summer2012partnership

artnershipPCENTER FOR SCHOOL-UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS
SUMMER 2012
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 5

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 5
College of Education
Jean Haar, Ph.D.
Dean
Center for School-University Partnerships
Ginger L. Zierdt, Ph.D.
Director
Editor and Writer
Ben Pendarvis
Graduate Assistant
Designer
Gail Connelly
University Printing Services
Print Coordinator
Doug Fenske
University Printing Services
Center for School-University Partnerships
Minnesota State University, Mankato
117 Armstrong Hall
Mankato, Minnesota 56001
Phone: 507-389-1217
Fax: 507-389-2838
Website: http://ed.mnsu.edu/csup/
TABLE
OF CONTENTSCENTER FOR SCHOOL-UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS
Partnership
A member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
System and an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity University.
This document is available in alternative format to individuals with
disabilities by calling the College of Education at 507-389-5445 (V),
800-627-3529 or 711 (MRS/TTY).
The Center for School-University Partnerships (CSUP), housed in the College of Education at
Minnesota State University, Mankato, was established in 1988. The mission of the Center is to
interconnect, enrich, and sustain learning communities of students, staff, faculty and citizens from
the University and P-12 schools who foster human development, professional growth, and optimal
learning opportunities through research, reflection, and practice.
Cover credits:
Design by Gail Connelly,
University Printing Services,
Minnesota State Mankato.
ONTHE
C O V E R
2 Director’s Note
3 Editor’s Note
The Professional Development School stands on the national stage after twenty years of partnership development.
The organization now refocuses its energies with recent transitions, yet rests solidly on foundations set by Support
and Recruitment leaders, who strengthened and expanded their respective levels of partnership to reach more
students than ever.
4 PDS News
8 Teaching Recruitment Updates
10 Support Updates
All areas of the PDS community were enriched by these examples of leadership in education over the last year.
Educators met the challenges of integrating twenty-first century technology for greater student learning, working in
teams to lead systemic projects for the same reason, meeting the changing needs of the evolving education workforce,
and offering greater learning experiences for teacher candidates and their students in the schools. As a result, they all
succeeded in building a better PDS.
12 Technology in PDS Education
14 PDS Leadership Institute, 2011-12
18 AVID Updates
20 Curriculum Updates
22 Field Experience Updates
The Research & Assessment mission expands as new partnerships extend across the PDS as well as the state of
Minnesota. As data drives the effectiveness of educator’s actions, teachers’ experiences illuminate the drive to
educate. More Teachers-On-Special-Assignment and Graduate Teaching Fellows reflect on the daily lessons acquired
by experience.
24 Assessment Updates
26 Teachers-On-Special-Assignment/Graduate Teaching Fellows, 2011-12
ENRICH:
INTERCONNECT:
SUSTAIN:

2 http://ed.mnsu.edu/csup/ 3Summer 2012 Partnership
Ben Pendarvis
Graduate Assistant,
Center for School-
University Partnerships
Dear friends,
Congratulations! The recognition of the
Minnesota State Mankato PDS Partnership
receiving National Association for
Professional Development School’s (NAPDS)
“Exemplary PDS Achievement Award” is
incredibly gratifying following 24 years
of formal partnership work between the
University and P-12 school districts. It is most
humbling as our PDS is now part of a very
elite and distinguished PDS on a national and
international scale. This award recognizes not
only what this PDS has achieved, but rather
the manner in which it has gone about its
work – a manner similar to tree growth.
Springtime for Trees and PDS
By Ginger L. Zierdt, Ph.D.
Parts of a tree, like our PDS, unfold and
grow in a linear-looking fashion. Take a moment
to picture a brand new baby tree. I liken this to
the first formal partnerships established over two
decades ago, or to the first PDS partnerships over
a decade ago, or to the advent of our newest
partnership with Bloomington Public Schools in the
last two years. Its tiny roots are barely beginning
to grasp the soil, its leaves are delicate and small,
and its twig-like trunk is thin and spindly.
