Works
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SPRING/SUMMER 2005 V O L U M E 1 6
A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E H O U S T O N
CHALLENGE
Learning Experiences Grow Through K-5 Fine Arts Initiative
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uring the 2004-2005 school year, first graders in Houston created an opera and in Humble wrote songs about Australia while teachers in Spring Branch brought artists into the classroom during math and science lessons. These and other new projects were part of The Houston A+ Challenge K-5 Fine Arts Initiative’s second year. “Today, there is a greater recognition that students involved in the fine arts are more motivated to learn, learn more easily and do better in school,” says Margaret Wallace, the K5 Fine Arts Initiative program manager for The Houston A+ Challenge. “It is exciting to see teachers in areas that do not traditionally incorporate the use of fine arts—mathematics, reading and science—embrace the opportunity to help their students learn in new and different ways.” The five-year initiative will award $1.25 million in grants to five schools in four districts to integrate fine arts into the teaching of core subjects such as math, science and language arts. The schools, each of which will receive $50,000 a year for five years contingent on progress, are:
▲ Neff Elementary (Houston ISD) This year, Neff faculty learned to infuse dance, music and visual art into the classroom through professional development workshops hosted by Houston Grand Opera, Young Audiences of Houston and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Students in third, fourth and fifth grades had the opportunity to choose a four-week fine arts class, and many also participated in after-school clubs focused on the arts. Out-of-class learning experiences
included visits to the Houston Grand Opera and the Menil Collection. First-grade students created their own opera under the direction of artist-in-residence Mary Ann Pendino. Next year’s plans include integrating first and second grade students into the schoolwide initiative with a special focus on language arts, social studies and math, according to Neff Art Teacher Jose Rosales. Students at Neff Elementary create a piece of art for the school’s Hispanic Heritage ▲ Pine Forest Elementary program. (Humble ISD) presenters from music, theater and creative In one of the school’s first arts infusion projects, movement who showed teachers how to make first-grade students at Pine Forest composed direct applications to their classrooms. Artists their own song about Australia. Using in residence are in all classrooms grades two vocabulary and information learned in their through five, with plans to expand the artistsocial studies class, students wrote the words in-residence program to all grades in the and Music Specialist Alana Jacques added the coming school year. The Museum of Fine Arts, melody to create the music composition. Houston is providing professional development Students in other grades and classes also have sessions for Pine Shadows faculty, and students composed their own works based on their have participated in a number of trips to the studies in math, science and social studies Houston Symphony, Houston Ballet and local (see related article page 4.) museums. ▲ Pine Shadows Elementary (Spring Branch ▲ Aldine Academy (Aldine ISD) ISD) The Pine Shadows community started its Aldine Academy opened its doors in the 2003fine arts initiative with Project AIM (Arts 2004 school year. It is a district magnet school Integration Model). A presentation by fine arts International Baccalaureate Primary Years expert Kathleen Gaffney on the impact of fine Program with a Fine Arts and Arts infusion arts on children sparked a campus-wide interest interdisciplinary program grades K-4. All of its in integrating arts across all grades and almost 700 students participate in the fine arts disciplines, according to Pine Shadows Music through a variety of opportunities ranging from Specialist Pablo Ocanas. A partnership with special classes in music (which includes a full Young Audiences of Houston provided other Fine Arts Initiative . . . continued on page 4
Established in January 1997 with funding from the Annenberg Foundation and local matching contributions, The Houston A+ Challenge is an independent, public-private partnership that develops and funds school programs, professional development and leadership institutes to promote higher academic achievement by all students.
