Works SCHOOL
SUMMER
2004 VOLUME 14
A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E H O U S T O N
CHALLENGE
Improving Literacy Central to High School Redesign
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ast year, almost 40 percent of tenth graders in Houston ISD failed included representatives from the school district, the schools, the English Language Arts section of the Texas Assessment of businesses and higher education and literacy experts. Knowledge and Skills, or TAKS. On a broader level, 83 percent of job The Task Force commissioned a study by the Annenberg Institute on applicants in Texas do not have the necessary basic education skills, best practices within Houston ISD and the nation as a whole. The such as reading, required in today’s labor market, according to the study found that good literacy practice in high school consisted of: RAND Corporation. ◆ Choice, time and access –Students must be given some choice in To address this issue, Houston Schools for a New Society (HSNS) reading materials, extended time to read and write, and access to all has begun an initiative to improve literacy skills of high school types of print media. students. In its first year, the initiative has put literacy coaches in place ◆ A menu of strategies – Students must be given many varied in all 24 of Houston ISD’s comprehensive high schools. HSNS is a opportunities to respond to text. partnership between Houston A+ and Houston ISD to redesign the ◆ A variety of activities – Teachers must use reading strategies that district’s comprehensive high schools into small, theme-based appeal to differing learning styles. academies with personalized and ◆ Real-world connections – rigorous instruction. Teachers must bring authentic adult Literacy is not just reading – it is models into instruction. the ability to also write, speak, listen ◆ Engagement – Students must and think effectively. “For the most be given time and access to relevant part, students come to high school texts. able to read, but unable to attain ◆ Discussion and oral language higher levels of thinking without – Students need a variety of focused practice,” according to a responses including oral study of literacy by The Annenberg communication. Institute of School Reform at Brown ◆ Cooperative team learning, University. “Fluency and which helps create a literate comprehension are the challenges community. that face our high school students. ◆ An emphasis by teachers on Furr High School Literacy Coach Sheila Whitford (seated far left) works with a group of Students have difficulty reading a metacognition, that is, concrete students in Sandra Mondy's (standing far right) mathematics class. Whitford works with variety of materials and lack discussions while modeling the Mondy and teachers in other subjects such as science and social studies to identify ways vocabulary in content areas.” thought processes mature readers to improve student achievement by improving literacy skills. Traditionally, literacy is addressed use when reading. at the elementary level in schools. Very little is done at the middle or Findings from The Annenberg Institute and a subsequent literacy high school levels. The education system assumes students can read on symposium became the foundation for creation of a district-wide grade level by this time. As a result, “adolescents are being shortLiteracy Framework, which was adopted by the Houston ISD Board of changed,” according to the Commission on Adolescent Literacy in the Trustees in 2003. The framework called for changes at the school, district and community level. International Reading Association, “…the literacy needs of an At the school level, full-time campus-based literacy coaches were adolescent are far different from those of primary-grade children.” recommended. Coaches would be responsible for infusing literacy Armed with this knowledge, HSNS brought together a Task Force during the 2001-2002 school year to study literacy. The Task Force Improving Literacy . . . 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
Associate Director
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ouston is one of a number of cities examining high school literacy. In the most recent issue of Voices in Education, a publication of the Annenberg Institute of School Reform at Brown University, editor Robert Rothman writes that these cities’ efforts around literacy “stem from the recognition that too many children have been ill-served by traditional high school structures and instructional practice.” “In response,” he continues, “these cities are creating smaller schools (or breaking down Michele Pola large schools into smaller units) in order to establish environments that are more engaging and more conducive to learning.” In Oakland, New York City and Los Angeles, schools and community groups are teaming up to create what some are calling “local education support networks,” or LESNs, to link in-school and out-of-school literacy efforts. The Annenberg Institute and the Academy for Educational Development are building a national adolescent literacy support network to link educators, including those in Houston, together to share successful practices. In Houston, the next step is making the instructional changes in the classroom that will improve teaching and learning. A Task Force of representatives from the school district, the schools, businesses and higher education recommended, among other things, the creation of a literacy coach to guide this work at each large, comprehensive high school. This Summer 2004 issue of SchoolWorks takes an in-depth look at literacy and why it is being embedded into the Houston Schools for a New Society high school redesign initiative in Houston ISD. You will find an explanation of how and why literacy came to be part of the initiative, profiles of two of the 28 literacy coaches and a description of how the coaches work with high school teachers and other staff. These coaches and teachers are working to reach the student who is unable to understand what he or she reads in Algebra or Biology or English, thus ending a cycle of frustration that all too often yields yet another dropout. I applaud their work.
