ED 201 796

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INSTITUTION

SPONS AGENCY

PUB DATECONTRACTNOTE '

DOCUMENT RESUME

CE 028 781

Blum, Robert E.; yruian, GregThe NOrthwest Connection. People Helping People: AGuidebook on Dissemination through. PeerInteraction.Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland,Oreg.Office of Career Education (DREW /OE), Washington,D.C.Oct BO300-78-055624p.; For related documents see CE 029 059, ED 163226, ED 167 775, and ED 183 740-742..

EDRS PRICE ME01/PC01 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Adoption (Ideas); *Career Education; Comminication

(Thought Transfer); Consultants; *ConsultatiOnPrograms; Delivery Systems; Elementary Secondary'Education; Informal Organization; *InformationDissemination; Information Networks; InforMationUtilization; *Linking Agents; Literature Reviews;*Models; *Peer Influence; Peer Relationship; ResearchUtilization

IDENTIFIERS EduCation Amendments 1974 *NOrthwest Connection

ABSTRACT. Educational dissemination is a way to foster changes'

j_n educational practice. Peer interaction is a special type ofdissemination in which people with certain roles and responsibilitieshelp others with the same or similar rols and responsibilities. Thisinvolves teachers helping teachers, principals helping principals,business representatives helping others in'business and so forth. The,primary purpose of this guide is to describe a regional careereducation peer assistance model and to Share what was learned in

---cLeating the model with others wanting Ito use such a model. The .guideis especially aimed at the foll6Winggroups: (1) career educationcoordinators at state, intermediate, `and loCal levels; (2) operatorsof multistate diSsemination services ISuch as regional exchanges andvocational curriculum management centers; (3) state disseminationspecialists, such:as state facilitators, capacity-builders, andtalent bank directors; and (4) representatives of labor, business,industry, and government. The guide co'l(ers the following topics:model overview; selecting the consultants; proiOting the service;training the consultants; making the system work; considerations inestablishing peer assistance .models; and'a review of the literatureon peer interaction. (KC)

***********************************************************************Reproduc tions supplied by'EDRS-are the best that can be made

from the original document.***********************************************************************

The Northwest Connection

I el Peo leA Guidebook on Dissemination

through Peer Interaction

byRobert E. Blum

andGreg Druian

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH,EDUCATION & WELFARENATIONAL INSTITUTE OF

EDUCATION

THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO-DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROMTHE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN-ATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONSSTATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OT FICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OFEDUCATION POSITION OR. POLICY

A project of the Northwest Refpnal.Educational Laboratorysponsored by the U.S. Office of Iducation,.'Office of Career Education

The 1= :^-west Connection\ caw education consult 7:1 -,:ri-Lze for Alaska,dahc Aontana, Oregon an 7 __ mgton.

Suppc :ed by the U.S. Offic ::ducation,Office pf Career Education

The material in this publication was prepared by the NorthwestRegional Educational Laboratory, a private nonprofit corporation,pursuant to Contract No.300-78-0556 from the OffiCe of Education,U.S. Education Department However, points of view or opinionsexpressed do not necessarily represent policies or positions of theOffice of Ethication.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Ad of 1964 states: "No person in theUnited States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, beexcludedfrom participation in, be denied the benefits of, or besubjected to discrimination under any prograni or activity receivingFederal financial assistance." Title IX of the Education Amendmentsof 1972, Public Law92-318, states, "No person in the United Statesshall, on the basis of sex, be. excluded from' participatiOn in, bedenied the benefits of, or be subjected tOdiscr;niination underanyeducation program or activity. receiving Federal financialassistance." Therefore, career education projects supported underSections 402 and 406 of the Education Arnendinents of 1974, likeevery program or activity receiving financial assistance from the U.S.

.Education Department, must be operated in compliance with theselaws.

Dear Core:

a =neer eduar---,, talandtIng service It-alesska. Sdtho. oregon, and taashington

''hie nortt connection

. be aught of as a way toe===ter oranges ineducafreLnal =ractiLee

is e.:=Decial types =f dissemina-tione== rem.: - -roles and=rzsponsibil'-- 31,,-p otherswith one or s-7-e=2= ities This _LnvoIvesteaches: ::.:7==ncr

he2=tor7?rincipals, e=siness rebre-sentar::.nee7:4nr .==atr7.r. .7,z:so:Loess and ac frorth. Peer L:..-..eraction maybe di=a.ot, eo en ===action or-_indirec=, as mailedmatere_els. ee.-e-a!-rneel is tat 7:eople get as -!--tance frompractetioner= lik

The Northwes=. .4a re. tc dema=7._:rate a reg_ :areereducation pet= aser...=mos-r7.::dee ens: to sommi=ate the re: themodel to otl....!=7;

resncrse-ze-.e for ocareer educe:eel-I-

The primary gnita isto daso--, the mode_ --eth--zo sharewhae was learre emeer..way-==at wiCe_help r-.4entng to =se such amodal. Par we:.:2 find th±scz.oe useful e:

a Cares= et======n oolordhoemors at sr.s=a,, intermedia=a.andlocae lee-eee

Ope77-2--- e:issemina=M=o-eervices suco asre,_eme2- - ecational c..,...eliculum managementcer_=ers

a Ste...--a di- -- soezealists, surer as state facilitators,bankeerectors

ei=== business. industry and government.

The Northwes= Conne=r=O= -Tee bee:-. 2n exciti==_and challenging-experiencefor the persons in 4e hope thee guide will make a contri-bUtion to the ne connections.

Robert R. Rath, Execut== Di:72====Northwest Regional Educemional Lei:oratory

NorthwestRegionalEducationalLaboratory 710 S. W. Second, Portland, Oregon 97204 (S03) 248.6864

.4

Table of ContentsPage

SECTION 1: The Northwest Connection: An Overview of the Model-r.

1

SECTION 2: Selecting the Consultants 3SECTION 3: Promoting the Service 6SECTION 4: Training the Consultants 9SECTION 5: Making the System Work 11

SECTION 6: Considerations in Establishing Peer Assistance Models 13SECTION 7: Peer Interaction: A Review of the Literature 14Attachments 15.

List of FiguresPage

1-1 Northwest Connection Service Process 1

1-2 Northwest Connection Service Request Process 1

2-1 Consultant Application Form .3

2-2 Administrator's Release Form 42-3 :Consultant Specialty Areas 5

3-1 Awareness Techniques Used with Target Audiences, 6

3-2 Guide to Consultaht Services 7

3-3 Northwest Connection Awareness Processes 83-4 Sample Letter of Contact 8

4-1 Northwest Connection Training Design 105-1 Communique', The Northwest Connection Newsletter 12

SECTION 1:. The Northwest ConnectiotAn Overview of the Model s

In a consultation with a district pupil personnel director and district counselors, Ilearned that they were discouraged abut', t_career education because of lack of ad-ministrative leadership and support. I bejieve I helped then-) understand that theywere already active in career education and that through buiilding level organizationand individual enthusiasm, they could put a viable program into effect. They seemedto appreciate knowing that help is availaole close to 'home. I think this whole ex-perience demonstrates the power of proiEssional sharing anc is,a good example ofwhat the Northwest connection is all about.

