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Real-time Learning, Real-world Teaching

University teams with school district to improve curriculum and instruction

By Learning Forward
February 2011
Vol. 32 No. 1
At 4 o’clock on a Monday afternoon, more than an hour after students have left, 30 teachers gather in a classroom at the district office to discuss leadership styles in a seminar co-taught by a Northern Illinois University professor and a district administrator. Across the hall, another cohort studies instructional strategies, looking for strengths and weaknesses. For three hours, both groups discuss and reflect, preparing to bring new expertise back to their departments and students, and they will continue to do so over the next 14 weeks. This is effective ongoing professional development, and it has been taking place for 10 years. Community High School District 155 in Crystal Lake, Ill., and Northern Illinois University (NIU) College of Education engaged in a partnership that has

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Authors

Steven Koch and Terry Borg

Steven Koch ([email protected]) is director of staff development of Community High School District 155 in Crystal Lake, Ill. Terry Borg ([email protected]) is director of external programs at the College of Education at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Ill.

Diagnostic Questions

Are you ready for a school district-university partnership? Consider these questions:

  • Does the school district have a need that leaders can’t address internally?
  • Does the school district have a three-year revenue source to support the program?
  • Does the school district have a suitable number of candidates willing and able to participate in the proposed program?
  • Is the university partner willing to be flexible with its curriculum?
  • What are the incentives for a school district’s teachers to be involved in this type of professional development?
  • What are the incentives for the university faculty to address challenges that arise in the district-university partnership?
  • What are the incentives for the college and academic department to establish a school district-university partnership?

References

Northern Illinois University & Illinois State Board of Education. (2010). Illinois interactive report card. Available at https://iirc.niu.edu/Default.aspx.

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Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in educator professional development. We help our members plan, implement, and measure high-quality professional learning so they can achieve success with their systems, schools, and students.

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