NCTAF Announces New Campaign

Just as the “Agricultural Era” and the “Industrial Age” were known for their dominant modes of work, the 21st Century is the Learning Age. Learning is no longer prepararion for the job, it is the job.

We are all constructing this new learning culture, in which we invent and reinvent work, create and recreate communities, master emerging technologies, and develop new knowledge and skills. Learning and innovation are central throughout our lives.

Yet most schools do not embrace these realities. And simply fixing the schools we already have won’t prepare Learning Age students for successful participation in college, work, and communities. Meeting Learning Age challenges means transforming schools from teaching organizations into learning organizations. It is time to build a 21st Century education system.

We can remake American education by harnessing four Learning Age forces: A 21st Century concept of competency that combines core knowledge with creativity, communication skills and cultural awareness increases the engagement of all learners in order to improve their achievement and life skills; an open learning economy in which schools are no longer the sole providers of education increases the array of educational resources and improves their delivery; smart networking that encourages transparent and responsive sharing of information builds capacity for grassroots innovation and increased accountability; and finally, dramatic shifts in the demographics and expectations of the workforce provide an opportunity to create a more flexible and collaborative school staffing model.

NCTAF’s digital white paper will use the power of smart networking to draw on and give voice to all those who care about education—state and local policy makers, teachers, parents, students, business and government leaders. We invite YOU to join the NCTAF Learning Team by contributing data, stories, videos, and comments. We will introduce new topics regularly, and will consistently update the white paper with the demographic data, trends, promising new ideas, programs, and policies you share with us. We welcome your contributions!

For more, please visit: http://www.learningteams.org/

How Teachers Learn: Moving Beyond Talk

-Educational Leadership; February, 2009

*Article featured in NCTAF’s Weekly News Digest

Professional learning communities are a growing forum for teacher learning. The opportunity to share ideas and reflect on teaching practice makes learning communities attractive. But it’s easy for learning communities to become stalled at the stage of collegial discussions about improving teaching practice. What spurs communities to progress beyond talk to collective action that brings change to schools? We observed the creation of teacher learning communities that stimulated action in three urban New Jersey school districts, through a five-year project supported by the Philanthropic Initiative on behalf of the international Alcatel-Lucent Foundation. Coaches from the National School Reform Faculty trained internal facilitators in these schools, who in turn launched collaborative learning communities (CLCs) among their peers. (We use the term collaborative to stress the expectation that participants would do more than engage in discussions.) These practices of the New Jersey Collaborative Learning Communities Initiative laid a good foundation; our observations indicate that many of the collaborative and innovative practices the project inspired are still embedded in many of the schools, although 2007–08 was the last year of formal funding.

The initiative was committed to documenting how the teachers’ learning evolved over five years. As third-party external documenters, we watched the initiative unfold. We attended planning meetings, observed professional development, worked with districts to train and support local leaders, listened in as CLC groups gathered in individual schools, and interviewed and surveyed participants.  Through summer retreats, school-year seminars, and school-based meetings, we saw participants acquire the confidence and ability to nurture self-sustaining communities. These collaborative learning communities took many shapes. Some subject-area supervisors turned their monthly meetings into a functioning CLC, a superintendent organized cabinet meetings around the process, and many schools nurtured grade-level or subject-area groups. A common feature of success, as the following two snapshots make clear, was that teachers in these groups pushed one another to progress from talk to action.

To view the full article, click here.

NCTAF, Pearson Partner to Launch Pioneering OnlineCommunities for New Teachers

Joint  Venture to Expand on Successful Pilot Programs that Foster
Teacher Retention and Support

Washington, D.C. and Boston – March 2, 2009 – The National Commission on Teaching and
Amer ica’s Future (NCTAF), a nonpartisan, nonprofit, advocacy  group dedicated to improving  teaching quality, and leading education company Pearson announced t oday their  exclusive partnership to  launch a new  online learning community  designed t o support teacher  candidates and  novice teachers with a broad network  of  mentors and experienced talent, and to connect  colleges of education  with their K­12 district partners.

This important partnership is designed to build on NCTAF’s Teachers Learning  in Networked
Communities (TLINC) program through which the schools of  education at the University  of Memphis, the  University of Colorado Denver and the University of Washington implement ed a pilot version of an online  learning community.  Now, Pearson and NCTAF will expand the  scope and capacity of this program by researching with the  initial partner sites  what’s worked  and what could be improved, adding additional partner institutions, and building together a new,  research-­driven  online community to provide a broad range  of  educator solutions, both for  schools of education and  k­12 districts nationwide.

Initial research indicates that online communities  of support can help  move  novice teachers  more  quickly into truly  effective teachers, and provide the type of resources, recognition,  support and advancement opportunities that are shown to improve teacher retention overall.

