Posted by:
Linda Gregg
Posted on: May 21, 2001 at 9:59 AM
Message:
Nancy and Ruby,Were you referring to classroom teachers who lead professional development sessions when you asked, "What are you doing to retain teacher leaders each year?" We have worked from the beginning of the MASE project to develop a strong cadre of teacher leaders at every level of the project. Attrition is a continuous challenge and we have come to expect the leadership cadres to evolve. Some workshop/institutes leaders have been with us since the very beginning; others leave for a year or forever, and some become administrators, leading in new ways. Each year brings new faces, and the longer the project continues, the stronger each new generation of leaders are when they begin the leadership process. The new and experienced leaders work together. We are beginning to see that new faces can actually be an advantage, moving the project forward. We now expect leadership development to be a continuous process. Many teacher leaders tell us that they stay with the work because they are constantly learning and improving their own teaching as they facilitate sessions. They also tell us that they continue in leadership because of the opportunities for collaboration with project consultants over time, to field test curriculum, to co-facilitate sessions with project consultants and to participate in extended sessions at the Exploratorium or specialized leadership development institutes such as Developing Mathematical Ideas (DMI). It has become critical to ask what leaders want to know more about and factor the answers into our planning. Leaders receive a stipend for the work. These opportunities are possible due to LSC funding from NSF. Leaders that stay the course seem to have bonded with Teachers on Special Assignment, colleagues, project consultants and/or the school that they work with. They seem committed to the goals of the project and to child-centered teaching and learning. The K-2 mathematics leadership group has the greatest retention of leaders. They have teamed with a project consultant in a study group for the life of the project. The mathematics assessment group is using the MARS professional development curriculum and attended leadership development at the MARS national leadership institute. Connecting leaders with national networks creates incentive to continue the work; leaders become part of the larger effort to improve science and mathematics. They then begin to shape their role within district structures with added confidence and knowledge. Our goal is to build capacity to carry future efforts forward --- funding and time, thats the challenge.
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