Once a sapling, it undergoes relatively
rapid and dramatic growth in its early years,
transforming from a mere seed to a tall and proud
young tree. The sapling stage reminds me of the
development and sustainability of all the programs
we’ve partnered together in over the years from
TOSA-Fellows, PDS Learning Communities, PDS
Leadership Institute, and AVID to name a few.
Continuing in a linear-fashion, as a tree ages its
growth begins to slow. It becomes mature enough
to perhaps flower and bear fruit or at least to drop
seeds of some kind onto the ground in an effort to
reproduce. The trunk of the tree gets thicker and
stronger. Its roots grow deeper and its branches
stretch out wider, soaking in more and more energy
from the sun. To me, this stage represents today in
our PDS – successful teacher candidates who have
gone on to become successful teachers in PDS
districts, who have gone on to become integral
to the success of their entire school community. A
partnership whose thick roots and stretched out
branches have survived the myriads of educational
storms, like a mighty oak, as well as standing so
tall on the horizon that it captures others’ attention –
such as the Bush Foundation and NAPDS.
The oldest of the trees may not seem to grow
or change much at all from day to day or month
to month, but over a long period of time there is
still considerable growth. This is where I’m going
to depart from linear growth for a moment and ask
you to consider two kinds of non-linear growth that
are occurring as well:
First, exponential organic growth - like the
growth that has occurred within and among PDS
sites and districts. One cell divides into two, which
divide into four, which divide into eight, and so on.
A tree branch grows multiple new twigs (programs
and initiatives), each of which sprout multiple leaves
(the talent pool of the PDS – candidates, cooperating
teachers, administrators, teachers and professors,
TOSAs, Fellows). So for awhile you have what
NoteFromtheDirector
Ginger Zierdt
NoteFromtheEditor
A Culture of Partnership
The culture of partnership that pervades
the Professional Development School
at Minnesota State University, Mankato
sets it apart from other teacher education
programs. The roots of this partnership run
deep, over twenty years into the past, and
support the broad network of education
professionals that continually innovate
teaching practices, which in turn fuel a
culture of optimism and collaboration.
The last issue of Partnership showcased
the unprecedented growth of PDS
initiatives, in breadth and depth. At the
close of the 2011-12 school year, PDS
partners presided over a pivotal year
in the organization’s effectiveness and
purpose. Two years ago, the NExT project
contributed outstanding human and business
capital that allowed cutting-edge initiatives
to transform the way teachers learn to
educate and educators teach each other.
Once the partners’ big ideas took hold, the
culture of partnership surged with a new
energy to maximize their potential.
Collectively, the Minnesota State
Mankato PDS embodied the energy of
partnership as it secured a network that
spanned the nation and reached other
countries. Internal energies created stronger
connections between existing partners,
which elevated the level of operations to
new heights.
For these reasons, the National
Association of Professional Development
Schools declared the Minnesota State
Mankato PDS exemplary at its annual
conference following Dr. Ginger Zierdt’s
election to the organization’s Board of
Directors in 2011.
For these reasons, the first partnership
of its kind sowed AVID into the PDS to
expansive success after its first year. The
PDS Leadership Institute cultivated an
additional forty educators across eight
institutions through a year and a half of
collaborating for greater student success.
Teaching faculty integrated new
ways of delivering curriculum, supporting
each other’s learning and growth in the
field, offering the most enriching learning
experiences possible, building the
profession from within, and evaluating the
impact of everything done along the way.
Remarkably, teacher candidates
and P-12 students already enjoy the
fruits of these collaborations, as their
successes remain a key motivator behind
the partnerships. Their accomplishments
serve the PDS as much as ever in this new
phase and show the responsiveness of the
organization that works for them.
