Strategic Recommendations

How do we collaborate to serve our educational partners more effectively and provide professional development to ensure highly qualified educators in the field?

We propose to create an action committee that will utilize partnerships to promote student learning by…

• Identifying and disseminating promising practices in the development and maintenance of effective partnerships;
• Identifying and responding to RFPs, grants, and contracts with proposals for collective action across the public universities; and
• Identifying and collaborating with other disciplinary groups and professional organizations to promote P-20 initiatives (consider a P-20 summit with these groups to increase support for student teachers, new teachers, and Warning/Watch List schools);

…because we need a unified message and coordinated activity, in order to increase the effectiveness of public universities’ P-20 efforts.

How do we collaborate to make certain that educators in initial stages of preparation gain appropriate content knowledge?

We propose collaborative efforts to…

• Clarify and strengthen the Illinois definition of “highly qualified teacher (HQT),” develop instruments to measure attainment of HQT status, and conduct ongoing (5 year) research with the Illinois Education Research Council to link outcomes with this definition of HQT;
• Create a math/science/technology work group to write collaborative grants; share ideas on curriculum, programs, and professional development; and devise student recruitment strategies for math/science/technology;
• Look at the general education curriculum at all public universities and community colleges to determine whether there are existing common threads and standards; and
• Involve department chairs and key content area faculty in discussing the Illinois Learning Standards, considering how these K-12 student outcomes relate to university curriculum in all programs and how the standards are infused into the preparation of educators;

…because the preparation of educators for initial certification must ensure mastery of subject matter.

How do we collaborate to more effectively address issues of assessment and accountability in the development of educators?

Illinois’ public universities propose to …

• Collect and analyze existing data for assessment and accountability, including such resources as the Teacher Data Warehouse and current assessments, and work to avoid duplications such as the expensive, redundant, program approval process;
• Develop robust instruments, including performance assessments, to measure elements that contribute to high quality teaching such as dispositions, to evaluate programs such as mentoring and induction and alternative certification, and to provide valid data about retention, quality of general education, and other issues;
• Communicate the quality and impact of the diverse activities of public universities on P-20 education with valid claims, complete data, and engaging narrative that tells the complete story about all groups, all geographical areas, and all types of communities

…because we need to streamline data collection, provide evidence-based claims for assessment and accountability, and broaden definitions of quality beyond NCLB.

How do we collaborate to influence the public agenda on education policies?

We propose to develop a joint communications plan on P-20 issues that will…

• Deliver common messages to multiple audiences in multiple ways, making clear that we aim for higher standards and are committed to a broad, collaborative vision for the development of quality educators;
• Coordinate participation in policy development and decision-making by educators at all levels and by alumni advocacy groups;
• Ask the Presidents of the 12 public universities to facilitate shared legislative action that will advance P-20 collaboration and initiatives and to include appropriate faculty groups in working with Government Relations staff to coordinate legislative positions and activities; and
• Request support from the Presidents for the active implementation of Teacher Data Warehouse to assure provision of collective and quantifiable data regarding the impact of the public universities’ programs on teacher quality and P-12 education;

…because we intend to provide complete and accurate information for internal and external audiences, anticipate and position issues, and provide a basis for policy decisions.

Next Steps

Draft white paper summarizing work of this summit and containing an achievable action agenda; circulate to editing team; revise accordingly; disseminate widely.

Complete work plans and mobilize work groups.

Continue collaborative discussions on teacher quality at meetings at least twice a year, scheduled in relation to the legislative calendar. NIU will organize the next meeting. Purposes of the next meeting will be determined following dissemination of the white paper from the first Illinois Deans P-20 Summit.

Broaden collaboration to include other P-20 issues and generate additional dialogue at other levels on P-20 issues. This might include statewide meetings of deans and department chairs to address subject area issues and especially to support subject areas are only marginally included in NCLB such as fine arts and physical development and health.

Inform the 12 presidents, provosts, and chancellors of work done at this summit; meet with presidents to share deans’ strategies and solicit presidential support.

Share white paper from this meeting with partners at a regional level.

Summit Evaluation: Plus Factors
Good leadership and planning; overall timing was right, as was work session length.
Excellent opening speakers and excellent food
Work groups were well conceived -- distributed responsibility within the groups, the diverse mix of colleagues, and the trailers all worked very well
Homogeneous group was right for the initial meeting of this group
NIU made it easy for participants by taking care of arrangements
Action plans and next steps, expecting additional activity; continuum of action

Summit Evaluation: Delta Factors
Needed more time to question the keynote speakers
Needed more advance organizers and materials; some participants did not receive these.
Future summits could benefit from “critical friends” who may be less sympathetic and challenge participants’ thinking. Disparate thinkers might be added on a limited basis or a provocative thinker might present at the beginning of the next meeting