The Northwest Connection (NWC) was a joint effortby the State Departments of Education in Alaska,Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington and theNorthwest Regional. Educational Laboratory to es-tablish a regional career education consulting service.One of several projects funded through the U.S. Office

, of Education, the goal of the Northwest Connectionwas improvement of both the number and quality ofcareer education experiences for students.

IThe core of the project was to make the services of 58consuk-...ots available to anyone in the five-state regioninterested in improving career education. Servicesincluded telephone consultation, materials sharing

...,ar-_d1 _onsite assistance. The model of the 'NorthwestConnection service process is shown in Figure 1-1below. The project started in late 1978. Consultantservices began in March 1979, and services wereprovided in the region through August/1980.

I

-IF NO

Re-determinemade for service

Receise request viamail or telephone

Assess needs to determinemode of service

Call client's statecoordinator toconfirm need Mron-site service

Plan future telephoneconsultations and fillout Consultant Log

Refer to other sources:.consultant, resourcecenter. etc, and fillout Consultant Lug

Send. .

e minimummaterial and fillout Consultant Log

IF iIS

IF NO,

-IF NO

Compute rough cost estimateand call NWREL for approval

IF 'TES -

1 and fill out Consultant LogConduct telephone consultation

L

Fill out On -sitePlanning Form andsubmit to NWRELfor approval

Have client fillout BackgroundInformation Forms

IF TES

Senior High Counseling ConsdrLant

Who Were the ConsultantsiNorthwest Connection consultants yscreened and selected from neanyfrom the Northwest region. Eacrl 7-iad

achieved distinction in at !east one spe-:::°,111-z7;,.-:.,arofcareer education. The pool of censu,.. -7, includedteachers; school specialists and tou-, 7: serooladministrators; representatives of o7g-

ganizationsi business; labor and cc--r: 'y repre-sentatives.

What Services Did theConsultants Offer?Consultants received training in _

procedures to help clients improveConsultants worked with clients byperson to:

diagnose needs

plan action steps

deliver services

provide followup

evaluate accomplishments

Clients and consultants worked togethe most appropriate type of sedescribes the service request proce

7"--CLIENT Aware

Requests assistanceIn :electing a

consultant from..

Complete detailed planning Complete agreed upon follostup01 NWC service

and deliver service services and fill out Consultant Logpossibtliiies

Requests clarificationof consultant

services from ..Have clients completeNWC Service Evaluation Form

Complete all records and sendrecords and epenves to NWREL

Requests servicefrom NWREL

FIGURE 1-1: FIGURE 1-2:Northwest Connection Service Process Northwest Connection Service Request Process

citeratic

in

determineFigure 1-2

NWREL

I

State Cooed..

Con

NWRE:

Stale Cooronaucor

CLIENT requestsservices directly

from a consultant

Consultant

NWREL refers requestto consultant

6 1

How WE fisite '7,a7:ance Delivered?Because cy- assist-a-71'u,consultants from the:-deeloped _ 7elp limit aPriorities orderer s

:Jensive and 'takesHuili.,T jobs, a system was

phoritize onsite visits._rat consultants would

sp-H-1-(.:: most eir time wi- ill groups of peers at asir schoc: d:..:Iding of efforts to improvecar ,: educate.- n. De- 7,114.4et constraints, con-sui ; were a.. le to all requests. Once an

visit Northwest Connectionpaid . consuqa.nt n.da:iding travel and perdierr. No consultaro- honoraria were paid.Cor ._iltants used :::Aed below to plan

Pric :y 1:

:y 2:

An ap -r pianri-irt:.:team with broadschm;. cor- 'rnrnity representationA sT.:--.rop c tea--'- _e and specialistsinOrA c wriity ::-.=:zation that has

r-e top-.oaciministrators from a

Priorit 3: A _

sc.-11.2; c adnn' iistrators from different

Priority 4: A Tot- tez-:. -7,..e.rs and specialists fromdi: -en: schoc-H

Priority.5: ;,.cups such as subject areaas =..--ations

Priority 6: groups c individuals in schools

What Were 7he e u is of the Model?The Northwest on:rectic- had a broad range ofeffects, organip below into three categories: howclients used se- :es, how they perceived the impactof the services ohd how consultants benefited.Consultant sen:Ices were used:

by groups cr teachers in workshops andinserviceevents to pan and develop classroom activities

.by intermediate districts and resource centers tohelp local districts meet career education needsto help school districts and teachers 'implementcareer education requirements of state careereducation plans

to help local district staff develop and implementcareer education plansby teachers to locate ideas and materials for usein the classroom

by teachers and administrators to find out aboutcareer education

by CETA staff to learn how career educationmeets the needs of CETA-eligible students

2

by district career education coordinators toincrease their repertoire of available materials

Clients who rerorived onsite .:ervices felt that con-sultants were well prepared, enthusiastic, gavepersonal .7tent. 'On to their needs, provided helpfulmaterials a d ..splays, and provided followup assist-ance :ay tel.Eo-h.:--7e.

these,chaes that took place as aresult of C0.71S11=: site. visit

career ez_41:=Lional to.:,..,:71er trainingprogram:

school-v-ide programsexpanded .;.=:_on programs

increased satf st career educationConsultants benefitteci four principal ways fromparticipation in' t;r-..--: :tilvet Connection.

They develdpact:.-s,. is oh-providing effectiveconsultation.

They increase:. number of professionalcontacts.

They renewec.:-.their enthusiasm for careereducation.

They increased their knowledge of availableresources for '-hplementing career education.

r.

SECTION 2:Selecting the Consultants

The te:thers in Nakne, -,Ilaska told me they reaisly appreciated working withteachi- from another c.;,=.ict .3inte they rarely have visits from anyone but Dr--:,-t-me77-- _Education peozrie. Trey need contacts 'ith other districts. Since ourvise have continue= a:, correspond, and Wh'.:'1 they get into town they knowwh,--2T- -3 get help.

The heart c . -assistance prograt7 istn,peopleselected to help-the consult=its. 771"=-:betterthe consult:-_-- rc better the assisrance T.-2-:moreexperience.= t- -.1msultants, the scone- ..t:sistancecan be off , some assurance of Theprocess :rit :a established to con-sultants wi termine how soon the.:-::ovam canbegin to ck ar -ive service. Allow ad=quate timeand thoug- f . tions like these:

1: ntial consultants be-.-2. What will be needed Dse

consurrants :j how will it be gathe----

3. Wha. .ill be le benefits to and exp.-.ctationsof cc.: ultan.ts-,-now will the benefits idexpel itions be communicated to.p.::-.entialcons:. ants,:'

4. Wha: .real of specialization shoulc. : nsultantshave

5. Wha. 2.riteria and processes will bE: used tochoc,:--e consultants?

6. How will those selected and not s,....lecttzd benotified and will commitments be reaffirmed?

7. How long will it take to have the consultantson board?

Finding ConsultantsThe people you are looking for may be in schools,businesses or other agencies that have been active inpromoting changes you are seeking. Be sure not tooverlook places where involvement and activity havebeen effective, though perhaps not in the spotlight. Inthe Northwest Connection, the search for nominationsand applications proceeded in Several ways. State levelcareer education coordinators were asked to nominateboth consultants and persons who could nominateconsultants. Local career education coordinators anddirectors of funded career education projects wereasked to nominate consultants and to apply them-selves, if appropriate. Each member of the projectsteering committee, business persons with an interestin career education and representatives of organizedlabor were approached.