For these reasons, I will lose a vital
connection to the transformational energies
surging through this PDS as I step down
from my role in the Center for School-
University Partnerships. The incredible levels
of support and positive collaborations
that sustained my work as editor of this
magazine and grad assistant for CSUP
affirmed the decision to renew my life’s
work in education at Minnesota State
Mankato. There is an immense value in
the way educators engage with teaching
and learning in this PDS, and now, more
than ever, I see great potential for the
transformational power of education.
Although I am sad to say goodbye to the
PDS family, I am electrified by their energy
and passion and hopeful about sharing it
with other passionate educators.
Thank you all for showing me that
education is more than an activity; it’s a
lived experience full of wonder and awe.
It affects all of us and it takes all of us to
make it work. I consider it an honor and a
privilege to have been a part of the great
work you do; it shall not be forgotten.
With love and respect,
Ben Pendarvis
CSUP Graduate Assistant
appears to be nice slow steady predictable growth,
or maybe barely discernable growth, and then,
all of a sudden, watch out – exponential growth!
Although our PDS tree is nearly a quarter-century old
(young in terms of sequoia tree growth), our PDS
talent pool is on a trajectory of exponential creativity
and impact; and working collectively to achieve
one of education’s most audacious goals – where
our leaves and branches are reaching way past the
sun – to guarantee our teacher candidates’ ability to
effectively impact student achievement.
The second type of non-linear growth is
seasonal growth. In spring, there’s a burst of new
growth. In summer, there’s slower, more steady
growth — but also the production of flowers and
fruit. In fall, growth slows dramatically and actually
shuts down in the branches as the tree prepares for
winter. Leaves fall, and in winter, the tree appears
may even appear dead on the outside. However,
inside, there are still healthy live cells, and the roots
might even be growing deeper into the ground,
but most of the tree is dormant until spring switches
those cells back to “on” and the cycle begins
anew. Our PDS has benefited over the years by
“seasonal growth”…we have been intentional
about our planning – pausing for reflection on what
is working and taking steps to augment growth in
those areas, while also noting what might not be
working nor may be relevant to the partnership any
more – and being mindful to prune away those
branches so that energy can be dedicated to the
other areas for growth.
The constant interplay between these two types
of non-linear growth (exponential and seasonal)
is what makes PDS work challenging, and what
makes our story so exciting and captivating to
others. A seed (like an idea for a partnership or
a partnership’s activity) can take a long time to
germinate into something we might actually want to
do. We think, plan, wonder, and ruminate.
It appears to be winter again in our
partnership’s head and heart - strategically
planning, roots bearing down deeper into the
ground, and we’re gathering strength for what
comes next – because in the field of education…
”next” is a guarantee.
Winter can seem to last a long time, but in
partnership work, winter is essential. And when our
spring comes, it will be exponential-growth time
again. Those seed cells divide fast, and new ideas
come to the partnership at a staggering rate. Consider
what has come from winter into spring with the NExT/
Bush Foundation grant – co-teaching, long-term
placements, recruitment, value-added assessment,
and candidate guarantee – the cells of creativity and
innovation are dividing at an exponential rate. For
many, this exponential growth after a long winter can
suddenly feel intoxicatingly amazing.
Right now… today…our tree is almost shimmering
from the energy flowing within its branches.
And if we follow this energy, if we allow that
rush of spring sap in our PDS tree to rise straight
from our life-giving roots and nourish our branches
and leaves, and if we take action to continuously
grow our partnership and nurture our relationships,
WE WILL, and more importantly, our kids and
candidates WILL receive the bounteous reward
of summer where ideas (the fruit) come to fruition
to ensure that our partnership’s kids, families, and
communities succeed.

PDS NEWS
Following previous Partnership news of Dr. Ginger Zierdt’s election to the National
Association for Professional Development School’s (NAPDS) Board of Directors, the
Minnesota State Mankato Professional Development School, including eight Minnesota
school districts, received the 2012 NAPDS Exemplary Achievement Award at the
annual national conference last March.
PDS partners, two Teachers-On-Special-Assignment (TOSA) and two University
faculty, coordinated the application materials to document exemplary achievement in
expansive and impactful partnerships between the schools and the University.