From the
Executive Director
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vital part of the work of school change is constant analysis of what you are doing and whether you are getting the results you intended. As those of you who work with Houston A+ Challenge know, this analysis is called the cycle of inquiry. Built into that cycle is a process called the theory of action. Both of these concepts stem from the Annenberg Challenge, a collection of various urban and rural whole-school reform initiatives around the nation in which Houston participated. Dr. Cheryl Craig, a professor in the College of Education at the University of Michele Pola Houston, recently conducted two action labs for Houston A+ on theory of action. The process can be used to ensure everyone who is part of planning the school change has the same belief structure before planning begins. We know that most people begin a project with a fairly good idea of what they intend to do and why they think it will work––their “theory of action.” That theory usually contains assumptions about what does and what doesn’t work. As the project gets under way, some of these assumptions hold up and some do not. At the same time, the work may shift course because of new people or unexpected forces. We ask schools to step back once a year and analyze their work using a Peer Review process. A peer review examines the theory of action, how the school has carried out its theory and whether it has been successful based on evidence. The school then adjusts its plan for the following year. At Houston A+ Challenge, we ask schools to make clear their assumptions up front and to make sure that as people learn and things change, their theory of action reflects these changes. At Houston A+ Challenge, our theory of action is that if schools provide quality teacher professional development, link to their communities and personalize education for students and educators, then they will be successful in providing a 21st century education for all their students. We, too, step back each year and adjust our plans to reflect lessons learned. I challenge you––whether you are a teacher, parent, community member or business partner––to get your school to examine its theory of action and whether it is serving all its students with a quality education.
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR…The ninth annual Fondren Reforming Schools Summer Institute takes place July 26-28 at the University of Houston Hilton Hotel. The institute brings together teachers, administrators, university faculty, parents, students and support providers to share their experiences in Whole School Reform. More information on registration and workshop topics is available at www.houstonaplus.org or by calling 713-658-1881. HOUSTON A+ CHALLENGE IS ONE OF STATE’S BEST CHARITIES… According to an article published by the “Dallas Morning News,” Charity Navigator ranked The Houston A+ Challenge as one of Texas’ top five charities. Charity Navigator, a watchdog group that rates charities on their efficiency in distributing donations, analyzed more than 3,500 non-profit groups according to the article. Each group is ranked on a scale of zero to four stars
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based on items such as administrative and fund-raising costs, as well as program funding. Joining Houston A+ in the top five were Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, the Humane Society of North Texas, Houston Area Women’s Center and the North Texas Food Bank. …Students in Coach Margorie Martinez’ P.E. LITERACY AT WORK… class at Furr High School in Houston ISD were recently spotted keeping journals. Coach Martinez has worked with Furr Literacy Coach Sheila Whitford on journaling for several years and decided to incorporate the journals as a reflective writing tool for her Habits of the Mind class. The students, who all left school for various reasons, were re-enrolled in September 2004 after the school participated in the “Expectation Graduation” dropout walk organized by Houston ISD and Houston A+ last summer.
In My Words: A Teacher’s Perspective on Her Summer Science Internship By JoNez Harlan, Science Department Chair, Reagan High School
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ast summer, The Houston A+ Challenge provided a wonderful opportunity for several students and their teachers in Houston ISD to participate in a six-week internship at Baylor College of Medicine. Immediately I knew that this was the chance of a lifetime to interface with real science and current technology in the research field. Thinking that a chance like this may never come along again, I encouraged several students to turn in their applications.
Reagan High School teacher JoNez Harlan (far left) works in the Cell Biology department laboratory last summer during her internship at Baylor College of Medicine. Harlan is now chair of Reagan's science department.
Luz Marie Chavez, a student at John H. Reagan High School and I were accepted to participate in the program. Realizing that this was a great opportunity for Luz and myself, I asked that we not be paired together. This would give us two presentations instead of one to share with the faculty and students at Reagan. Luz worked in the Microbiology department, researching Hepatitis C. I had the opportunity to work in the Cell Biology department laboratory researching gene expression, the mechanisms that are responsible for turning genes on and off. Day 1 was high impact, hands-on experience. We were actually doing meaningful research for the scientist and the laboratory. In no way was this busy work! I was so totally involved that I was unaware of time. Nothing was routine about this 9-to-5 day in the lab. Each day was well planned. I had the opportunity to witness the passion of scientists at work. Our scientist mentor David Stewart had to present a research paper at a conference in Virginia. We were left instructions to conduct several experiments. I am happy to report that we were able to complete the experiments successfully. I am so proud of Luz, my student, for recognizing and seizing
the opportunity to accept the challenge to participate in the program. I could see her confidence level growing each week in the program. I hope to impact my classroom by implementing techniques I learned at Baylor. I plan to have an interactive laboratory topic seminar (current issues in science); a bio journal club (examining current papers in the research field, for example stem cell research); upgrade the equipment in the laboratory (gel electrophoresis, centrifuge, micropipettes, DNA purification kits, etc.); field trips to the medical center; training my students how to work in a laboratory; more interdisciplinary projects; project-based learning; and celebratory events (recognizing and celebrating students’ success). I am already reaping innumerable benefits from this program. While at Baylor I had the opportunity to make several contacts. I was able to obtain a gel electrophoresis and centrifuge. I placed an application to be a fellow in Baylor’s GK-12 program, which is funded by the National Science Foundation and partners Baylor College of Medicine graduate student scientists with Houston ISD secondary biology teachers to develop new
Michael Banks of Scarborough High School works with instructor Sonia Rahmati-Clayton, Ph.D., on proper lab skills during the first week of his internship.