Leadership Academy Retreat a Hit with School Leaders
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he New Visions in Leadership Academy Spring Retreat is earning rave reviews from attendees. “(The conference) was a very fulfilling experience for me as a coach and as a participant,” said Gina Rigsby of Aldine ISD. “The uninterrupted time made allowances for me and the group to bond more closely. The networking opportunities are invaluable. I believe this was one of the most powerful conferences that I have attended since I have been a part of (The Houston) Annenberg/A+ Challenge. The work was profound! Thanks for the wonderful opportunities and beneficial experiences that A+ Challenge provides!”
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Another attendee, Jocelyn Mouton of Houston ISD, shares that “after the Leadership retreat, I worked with my teachers on defining good instruction. I incorporated many of the activities when I designed my training session for February 16. We use the term ‘good instruction’ a lot but Houston A+ gave me the tools for leading a dialogue that defines it and identifies what it looks like. The experience had a deeper meaning for me because I had spent time with my colleagues clarifying my ideas about good instruction before I tried to help my teachers.” The New Visions in Leadership Academy provides school leaders with the
tools and skills they need to manage change and growth in 21st century schools. Since its inception, more than 90 school leaders have graduated from the academy. The academy Fellows complete one-year of intensive professional development around distributed leadership. Two retreats are held throughout the first year. During their second year, Fellows participate in focused discussion on a specific plan for improving student success. The Class of 2003 will celebrate completion of its first year with a dinner on June 22. The next class of Fellows will begin work June 23 with a three-day institute.
Opportunity Knocks By Melissa Guillermo Senior Melissa Guillermo reflects on what she has learned through her participation in the Houston Chronicle, Houston A+ Challenge, Milby High School partnership in Journalism. Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work––Thomas Edison I noticed a foreign figure sitting at the computer where I usually type my stories for the newspaper. Puzzled, I examined this person while they checked what looked to be their e-mail. What could be more important then getting the newspaper out? She turned to face the class. A business suit? Okay, maybe it Melissa Guillermo is important. As everyone was getting settled and seated, someone else entered the classroom. Not a business suit, but more relaxed, which I could work with. My teacher introduced the person to the class as an employee of the Houston Chronicle. Why would the Chronicle want to have anything to do with Milby High School? It turned out that we were involved in a special program with the Houston paper that allowed us to have a deeper perception of what it was like to work for a major city newspaper. Well, needless to say, it was quite a trip. We were standing in a plane field waiting to be taught. Every class period a new speaker would arrive and describe their life as a reporter or editor. At first, I felt as if I was being suffocated with various persons speaking of how exciting, yet challenging, writing for the paper was because of the deadlines. I began to have second thoughts about pursuing this dream I had of writing for a newspaper, which day-byday seemed more and more out of reach. The plane soon became a hole. Then I paid attention to what every speaker was emitting: passion. Passion for the career they were involved with and the excitement blended with ambition, which they contained in the softest place of their hearts. All of this for journalism? My hole was extinct and a small hill was created.
I was enlightened. Who knew you could acquire so much resplendence from the newspaper world? I used to see a journalistic career as a somber workplace where fun was never heard of and what you felt deeply for was of no importance to anyone. Now, I see that you can make a difference with this career. This gives you a strong place where your thought stands out in the array of others’ voices. For this
we’d like to thank the Houston Chronicle for giving us all an insight into what and who is behind the words, columns and paragraphs we used to take lightly. Thank you for presenting us with the opportunity to expand our knowledge. And, finally, thank you all and my teacher, Mr. Wallace Sisk, for helping me in my career choice. The mountain has been built.