“It should be noted that there have been many moments over the years when
people within the partnership have observed that what we have put together is
exemplary,” explains April Rosendale, Le Sueur-Henderson TOSA and application
contributor. “We have heard it at meetings, at celebrations, from outside observers,
and from our own teacher candidates. We have known for a long time that the vested
interest in the partnership over the decades has created trust, ownership, and a
commitment to shared success both at P-12 sites and at the University.”
She describes the evolution of the NAPDS award as it began honoring exemplars
several years ago. “For the past two years at the annual conference, there was a session
titled ‘Exemplary PDS Stories.’” There, award recipients told their stories of success.
“A few of us attended these sessions and came away with the collective agreement
that our PDS partnership was doing equally impactful things and that ours was a story
worth sharing.”
This year, a delegation of twenty-seven PDS educators attended the conference and
received the award. The majority of these also facilitated a number of Minnesota State
Mankato PDS presentations on successful strategies and results. The table on page 5
outlines the extent of PDS leadership and talent presented at the annual conference.
Presentation Title Presenters & Organization
Building A Culture Of Support Through Mentoring &
Coaching:  It’s More Than Luck Of The Dice!
Lori Bird, Carol Burns (Center for Mentoring & Induction)
Pam Kennedy (Faribault)
April Rosendale (Le Sueur-Henderson)
Heather Verstraete (Bloomington)
Development!  Development!  Development!  3 In A Row
Means JACKPOT!  We’re Talking Career Development, Student
Development, & Teacher Development
Lynn O’Brien (Sibley East)
Scott Robinson (St. Peter)
What’s Mental Health Got To Do With It?   Lynn O’Brien (Sibley East)
From Practicing Teaching To Making A Difference: Field
Experiences That Target The Achievement Gap
Anne Dahlman, Patti Hoffman (Dept. of K-12/Secondary)
Cindy Olson (Mankato Schools)
Paul Preimesberger (Center for School-University Partnerships)
PDS Partnerships—Global and Domestic Lori Bird (Center for Mentoring & Induction)
April Rosendale (Le Sueur-Henderson)
Marti Sievek (Dept. of K-12/Secondary)
Ginger Zierdt (Center for School-University Partnerships)
This Works:  Increasing College Readiness And Teacher
Preparation Through A P-20 Partnership:  How A University And Its
PDS Partners Collaborated To Implement AVID
Kim Hermer (Mankato Schools)
Paul Preimesberger,
Ginger Zierdt (Center for School-University Partnerships)
Why Gamble? P-20 Learning Teams Are A Sure Bet Carol Burns (Center for Mentoring & Induction)
Kim Hermer, Bridget Weigt (Mankato Schools)
Existing State To Desired State: How Do We Get To The PDS
Royal Flush?
Bridget Weigt, Laura Linde (Mankato Schools)
Stacking The Deck For Success: Coaching In PDS Schools Kirsten Hutchison, Pam Kennedy (Faribault)
Michelle Meiners (Owatonna)
PDS Partnerships: Moving Towards Clinical Transformation Sue Topp, Lisa Zika (Waseca)
Jayne Gehrke (Le Sueur-Henderson)
Rhonda Hermanson (Sibley East)
Minnesota State Mankato PDS Earns
National Award
Application contributors pose with NAPDS Exemplary Achievement Award
From left to right: April Rosendale (LeSueur-Henderson Public Schools),
Anne Dahlman (Dept. K-12/Secondary Programs), Pam Kennedy (Faribault Public Schools),
and Ginger Zierdt (Center for School-University Partnerships).