Across the country, there is a steady supply of  new teachers being prepared for the classroom,  both  in traditional and alternative  certification programs.  On the  other hand, steep teacher  drop out rates are negatively impacting student learning and increasing administrative costs.  With 16 percent of teachers leaving the profession after their first year and nearly 50 percent  departing within five years, the goal  of the partnership is to improve teacher retention,  increase teacher support and  enhance student achievement.

“In every profession today, teamwork, collaboration and communication are the  keys to success,” said NCTAF President Tom Carroll.  “It’s important that new teachers have  opportunities to have access to their professors, mentors and peers for the support they need  when they  need  it.  Online communities like TLINC make t his happen, and build this ‘habit of  community’ in a way we  have found to be  extremely powerful for continuous teacher learning,”  Carroll said.

“We are excited about the opportunit y to  work closely  with NCTAF on this innovative technology
initiative, designed to turn schools into ‘learning organizations’ instead of ‘teaching organizations’  and supporting teaching quality  initiatives at this crucial time  for American schools,” said  Susan  Badger, CEO of Pearson’s teacher education and development group.

TLINC’s current  online learning communities provide coaching and mentoring support for novice teachers, opportunities for facilitated reflection and peer collaboration, as well as instant access to faculty, peers and colleagues.  With a focus on improved retention and accelerated proficiency, the  expanded project  will enhance t he resources available to teachers and help new educators avoid  feelings of isolation that can lead to attrition.

“TLINC provides a wider professional community and an opportunit y to explor e specific  issues of
interest wit h ot hers who share the same concerns. I can really see its value  for teachers who are  somehow isolated from a broad professional community,” said  one TLINC user.

Developed  with a one ­year planning grant from the  AT&T Foundation and two years of pilot  funding from the Microsoft Partners in Learning MidTier Project, TLINC was recently awarded a  grant award from the Fund for Improvement of Postsecondary Education to support the project’s  continued growth and implementation for  the next three years.
For more information about the partnership, visit
http:// http://www.nctaf.org/resources/demonstration_projects/t­linc/index.htm  or contact Pearson’s Emily Knight at 617­671­3631 or Amanda Stanley 202­464­1930.
About NCTAF: ­ The National Commission  on Teaching and  Amer ica’s Future (NCTAF) is a non­profit, non­partisan advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.  NCTAF is dedicated to  providing  every child with competent, caring, qualified teaching in schools organized for success.  With a net work of 25 partner states and links to professional  educational organizations across the nation, NCTAF provides leadership  on innovation and improvement  in teaching and learning  in America’s schools.  For more information, visit NCTAF’s website:  http://www.nctaf.org.

About  Pearson: ­ Pearson (NYSE:PSO), the global leader in education and  education technology,  reaches and engages today’s digital natives  with  effective and personalized learning, as well as  dedicated professional  development for their teachers.  This commitment is demonstrated  in the company’s investment in innovative print and digital  education materials for preK through  college, student information systems and learning  management systems, teacher professional  development, career certification programs, and testing and assessment products that set the  standard for the industry. The company’s respected brands include Scott Foresman, Prent ice Hall, Addison Wesley, Benjamin Cummings, PEMSolutions, Stanford 10, SuccessNet, MyLabs,  PowerSchool, SuccessMaker, and  many others.  Pearson’s comprehensive  offerings  help inform  targeted instruction and intervention so that success is within reach of  every student at every level  of education. Pearson’s commitment to  education for all is supported by the  global philanthropic  initiatives  of the Pearson Foundation.  Pearson’s other primary businesses include the Financial   Times Group and the Penguin Group. For more information, go to http://www.pearson.com.

For more information, press only:
Stacy Skelly, Pearson, 202­431­5302, stacy.skelly@pearson.com

Amanda Stanley, National  Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, 202­464­1930,
astanley@nctaf.org

Martindale to Present at SITE 2009

Memphis TLINC Project Director, Dr. Trey Martindale, is traveling to the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education annual conference. This year’s conference will be held March 2 through 6 in Charleston, South Carolina.

Dr. Martindale will join NCTAF’s Hanna Doerr to present Teachers Learning In Networked Communities: Online Teacher Induction, Support, and Collaboration.

For more information about the conference, please visit: http://site.aace.org/conf/default.htm

NCTAF Newsletter Feature

Opinion: Changing Education

-Chicago Tribune; February 2, 2009

It seemed so right. Leslie Lewin, who since 6th grade had a passion to teach, was confident she could instruct and inspire her middle school charges. After all, she would be working in the very building that hosted her affirming experience as a student teacher. But a year later Lewin was doing math in a bank, not a classroom. From Day 1, she groped for a comfort level. She felt overwhelmed, even panicky, as she struggled with discipline problems and other issues. The woman who had been an awesome role model and tutor during her student-teaching semester offered advice. So did Lewin’s mother, a former teacher and Carbondale school superintendent. But it was not enough, not like having them there, regularly watching her in action. The passion fizzled, the panic prevailed and Lewin became part of a dropout rate that has stirred significant action in Illinois after long neglect. Studies by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future indicate nearly half of new teachers depart within five years. “In a vicious cycle, teacher turnover lowers student achievement, and lower student achievement leads to teacher turnover,” the commission concluded.

