January 2002	Accelerated Schools Project
	Greetings from the Director
	Happy New Year to each of you! I’m sure that many of you are eagerly anticipating our National Conference at the end of this month. I know that I am. It will be good to see many of you in Austin, Texas! I know our time of learning and networking will be invaluable to us. Our First Annual Network Conference was a big success. We had very favorable responses from the participants’ evaluations. It was a treat having Dr. Henry M. Levin with us for our first keynote session. Dr. Wayne Driscoll, recently retired superintendent of Middletown City Schools, was our afternoon speaker. The breakout sessions were helpful times of learning from each other. At our next conference we want to broaden our breakout session participation with more of our schools represented, so we’ve included a call for proposals in this newsletter. Please think about what you can share at our network conference, send in your proposal by July 1, and have a proposal ready to also submit to the next National ASP Conference! The fall semester seemed to fly by for us at the Satellite Center. We were busy with several school visits, a few National meetings, and of course lots of trainings. I am so excited about three of our training events this year that we are highlighting each in this newsletter. Our Powerful Learning Lab has a new format this year from and all indications are that it is a “keeper”. Our Leadership Institute kept the same format as previous years, but has a specific focus for learning this year that is exceptional. Finally, our monthly Coaches’ Gatherings are proving to be terrific times of networking and troubleshooting for the participants. Be sure to read about each of these in the following pages. We are already making plans for the 2002-2003 school year. You will want to mark the following dates on your school calendar: November 8-9, 2002 is our Second Annual Network Conference. A change that you should note for your planning is that we will not be having an October 5-day training. Instead we will be having two June trainings. The first is scheduled for June 10-14 in Elyria, OH. The second is June 24-28 in Dayton. Each of these 5-day trainings is followed up with 2 days of powerful learning training October 28-29, 2002 and 2 days of inquiry training February 3-4, 2003. Be sure to read this newsletter thoroughly. There are several important items you won’t want to miss. So grab a second cup of hot chocolate and curl up for a few minutes and read all about what’s happening with our Accelerated School Network!
Dayton Satellite Center for Accelerated Schools University of Dayton Dr. Julie K. Biddle, Director (Phone: 937-229-4517) (Julie.Biddle@notes.udayton.edu) The ASP Newsletter is published three times a year by the ASP Satellite Center. Vickie Hodges, Communications Coordinator (Phone: 937-229-3870) (Vickie.Hodges@notes.udayton.edu)
Update on Training/Networking Opportunities for 2001-02 Special Note: There will be NO October 2002 Coaches Training Leadership Institute – January 10 – 11, 2002 & May 6 – 7, 2002 Coaches’ Gatherings (open to all external coaches & key contact people) – February 11, March 18, April 15 and May 20, 2002 Powerful Learning – February 4 – 5, 2002 (for those who attended 5-day training and 2-day training in November) Powerful Learning & Inquiry – May 1- 3, 2002 (a refresher training for any school personnel who need it!) 2002-2003 Tentative Dates 5-day coaches training – June 10 – 14 in Elyria, OH; June 24 – 28 in Dayton, OH 2-day powerful learning – October 28 – 29 2-day inquiry – February 3- 4, 2003 Leadership Institute – first gathering slated for August 15 – 16 (this is later than usual) 4 additional dates to be determined by group Network Conference – November 8 – 9 Coaches’ Gatherings – 3^rd Monday of every month beginning September 16
Call for Proposals for the Second Annual Dayton Satellite Center Networking Conference Conference Dates: November 8 & 9, 2002 Proposal Deadline: July 1, 2002
Powerful Learning Lab The powerful learning lab began on November 12 with 15 participants. Our first meeting was spent in getting to know one another, reviewing and rethinking powerful learning, and organizing the work before us. We are experimenting with a new format this year born out of necessity. In the past we’ve had nine days devoted to training, visiting and working in various schools and then debriefing our learning. Each of these days meant time out of the classroom and the need to secure substitutes for all the participants. This year that was an obstacle too great for many of our schools to handle, so we changed the format. Our challenge was to find a context for learning that would promote the best possible outcomes for all involved. Here’s what we came up with. November 12 was used to basically get the group together and to get organized. On that date participants were grouped in peer coaching teams. The teams then set up times for visitations and team teaching visits to each other’s schools (a minimum of 6 total days from November to May). We then identified three evenings for study group sessions. In the study group sessions we will share the results of our peer coaching experiences, review videotapes from the peer coaching times, clarify issues, discuss the assigned readings, and share insights from our journal keeping. We will conclude our lab with a celebration of learning that will essentially be a colossal show and tell of ideas learned from one another! Participants are enthusiastic about the new format and the possibilities for improved practice. The best outcome of the Lab is improving learning conditions for our students!
Leadership Institute The Leadership Institute (formerly called the Principal/Administrator Institute) is focused this year on building leadership capacity in our Accelerated Schools. One of the primary reasons a school leaves our network is because there’s a change in leadership either at the district or building level. In some cases, schools experience a change of leadership at both levels. Schools that have a strong internal leadership base of teachers, parents, and staff are more able to withstand the change in principal and/or superintendent without major upheaval. So the question is: How do we support schools in creating a substantial leadership foundation? To frame our conversations, participants are reading Linda Lambert’s text, Building Leadership Capacity in Schools. They are engaging their respective schools in the dialogue by using surveys from Lambert’s text to determine the present leadership capacity in their staff and in their building culture. When we meet in January for two days the group will analyze their own survey data and develop an action plan to be implemented between January and May. In May we will meet again for two days and debrief the outcomes of our plans. Linda Lambert will join us for these discussions.
Monthly Coaches’ Gatherings The Monthly Coaches’ Gatherings are a good vehicle of support to keep our network schools on track in the implementation process. Participants include all external coaches and any internal coaches who serve as their school’s key contact person. We meet the third Monday of every month. The participants set the meeting agendas and so time is spent discussing areas of need or interest. For example we’ve focused our attention on professional development, the connections between and among continuous improvement planning, the school vision, and cadre work, the role of the coach, helping new staff members understand ASP, and school climate issues. This semester’s meeting dates are: February 11 (instead of the 18^th which is President’s Day), March 18, April 15 and May 20. For further information please call or email Julie or Vickie.