PDS Transitions
Sheri Allen,
Elected to chair
PDS Governance Council
next two years
Darin Doherty,
St. Peter Public Schools TOSA
hired as Principal at
South Elementary
Kirsten Hutchison,
Faribault Public Schools TOSA
hired as Principal in Comfrey, MN
Cindy Olson,
Mankato Area Public Schools
TOSA returning to classroom
to teach 10th grade English
Language Arts at Mankato East
Karen Letcher,
Mankato Area Public Schools
Special Education TOSA retires
Lisa Zika,
Waseca Public Schools
TOSA retires
Tom Tapper,
Owatonna Superintendent retires
5Summer 2012 Partnershiphttp://ed.mnsu.edu/csup/4

Accepting on behalf of the
Minnesota State Mankato PDS Partnership
Front Row (Left to Right): Laura Linde, Mankato Area Public Schools; Cindy Olson, Mankato Area Public Schools; April Rosendale,
LeSueur-Henderson Public Schools; Lori Bird, Minnesota State Mankato; Bridget Weigt, Mankato Area Public Schools
Row 2 (Left to Right): Heather Verstraete, Bloomington Public Schools; Sue Topp, Waseca Public Schools; Kim Hermer, Mankato Area Public
Schools; Jean Haar, Minnesota State Mankato; Carol Burns, Minnesota State Mankato
Row 3 (Left to Right): Todd Sesker, Faribault Public Schools; Michelle Meiners, Owatonna Public Schools; Kirsten Hutchison, Faribault Public
Schools; Rhonda Hermanson, Sibley East Public Schools; Jayne Gehrke, LeSueur-Henderson Public Schools; Ginger Zierdt, Minnesota State
Mankato; Ben Pendarvis, Minnesota State Mankato
Row 3 (Left to Right): Scott Robinson, St. Peter Public Schools; Lisa Zika, Waseca Public Schools; Anne Dahlman, Minnesota State Mankato;
Marti Sievek, Minnesota State Mankato; Patricia Hoffman, Minnesota State Mankato; Lynn O’Brien, Sibley East Public Schools; Pam Kennedy,
Faribault Public Schools; Paul Preimesberger, Minnesota State Mankato
76 Summer 2012 Partnershiphttp://ed.mnsu.edu/csup/
Minnesota State University, Mankato’s College of Education initiative to improve public school teaching was selected for one of the nation’s major
awards honoring such collaborative efforts – the 2012 Exemplary Professional Development School Achievement Award.
Sponsored by the National Association of Professional Development Schools (NAPDS), the award was presented on March 9, 2012 at the NAPDS
national conference in Las Vegas, Nev. It is given annually to a select few universities with true partnerships demonstrating excellent achievement for P-12
students, future teachers and practicing teachers and faculty members. Among the past honorees are Penn State University, Indiana State University and
Kansas State University.
NAPDS is the only U.S. organization dedicated to promoting school-university partnerships that support teacher education, student achievement,
educational research and professional development. Its Exemplary Achievement Award recognizes programs that have both created and sustained
genuine collaborative partnerships between P-12 and higher education which shapes educator leadership and practice. Award recipients were
recognized for achievements in nine areas, ranging from advancing equity, to collaboration, reflection and communication, to innovation, to sharing best
practices.
“We were delighted at the response by professional development school partnerships across the country,” said Elliott Lessen, the association’s
awards committee chair, in a letter announcing the award selection. “I would like to commend you on the work you are doing in the name of professional
development schools. I hope that you will continue both to strengthen your efforts using the nine essentials and share your partnership success with others.”

Burnett and the
Recruitment team will
continue to offer one-time
scholarships to several
promising candidates
of color to benefit from
Teachers of Tomorrow
activities next school year.
Two scholarship recipients
graduated with education
degrees in May 2012.
Burnett continues to
work with Special Education
department chair, Teri
Wallace, in building
articulation agreements with
2-year community colleges:
Normandale, Minneapolis
Community & Technical
College, and Inver Hills.
Positive news about
Minnesota State Mankato’s
recruitment efforts has
spread and opened many
doors for collaboration
and sharing, including an
invitation from national
organization fhi 360 to
present at an American
Association of Teacher
Education College’s
conference in February
2013. In addition, NExT
partners, University of
Minnesota and Twin Cities
Teacher Collaborative
(TC2), requested Burnett
to connect and share the
details of her work. And
soon, the Bush Foundation
will post highlights from an
interview with Burnett on
their revised website.