The High School Journalism Initiative is a partnership between Milby, the Houston Chronicle and Houston A+ Challenge to increase students’ media literacy and knowledge about the First Amendment while strengthening and expanding the school’s student newspaper. The initiative also links the classroom to the real world skills students will need to be successful after graduation in college or beyond. During the pilot project at Milby, journalists visited the classroom to share their experiences and to work with students one-on-one. Students in turn visited the paper to learn what goes into putting out a major metropolitan daily. The initiative was funded by a grant from the Houston Chronicle through the American Society of Newspaper Editors and the Knight Foundation and a second grant from The Houston A+ Challenge through its Houston Schools for a New Society high school redesign initiative. The American Society of Newspaper Editors is made up of the editors-in-chief at small papers or mid/upper level editors at larger papers. ASNE has found that about 40% of all journalists and 50% of all African-American journalists in today’s newsrooms became interested in their career by working on their high school newspaper. Yet the number of high school student newspapers is decreasing, particularly in urban schools with majority populations of students of color, at the same time the industry is working to diversify its editorial staff.
Save the Date for Annual Summer Institute The Fondren Reforming Schools Summer Institute VIII, organized annually by Houston A+ Challenge, is scheduled for July 27-29, 2004, at the University of Houston Hilton Conference Center. The theme this year is “Keeping Kids Connected” with conference strands focusing on instruction in literacy, math and fine arts programming and instruction for students Pre-K through 12. Teachers, administrators, other school personnel, parents, students and community members will be invited to attend as part of a team from their schools. Participants can expect lots of opportunities to deepen their own learning and understanding, to network with members of other school teams and to develop their school team’s plans for the coming school year. Save the dates—and watch for registration information soon!
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L i t e r a c y
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W o r k
Improving Literacy
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student who is struggling in a variety of classes. The roundtable format gives us the chance to see how we can address the problem in a very thorough manner.” One student in particular has benefited from the ongoing efforts of Joseph and her teachers. “When we first started working with him, he held his head down and seemed really embarrassed at making mistakes,” she said. “Now, he’s gained enough confidence in his reading skills that he will correct himself without getting embarrassed, and he’s even starting to ask questions in class. That’s real progress.” Sheila Whitford, the full-time literacy coach at Furr High School, sees the same type of progress at her school. “I spend most of my day working with teachers, co-teaching or working with students,” said Whitford, who is in her Sandra Mondy (right) works with a student in her Algebra I class. Next year, Mondy will join Sheila Whitford as a full- second year as a literacy coach. “I have time literacy coach at Furr High School in Houston ISD. worked with world geography classes, Joseph is completing her first full year integrated physics and chemistry, as a full-time literacy coach at Westbury Algebra I, transitional English and regular English classes this year. High School. After several years in a variety of roles at the elementary, middle Usually, the teacher and I spend some time planning. I introduce literacy and high school levels, Joseph has strategies using the teacher’s content and enjoyed the change of pace brought by then we co-teach.” her new position. “The teachers have In science and math, Whitford has been very open to the idea,” she said. worked with individual teachers “While I don’t try to tackle content in areas like math and science, I help those preparing lessons that use reading and note-taking strategies. Included in the teachers identify students who may be having trouble in their classes because of reading strategies, she encourages reading problems. We work together to teachers to use hooks into the curriculum with real-life scenarios. build a plan for their students.” “The teachers and I talk and plan a lot Included in those plans is a combination of individual tutoring plus using thinking maps and concept maps that encourage students to make ongoing teacher development opportunities. “One of the most helpful connections to vocabulary prior to actually teaching the concept,” she says. tools I’ve found are our Second Cup of “Labs and problem solving are easier Coffee meetings,” said Joseph. During when students comprehend or have their respective planning periods, some connection to the content.” She teachers gather with Joseph for a roundtable discussion on strategies that hopes one day to film the strategies in action for use in departmental training work and strategies that haven’t helped much. “It’s a great opportunity to share using Critical Friends Group (CFG) plus it helps because we may have one Literacy at Work. . . continued on page 6 n any given day, you will find Deanna Joseph in a classroom modeling note-taking skills for students, tutoring a student one-on-one, leading a roundtable discussion for teachers and planning for a summer teacher development course on literacy. The literacy coaches at each of Houston ISD’s 24 comprehensive high schools may wear many hats but they have one goal: working with teachers to build the literacy skills students will need to be successful in life.