Vocational Counseling Cz-17.E4ltant

Eight weeks were allowed to ret:-.e:-ve applications frompotential consultants. Over 200 applications werereceived. Some categories had as manysas 15 ap-plicants and others had-as few as one. An 'addition-a:three weeks was needed to increase the number crapplications in specialty areas with only a few. As aresult of the followup;each specialty had at least twoapplicants.

Information for Choosing ConsultantsThe information gathered during the applicationprocess provides the basis for selection. Enough isneeded to enable a choice among applicants, but thereis a limit to what applicants will provide and what canbe processed reasonably in the screening process.

For the Northwest Connection, information wasgathered from applications and from state and localcareer education coordinators /and project steeringcommittee members. All information was used inselecting consultants. The basic technique used tocollect information was a structured application formwith open -ended questions. Figure 2-1 illustrates apart of the questionnaire. The form also asked ap-plicants to commit time to the project without pay andto get approval of their supervisors for their participa-tion in the project. Figure 2-2 shows the form thesupervisor signed. No attempt was made to talk withreferences given by every applicant, but referenceswere called in cases whe-re the competition was close.

Time and resources did not allow interviews with eachapplicant, but some were called to clarify informationon their application.

........

rstLIN--

B-.--7...r_====--z=

1= ."."...=%: ".

....

===

^7 ^

FIGURE 2-1: Consultant Application Form

3

Benefits and ExpectationsTo get the best efforts from consultants, they must seetheir role as personally and professionally worthwhile.You will need to think about the benefits of the roleand be able to explain them to consultants and others.You must be very clear about what you expect fromconsultants. You might consider questions such asthese: Will consultants receive pay? What expenseswill be paid? Is training provided? Is there thepossibility of new professional relationships? Howmuch time is expected of consultants both for prep-aration and delivery of-services? How often will con-sultants be away Irom their regular jobs? Will supportservices be available? Precise benefits and expecta-tions should be communicated to potential applicantsas early as possiblepreferably in the letters requestingapplication.. Nominees can use this information todecide whether or not to apply.

Benefits offered td Northwest Connection consultantswere professional and personal growth through train-ing, travel and contact with others in a five-state region.Consultants were volunteers who spent much of theirown time on project tasks. School districts were paidfor substitute teachers if consultants were away fromteaching duties. Pay for replacement employees wasnot necessary for nonteaching school personnel orconsultants from business, labor and other organ-izations.

Consultants were asked to spend up to 25 days spreadover 15 months on project activities. They were notasked to assume any expenses.

ENDORSEMENT OF KEY ADMINISTRATOR

1 understand that

of my staff has been invited to apply Co .be a member of a

'select group of career education specialists from Alaska.

Idaho, Montana. Oregon and Iashington linked together in a

project known as The Northwest Connection.

As an administrator with some familiarity vith her /his

competence, both In career education and as a communicator,

I would agree we have a staff resource here that we're

wlllltlN to share with others.

Should she/he be selected. I understand that each

regional consultant will be asked to:

1. Attend a week-long (five work days) trainingsession in late February or early March

2. When convenient for all concerned be "on call fortelephone/mail and onsite assiscancejone to threedays each trip) beginning in March, ON andextending through moot of school year 1979-80

Our district wvuld would nut

expect reimbursement for a substitute's pay when this

person's classroom is uncover, e.. our substitute pay

including benefits Is approximately

per day (protect funds are available if needed).

if sou select our randia4tv for this slot In The

Northwest Connection team. I will 4elp obtain our district

superintendent's final approval.

Principal/Supervisor

FIGURE 2-2: Administrator's Release Form

4

Areas of SpecializationIn a peer assistance program, it is important forconsultants to have specialties that are like those of thepeople they will be helping. In other words, teachersshould help teachers, administrators help otheradministrators and business people help businesspeople. rails likeness gives consultants a special cred-ibility. If .people selected already have the skills andknowledge needed to deNver services offered, trainingtime can be minimized and service can be offeredalmost irrrnediately.

The NWC fumriing agency, the Office of Career Edu-cation, requ: ed that the project have consultants ineach of 5t) s:,ecialty areas, listed in FigUre 2-3:

Northwes: Connection consultants were Selected fortheir skill. knowledge and experience in deliveringcareer edi=ion experiences through their specialtyareas. We :di::: not require that applicants demonstrateconsultatior skills because the NWC project includedtraining it those skills.

Criterka and Processes forChooEing ConsultantsThe criteria applied in the screening and rating processdeterrr :nes what the consult-as-its will be like. Criteriashould .oe established early, re.lect What a consultantwill 'ally be doing and be applied consistentlyduring screening and rating. Some thought shouldbegiven inn advance to questions -of how quality for eachcriterion will be judged, whether some criteria will bemore important than others, whether all criteria arerelevant to ail applicants and whether the criteria canbe applied within time and resource limits.

To screen NWC applicants, two types of. criteria wereused. The first related to the background, experienceand capabilities of the applicant and the second had todo with establishing balance and equity in the con-sultant group.

Criteria we used included knowledge of how toimplement career education, knowledge of the careereducation' concept, amount and nature of previouscareer education consulting experience, amount andnature of involvement in career education activities atlocal, state and national levels, type of career edu-cation materials developed and available, willingnessto serve under the conditions of the project andsupervisor concurrence on participation.

The selection process should be feasible and fair. Youmay need to decide whether there will be pre-screening to reduce the number of finalists, who willreview, rate and screen applications, what the timelinefor completing the selection process-Will be and whowill make the final decisions. You should also decidewhether there will be an appeals process.

0

The Northwest Conn-ec-.- Steering Committee re-viewed, rated and rea--; -nended the final list ofconsultants. Steering co:----ittee members includedthe career education coic7:Lnator from each partici-pating state, a careeri-voc-a-i.7nal educator appointedby the state coordinator the directors of twoOregon organizations vi.,,h:-77 have been closely in-volved- with career .i.L-,,c1L.:=on-Institute for PublicAffairs Research (113:=.:R) the InterinstitutionalConsortium for Career Final decisions weremade by the project director and the USOE projectofficer. All applicationswere reviewed by,.project staffand were placed in one t-ne consultant Categories. Athree-member team Teview ed and rated each applica-tion, the ratings were:averaged, the team discussed theapplicants, if necessary, and then recommended thefirst, second and third-ranking applicants in eachcategory. The total sneering committee revik.ved anddiscussed the recommendation. and confdered thecriteria for making the consultant group balanced: As afinal step, the USOE project monitor reviewed therecommendatiops to reach agreement with the projectdirector on the top applicant in each category.

Notifying ConsultantsThe individuals chc.sen as Northwest Connectionconsultants were notified before those who were notselected, in case a first choice declined to participate.The consultants were notified by mailgram. This tech-nique was fast and it gave the notification a ease ofimportance. The mailgram was followed wit a letter

that laid out the upcoming events. Individuals whowere not selected as consultants were notified shortlyafter'those chosen, and were praised for their goodqualities, told of the keen competition, given the nameof the person selected in their category and asked toassist the person if at all possible. Remember that it isas important to notify those not selected as it is tonotify those chosen. Positive statements to each per-son who applied pay dividends in acceptance of theresults.