Building the Profession
Maximizing Opportunities
The recruitment team also boosted retention
activities since they serve a complementary
role to recruitment efforts. Once future skilled
teachers are here, how do we maximize their
learning through relevant experiences?
Mymique Baxter coordinated with
Mankato TOSA’s and educators to design an
innovative program called Homework Helpers,
which offers an online forum for K-12 students
to get homework help from education students
on the college campus. The pilot program
gives Mankato students a chance to work with
trained, supervised tutors in English, Math,
and/or Science. Minnesota State Mankato IT
provides the WebEx software, which allows
tutors to use online white boards and video
conferencing tools while ensuring the privacy
and safety of all parties. The software gives
parents the ability to approve and monitor
the process in addition to soliciting teachers’
input and support. Results of the pilot will help
produce an enhanced version available to
more students in the schools next year.
In addition, Center for School-University
Partnerships graduate assistant, Rachel
Vanderheyden, coordinated an online resource
bank of volunteer opportunities across the PDS
school network. PDS educators indicated a
variety of volunteer services to enrich children’s
learning either as one-time or repeating
activities, allowing ample opportunity for
education students to extend their learning into
the schools as much as possible. The list serves
elementary, special education, and secondary
programs and roles in four of the PDS districts
already, ranging from Band teacher assistant
to special education swim instructor and the
campus program Saturday Study Buddies
(profiled in the last issue of Partnership).
Building Future Educators
The research study begins a longitudinal data
collection with surveys and progress reports to assess the
effects on participants who end up graduating from the
College of Education. Research questions in the study
involve gaining member’s perceptions on their academic
progress and sense of program support along with
academic reports and professors’ feedback.
After an initial run this semester, Burnett and Karikari will
refine the study’s measures over the summer to gain greater
insight. They plan to meet with Minnesota State Mankato
Information Technology (IT) to identify ways to use the online
platform Desire 2 Learn (D2L) to make the process more
efficient and less cumbersome for participants. Eventually,
they also hope to gather more meaningful perspectives
through formal dialogues with study participants.
Meanwhile, program supports solidified by
continuing to offer instruction and academic support
to members in weekly meetings, including study table
sessions in the evenings. ToT leaders presented new
opportunities for practicing key strategies and teaching
roles through these weekly meetings, along with
various chances to demonstrate new knowledge or
communicate with education leaders in the College and
the Network for Excellence in Teaching (NExT).
At times, faculty attended meetings to provide
additional support, and forums were set up for
recruitment leaders to hear and respond to members’
school lessons on important topics. In short, a strong
peer group support system instilled experience,
reflection, and real-world participation to a traditionally
underrepresented group of future educators.
For instance, when Bush Foundation representatives
visited the Minnesota State Mankato campus to update
their knowledge of the partnerships formed to improve
teacher preparation in the NExT project, Teachers of
Tomorrow shared their stories and perspectives in a
roundtable discussion. Leaders from the Bush Educational
Achievement Team and national human development
organization, fhi 360, sat across a long table in
Memorial Library’s educational technology room from
Teachers of Tomorrow, Teachers-On-Special-Assignment,
NExT project leaders across the College of Education,
and the NExT Recruitment team.
ToT members opened up to educational leaders,
sharing their personal educational stories from
childhood and their hopes and desires for educating
their community’s youth. They also shared concerns
about teacher preparation systems, adding to the
dialogue around the effectiveness of preparation
program components.
The group also continued hosting high school
students as they visited the Minnesota State Mankato
campus. A group of thirty-five student leaders from
Bloomington Public Schools’ Office of Educational
Equity arrived in January the same week about one
hundred students from Woodbury High School
participated in presentations and attended tours of the
campus. A month later, Park High School (LeSueur-
Henderson Public Schools) sent several students.
