Believing in Ourselves
Part I - Chapter 5
Sidebar:
HIGHER EDUCATION - THE MISSING LINK
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Higher education played a minor -- almost nonexistent role -- in middle
grades reform in the five Clark districts, even though there were urban
universities at every site, often multiple campuses. Part of the reason
is that urban districts tend to design and carry out their own staff development
activities, but universities also are generally slow to adapt their programs
to the reforms in content and pedagogy in the field.
Louisville began its effort with a partnership with the University of Louisville
to produce thematic curriculum units, but by the second year it was obvious
teachers wanted to do the work themselves. A follow-up arrangement, in which
faculty members served as advisors to individual schools. also petered out.
In Baltimore, a long-standing relationship between the schools and researchers
at The Johns Hopkins University continued under the Clark grant. However,
the Student Team Writing and Student Team Reading projects developed by
university researchers, which promoted cooperative learning in the schools,
were limited and research-oriented. They did not lead many teachers to explore
curriculum and instruction beyond the constrictions of the projects themselves.
And considering the lack of academic success in the Clark schools in Baltimore,
as measured by the MSPAP, they did not make much of an impact on achievement.
The TIPS homework program, however, did bring researchers and teachers together
to focus on parent involvement.
A lack of emphasis on middle grades reform characterizes teacher
education and state certification systems in general.
Urban universities and colleges use surrounding schools for student teaching
and research, and certainly those in the Clark sites have many projects
underway. However, a lack of emphasis on middle grades reform characterizes
teacher education and state certification systems in general. Higher education
institutions in only eight states offer graduate middle grades accreditation
programs. Both Kentucky and Wisconsin institutions have such programs, but
the campuses that offer them are far from the Clark sites.
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