AEIN Celebration & Symposium April 26 & 27, 2010 Welcome, colleagues!

Activities for today & tomorrow Share & reflect on & celebrate our work Practice collaborative wisdom-seeking through success analysis protocol & probing questions Demonstrate our network to friends & interested Alaskans Draft our unique narratives Dance & laugh & enjoy each other’s company

Monday’s Agenda Review probing question protocol using University of Chicago essential elements Participate in fishbowl around the development of our network Visit each other’s posters (odd numbered poster groups work with even numbered groups…then switch) Debrief the day; prepare for our guests Reception for the public (3-5 PM)

Reminders…. Lunch will be around noon Please attend to time when viewing posters Be sure everyone’s poster has viewers…there will be other times to discuss posters you may want to see, but want everyone to have the benefit of your probing questions Please recycle your paper, plastic, & aluminum

University of Chicago study Anthony S. Bryk et al. A study of Chicago’s decentralization strategy; 1991-1996 Why were the results different in schools that started in the similar situations? Used more than “status” measures, e.g. snapshot standardized tests Conceptualized “value-added” components Identified essential elements All operated in schools that improved

Five essential elements that support improved student learning Leadership Parent-community ties Professional capacity Student-centered learning climate Instructional guidance

Leadership is driver for change Principals are catalytic agents for systemic improvement who… Strengthen connections between parents & local community (mutualism) Build professional capacity through effective hiring, developing professional community, fostering learning Nurture a safe & orderly environment where students are challenged intellectually Cultivate schoolwide supports for rigorous curriculum & instruction

A Systems Approach…everything in school organization supports the classroom & student learning Dynamics of student learning Motivation to learn Participation Technical core Classroom instruction (teacher engaging students in subject matter) Effective learning time Resources to support learning

Professional capacity subsystem impacts teacher’s classroom instruction & student motivation Teacher knowledge, skill, & practice Support for teacher learning School-based professional community

Learning climate affects student motivation & participation, plus instructional time Personal support norms of teachers Academic press Engagement & motivation Order & safety Peer academic norms

Parent-school-community ties provide external supports & learning press Social support for schooling/ partnerships Direct services & fiscal support Parental press for learning Cultural connections/ helping teachers learn about culture & community

Instructional guidance subsystem provides infrastructure & frame Curriculum currency & alignment Tools to support academic press

All supports are essential Cannot be easily separated; interact with each other Improvement requires orchestrated initiatives across the elements

Further… Schools with strong indicators across all elements were 10 times more likely to improve students’ reading & math learning than those with 3 or more weak indicators Sustained weakness in any one subsystem undermined attempts for improvement

Success analysis protocol Today we examine our work in light of these elements by posing probing questions on behalf of others…this will help to prepare for your 2-pager Success analysis protocol Poster overview (10 minutes) Clarifying questions (2-3 minutes) What do I need to know…short answers, factual Viewers remark on what differences they see (a metaphor?), probe further regarding Chicago essential elements (10 minutes) Notetaker records probing questions & answers

Probing questions… Help presenters focus on his/her wisdom Do not: give advice, offer suggestions, pass buck, place blame, or tell your story Elicit a slow, reflective response Move thinking from reaction to reflection

We begin with odds probing evens! Two 25 minute segments Poster tenders: Narrator Notetaker Timer

Our reception… We are all hosts Please make our interns feel comfortable Extend welcome to visitors…elevator speech about what you’ve learned in the network You have done good work…be proud of yourselves

AEIN Celebration & Symposium April 26 & 27, 2010 Welcome back, colleagues!

Tuesday’s agenda Debrief from yesterday Overview of 2 page narrative Poster viewing Reception Governing board Overview of 2 page narrative Team time for metaphor-ic thinking & sharing Team time for writing; sharing; writing Large group sharing Finale…our (hopefully not) last words

A metaphor…

In your team… Define and illustrate your metaphor

Start writing… With your metaphor in mind Consider your work in light of the 5 essential elements from the University of Chicago study Tell your story