biology teaching resources. I now have a scientist, Erica Eichers from the Genetics department, who is working with my students and me 10 hours a week for one year. This is truly awesome––so many of my students have never met a scientist. Most of the scientists they know of are in the textbook, dead or far removed from their world. I am hoping that many of my students will be turned on to science through this experience.
A+ Summer Science Challenge
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he A+ Summer Science Challenge is a collaboration of The Houston A+ Challenge, the Baylor College of Medicine Discovery Lab and the John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science to provide hands-on learning experiences for high school science teachers and their students. Founded in 2002, a dozen teacher-student teams have participated in the program, which provides a six-week paid internship for each team in state-of-the-art research laboratories at Baylor. The project started with three high schools in Houston ISD’s Northwest District and was funded by The Houston A+ Challenge for the first two years and subsequently by National Institutes of Health. This summer, it will expand to include three additional high schools from Houston ISD. The expansion is made possible through Baylor by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. Also this summer, two former Houston A+ Challenge alumni will return for their second summer internship. “The most powerful comment I hear from students is now they know they can succeed in college,” says Dr. Scott Basinger, Associate Dean, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. “For many students they may be the first generation to even consider attending college, and once they complete the program, they are filled with such confidence about themselves and their abilities. It is truly inspiring.” In addition to the summer internships, the schools have developed ongoing partnerships with Baylor College of Medicine that include the use of equipment in school laboratories and professional development opportunities throughout the year. Graduate students from Baylor also lead “Brain Labs” for students. The graduate students lead an anatomy lesson with a real human brain for students to touch, feel and hold. The partnerships have even extended to several middle schools, including Hogg Middle School, where the graduate students work in small groups with sixth, seventh and eighth grade students throughout the year. The graduate students mentor the students and lead them in experiments and lectures on various scientific topics. (For more information on other higher education initiatives, see pages 6 and 7.)
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TEXAS COMMISSION ON THE ARTS APPLAUDS PINE FOREST’S FINE ARTS EFFORTS
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he Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) recently recognized Pine Forest Elementary School in Humble ISD with an Arts Education Program Grant for the school’s work in integrating fine arts across its curriculum. Pine Forest is one of five local elementary schools participating in The Houston A+ Challenge K-5 Fine Arts Initiative, which will award $1.25 million in grants to the schools over a five-year period (see related article page 1.) “Three years ago, I was asked to represent our district on the A+ Fine Arts Initiative design team,” says Stacia Gower, grants coordinator for Pine Forest and Humble ISD’s elementary art education facilitator. “I was very excited because it was exactly the type of program we were trying to build at the schools I serviced at the time. We had just begun to integrate some grade level units of study with my visual art curriculum and were starting to see powerful results. I saw the A+ initiative as the opportunity to put these concepts into practice on a schoolwide level and to share the process with others.” During the first year of the initiative, Gower and her Pine Forest team concentrated on three areas: professional development and training in all areas of the fine arts, building fine arts partnerships and creating fine arts learning experiences for both students and teachers. In addition, Young Audiences of Houston worked with the school to provide resident artists for each teacher, who works with the artist to plan and teach three lessons using fine arts. As part of this effort, Dr. Nancy Radcliff is working with Pine Forest teachers to train them in co-teaching strategies to make their lessons more effective. In addition, Kingwood College has been a resource to the school, providing trips to fine arts performances and supplemental staffing in dance and drama. Kingwood College also has been involved in building a service learning component for the infusion program that partners college students with Pine Forest classrooms.
