'The Power of the Network'
From the A+ Office
Teacher-Centered Professional Development
It’s no surprise: professional development as it has been provided in many schools and school districts does not work. In his highly useful and insightful book, Diaz-Maggioli starts here and asks the logical follow-up question, “So what does?”
The answer? Teacher-Centered Professional Development.
For Diaz-Maggioli, professional development “should be understood as a job-embedded commitment that teachers make in order to further the purposes of the profession while addressing their own particular needs. It should follow principles that guide the learning practices of experienced adults, in teaching communities that foster cooperation and shared expertise.”
Reflective Practice: More Than a Catch Phrase
Reflective practice isn't just a catch phrase, a sound bite or one in a long line of trends. Instead, it calls on teachers to pause and look at the work they are doing, reflect on it and improve. Since its inception, Houston A+ Challenge has held reflective practice as a key piece in improving schools.
Over the last year, A+ has conducted a series of focus groups in local schools to gather data on what teachers in the Houston metro area would like out of professional development.
Two More A+ Aspiring Principals Tapped to Lead Schools in 2010
Houston A+ Challenge is proud to announce that two aspiring principals in Cohort Two of our Regional Princpal Leadership Academy will take on new roles as building principals starting in January 2010.
Karl Koehler will lead Atascocita Middle School in Humble ISD, and Michael McKenzie will lead WALIPP Preparatory Academy, a Houston ISD middle school charter located on the Texas Southern University campus. (Read Koehler's thoughts on how the A+ Academy helped prepare him for the job.)
"As these new leaders begin their work with faculty and students, Houston A+ Challenge will be there to support them," said Director of Leadership Sheri Miller-Williams.
Aspiring Principals: Apply for the A+ Leadership Academy
Do you believe that all of the region's public school students can acheive postsecondary success when provided with a high-quality education? Are you a teacher leader, administrator, or professional with the passion, drive and skills to lead a high-need school?
Spend Seven Minutes with A+ National Speakers
To share our learning with the wider community, Houston A+ Challenge has begun compiling a video library featuring brief interviews with national speakers who have recently spent time with our principal and teacher networks.
Let us know what you think about these new video clips:
A+ Examples of Collaboration
Ask 10 people in the A+ office to define collaboration, and you may get 10 different answers. And at A+, that's just what we want.
Since its inception in 1997, Houston A+ Challenge has worked to make meaningful collaboration a part of the everyday practice among diverse educators and others passionate about education. Whether it's the Preparing to Dream initiative connecting local educators with National College Access Network (NCAN) expertise to get more kids into college, or the Principal Leadership Academy developing educators at all levels into powerful leaders, Houston A+ seeks to bring a sense of shared purpose around important education issues.
The Arts and Postsecondary Success
Postsecondary success: It's a hot topic across the country, around the state, and at the A+ office. What is one key for moving kids to succeed after high school? Some studies are finding clear evidence that arts programming does make a difference.
Aldine ISD Wins the 2009 Broad Prize
Congratulations to Aldine ISD, winners of the 2009 Broad Prize for Urban Education!
2009 is the fourth year that Aldine had been a finalist for the coveted prize, which annually recognizes the nation's top large, urban districts for academic excellence and success in "closing the gap" in student performance. Only the nation's largest, high-poverty districts are eligible.
Critical Friends Webinar
Last month, Houston A+ Challenge staffer, Alejandro Morua, utilized web technologies to conduct an online "Looking at Work" session for teachers who participated in this summer's externship for teachers.
Teachers used a structure tuning protocol to provide feedback to one another on lesson plans that incorporate skills students need to succeed in life after high school. Morua facilitated the session by inviting teachers to log in remotely to an online webinar. Teachers discussed the work and provided both verbal and written feedback regarding the lesson.