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across all content areas, such as math, science and social studies, particularly for ninth and tenth grade students. They would help identify students needing additional help and play a key role in the ongoing professional development teachers need for weaving literacy skills into content areas. Each school had a literacy coach in place at the beginning of the 2003-2004 school year. Before beginning work in the school, the coaches took 10 days of literacy skills training at Neuhaus Education Center. The training, made possible by funding from the Cullen Foundation, focused on the variety of strategies teachers can employ to upgrade literacy skills in all students, including English Language Learners. Since the training, the literacy coaches have trained teachers on campus, worked hand-in-hand with teachers in their classrooms, analyzed and implemented individualized instructional strategies for teachers and tutored students. (See related articles on pages 4 and 5 for more details on the literacy coach in action.) On the district level, the framework recommended that Houston ISD offer focused professional development on high school literacy and called for restructuring curriculum to support these efforts. To help accomplish the curriculum piece, Houston ISD asked one of its school principals, Cynthia Wilson, to work with The Houston A+ Challenge. To date, literacy coaches have taken part in professional development for teachers in other content areas, such as math and science, so they can better understand how literacy tools can be infused across a school’s curriculum. In the community, the framework recommended individual schools and district officials work to develop reading mentor programs, to form a Literacy Oversight Team and to create a literacy program for parents. “Research has shown that it’s not enough to simply hand diplomas to students,” said Michele Pola, Ed.D., associate director/director of programs for The Houston A+ Challenge. “Whether students choose to enter the workforce immediately or whether they choose to attend college first, literacy skills across all content areas are key to their success.”
C Summer o a c h eScience s a tInternships t h e H Expand; e a r t Exciting o f L i Changes t e r a c Planned y I n i for t i a2004 tive
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n important component of the Literacy Framework adopted by the Houston ISD Board of Trustees in conjunction with Houston Schools for a New Society is a full-time literacy coach who is based at each of the 24 comprehensive high schools involved in the project. The 2003-2004 school year marked the first full year for literacy coaches in each of these schools. Each coach is intended to be an “in-house” resource who serves as a crucial link in translating reading strategies to classroom practice. What does a literacy coach do? Among their many responsibilities are to: ■ Model reading and writing strategies that are embedded in the curriculum ■ Act as a resource for strategies and demonstrations for all teachers – in all disciplines ■ Help implement literacy strategies specific to and across curriculum areas in the classrooms ■ Provide ongoing professional development based on the needs of the school through data analysis and teachers’ areas of need ■ Partner with a local university to connect professional development and teacher preparation ■ Develop campus level summer institutes to teach strategies and skills ■ Develop and provide professional development on literacy and skills across content areas ■ Work with school’s guidance department to identify students needing additional help with literacy ■ Identify reading assessment tools and train teachers on how to use them ■ Conduct ongoing observations and provide support to teachers ■ Develop literacy orientation package for new teachers ■ Research literacy issues and provide teachers with up-to-date research ■ Conduct model lessons; coach and observe others ■ Collaborate with the school improvement facilitator, school librarian and other key personnel
■ Establish a relationship with middle school and feeder pattern ■ Model reading and writing strategies embedded in CLEAR, the Houston ISD curriculum. How are literacy coaches trained? While training and serving as a resource for other teachers, literacy coaches are required to maintain and improve upon their own practices. Literacy coach training is coordinated and provided by a partnership between Houston A+ Challenge and the curriculum and instruction and professional development departments of Houston ISD. To assure that all student populations are served, the initial baseline training was
Literacy Coaches NAME Raymond Pocquette Carolyn Lee Conner Eldred Walters Ahmal Tuck Tina Angelo Lydia Smith Alfred Williams Barbara Jimenez Carolyn Thibeaux Kathleen El Hejjali Shondalyn Lucky Sheila Whitford Vanessa Squirrel John Winston Mary Ellen Wolf Layli Strasburg Allison McGowan Mary Smith Michael Webster Laura Denton Adam Rene Perez Vorris Richard Marie Inglat Deanna Joseph Mary Ridley Beth Lee Michelle Edwards Traci Stewart-Jones