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One teacher intimately involved with the arts infusion project is Pine Forest Music Specialist Alana Jacques, who returned from retirement to participate in the project. “The basic building blocks of music education help steer the process of arts infusion,” says Jacques. “Listening, valuing, singing, playing, reading and writing music all empower children to interact with their environment with wonder and awe. They are becoming the creators of the future.” Jacques’ enthusiasm has spread to her students and the teachers she works with to incorporate music into other subject areas. For instance: First-grade students composed their own song about Australia using vocabulary and other information from their social studies class. Fourth-grade students have produced two original songs (“Multiplication Rondo” and “Texas Weather”) based on their math and science lessons. Third-grade students in the Spanish immersion class used various instruments to produce a forest ecosystem piece entitled “La Sinfonia del Bosque,” or “Forest Symphony,” in both Spanish and English. Another third-grade class performed “Constellation Confusion” based on their Star Lab (a portable, inflatable planetarium) lessons in science. Most recently, third-grade students have shared in song and chant about such heroes as Rosa Parks, George Washington, Helen Keller and others. They also used the theme song, “This Little Light of Mine,” to write songs about their own inner hero. Fourth-grade students are learning about Texas through games, songs, dance and recorded music aimed at giving them a broad knowledge that includes people, places, history and cultural events, including its music industry. Fourth-grade students entertained their parents at the Fine Arts Share Evening with “Texas Our Texas” and original raps about Texas cities.
In addition to these individual grade level projects, Pine Forest teachers meet twice per month in four different families that are grouped vertically, kindergarten through fifth grade. “The meetings and fine arts projects have been a powerful tool to break down the isolation and barriers between grade levels,” says Gower. “They have provided older and younger students many opportunities to work together and learn from each other. And they give our teachers a chance to work across grade levels on special projects.”
Fine Arts Initiative . . . continued from page 1
Aldine Academy first-grader Joseline Romero creates an art piece based on the blending of dance movements, musical rhythms and beats to the voice found in visual line design and color theory.
recording studio where students can record their own work), art, wellness (which includes kinetic movement and dance), math and science labs, a composition lab, French and cultural studies. In addition, visual literacy teacher Elaine Wilkins, music teacher Christopher Dickson and other specialists work with individual teachers to incorporate fine arts into regular lesson plans for math, science, social studies and reading. The halls are full of vibrant work, including works of art by the school’s students and teachers, as well as works by masters such as Marc Chagall and Vincent Van Gogh. Many of the works echo lessons on plant biology, life cycles, symmetry, estimation and historical figures. All of the school’s staff have undergone Learning Through Art training at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston with many of the teachers taking advantage of additional training offered
Fine Arts Initiative . . . continued on page 5
Quest High School Students Advocate the Arts in Education
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n February 28, three students—Denise McLean, Jenna Buscemi and Julie Ellison—from Quest High School in Humble ISD traveled to Austin to celebrate Arts Education Day at the Capitol. Sponsored by the Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education, the day-long celebration was designed to foster awareness of fine arts in education for community members and elected officials. While the students enjoyed the trip, they had much more on their minds. The three were there to gather research they need to graduate. Before receiving a diploma, seniors at Quest High School must complete a senior exhibition project. They spend one semester researching a social issue before writing and implementing a social action plan. Based on their own experiences in the fine arts, and their exposure to fine arts advocacy through The Houston A+ Challenge, the three students selected “Fine Arts in Education” as their project. “We chose our project because all of us were involved in fine arts throughout our school years and felt like they played a big role in our overall education,” says McLean. “We want support for the fine arts to grow, and we want other students to have the opportunity to learn from them, too.” The three divided their project into three pieces: how fine arts affects brain development in children; how fine arts can be used as a therapy tool for children with disabilities and emotional issues; and the current status of legislation regarding and funding of fine arts. The group has already completed its research paper for the project and is putting the final touches on the presentation due in May. Based on their research, which showed that fine arts plays a large positive role in both brain development and as a therapy tool, the students wrote and will implement an action plan that includes: ◆A focus on local advocacy: The students are making presentations in support of arts in education to their school’s Parent Teacher Student Association, as well as the University of Houston-Clear Lake and other community groups. They are also working with Pine Forest Elementary in support of the school’s work in The Houston A+ Challenge’s K-5 Fine Arts Initiative. ◆A service project for the Children’s Assessment Center of Houston: The group is working with local merchants and fellow students to support a book drive benefiting the center’s bibliotherapy program. ◆A local arts education day similar to the one they attended in Austin. “In our research, we found that children who are consistently exposed to fine arts education have better spatial intelligence and better analysis skills,” said McLean. “In the long run, they do better academically, too. “While the research shows all of these benefits, fine arts are usually one of the first items cut when it comes to dollars or time,” she continued. “We want to make people aware of their benefit so that fine arts are always a key piece of a student’s overall education.”
