Sunday, November 22, 2009

Avery High School Professional Development School

2007-2008 Accomplishments

The committee held a series of well-received mini sessions after school with the student teachers. These mini sessions included CTE; ESL; Food Services; Administration; Central Office and Board of Education; Senior Projects for Class of 2010; Exceptional Children; Guidance; NCLB; Graduation Requirements; Secretaries; Business Office; Custodians; the Physical Plant; Athletics; PDS; Technology; School Safety and SROs; clubs and extracurricular activities. The committee named these after school sessions “AS-IS” for “After School Information Sessions.” AS-IS were held both Fall and Spring semesters.

Dawn Poore, Eddie Clark, and Becky Griffith were selected to present a session at the National Association of Professional Development Schools Conference in Orlando, Florida in April 2008 on the “AS-IS” and “Conversations With Teachers”.

Successful 5th Annual “Conversations with Teachers” were held both Fall and Spring semesters.

The committee participated in a “Meet and Greet” with our sister school PDS committee from Ashe County High School as well as professors from ASU. The “Meet and Greet” was a time of fellowship, topical conversations, and delectable hors d’oeuvres.

The committee thought about and discussed the following issues as recommended by Lee Teitel, author of The Professional Development Schools Handbook (2003):

  1. History: Are past relationships assets or obstacles to overcome?
  2. Change Agenda: Is the partnership about minor coordination or transformative change?
  3. Reciprocity and Power: Who is in charge and who is fixing whom?
  4. Commitment: Who is committed to what and for how long?
  5. Inclusiveness: Who is at the table and who is not?

Tammy Beach replaced Kay Campany as the administrative liaison for the group. Tara Andrews joined the committee representing the Fine Arts.

Becky Griffith co-taught a Social Studies Methods course in the Fall 2007 Semester with Dr. Sandra Oldendorf.

Meeting Wizard was utilized to plan and organize meeting dates, times, and places.

Susan Hawkins, Science, and Becky Griffith, Social Studies, participated in a series of SALT / TELC workshops with John Spagnolo

John Spagnolo updated the committee on the ISTE / NETS-T, technology portfolio requirements, and the RCOE Pre-service Teacher Technology Assessment Initiative for student teachers.

Many discussion were held concerning the need to “resolve unresolved issues” as soon as possible and bring clarity to the purpose of PDS.

The committee overwhelmingly wants to work toward the nine required essentials of a PDS:

  1. A comprehensive mission that is broader in its outreach and scope than the mission of any partner and that furthers the education profession and its responsibility to advance equity within schools and, by potential extension, the broader community;
  2. A school–university culture committed to the preparation of future educators that embraces their active engagement in the school community;
  3. Ongoing and reciprocal professional development for all participants guided by need;
  4. A shared commitment to innovative and reflective practice by all participants;
  5. Engagement in and public sharing of the results of deliberate investigations of practice by respective participants;
  6. An articulation agreement developed by the respective participants delineating the roles and responsibilities of all involved;
  7. A structure that allows all participants a forum for ongoing governance, reflection, and collaboration;
  8. Work by college/university faculty and P–12 faculty in formal roles across institutional settings; and
  9. Dedicated and shared resources and formal rewards and recognition structures.

Discussion/Suggestions for 2008-2009

Avery PDS

  1. Choose a representative from the Avery County Schools’ Central Office to attend our monthly PDS meetings. Monthly invitations were sent to the Central Office this year.
  2. Provide staff development related to PDS due to the turnover in faculty and staff here at Avery.
  3. Create a Professional Learning Community among faculty, staff, and student teachers at ACHS.
  4. Questions about background checks and TB tests for interns and student teachers.
  5. Create ways to give student teachers and interns’ field experiences working with students of diverse ethnic backgrounds
  6. Create a weekly newsletter for the faculty, staff, student teachers, and interns.
  7. Create a bulletin board or other area in the faculty workroom to post information about the PDS.

Suggestions for PDS Program

  1. Create a PDS Committee to share ideas and support the public school PDS sites. This ASU PDS Committee should be composed of stakeholders from the both the RCOE and the College of Arts and Sciences.
  2. Finalize and have signed the Memorandum of Understanding between ASU and ACHS
  3. Invite a content-area representatives from the ASU College of Arts and Sciences attend our PDS meetings
  4. Improve communication among all stake holders in the PDS