SCHOOL Austin High Barbara Jordan High Bellaire High Booker T. Washington High Central Office Challenge Early College High Chavez High Chavez High Chavez High Chavez High Davis High Furr High Jones High Kashmere High Lamar High Lee High Madison High Milby High Reagan High Sam Houston High Sharpstown High Sterling High Waltrip High Westbury High Westside High Wheatley High Worthing High Yates High
conducted by the Neuhaus Education Center and followed by weekly professional development. In addition, five literacy coaches were selected to complete special literacy mentoring training at the nationally recognized New Teacher Center at the University of California at Santa Cruz. This training consists of six separate multi-day academies. The coaches selected for this training, which is funded by a Teacher Induction Partnership (TIPS) Initiative grant, are Michelle Edwards, Vanessa Squirrel, Traci Stewart-Jones, Vorris Richard and Allison McCowan. Two Houston ISD district officials, Nancy Quarles and Harold Winston, are participating in the training to ensure district support. These participants are learning mentoring skills to be passed along to their fellow literacy coaches. These skills focus primarily on supporting existing teachers as they learn how to help students build literacy skills across diverse content areas. What other work is being done? The Houston A+ Challenge and Houston ISD have formed a Literacy Leadership Team composed of local experts. Representatives from University of Houston, University of HoustonDowntown, University of St. Thomas and Houston Baptist University serve alongside representatives from Houston ISD, Houston A+ Challenge and three current literacy coaches. The focus of this team is not only to ensure the success of current teachers but also to infuse these skills into the teacher preparation programs at the participating universities. Members of this team include Dr. BeBe Hood of University of HoustonDowntown, Dr. Doris Williams-Smith of University of Houston, Dr. Eloise Hughes of Houston Baptist University and Robert LeBlanc of University of St. Thomas. Also serving on the leadership team are Harold Winston, Karen Owen, Nancy Quarles, Michelle Edwards, Vanessa Squirrel and Traci Stewart-Jones, all of Houston ISD. Tim Martindell and Dr. Louise Deretchin of The Houston A+ Challenge round out the team.
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Car ver Student Delivers Address at Fine Arts Celebration The following is the text of the speech given by Yvonne Lopez, a junior art student at Aldine ISD’s GW Carver Magnet High School. She delivered the speech during the Houston A+ Challenge Fine Arts Celebration Dinner held at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in February. According to Dave Renner, Visual Art Department Chair at Carver, Ms. Lopez is “an outstanding art student” and “a poised and articulate young lady” who currently ranks second in her class. Art is my life. Everything around me is a piece of art - the building the architect created, the chair a designer made and of course each individual sitting here. For me, a school day isn’t complete without a daily dose of art class. Art class had become my own little refuge. One can’t have a decent education without the arts - visual or performing. There are no rules to expressing oneself, one gets to be the boss, one’s teacher and possibly teach others. When one makes the rules, one gets to explore and experiment. Each person creates their own reality and dreams come alive. Art isn’t just about painting and drawing, it’s about exploring your boundaries, going over the limit, learning from the masters and thinking outside the box. Each additional year in art allows one to grow and develop oneself. My interest in the visual arts world began early. I remember my mother’s stories about being entertained with crayons and paper for hours…yeah, the fascination hasn’t ended. In elementary and intermediate, I learned about the foundations and began to explore materials. I discovered value, shadows, colors and texture. As the years progressed I learned Yvonne Lopez more and more. Middle school was a whole new environment. The experience at Drew was unforgettable. There I was able to play with photography, printmaking, metals, clay and anything else you could think of. It was art heaven. Not many kids that age are exposed to such treasure; I was one of the lucky ones. How many kids can say they mastered the potter’s wheel or developed their own photos in sixth grade? Sixth grade was the introduction to more advanced art, more foundations and experimenting. That year I used a blowtorch to make a ring, the potter’s wheel to make a candleholder and chemicals to develop photos. Seventh grade was more in depth to the concepts, more materials, more experimenting and more freedom. By eighth grade I excelled at photography, jewelry, printmaking and drawing. The years at Drew prepared me for what was to come.
