During the May 16 – 17 Workshop, you will have the opportunity to engage in Sidebar conversations with other school community stakeholders committed to closing the achievement gap for all students. Sidebars are meetings among stakeholders. Sidebars can be formal, with a predetermined leader (with a red badge) and focus or extemporaneous conversations. The important thing is that the ideas, thinking, and potential actions discussed during a Sidebar are not lost. Make sure you record your thoughts on the Sidebar form and return it to any Workshop Facilitator with a Blue Badge. Below is a list of Sidebar conversation starters.
SCHOOL FAMILY RELATIONS A culture of success requires deep and broad school family relationships. This involves much more than open house visitations and back-to-school nights. Parents must be intimately involved in the education of their children and teachers must reach out to make sure parents understand the importance of education to their children and their future. To create a new school – family relationship requires new thinking. To begin the conversation, meet Carrie Rose, Director of the Parent/Teacher Home Visit Project. The Parent Teacher Home Visit Project is an inexpensive and proven model of meaningful parent engagement at k-12 schools.
HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT/RETENTIONS A culture of success requires school community stakeholders to rethink student dropouts and retention. Instead of focusing on why students leave or dropout out of school, let's turn the conversation to why they stay and graduate. By focusing more on those forces driving students to remain in school we can become experts on retention – which is likely to build a new sense of hope and optimism for everyone. To begin the conversation, meet Isabelle Garcia, Legislative Advocate for the California Teachers Association. Isabelle has worked extensively with legislators and policy makers on strategies for improving student retention.
TECHNOLOGY WITHIN & OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM A culture of success includes the use of technology within and outside the classroom. Emerging technology resources and tools are fueling innovative approaches to teaching/learning. In addition to their use in classroom settings, these tools can support new models for home/school collaboration and the formation of strong "connections" to the community at-large. Individuals across the state are ready and willing to collaborate with fellow educators on the development and implementation of effective models of use. If you have an idea you would like to pursue but need partners to make it happen, it is highly likely that there is someone in the K20 CETC with a similar interest. Need resources to make it happen? The Collaborative's staff can keep their eyes open for you. Meet the chief "knitter"- Stephanie Couch, Director of Communications, Outreach and Collaboration for the new K20 CA Educational Technology Collaborative.
QUALITY EDUCATION INVESTMENT ACT (QEIA)
A culture of success is driven from within. The CTA-sponsored Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA) encourages and provides the necessary resources to support teacher driven change. QEIA supports smaller class sizes, more counselors, teacher training, and school - community partnerships. To begin the conversation, meet Anita Benitas, California Teachers Association Instruction & Professional Development staff member to see how QEIA is creating a culture of success.
APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY & THE CULTURE OF SUCCESS A culture of success has developed and evolved into a major force for school change. Framed around Appreciative Inquiry (AI) or strength-based thinking, students and their parents answered questions about what works, what is great, and what needs to be expanded and increased in our schools. The relationship between culture and development has important implications for the public schools and the challenges teachers face. By focusing more on a strong work ethic, a future orientation, and child rearing practices, for example, we may be more likely to close the achievement gap for all students. In other words, the values, beliefs, and attitudes – culture – may matter much more than elected representatives and policy makers think – something that many teachers have always known. To begin the conversation, meet Kelly Horner, CTA IFT Director, Beverly Tucker, CTA IFT Board of Director, and Priscilla Winslow, CTA Assistant Chief Counsel -- all instrumental in the AI interviews that created the foundation for the culture of success.
CTA/IFT & UCD/SOE INSTITUTE FOR LEARNING A culture of success in our schools is essential to a progressive, democratic society. Together, we can embrace and build on our rich diversity while developing common knowledge among our citizenry. Unfortunately, the main method of reform in today's NCLB environment is one of training rather than learning and development. The CTA IFT – UCD School of Education proposes to create an approach that is strikingly different and grows out of the literature on school change and learning for adults and children. Our focus is on invention and the examination and use of inside knowledge. To begin the conversation, meet Dr. Viki Montera, UCD School of Education, to discuss how your district and chapter can become involved.