Fine Arts Initiative . . . continued from page 4 by the museum in the evenings and on Saturdays. Teachers have also had their own learning experiences using fine arts through classes at The Potter’s Studio, at trainings by Joseph Dixon and Becky Vall (their artists-inresidence from Young Audiences of Houston) and through out-of-class experiences with Interactive Theater. Next year, the school plans to reorganize into vertical teams from kindergarten to fourth grade to better facilitate interaction and learning opportunities between grade levels. ▲ Gregory-Lincoln Education Center (Houston ISD) The school is in transition as its new leadership team works on plans for the future. Gregory-Lincoln’s goal is to involve more of the school community in arts integration. One strategy to achieve this goal is to incorporate visual arts into the curriculum, ultimately bringing on a full-time visual artist. In addition to the projects at individual schools, the fine arts network continues to meet regularly to share best practices for successful infusion of the arts across curriculum. The schools participated in “Lights on After-School,” an initiative aimed at expanding after-school activities and displayed their students’ artwork at the event. Also, The Houston A+ Challenge provided Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education tool kits to all its network schools. The kit shows schools how to integrate fine arts across the core subject curriculum. Three students at Quest High School in Humble ISD were so moved by the kit and their own experiences in fine arts they decided to base their senior exhibition on the importance of fine arts infusion (see related article this page.) In addition to planning for next year, each of the participating schools will take part in an annual Peer Review, which will evaluate the school’s progress toward an arts-integrated model of teaching. By next school year, students in all grade levels at almost all of the schools will be involved in the fine arts initiative. “Research shows that students who learn the rigors of planning and production in the fine arts will be valuable employees in the idea driven workplace of the future,” says Houston A+ Challenge Executive Director Michele Pola, Ed.D. “We are thrilled to play a role in ensuring their success.”
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Partnership for Quality Education The Partnership for Quality Education (PQE) is a partnership of Houston A+ Challenge, five local institutions of higher learning and six local school districts. PQE began as part of a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 2000. The group’s goal was to better prepare teachers to enter schools by examining, rewriting and launching revised courses in teacher preparation programs at the universities, as well as core curriculum courses in the Colleges of Arts & Sciences. This year, which is the final year of the original grant, the teams will determine which pieces of the project they will retain and institutionalize. To date, the PQE team has revamped and launched more than 100 courses at the universities. Results can be found in a set of recently published case studies called “Making the Case for Quality
Teacher Education” by Adolfo Santos, Ph.D. and Betin Santos of The Consortium for Assessment, Research and Evaluation in Houston. A copy of the case studies is available at www.houstonaplus.org. While the redesign teams (which consist of university and curriculum representatives) worked on separate courses, the University of Houston researchers found the introduction of Critical Friends Group (CFG) by The Houston A+ Challenge greatly enhanced the work and contributed to the effectiveness of collaboration. CFG uses a set of protocols designed to help educators reflect creatively on their teaching practices and how they might enhance or change these practices to improve student learning. The Houston A+ Challenge is the only center of activity for CFG on the Gulf Coast recognized by the National School Reform Faculty.
R E G I O N A L FA C U LT Y
A governing structure for the Regional Faculty, which includes an executive committee and groups of faculty academies focused on a number of different initiatives, has been designed. The primary goal of the Regional Faculty will be to ensure that education for students from pre-K to college and beyond keeps pace with the needs of an ever-changing society. The group will foster collaboration between higher education institutions, schools and community leaders. Current faculty academies operating within the regional faculty structure include: Deans Leadership Council, New Visions in Leadership Academy, History/Social Studies Taskforce, University/School Research Faculty Academy, Teacher Education Graduates Tracking Faculty Academy, A+ Summer Science Challenge, Teacher Induction Partnerships (TIPS) Academy and From High School to College Academy. Creation of the Regional Faculty is part of the plan Houston A+ submitted when it became part of the national Annenberg Challenge in 1997. One of the earliest faculty academies founded as part of the Regional Faculty is a team of professors and assistant professors from the University of Houston and the University of Houston-Clear Lake. The group was started in 2002 by Dr. Cheryl Craig of the University of Houston in conjunction with The Houston A+ Challenge. It is designed to develop a team across educational institutions to support research-based decisions in teaching and learning. Since 2002, The Houston A+ Challenge has provided approximately $50,000 in funding to the group, which has leveraged this funding by creating collaborations and winning grants from other organizations. As a result of their work, a number of Faculty Academy members have made presentations on topics such as “Maintaining Reflective Spaces: Professional Learning in K-12/Higher Education Partnerships” and “Creating Reflective Spaces: A Collaborative Approach” at major symposiums and conferences. In addition, many have published their work in education journals and received grants to fund their projects. Highlights include:
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A presentation to the American Association of Teachers and Curriculum Conference.