We also notified consultants' supervisors. A letter wassent congratulating the organization on having suchexcellent employees and asking them to reaffirmagreement for their employee to participate. Newsreleases were used, too.

Bringing Consultants on BoardThe selection process should not be rushed. Excellentpeople may be missed if the process is done tooquickly. It takes time to solicit nominations fromagencies you may not work with on a daily basis.--Allowtime to develop contacts and to follow through withthem.

Consultant selection in the Northwest ConnectionProject took five months from the time of project start-up. Search and application took two and "one-halfmonths, screening and selection took. one month,locating additional applications in some categoriestook another one and one-half months.

1. Kindergarten teachers2. First grade teachers3. Second grade teachers4. Third grade teachers.5. Fourth grade teachers6. Fifth grade teachers7. Sixth grade teachers8. Junior high English

teachers9. Junior high social

studies teachers10. Junior high math

teachers11. Junior high science

teachers -12. Junior high industrial

arts teachers13. Junior/senior high home

economics teachers14. Junior high business

teachers15. Senior high English

teachers16. Senior high math

teachers17. Senior high social

studies teachers18. Senior high science

teachers19. Senior high vocational

education teachers

FIGURE 2-3:

20. Junior/senior high' media specialists

21. Elementary schoolspecial educationteachers

22. Junior/senior highspecial educationteachers

23. K-12 teachers involvedin Mainstreaming forhandicapped students

24. Elementary schoolspecialists for thegifted and talented

25. Junior/senior highspecialists for thegifted and talented

26. Jun4or high counselors27. Senior high counselors28. Junior/senior high

physical educationteachers

29. Junior/senior highart teachers

30. Junior/senior highmusic teachers

31. School librarians, K-1232. Elementary school

principals33. Junior high school

principals

List of Consultation Specialty Areas

34. Senior high schoolprincipals

35. Junior/senior highforeign languageteachers

36. Junior/senior highwork experienceeducators

37. Occupationalplacementspecialists inK-12 prcgrams

38. Specialists in reducingsex stereotyping incareer education

39. Specialists in reducingrace stereotyping incareer education

40. Specialists in reducingstereotyping of handi-capped students

41.. Parents42. Perconf. from small

be siness43. Persons from large

businesf:iina!istry44. Persons from organized

labor45. Members of local school

career educationadvisory committees

10 \

46. Persons from businessorganizationssupporting education(e.g., Chamber ofCommerce, Businessand ProfessionalWomen's Clubs, etc.)

47. Persons from communityservice organizations(e.g., American Legion,Rotary, Women'sAmerican ORT, etc.)

48. Persons fromorganizationsrepresenting specialpopulations (e.g.,NAACP, ASPIRA,National Congress ofAmerican Indians, etc.)

49. Persons from youth-.-

serving organizations(e.g., Boy Scouts, GirlScouts, YMCA, YWCA,etc.)

50. Specialists in careereducation evaluation,K-12

;

5

SECTION 3:Promoting the Service

I gave a tvciolday workshop to junior high language art teachers, representing all thejunfortiighs in Seattle. Then, two schools asked melo consult with department headsand administrators to help them put the (Seattle) Guidance goals: Into their curricula.Following that, one school is having me do a workshop for the entire staff on the ad-visory Guidance Program. This seems to point up the benefits of the Northwest Con-nection: going from one enthusiastic teacher to a whole staff, whith, in turn, benefitsL2 whole school.

Peer assistance is an excellent concept-if it is used.Other efforts have operated with minimum benefitbecause services were not requested. It is demor-alizing when people who are trained and expectto provide a useful consultation service receiveno requests for their services. Awareness-publicrelations-activities are absolutely essential if the ex-pectations of consultants and benefits to users are tobe met. Plans must be made in several key areas:

1. Who are the potential users of the service?

2. What information should be given to potentialusers?

3. Who should take responsibility for awareness _-activities?

4. What awareness techniques should be used?5. How long will it take before services are used?

UseIt is important to have a clear idea of who will use theservices. Thinking about awareness activities from theuser's point of view will strengthen the process ofplanning to get the service used. Focus on questionslike these: Who is likely to make a request? Whatservice is likely to be requested? Are there severaldifferent type- of people who are likely to makerequests? Are z.lieir needs and interests likely to bedifferent?

The Northwest Connection targeted on two majorgroups-educators and community organizations. Theprimary education audience was at the school buildinglevel: teachers, counselors, specialists and buildingadministrators in public and private schools. Districtlevel personnel, including the Board of Education,superintendent and central office staff, became asecondary audience. A third education-relatedaudience was regional (within state) service centerpersonnel. State level personnel, including stateboards of education, chief state school officers andstate department directors and specialists, were also atarget audience. Finally, regional (multistate) serv-

Junior High Counseling Consultant

ices such as the Northwest Vocational CurriculumManagement Center were considered a target aud-ience for information.

The other major group of users was community peoplewith an interest in career education, and included suchgroups as chambers of commerce, organized labor,youth-serving agencies and large and small businesses.

A list of all contacted, with the technique used tocontact them, is shown in Figure 3-1. This chart_pro-vides a good overview of the awareness activitiesundertaken.

TICUNIQU USED

1-

L

i1dfltt'12

: 1

_1

fil

5a111=S idl,

iii111;'Ili

1 ai

1a

5ar.1.

1 0

Eib1lli111ils

1.:.

Ii

1

i1-,

32 1

-2aS'IP4s

1

bAUDIENCE

-local School !aidingStall Through Principal

Distrkt level PersonnelThrough Superintendent

Regional (within stale)CINCH relocationCoordinate.

local Came relocationCoordinators

Pale levelSpecialists.Sobject AreaAssociations

Career relocationAssociations

AdministratorAstociationi

Regional trnolli-staleiScrske Centers

local Chambersof Commerce

local boothServing Agencies

Parent Associations

gusineSa *elatedOrganization.

Local Affiliates ofOrganized Labor

FIGURE 3-1:Awareness Techniques Used with Target_ Audiences

Deciding What InformationUsers NeedIn planning specific awareness information for eachtarget audience it is necessary to make some assump-tions about their roles. The Northwest ConnectionProject made the following assumptions:

The school building principal, as the instructionalleader, should know about available services inorder to provide accurate information to buildingstaff and to encourage staff to request services.Information should go to teachers through theprincipal.

School superintendents, who control the activitiesof the district, should know about the services,provide information to district level staff andprincipals to have staff members request services.

Individuals should have all the information theyneed to-select a consultant and apply directly tothe consultant for service.

People fom businesses, organized labor andother community agencies should be told aboutcareer education and encouraged to becomeinvolved.

Project staff (NWREL) should develop basicinformation for use by all individuals doingawareness activities and also provide assistance toindividuals who request help in developing special-information for selected audiences.