We lose young men and women who choose the profession knowing they likely will not drive BMWs. They expect fulfillment to trump frustration and successes to salve setbacks. Education experts are convinced a substantial majority exit because of scant support. We squander this human capital. We devalue our investment in undergraduate education by shortchanging professional development. Without proper preparation, we too often place them in classrooms with students from neighborhoods and households unlike those in which they were reared—damaging both teachers and students. Illinois clearly lacks a comprehensive approach. Among major elements, education experts say, there should be: Teacher mentoring programs that embody the best practices and are assessed for effectiveness; Sufficient time during the school day for the veteran and the newcomer to interact; Buy-in from principals, other school administrators and school boards based on studies that indicate well-executed mentoring enhances faculty stability, boosts student reading scores and costs less than turnover.

To view the full article, click here.

TLINC Developer Kathleen Fulton featured in …On The Tapis

Member Perspective: Kathleen Fulton
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Kathleen is Director, Reinventing Schools for the 21st Century, for the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF).  She was the developer of the Teachers Learning in Networked Communities (TLINC) project, funded initially by the AT&T Foundation, then Microsoft, and now supported by a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education in the U.S. Department of Education.

Kathleen’s Perspective
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We developed TLINC as a way for teachers, especially teacher candidates and those new to the profession, to stay connected with their professional peers and colleagues.  Our data had shown that too many teachers leave in the first five years of teaching (up to 46% nationally, with even greater turnover in high need schools and districts).  We knew that mentoring support for new teachers is variable; too many new teachers, including candidates doing student teaching, feel “lost at sea” when they enter the classroom.  We knew that online communities can make it possible for our newest educators to connect with those they most trust professionally. We also hoped that if we built online communities during preservice education, and used TLINC to help build the links between teacher preparation institutions and their local districts, we could create opportunities for online collaboration and community that would become a “habit” among educators as a vehicle for professional learni!
ng and support and build their comfort with using technology.

Our partners (University of Memphis, University of Colorado at Denver, and University of Washington) explored a number of potential platforms for the project.  Fortunately, Mark Schlager, Tapped In’s “godfather”, was on our design team, and when the partners chose Tapped In, we had a strong advocate.  We were able to “lease” a building on Tapped In and have now over 900 members in our TLINC community.

Read the rest of Kathleen’s Perspective online at http://tappedin.org/tappedin/web/perspectives

Exciting News for 2009!

Participation in the TLINC project will now be a part of every student teacher’s clinical experience. All student teachers will be assigned a mentor to answer questions and provide support during their clinical practice. Student teachers will meet online with their mentor two to three times per month. They will also have access to an online shared space to collaborate with their seminar class. This is a very exciting advancement for the program and we are looking forward to this new partnership.

From the NCTAF Newsletter: Building a 21st Century Education System

Welcome to the Collaboration Age, where even the youngest among us are on the Web, tapping into what are without question some of the most transformative connecting technologies the world has ever seen. These tools are allowing us not only to mine the wisdom and experiences of the more than one billion people now online but also to connect with them to further our understanding of the global experience and do good work together. These tools are fast changing, decidedly social, and rich with powerful learning opportunities for us all, if we can figure out how to leverage their potential. For educators and the schools in which they teach, the challenges of this moment are significant. Our ability to learn whatever we want, whenever we want, from whomever we want is rendering the linear, age-grouped, teacher-guided curriculum less and less relevant.

To read this article in its entirety, please follow the link Below:

World Without Walls: How to Teach When Education is Everywhere; Edutopia, December 2008.

Getting familiar: A tip from the folks at Tapped In

Tapped In Technology Tip
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Assignment: Log in to Tapped In and explore!
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Have you had a course instructor give you that assignment… or are you the instructor sending your students to “explore” Tapped In? Granted, exploring the community is fun, IF you are a risk-taker or are familiar with online environments, but, for many of the newbies who wander unprepared into reception, this may be a frustrating and confusing experience. Please show respect for the TI community and prepare yourself or your students by learning a little of the purpose of TI and what educators can do here. It’s a simple matter to go to the Tapped In homepage at http://tappedin.org, read the information posted there, and look at the About tab.  Armed with that information, logging in and ‘exploring’ will be a much more positive and productive experience for everyone!

We want to hear from you!

If you have participated in TLINC, please fill out our survey. Your feedback will  help us make TLINC better! Survey responses are confidential.

If you participated as a student or student teacher, please click the link below:

Fall 08 Survey –
http://www.metirisurveys.com/se.ashx?s=601EA2D56794157F

If you facilitated a class or mentoring group through TLINC, please click the link below:

Facilitator Survey –

http://www.metirisurveys.com/se.ashx?s=601EA2D5255ABC6D