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By the time I got to Carver, I was an art nerd. I had developed my skill and was about to learn more. Without the knowledge acquired at Drew, I would have been lost and confused. I knew more than the basic and could carry on with poise. Carver has opened doors for me with the many contests that I am able to enter. It’s all about getting one’s name out and getting recognized. Carver is preparing me for the future. With a year and a half to go, I am already looking into art colleges, making a portfolio, taking slides and producing as much work as possible. Art kids and their teachers become like a family. Even in the early years, I could sense closeness. Art brings everyone closer together and one is able to open up more. Art allows one to express what one won’t speak out loud. One can’t go wrong with art! Drew Academy is a Houston A+ Challenge Beacon School. Carver is a Houston A+ Challenge Lamplighter School.
Literacy at Work . . . continued from page 4 protocols. A Critical Friends Group is a collection of teachers and administrators who examine curriculum and student work to identify and learn best teaching practices. The literacy coach model has made a change for many of her teachers and students. “I think that teachers are more open to discussions about instruction and the metacognition that takes place with students,” she said. “Looking at how students learn and think has become important with the teachers who have worked with me.” Metacognition is the process of considering and regulating one’s own learning. For example, one of her teachers began using the vocabulary semantic maps prior to teaching the science concepts. The teacher started guided note-taking and required student portfolios. The result? An increased number of students passed her classes, and they noticed that student learning was more organized. In addition, Whitford has established some lesson plan sharing among teachers. These plans and ideas are often taken back to the content area department for discussion and sharing. She also facilitates the Furr High School Instructional Council, which is designed to help establish structural changes, instructional recommendations for lesson plan content and standards for evaluating quality work. Next year, Furr will have two literacy coaches. “The new literacy coach will be part of our building a literacy team,” says Whitford. “The new coach, Sandra Mondy, is a math teacher in our building now. She and I will work together to promote instructional techniques in the classrooms that we hope will increase literacy not solely in reading and writing in English classes but in all content areas.”
Champions of Active Learning Awards Grants to Middle School Teachers For the fourth straight year, JP Morgan Chase Foundation awarded Champions of Active Learning grants to Houston area teachers for developing innovative instructional programs that result in improved achievement for middle school students. Grant recipients for the 2003-2004 school year were: Ann Mitchell Pershing Middle School To Infinity and Beyond: The Art and Science of Space Exploration Eighth-grade students launch their study of space with handson science and language arts activities that promote student inquiry and higher level thinking. Students research and create products that celebrate the achievements of pioneers in space exploration and also design, build and launch their own rockets. Percy Wilson Attucks Middle School Engineering is Child’s Play Through the completion of activities such as Robotics, Future City and ExploraVision, students gain an appreciation of engineering and technology. Students research an engineering subject, analyze and present data, write reflective and persuasive papers and conduct presentations on various engineering principles. Katie Ramsey Hogg Middle School Newspaper Project Students participate in every facet of school newspaper production. They are involved in writing, production, editing, photography, business management and all other aspects of running a newspaper. Grant recipients also attended the Champions of Active Learning Conference, had access to technical assistance opportunities provided by the Public Education Network (PEN) and participated in activities throughout the year. The Champions of Active Learning program is sponsored by JP Morgan Chase Foundation and administered by PEN. The Houston A+ Challenge is a member of PEN and coordinates the program locally. Grant recipients for the 2004-2005 school year will be announced this summer.