Based on these assumptions, the project staffdeveloped these awareness materials:

A project brochure that described the purposes ofthe Northwest Connection, the services availableand how to get more information

Two inserts for the brochure, one listing the names,addresses and tekiphone numbers of NorthwestConnection consultants, and one giving a generaloverview ofscareer education

A Guide to Consultant Services that described indetail the services offered and how to requestthem, gave a profile of each consultant, indexedconsultants in various ways (geographic locationfor example), and included a poster to announcethe services as well as postcards that would beused W request services. Sample pages from theGuide to Consultant Services are shown in Figure3-2.

A series of transparencies to be used in presentingthe Northwest Connection to groups of potentialusers

Sample news releases describing the services, touse in local newspapers, school newsletters andother publications

Sample form letters to use with various targetaudiences

Assigning Responsibilities forAwareness Activities.Public relations activities should be undertaken by theindividuals who can achieve the greatest effective-ness. Many times this will be the people closest to

_where _the services will be offered (assuming thatindividuals undertaking awareness activities have theskills for such efforts and are motivated to "sell" theservices).

Responsibilities for getting services used were dividedamong project staff (NWREL), state career educationcoordinators and consultants. See Figure 3-3. Theproject steering committee was also asked to play arole in public relations efforts.

Consultants were asked to contact education andbusiness groiips in their immediate area and othergroups related to their consultant specialty throughoutthe region. Figure 3-4 shows a sample letter of contact.For example, the consultants specializing in careereducation for special education students were askedto contact related professional associations and otherspecial education teachers. State career educationcoordinatorswere asked to inform theirContacts of theproject. NWREL project staff was responsible for allregion-wide (multistate) general awareness activities,coordination of activities among all levels and pro-

Content.

...bringing people togetherto help kids learn

about careers

Oton 179 4.44110,

FIGURE 3-2: Guide to Consultant Services

10ti7

viding support to state level personnel and consult-ants. Satisfied clients also were instrumental in gettingservices used. This was unanticipated, but effective.When users of a service recommend it, others tend torespond.

Awareness TechniquesSeveral awareness techniques were used in the North-west Connection, with mailings the, backbone of theeffort. Figure 3-1 shoWs the techniques used withvarious audiences. The major techniques are de-scribed below:

' Three, mailings were sent to every superintendent,principal, head teacher andiegional (withinstate) and local career education coordinator inthe five-state region served by tl.eNorthwest Connection. The mailings includedproject materials and letters-from prominentadministrators encouraging use of the service.Each mailing included.updated informationabout the project.

One mailing was sent to executives of every local

included project materials and a cover letter.Chamber of Commerce in the re ion. The mailing

signed by. the Northwest Connection consultantrepresenting Chambers of Commerce.

State career education consultants madepersonal contacts with other specialists in theirstate departments to des'eribe the NorthwestConnection and encourage people to use orpromote use of the services.

Individual consultants made presentations tonearby schools and school districts and to regional(within state) and statewide conferences.

The project director sent personal letters toexecutives and/or elected officers of all schooladministrator associations in the region (-multi-state). The letter encouraged the association to useand recommend use of the Northwest Connectionservice, to its members.

STATEWIDE

State Ccordinator ActivitiesNews storiesPersonal contacts

REGIONWIDE

NWREL ActivitiesMailingsPresentationsNews releasesAssociation contactsPersonal contacts

Diresi ContactCoordinationand/or Assistance.

FIGURE 3-3:Northwest Connection Awareness froceSses

Service Users (Ctientst Activities

Personal Contacts

POTENTIALCLIENTS

Requestsfor Service

LOCAL AND REGIONAL WITHIN STATE

Consultant ActivitiesAssociatiOn contactsTargeted meetingsPresentationsPersonal contactsNews releases .

8

e A television program was developed in onestate and aired throughout the state and incontiguous states.

Project staff made presentations career andvocational education advisory groups, career andvocational education conferences and many othergroups related to career education.,

The activities described are only some of the keyefforts. Individual consultants, state and regional(within state) education personnel and others plannedand carried out many more awareness activities.

Timing Awareness ActivitiesTiming for the Northwest Connection was not coor-dinated with the school year cycle. The service wasannounced in mid-March with start-up April 1.Because the project did not coincide with the schoolplanning cycle, it took approximately eight months forrequests to reach a level that met the expectations ofproject staff. The time to reach an optimal level wouldbe an additional several months. In order to get earlyrequests, consultants and state department peoplehad to make very strong and specific recommenda-tions to schools and districts where there was a knowninterest and commitment, Remember, getting peopleto use the serviceeven if it is freetakes time.

Z:tthe northwest connection

N:ar Care, Educatiun Coordinator,

April 3. 1'319 '

this communication is to Introduce ourselvee to each or you. we are localcareer education coordinators saw aro serving on the team of Se consultantswith the Northwest'Connection - a regiOnal career education consultingservice.

'

Enclosed is a brochure any a poster that dee oes the project and services.You w:11 receive a Guide to Tonsultant Ser.. . In the nest few weeks andt)us will provide, specific information on t", seryiceravailable. how to11%0 the'ser4ices. 'and all coneultante available to you. The brochure andnuid are being eent to every superintendent and principal in your Stateso people in your district will know about the Northwest Connection.

that you will u.se the brochure and Guide to brief your local careereducation advisory committee:abOut the project. Please request brochuresfor ,avelers if ,yuu think they would like copies. Call nob Blum atnorthwest Regional Educatior.al haboratury toll free l-B00-547-0162

lin Urnon I-800-452-55581 if you want additional Brochures or posters.

To host serve you. we have combined our and Areas of expertiseAnd are in the process of develbpIng strategies

resources

and activities to Use inanswering your requests for nerviee.

we snwerely hope you Vill call on either of us in then ear future and wewill do our best to assist you in the implementallon of career educationin your local district.

i

Itil Burkhart

Career Ed. Coordinator

locatello school Districtnog 1390

NICAPIln, Idaho 111201.

120111. 212.0561

Bernie nriff

Career Ed. Coordinator

Cashmere School District

Cashmere, wantAngt on MIS(SOW 702.1950

Northwest

Edo...WoofLathorelory ISIS iltSwook Pardo,Oness 99999 003170 CI"

FIGURE 3-4: Sample Letter of Contact

-AL

SECTION 4:Training the Consultants

During my onsite in Butte, Montana, I could tell I had walked into a negative situation.The music teachers had been forced to come, and they had minutes before been inan explosive meeting. Using techniques of the Northwest Connection, especiallyTeam Planning, they really got into the idea of how to make it work in their com-munity and had set up some excellent group as well as individual projects to try.

