Engaging the Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky Working Together to Prepare Quality Educators

Session Presenter James G. Cibulka, Ph.D. Dean and Professor College of Education University of Kentucky AACTE Annual Meeting New Orleans, LA February 2008

Overview of Presentation  Context of educator preparation at the University of Kentucky  Unit governance structure that facilitates arts and sciences involvement in educator preparation  Sample collaborative initiatives among education and arts and sciences faculty at the University of Kentucky  Strategies to ensure arts and sciences involvement in NCATE accreditation process  Challenges to effective collaboration

Institutional Context: University of Kentucky  Public, land-grant, research university with very high research activity  Enrollment of 27,209 students in fall 2006 with 2,458 candidates enrolled in the unit  Educator preparation programs located in seven different colleges on the Lexington campus  Accredited by NCATE in 1954, the first year NCATE accredited institutions  Located in an NCATE partnership state in which the state (Education Professional Standards Board) conducts program review and the NCATE and State Board of Examiners function as a joint team

Arts and Sciences Involvement in Governance of Educator Preparation  Program Faculties – Governance groups responsible for administration of individual preparation programs  Membership – Education faculty, arts and sciences and other content faculty, P-12 school practitioners, and candidates  Duties – Revise curriculum and field and clinical experiences; conduct admissions process, including interviews; and assess candidate performance throughout program

Arts and Sciences Involvement in Governance of Educator Preparation  Program Faculty Chairs Group – Facilitates collaboration and coordination across individual program faculties  Membership – Chairs of all program faculties, associate dean for academic and student services, associate dean for research and graduate studies, director of academic services and teacher certification, director of field experiences and school collaboration  Duties – Revises unit admission, retention, and exit policies; administers the unit continuous assessment plan; reviews candidate performance data

Additional Structures that Facilitate Arts and Sciences Involvement  Outreach faculty appointments in the College of Arts and Sciences  Joint faculty appointments  Intercollegiate Council on Educator Preparation

Benefits of Unit Governance Structure  Encourages networking of education and content faculty to facilitate collaboration on grants, course and program revisions, and accreditation and program approval

Examples of Collaborative Grants  Appalachian Mathematics and Science Partnership (AMSP), grant funded by National Science Foundation  American Legacies: Revitalizing American History in Public Schools, grant funded by USDOE Teaching American History Program

Examples of Collaborative Grants  Curriculum Review and Alignment, three-year grant funded through Title II Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant, that resulted in major revisions to the elementary and middle school programs

Examples of Collaborative Course and Program Revisions  Course development, e.g., Physics for Elementary Teachers, Geology for Elementary Teachers

Elementary Education Program Revision Process  Appointment of a 20-member Elementary Education Revision Committee with representation from education, arts and sciences, and fine arts faculty, P-12 practitioners, graduates, and candidates

Elementary Education Program Revision Process  Reviewed program data to determine areas of concern  Held focus groups of student teachers and graduates  Met twice monthly as a committee for over a year; faculty work groups met weeks the full committee did not meet

Elementary Education Program Revision Process  Course content reviewed to determine alignment with Kentucky’s Core Content for Assessment for Elementary Students, the Kentucky New Teacher Standards, NCATE Standards, and PRAXIS II examinations

Elementary Education Revisions Identified key themes to be addressed throughout the program: Working with students with special needs Assessment of student learning Diversity Technology Reflective decision making Inquiry-based practice Human development and learning theories

Elementary Education Revisions Revised program elements include: Requiring a new course in working with students with special needs Replacing calculus class with statistics and logic courses Streamlining art and music course requirements

Elementary Education Revisions Revised program elements include: Providing emphasis on health and fitness in the elementary classroom Redesigning area of specialization to focus on literacy and mathematics Requiring common syllabus across sections of Foundations course to emphasize diversity for all candidates

Middle School Program Alignment Collaborative work groups comprised of arts and sciences and education faculty in disciplines of English, mathematics, science, and social studies

Middle School Program Alignment Reviewed course syllabi across the four disciplines Aligned the course content with the Kentucky Core Content for Assessment in Grades 5-8 Addressed gaps and duplication

Strategies for Ensuring Arts and Sciences Involvement in the NCATE Accreditation Process  Included arts and sciences representatives on the unit’s NCATE Accreditation Steering Committee  Included arts and sciences representatives on the unit’s NCATE Standards Work Groups, which were responsible for collecting evidence and writing the Institutional Report  Involved arts and sciences faculty in numerous interviews during the site visit  Invited arts and sciences faculty to post-site visit celebration

Additional Strategies for Ensuring Arts and Sciences Involvement in the NCATE Accreditation Process  Have regularly scheduled meetings  Host retreats focused on specific topics  Fund attendance at professional conferences and workshops  Establish and communicate timelines well in advance  Send gentle reminders  Involve in preparations for site visit  Document involvement all along the way  And, finally, remember to celebrate and say thank you!

Challenges to Effective Collaboration  Higher education faculty, particularly in arts and sciences, often not rewarded for involvement in P-12 schools and educator preparation activities  College-level and institutional-level administrators, especially in research universities, may not value collaboration; perceive this work as peripheral to institutional mission  Limited faculty resources hamper collaboration

Effective Collaboration Collaboration among education, arts and sciences, and other institutional faculty  Does not occur automatically but requires continued effort  Occurs when genuine, ongoing partnerships are established – most effective when each benefits from the involvement  Works best when core of faculty are involved in areas of common interest  Has support and active encouragement of college and university administration

Comments and Questions?

For more information James G. Cibulka, Dean College of Education University of Kentucky 103 Dickey Hall Lexington, KY phone