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A presentation at Invisible College, an affiliation of the American Educational Research Association.
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A book manuscript currently in the works (and funded by a grant from the National Education Association) documenting the Faculty Academy’s work to date.
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Formal lectures and private conversations with such nationally distinguished scholars as Dr. Geneva Gay, Dr. David Berliner, Dr. Randy Boomer and Dr. Pedro Noguera.
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Numerous internal grants from the University of Houston to fund projects led by Faculty Academy members.
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Funding for projects for two teacher research groups and two schools.
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An award from the state of Texas for a grassroots arts initiative involving several teachers in the greater Houston area and hundreds of their students.
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T E A C H E R I N D U C T I O N PA R T N E R S H I P In 2003, The Houston A+ Challenge received a Teacher Induction Partnership (TIPS) Initiative grant to provide mentoring opportunities for new and current teachers. The A+ Challenge chose to focus its mentoring efforts at the high school level through the use of literacy coaches in conjunction with its high school redesign project, a partnership with Houston ISD called Houston Schools for a New Society. Through the grant, five of the district’s literacy coaches have participated in seven multi-day academies presented by the New Teacher Center at the University of California at Santa Cruz. When they return from the trainings, the participants lead sessions for the rest of the district’s literacy coaches. They, in turn, pass the knowledge, skills and tools on to teachers and staff at their individual campuses. The information the coaches brought back from the first trainings was so useful that several Houston ISD officials responsible for professional development services decided to get a first-hand look for themselves. “After I attended my first training, I could see the information was going to have so many benefits to us,” said Harold Winston, advanced academics coordinator for Houston ISD’s South Central District, who attended the training along with Karen Owens, the district’s alternative certification director. “We brought some of the tools back and showed them to our professional development services staff. They could see the potential as well and started to investigate how the tools could be incorporated into the mentoring program for all Houston ISD teachers.” Based on this initial introduction to the TIPS training, staff in Houston ISD’s mentoring program began to see that significant changes were needed to customize support tools for mentor and new teacher needs. They began with a survey of current mentors and new teachers. Feedback from both groups indicated the old system, which placed mentors in pseudo-evaluator roles with little or no training, actually produced additional stress for both mentors and new teachers. Using results from the survey and information from the initial training, Houston ISD’s professional development staff
created a module for enhancing its system, went back for additional training and then began implementing a more efficient, new teacher-friendly system this school year. “Our first training session was a huge eye-opener for us,” says Ava Sweet, mentor program coordinator for Houston ISD’s professional development services department. She adds, “We had a number of mentors who appreciated the new tools and saw their benefit.” One of the biggest changes to the district’s mentoring program has been the introduction of non-evaluative language and processes. Mentors have gone from using an evaluationbased observation and conference form to a peer-based feedback form. One of the most useful of these new communication tools has been a collaborative post-observation form, which provides a guide for mentors in leading conversations and has improved communication between literacy coaches and teachers. Another big change to the mentoring program has been the addition of a support structure that provides ongoing training and sharing opportunities for mentors. Last fall, Houston ISD trained all of its mentors in the new language, tools and philosophies. They created District Lead Mentors, who continue to lead training sessions throughout the year, as well as Campus Lead Mentors (CLMs) who serve as resident communicators and encouragers of new teachers and mentors at every campus. “Now, our mentors and new teachers know exactly what is expected of them and how to use the tools we provide to get them there,” says Sweet. “It is a huge change in the atmosphere of the program. We have been completely rejuvenated.” In store for next year, the district plans to add an online discussion board for mentors and new teachers that will include real-life classroom challenges and potential answers by mentor teachers. Ongoing mentors updated modules are being developed which will include videos of answers to frequently asked questions that mentors have communicated by survey and to CLMs and mentor program staff. Another proposal in development is the addition of instructional coaches who will visit campuses to provide one-on-one support on request to new
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teachers in their first or second year. These instructional coaches also will visit year three teachers at least once a semester. The longterm goal of these added mentor support tools and strategies is to increase teacher retention rates among its more than 3,000 mentors and 3,000 new teachers, as well as improve student achievement. Other TIPS partners include Houston Baptist University, University of Houston, University of Houston-Downtown and University of St. Thomas. In April, the leadership team for the TIPS initiative met with representatives from Houston ISD and the A+ Challenge to develop a long-term strategy for developing writing skills in high school students to help make them more successful when they enter college. The team is currently working on methods of implementing ideas from the meeting on both the high school and university level.