Junior/Senior High Music Consultant

Although people were selected as consultants becauseof their achievements in their specialty areas, they didnot necessarily have consultation skills. It is essential tode,cide what services consultants will provide, identifythe skills needed to provide the services and thendesign training to develop required skills. \It is alsoimportant to involve those to be trained in the planningprocess. Key questionsineeding_answers are:

1. What should the content of the training be?2. What will the training stretegies be?

3. Who should do the training?

Training ContentTraining should make the consultants ,confident thatthey can do Whpit they are expected to do. The contentof training mut be tailored to the needs of the groupand individuals within the group. The NorthwestConnection staff assumed that people chosen to beconsultants already knew how to integrate careereducation into their subject area or work responsi-bility. Project staff also knew that while the idea was forconsultants to serve others in positions exactly liketheir own, at times individuals would probably workwith others in positions that were only similar (e.g., firstgrade teacher helping a K-6 staff). It was also assumedthat consultants would have to work with mixedgroups (administrators, teachers, parents, business/labor representatives) in problem-solvingsituations. Inorder to prepare the consultants to face the variety ofsituations expected, the training was designed to buildgeneric consultation skills related to a planned con-sultation process. The process includes the followingsteps:

Establishing a relatiOnship

Irrtroducin self and service

Gaining client (requestor) respect and response

Diagnosing and/or clarifying client needs

Planning action steps

Systematically looking at client needs and possibleapproaches to filling requests

Reviewing resource requirements and identifyingpotential resources

Planning specific steps and determiningresponsibilities

Anticipating problems

Considering budget and other resourceconstraints

Setting operational objectives

Organizing to deliver services

Designing and developing materials

Getting necessary approvals

Delivering services

Assembling resources

Searching for information

Sending information, including instructic..almaterials

Referring clients to other resources (human andmaterials)

Delivering inservice training

Working through problems with groups

Handling qt.:stions of logistics and resourceallocation

Handling crises

- Setting up exchange programs

Modeling consultant skills

. Providing psychological support for action

Facilitating goal accomplishment andre-statement

Soliciting interim feedback on successes andproblems

Following up after initial services

Calling clients to check progress

Making additional visits '

Sending new information related to clientneed

Keeping records of services

Submitting expenses and other reports

Evaluating services and client suc9esses

Describing evaluation procedures to clients

Encouraging clients to do evaluation

Evaluating services provided

Describing their own reactions to the (program

The consultant also had to know about the resourcesavailable for use in delivering service. ResoOrces suchas the National Center for Career Education, the ERICCenter for Adult, Vocational and Career Education,The Nothwest Regional Exchange and JDRP-approvedcareer education programs were introduced. `,

Training also focused on career education in each ofthe five participating states where consultation wouldbe done. Consultants were expected to know thephilosophy and approach to career education so thatconsultant efforts supported and extended work in thestates.

Training StrategiesThe consultant training design is shown in Figure 4-1. Itis based on the belief that multiple contacts were nec-essary to foster the growth of consultant skills. The fourphases in the training design are:

1. Awareness-Initial training to develop the skillsand understanding necessary to carry outconsultant work

2. Trial-Initial consultations to give individual con-sultants a chance to see the kinds of requests they

. would get and the skills they needed to respond

AWARENESS

TRIAL

SYNTHESIS

APPLICATION

Initial Trainingin

Consultation Skills"

Initial Consultationsto Practice Skills:

Follovvup Training toReinforce and IncreaseSkills And Confidence

Continuing Consultationswith Individual Assistance

to Consultants

IARGE GROUP(58 consultants)

INDIVIDUALand

TEAMS

SMALL GROUP15.20 consultants,

done by state) .

INDIVIDUALIand

TEAMS

. FIGURE 4-1: Northwest Connection Ttaining Design

10

3. Synthesis-Followup training to increase .

consultant skills and knowledge, imiirove projectprocedures and begin to integrate consultantservices into state plans and procedUres

4. Application-Continuing consultation servicewith project staff workineindividuaIlY with con-sultants to solve problems they encounter.

The initial training session was planned to startknowledge and skill development in all content areasand to begin to build "esprit de corps" among theconsulting team. Large and small group activities wereconducted, along with ample opportunity fordebriefing.

The followup training was done in ,smaller groupswithin each state. Each of the followup training ses-sions was tailored to meet the needs of the specificgroups. Skill development was continued, and the con-sultants took a 'much more active role in the follow-up training sessions.

Selecting TrainersThe approach and style of the trainers is a key elementin successfully achieving training goals. Trainersimust----also be experienced and skillful in the content areasincluded in the agenda. Trainers for-thelnitial trainingworkshop were-cho-sen for their proven expertise in-consultation-and training. A person was Chosen in eachmajor consultation skill area; Including creating aware-ness of consultation services, assessing client needs,,planning with clients, facilitating group problemsolving, conducting one-to-one consultation and eval-uating consultant services. The seven-person teambecame the training planners. They helped design theoverall session, planned and delivered their specific.sessions, planned revisions to the training on a contin-uing basis and made themselves available for in-dividual discussion and. assistance to trainees. Thestate career education coordinators and people rep-resenting major 'career education resources also par-ticipated as trainers. The project staff were among theseven who planned training and conducted sessions;they also coordinated the total training effort.In the followup training, corisultants assisted prOjectstaff and conducted some of the training. State educa-tion coordinators alsb played an important role..

SECTION 5:Making the System Work

My consulting experiences were by telephone, easy and relaxed, yet very satisfying.No one stands out as an example. I spent more hours working in my community tofurther the concept and value of career education.

Having a smoothly functioning system is as importantas having skilled consultants and effective awarenesstechniques. The system must be designed so that arange of potential client needs is addressed in areasonably quick and efficient manner. It is. impor-tant that clients be made aware of how their in-quiries will be handled, particularly in a new systemsuch as the Northwest Connection. For example,clients-will want to know such things as how long theywill need to wait for materials; who will make adecision regarding onsite visits; and whether thereareany paperwork requirements. Clients will usually notbalk.at delays or even paperwork if requirements andexpectations are set forth in advance.

In order for consultants to b'e able to respondconfidently to client questions, they must have clearcommunication with the central project office andclear expectations of the kinds of support they willreceive.

Based on Northwest Connection experience, the keyquestions you need to answer are as follows:

1. What services will be offered?

2. Will inquiries and requests for service bescreened for appropriateness? for referral?

3. Will consultants be paid an honorarium fortheir services?

4. What record keeping will be required byconsultants?

5. How will communications with and amongconsultants be established and maintained?

ScreeningWe decided at the beginning, of the project that wewould encourage clients to make inquiries aboutservices directly to consultants. When inquiries cameto NWREL, we would suggest that the caller choose aconsultant to call (or, if necessary, we would mail thecaller a Consultant Guide ). In some cases we wouldsuggest consultants, by name, but we preferred to havethe caller choose the consultant.

The consultant was expected to judge the appropriate-ness of the inquiry and decide how to respond. In somecases, consultants called NWREL for advice, especiallywhen clients made requests that seemed beyond thescope of the project. Such requests usually involved a,

Parent Involvement Consultant

large amount of written materials. With such support,consultants quickly learned how to respond. Ap-parently, consultants trusted that NWREL would sup-port, and not undermine, decisions they had made.However, this approach did not guarantee that everyconsultant had an opportunity to consult. Further-more, some particularly enthusiastic consultants tookon more work than they could comfortably handle.Despite these drawbacks, we believe that consultantslearned more by having to make critical decisions andby having to deal with a heavy workload than theywould have learned if the process had been tightlycontrolled.

