Redesigning Teacher Education from the

Ground Up- A Collaborative Model

Rene A. Middleton and Bonnie L. Prince

The role of collaborative alliances among education organizations in making program change passible to achieve 21st century distinction;1. It must be envisioned in mental images2. Articulated in language3. Converted to develop strategies4. Nurtured into real action

*Such strategies are the configuration's that we identify as “educational change”.

Fullan (1993, p.119-120) Writes that “reforming teacher preparation institutions, like any attempt to change complex traditional organizations, faces enormous obstacles”, that systems don’t change themselves, and that there is necessity of teacher educators to take the initiative.

Through the (C&C) Communication and Connections partnership, one college of education’s quest for new ways to prepare educators to accomplish K-12 schools in the region are being freshly influenced to attain-up-to-date educational principles and operations. And the concerns of School Personnel, Parents and Community Stakeholders. An economically low-resourced region are being addressed with new vigor in this change.

Processes of Change in a Collaborative Organization

C&C’s story is drawn from the experiences in the transcribed dialogues of key participants who were interviewed individually and in small groups, including the Dean of Education and Human Services at the regional university, two faculty members (A&B), four superintendents (A,B,C&D) and the C&C supporter whose involvement was integral to the organization.

Building the Momentum

Previous Initiatives to Resolve Educational Disparities

Communication and Connections (C&C) evolved from earlier alliances of concerned educators , including the Regional Superintendents Association in Appalachia (RSAA), an association of superintendents, university staff and other citizens which since the mid-1980’s, had voiced strong objection to the State’s inequitable school funding model which, based on property values, left school districts in the low-resourced Appalachian region with substantially less funding compared to state averages.

RSAA was ultimately instrumental in successfully swing the state for more evenly balanced funding. Yet, state legislators still failed to enact location-neutral financing, again leaving the Appalachian region with poorly funded schools and a culture of poverty that limited opportunity to rise above its economic and social limitations.

Prevailing Cultural Perceptions

People in the region often share a perception that the Appalachian countries are unfairly disadvantaged and school children have low self-expectations compared to the rest of the State. This mindset were strikingly conspicuous to a C&C member who had recently moved to the region from one state.

Crafting Agile Alignment1Non- Hierarchical Organization

2.Bridging Boundaries3.Seeking Common Ground

1.Non Hierarchical Organization- the expectations of C&C’s participants are primarily associated with change processes for expanding the influence of their own vision for educational improvement.2. Bridging Boundaries- collaboration across institutions also meant integrating different philosophies of education, particularly between schools and universities. The Superintendents have their own thoughts about teacher training.3. Seeking Common Ground- Superintendents, Dean and other faculty members extended to actively seek common ground about real issues.

C&C Impact on Teacher Education and Regional Schools

C&C had significant impact on regional teacher education.

The most visible are the following four design teams.

1. The joint endeavors of administrators

2. University faculty3. School Teachers4. Superintendents

Combined forces were investigated new models of teacher education. Areas currently under the development by Design Teams include:

1. Redesign of the University Curriculum to align courses and learning outcomes with newly identified professional skills.

2. Required of new teachers such as improved classroom management and student assessment.

3. Innovated teacher residency models that align regional practical experience with impending changes at state and federal levels.

4. New applications of multimedia technologies and infrastructure to augment the development of current and perspective teachers.

Final Thoughts

All numbers of C&C are integrated essential partners, peers and colleagues. Whose ideas are needed and respected, in a mutually collaborative process in shared change endeavors.Thriving and timely partnerships between College of Education and Human Services and its regional colleagues has contributed to the redesign of the teacher preparation programs to meet the needs of the children and families in this region, and to better prepare the regions’ schools for the challenges they face in the 21st century.

MYRNA B. ABALOSDEM 322