DEANS’ LEADERSHIP ACADEMY The Deans’ Leadership Academy was first convened in 2001 by The Houston A+ Challenge. Deans and chairs of colleges, schools and departments of education make up the membership and represent Houston Baptist University, Houston Community College System, Texas Southern University, the University of Houston, the University of Houston-Downtown and the University of St. Thomas. Robert Wimpelberg, Dean of the College of Education at the University of Houston, chairs the Academy. Meetings of the Academy center on a rich spectrum of topics of interest to these Houston-area deans. This spring, the Academy put into motion a survey of teacher education graduates that will gather information about the effectiveness of their preparation programs and the classroom conditions in schools where these graduates are teaching. This project represents a collaborative effort between the Deans’ Leadership Academy and the Faculty Academy on Graduate Tracking, a working group convened by Houston A+ Challenge and made up of professors of education from most of the institutions represented on the Deans’ Academy.
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THE HOUSTON
CHALLENGE
formerly The Houston Annenberg Challenge
1415 Louisiana, Box 9 Houston, Texas 77002-7332 713-658-1881 fax 713-739-0166 www.houstonaplus.org
Spring-Summer 2005 Calendar of Events
MAY
14
Taking the Next Steps: Literacy Lessons
20
PQE Leadership Retreat
24
Focused Impact Grant Award Announcement
31-June 1
Regional High School Leadership Network
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID
#11363 HOUSTON, TEXAS
THE HOUSTON A+ CHALLENGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Harry Reasoner, Chairman Vinson & Elkins, LLP Joe B. Foster, President Chairman, President & CEO Newfield Exploration Company Ann Friedman, Ph.D., Secretary Adjunct Professor, The University of Houston
BOARD MEMBERS Jack S. Blanton President Eddy Refining Company Leonel Castillo Education Liaison, Mayor’s Office
6-10
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
Teacher Externship Week
10
Regional Senior Fellows Network
27
New Visions in Leadership Academy Celebration Dinner
28-30
New Visions in Leadership Academy Summer Institute
11-15
Critical Friends Group New Coaches Training
26-28
Fondren Reforming Schools Summer Institute IX
27
Expectation: Graduation Reach Out to Dropouts Day
Jonathan Day Managing Partner Andrews & Kurth, Mayor, Day, Caldwell & Keeton, LLP David French Division Vice President & General Manager Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. Roberto Gonzalez Vice President, Employment and Training Centers, Inc. H. Devon Graham, Jr. R.E. Smith Interests Jenard Gross President, Gross Investments Steve Miller Chairman & President SLM Discovery Venture Inc. Karol Musher, M.A., CCC-SLP Speech, Language and Learning Disorders Texas Children’s Hospital Maconda Brown O’Connor, Ph.D. Chairman, Brown Foundation
SchoolWorks is published by: Houston A+ Challenge
J. Victor Samuels Chairman, Victory Packaging
1415 Louisiana, Box 9 Houston, Tx 77002 713.658.1881 / 713.739.0166 (fax)
Yava Scott Community Volunteer
Executive Director: Michele Pola, Ed.D. Director of Programs: Jocelyn Mouton, Ed.D.
H. Michael Tyson Vice Chairman, Retired, Chase Bank Texas
Director of Public Affairs: Nan Powers Varoga
Andrea White Civic Volunteer
www.houstonaplus.org
Randa Duncan Williams President, Enterprise Products Company Rosie Zamora President, Telesurveys Research Associates