Pay

Our decision was to forego honoraria to consultants. Itis possible that the sums of money that could havebeen earned .this Way would have provided an in-centive to deVelop new clientele. But the possibilitiesfor conflicts of interest and the threat of commercial-ization of the process seemed to strongly outweigh anybenefits that might be realized. -

Our experience with this appears to support the ideathat the professional growth that takes place in theconsultant role 'is more than adequate incentive 'toserve.

i;

Support.The project offered both logistical and financial sup-port. Mbst consultants lacked adequate facilities tohandle large scale mailouts to announce their avail-ability as consultants or to duplicate materials. Othersdid not have easy access to a telephdne. In Cases whereconsultants needed assistance. itith mailouts, ac-quiring materials, copying, reinibursement for tele-phone expenses (see financial s ,Lpport below), wewere able to provide required support.

At the beginning of the proje t, we developed., aConsultant Tool Kit, an accor ion box containingmaterials consultants would ne d to do their job in areasonably professional way. The contents all had alogo that identified the project, and included:

a memo pad

bUsiness cards (consultants wrote in their ownnames)

16 11

sample letters announcing the service

sample form letters

required forms (See Recordkeeping below)

RecordkeepingIf you were to ask some of the consultants, they wouldprobably respond that recordkeeping for this projectwas designed to use as much paper as possible, torequire more information than anyone would everneed, and to provide a minimum of space in which towrite required inforrnation!

However, from the point of view of project staff, therecordkeeping system was streamlined and efficient;the number of required forms was held to a minimumand information was requested Only for purposes ofreimbursement of expenses, encouraging sound plan-ning and monitoring activities for project evaluation.We used the following recordkeeping devices:

1. A form to assist with planning onsiteconsultation activities likely to cost in excess of$75.00

2. ,A Consultant Log, required monthly, designed asa tool to collect information on consultantactivities

3. A service 'evaluation form which was on a post-. card and designed to be mailed by a client

to NWREL .-

4. An expense reimbursement form

See Attachments for examples.

To ease -the accumulation of :paperwork for con-sultants, we encouraged them to use the toll-free line

A Newsier,.1. NWC C...tdon"Communiqué

It UM, .4T talP

LE-LzL

FIGURE 5-1: Communique; the NWC Newsletter

12

to submit information related to the Consultant Log.Project staff recorded and filed this information.

CommunicationsSeveral methods were used to maintain communi-cation with and amOng consultants. The primary toolwas the toll-free telephone line which gave bothconsultants and clients easy, free access to the projectfor any reason. As,suggested above, the toll-free linewas also used by consultants to take care of 'certainrecordkeeping requirements. We also published amonthly newsletter, Communique', (see Figure 5-1) inwhich we described consultant activities and sharedinformation.

It was also important that consultants keep state careeyeducation coordinators informed, especially whenconsultants were planning an onsite visit. To be sure astate coordinatorknew about a site visit, we requiredthe coordinator's signoff on the onsite planning forms.

SECTION 6: Consi erations in Establishing.Pe P r Assistance Models

I very much enjoyed the positive atmosphere. I very much enjoyed meeting peopleinvolved with career education. I now have many contacts and have been able togreatly expand my knowledge and materials available in career education.

Primary Grades Teacher Consultant

In the Northwest Connection, several key decisionsabout how the project would be operated were madeby the funding agency (the Office of Career Educationin the U.S. Office of Education), and were presented as"givens" in the R FP I _Ir the project. These,"givens"shown belo will show the reader the kinds ofdecisions that n ust be made and some of the tra.deoffsthat may be involved when establishing peer inter-action systems.

GeographyThe Northwest\Connection was planned to test aregional approacil to the delivery of consultant ser-vices. The assumptions underlying the regional ap-proach seem to be a) no single state has all the con-.sultant resources necessary, for a comprehensiveModel; and (b) a national model (serving-all 50 states)wouid,be too cumbersome to establish and maintain-Without some experience gained at the regional-level.

SpecialtiesThe USOE requirements for this projects pecified thatone consultant would be- selected 'in each of 50 spe-ci'alty areas. In many cases, however, general requestsfor service were often made of consultants. The con-sultants were not always certain of whether theyshould present themselves as specialists orgeneralists.Furthermore, most coaultants had more than one areaof expertise, even though they were Seletted for onespecific area of expertise.

Payment for ServicesIn the Northwest ConneCtiOn, jirojectlunds were to beused to cover the costs of providing consultant ser-vices. There are many alternatves, however. Forexample, consultant costs could borne entirely bythe client. Or,. individual states, counties, locales orother jurisdictions served by the:project could con-tribute to a pot of money that clients could tap forfunds to purchase consultant services. A cost-sharingprocess using a combination of These two alternativescould also be established.

.

he Northwest Connection was established as a dem-o tration project with specific start and end dates.With a regional project, as this one was, involving

people new to the consultant role, 16 months is an-absolute minimum amount of time to allow for (a) theestablishment of the consultant network and the train-ing of the consultants, and (b) the development of themomentum for the project to be operating on a routinebasis. If a consultation network were set up within astate, the time line required for these things to takeplace would be shorter; if set up within a region wherestates were unaccustomed to working together (in theNorthwest, the five participating states had a history ofcooperation), the timeline would be longer. A,nation-wide consultation network should probably' be de-veloped from successful components operatingregionally.

Timing of ServicesNorthwest Connection services were to begin within acertain- number of months after She signing of the

contract with the funding agency. Consdltant serviceswere available immediately after initial consultant.trainingearly March'l 979. Since the school year endsin late May or early June, consultants were devel-oping awareness of a service that would not be useduntil the following autumn.

Project planning should take into account dle mostuseful starting time for consultant services in terms oflikely needs. Training and other activities chould beplanned so that the project will have Maximum impactat the time .of maximum need.

TurnoverWith the exception of one person, all ,of the con-sultants in the Northwest COnneCtion remained activeto the original ending_date of the. project. However,when a four-mronth, no cost extension. was approved,some consuLcants were unable to continue providingtheir servichey either had other plans or felt"litirntout." UriawaTe of this, clients continued to contact theconsultants, -,who in all cases responded enthusias-tically when t.hey could be reached.

However, when setting up anything but a short termproject, you should consider procedures for handlingconsultant turnover and for selecting new individualsto fill the vacancies that will naturally arise.' The con-sultant role is a' demanding one, and you should beprepared for individuals to leave the program eitherbecause they need a rest or betause new opportuni-ties have become available to them.

1 U 13

SECTION 7: Peer Interaction:Review of the Literature

It was the sharing thilt occurs when two teachers of the same grade level get together,.discuss concerns and find alternatives and solutions one-on-one consultation. Theimportant elerrient is the matching of first grade teachers with first grade teachers, etc.

The Northwest. Connection whypotheses about the/ effectivaction in communicating inforeducation: i

Communication among peer is enhancedbecause peers frequently share the same back-ground and/or experience.

s based on severalness of peer inter-ation about career

Communication among peers is efficient becausequestions about meaning and intentions are notas likely to arise. Having a common vocabularygives peers more time to spend dealing directlywith tasks rather than with defining terms.

There are strong incentives.for peers to trust oneanother. Without trust, it is unlikely that usefulcommunication can take place.,

Thes' hypotheses were confirmed during the oper-atiom of the Northwest ConnectiOn. Over and overagain, we were told that teachers Profited/by learning .

about 'career education from others who had facedsimilar problems. We heard consistently good feed-,back about the relevance and utility of the materialsthat consultants supplied. And we found indirect,evidence that consultants established friendly,formal relationships with clients that greatly facilitatedtask accomplishments.

