The assumption of a shared
responsibility for teacher learning and development implies that teams composed of
representatives from these three sectors will be the primary beneficiaries of the
knowledge produced in this project.
- High quality learning for educators must model the learning connectivity envisioned for students-- the integration of academic and occupational knowledge, connecting school-based and work-based learning, and articulating secondary and postsecondary programs. All teachers need a rich understanding of the changing workplace if they are to provide high quality instruction for all students regardless of their postsecondary plans or destinations.
- New visions and processes for collaborative professional learning need to be explored, documented, developed, evaluated, and disseminated to assist professionals and policy makers at all levels. A few models for collaborative professional learning exist, but most will be created as School-to-Work reforms are more widely adopted. Existing models and approaches in selected fields, such as summer research externships for teachers in mathematics and science, can be adapted to address the vision described above, while others are awaiting invention.
- Local partnerships (community-centered and including schools, 2-year and 4-year colleges, businesses, community and parent organizations) share a responsibility for improving the quality and dimensions of teacher learning, i.e., maintaining a professional learning community.
- Principles and models focused on improving professional learning must be aligned with national trends and developments in initial licensure and certification, as well as with efforts to restructure schools, teachers' work, and professional compensation.
- Policies, decisions, and actions by State and local leaders to advance professional learning are informed by a set of core principles and models of effective professional learning.
- An informed perspective on current professional/teacher learning initiatives are
central to making systemic changes in undergraduate or preservice teacher education
programs. Changing the nature and character of preservice programs is more readily
accomplished when done in partnership with local educational reform and School-to-Work
initiatives.
- Professional development schools/centers that build on collaboration efforts between schools, school districts, universities, and local business organizations. Professional development centers might sponsor: industry tours and teacher internship programs, mentor training for workplace supervisors, specialty workshops on developing integrated curriculum or performance and portfolio assessment, and similar professional development experiences.
- School-to-Work leadership academies or programs sponsored by local businesses to assist educational leaders in improving organizational development and management skills.
- Instructor-led action research networks though which teachers collaborate in examining teaching, curriculum, and assessment strategies in local school-to-work systems.
- State agency or university sponsored internship programs in which teachers and
counselors acquire hands-on experiences in modern workplaces that enable them to revise
curriculum materials, develop new approaches to teamwork and problem-solving, and make
other informed changes to teaching, counseling practices, and learning experiences.
- An informal, national collaborative network of organizations and people committed to advancing professional/teacher learning based on the espoused principles.
- A series of BRIEFs describing the core principles and models of teacher/professional learning.
- A series of articles in professional and research journals presenting findings and principles from the project.
- A set of suggested policy statements for states and local communities for use in state plans, local strategic and long range plans, and other documents.
- A national seminar or conference (October 1997) designed to prepare state and local
teams to initiate and extend efforts to improve the quality of professional learning.
Center on Education and Work
University of Wisconsin - Madison
964 Educational Sciences Building
1025 West Johnson Street
Madison, WI 53706-1796
800-446-0399
Fax: (608) 262-3063
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Last Updated Wednesday, November 29, 2000 by Center on Education and Work