Publications of Note Several educators have published articles drawing on research conducted as participants in the various Houston A+ Challenge initiatives. The publications include: Publication: Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 54, No. 2, March/April 2003 Article: School Portfolio Development: A Teacher Knowledge Approach Author: Cheryl J. Craig, Rice University Publication: Research Perspectives on School Reform: Lessons from the Annenberg Challenge Article: Building Constructive Partnerships in Urban School Reform Authors: Joy Phillips, University of Houston Pedro Reyes, University of Texas at Austin Linda Clarke, Houston A+ Challenge Publication: Teacher Education & Practice, Vol. 15, No. 4, Winter 2002 Article: Teaching and Inquiry: A Conversation with P. Tim Martindell, Language Arts Teacher in the Charles R. Drew Academy, Aldine Independent School District Authors: P. Tim Martindell, Houston A+ Challenge (formerly of Aldine ISD’s Drew Academy) Patrick M. Jenlink, Stephen F. Austin University Publication: Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, Vol. 18, No. 3, Spring 2003 Article: Powerful Learning: Creating Learning Communities in Urban School Reform Author: Joy Phillips, University of Houston Publication: Developing Teachers and Teaching Practice: International Research Perspectives Article: School Portfolio Development: A Way to Access Teacher Knowledge Author: Cheryl J. Craig, Rice University If you would like your publication to be considered for inclusion in Publications of Note, please send a copy of the book or article along with ordering information to: Editor, SchoolWorks, 1415 Louisiana, Box 9, Houston, Texas 77002. You may also email the information to Nan Varoga at nvaroga@houstonaplus.org. We also accept information on presentations made to local, national or international audiences on work stemming from Houston A+ initiatives. Send the name of presenter(s), date, topic, location and audience to the address or email listed above.
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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
Summer/Fall 2004 Calendar of Events
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID
#11363 HOUSTON, TEXAS
THE HOUSTON A+ CHALLENGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Harry Reasoner, Chairman Vinson & Elkins, LLP
JUNE
2 7-11 17-18 22
JULY
SEPTEMBER
Houston Schools for a New Society Learning Retreat New Visions in Leadership Academy Class of 2003 Celebration New Visions in Leadership Academy Class of 2004 Institute
19-23
Critical Friends Group New Coach Seminar
27-29
Fondren Reforming Schools Summer Institute VIII
7
5 22-23
DECEMBER
Critical Friends Group Training in Texarkana
23-25
29-October 1
OCTOBER
Houston Schools for a New Society Network Meeting
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New Visions in Leadership Academy Cohort Meeting Harvard Leadership Institute
New Visions in Leadership Academy Cohort Meeting
Joe B. Foster, President Chairman, President & CEO Newfield Exploration Company
BOARD MEMBERS Jack S. Blanton President Eddy Refining Company Leonel Castillo Education Liaison, Mayor’s Office Jonathan Day Managing Partner Andrews & Kurth, Mayor, Day, Caldwell & Keeton, LLP David French Division Vice President & General Manager Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. Ann Friedman, Ph.D. Adjunct Professor, The University of Houston Roberto Gonzalez Vice President, Employment and Training Centers, Inc. H. Devon Graham, Jr. R.E. Smith Interests
New Visions in Leadership Academy Retreat
Jenard Gross President, Gross Investments
New Visions in Leadership Academy Cohort Meeting
Steve Miller Chairman & President SLM Discovery Venture Inc. Karol Musher, M.A., CCC-SLP Speech, Language and Learning Disorders Texas Children’s Hospital
SchoolWorks is published by: Houston A+ Challenge 1415 Louisiana, Box 9 Houston, Tx 77002 713.658.1881 / 713.739.0166 (fax) Associate Director/Director of Programs: Michele Pola, Ed.D. Policy Specialist: Linda Clarke
Maconda Brown O’Connor, Ph.D. Chairman, Brown Foundation J. Victor Samuels Chairman, Victory Packaging Yava Scott Community Volunteer 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