This section reports briefly on the extent to which ourhypotheses, about peer interaction are supported byexisting literature. The literatUre on peer interaction asa method of disseminating information about, careereduCatiOn is scant. A wealth of information is availableon peer teaching and-peer influence, !jut these con-cepts are not directly related to career education.- _

Since the proposal to establish the NorthwestConnection was written, only One article has come tothe attention of projeCt staff that directly relates to theconcept of peer interaction. (Pauline S. Rauls,"HelpingTeacher: A Model for Staff Development," TeachersCollege Record 80 (1), September 1978, 15.7-171.) Inthis article, Rauls describegthe role of a "profesSional.staff member whose primary function is to assist otherteachers in a peer-support role with; the emphasison imprdving their performance in actual classrboms"(p. 158). The person in this .role-is called a "helpingteacher," and essential to the idea is "the local districtuse of experienced teachers as resource people and

14

Primary Grades Teacher Consultant

problem solvers for local district staff developmentefforts" (p. 159). .

Although a large body of literature on peer interactionto spread innovations does no exist, the U.S. Office ofCareer-Education has recently fUnded several projectsthat lend strong support to the peer interactionconcept. \A number of exemplary projects in riNethods and tech-niques for training and retraining teadziers rely heavilyon peer interactive processes. For nstance, the"Changer Model for Career .Education" i plementedin Nampa, Idaho, in FY77 found four factors that con-tributed to project success: .,

1. Teachers who received training were chosen bytheir peers.

2. Teachers themselves, instead of administratorsor curriculum specialists, received training intechniques of infusing careereducation in theirclasses.

3. Building-level facilitators and data gatherershelped maintain awareness of the project, whiletrained teachers provided know-how andresource expertise to other teachers in thedistrict.

4:- Training involved hands-on activities that wereinstrumental, in helping teachers see careerimplications of their subjeCt matter specialties.

In general, these OCE-thn.dedi exemPlary projects-stre s structured peer interaction, emphasis on a team,appr aCh that always include§ (though is not limitedto) t achers in a key disseminating role and use' ofsever I communication techniques to back up theface-t -face interaction.

While vidence.appears to support peer interactidn'asa . method of spreading effectiv-e .,'career educa-tion praCtices, the experience of the NorthwestConnection also poses several questions, including thefollowing:

What are the most important factors in beingperceived as ,,peer? For instance, are teacherspeers when they teach the same grade, have thesame subject specialty area, reflect the sameapproach to teaching, or some combination of theabove? 1 (;)

If consultants work with community groups, arethere group members who will not regard theconsultant as a peer?

o Does too rigid an adherence to the concept ofpeer interaction limit the potential effectiveness ofa consultant? Does it limit the audience with whomshe or he can work?

In summary, the idea of peer interaction as a method ofpromoting the improvement of career education hasreceived, strong confirmation by the NorthwestConnection. At the same time, the theoretical under-pinnings of peer interaction, especially as these relateto an understanding of the boundaries and limitationsof peer interaction, remain to be carefully studied.

Attachments

RIMNESS REPLY MAILFIRST CLASS

POSTAGE WILL B

The NorthwesNorthwest Re710 S.W. SeisePortland, OR

NO POSTAGENECESSARYIF MAILED

IN THEUNITED STATES

assomemerneurorn

NWC SERVICE =VALUATION

Name (optional)

Position

Organization

AddresS

Telephone:(optiehal)Service Requested Date Of.

Materials 0 RequesTelephone COnitiltation 0 COnsultantOn-site Consultation 0Service Received

Date of ServiceThe service provided met my needsCheck one 0 0 0 '-,

well somewhat little

Tirneliness.(Was the help provided when itwas needed?) 0 good 0 fair. 0 poorRelevance (Was the help related directly:towhat you needed?) 0 good 0 fair.'0,poor

Utility (Was the help useful to you andothers?) '0 good 0 fair, 0 poor

CompreheriiiVeness (Was the help adequate. to meet your needs or get you off to agood..

start ?) good fair ,0 poor

What additional services, ifany,..wouldyou like

I

How might we improve the service?

20. 15

CONSULTANT LOG N .

4 y Coriaultant Name Reporting Period.

Page_ofGate Mode' Comact Person Telephone Organization and Address Description

Wtasligh(purpose, service provided. etc.ITimeSpent Cost

,

. --

L

:-.

.

' TI Talephone Incoming MI Mail Incoming PI Person coming to you (visite ion to you)TO Telephone Outgoing MO Mail Otamoung PO You going to person (onsite work) White Copy NWAEL Canary Copy Consultant

16

NWC ONGITE PLANNING FORM page 2

TasksClient Tasks and Rekurces

Resources

20. Task ISpecilically. what Will thy client do?) ProposedCompletion Complated 21. Ilan apecilically, what will the client provide?) Cost

EstimateACtualCost

Pleasing Tasks

Deliwary Tasks

.

TOTAL COST

22: Evaluation (How will you know if the service hasibeen ellect.ve,1 23. Consultant Comments: I-

...

_ .

0 ONSITE SERVICEti PLANNING FOR&I

II111 Consultant 2. Priority

No.3. Date forService

4. Durationof Service

S. State Coordimator Agreement

R. NWRELApproval

1. Total NIIMCost Esti/new

page 1'i 14. Summary of .Service 1ln general, what will you di?)

-

R. Person Making Request .. 9. Telephone 10. School/Organization.

11. Gontect Person f if different/ 12. Telephone 13. Street Addu,s City State Zip

15. Target Audience /in general. who will you serve";.

16. Rations : tor Service (Why is the service ne.ded?What /5 :re basis for the priority ssiswed71

17. Objectives of Service (What outcomes will resultIrons the service?)

Consultant Tasks and Resources_

TasksResources

18, Task (Specilicelly, what will you doll . C1eldtion Complied 19. Item ,Specifically. what will-you need and provide?'CE:tnit le CAcost I , 1, Planning Tasks:

* r.

.

s

.. /i/

Deliwery Tasks: 3

-

I

. .

..

.

.

.

i.

I.

.

.Follotvtp Tasksr.

. .

-

TOTAL COST .

White Copy - paniti. Canwy Copy Client Pink Copy State Coordinator Goldenrod Copy . COneultent

...... c...

- 9 01 7

EXPENSE LIST

Please keep track of all NWC expenditures on this form. Submit the list, receiptsand a signed ExpenseReport Form monthly (but not unless you have at least $20.00

. in expenditures). N rthwest Connection staff will'. transfer your expense list ontothe Expanse Report F FA. and process it for payment. You must submit a receipt forany expense over $10.60.

O is

2 8.% Purpose Computation

J2 130 a

8E

0

f,

V -

White Copy - NWi2E0Canary Copy - Consultant

TOTAL

18 9 r.-)ti t)

Acknowiedg. _

This guide is the resit of the efforts of many individuals. The Northwest Connection SteeringCommittee reviewed 'outlines of the gui e and provided. valuable conceptual input. Robert E.

Greg,Blum and r Druian wrote the text. Susan Applegate; handled the graphics, and NandYCarter coordinated production of the guide. Levonia Trotter typed the guide in both draft aridmanuscript form.