These campus tours are supplemented by tours for
various AVID groups, either within the PDS AVID Alliance
or in communities related to recruitment efforts, who
attend as part of the AVID curriculum to make college
more accessible to its students. At each of the events, ToT
members promote the value of a college education while
answering questions about daily life on campus.
In a major step forward, the Recruitment team
invited schools and students from across the state to
participate in a Summer Institute at the end of June
2012. Network schools immediately responded and
expressed interest in sending students to spend four
days on campus experiencing college life, taking
education mini-courses, and team teaching in the
Mankato Area Public Schools. In this way and so
many others, Burnett helps to ensure that there will be a
talented group of teachers for tomorrow’s work force.
In the last issue of Partnership, the Teachers of Tomorrow (ToT) support group at Minnesota State University, Mankato had a semester
under their belt in a program enhanced with a clear vision, goals and objectives for achieving success and more practical opportunities
in the field.
In the new year last semester, the program continued increasing opportunities and measuring their impacts. Maverick Recruitment
Coordinator Robbie Burnett, along with graduate assistants Eric Karikari and Paulkani Siddela, piloted a quasi-experimental research
study measuring program effectiveness. Another GA, Lydia Peabody, helped Burnett seek scholarship options to attract more to join the
program as well as co-led campus visits, marketing, and outreach.
Meanwhile, more retention activities were available to group members through online homework help and access to a bulletin board
full of volunteer opportunities in the schools, in addition to activities many were already engaged in such as AVID tutoring and assisting in
the 9th grade academy at Mankato East High School.
As a direct result of the support and
activities provided by the College of
Education’s recruitment forces, Teachers of
Tomorrow maximize their teaching potential
for the present and future collective benefit of
students in the region.
Andrea Strong, first-year ToT member,
describes the opportunity, “It is not merely
obtaining a degree that qualifies someone,
it is the lifelong bonds they make along the
way that help prepare them for this field. Since
joining this group, I have had the opportunity to
truly learn what it means to be a teacher.”
For Andrea, that means writing lesson
plans and presenting it to her peers,
understanding challenging concepts through
the help of graduate assistants at study table
sessions, and scoring a 3.84 GPA in her last
semester.
Another member, Shonita Harper,
agrees with the positive impact of recruitment
and retention efforts. She appreciated the
opportunity to be part of the new 9th-grade
Academy at Mankato East High School. As
she noted, “I enjoyed this experience because
it allowed me to be in the school atmosphere,
where I ultimately want to be in my career.”
As a Teacher of Tomorrow Ambassador
for a high school conference in Plymouth,
she had a chance to promote the value of
going to college and encourage a realistic
understanding of what that means.
Teachers of Tomorrow will play a vital
role in the upcoming Summer Institute for high
school students with a desire to teach. The
collective energy of recruiting and retaining
these future educators keeps the Minnesota
State Mankato PDS at the forefront of the
teacher education field.
Tomorrow’s Teachers
Teachers-of-Tomorrow sharing experiences about teacher preparation with members of the Bush Foundation executive staff at an annual site-review visit.

Impacting the PDS
The consultation process involved PDS educators from
partner districts and the College of Education representing the
Network for Excellence in Teaching (NExT) project. Teachers-
On-Special-Assignment (TOSA’s) serving mentoring roles in the
districts and a partnering superintendent joined NExT leaders as
Lori Bird and Carol Burns co-facilitated the discussion with Dubin.
In addition to regular consultation sessions, the team met for
four full days over the school year constructing knowledge and
understanding of best practices from years of NTC research and
partnerships, professional development options and systems-level
accountability and evaluative procedures.
During the year, CMI hosted NTC leaders to participate in
PDS activities in an effort to gather input and understanding from
PDS partners. Following personalized, in-district meetings with
PDS district leadership teams, Dubin, Bird, and Burns facilitated
discussion at a TOSA Response Forum at Minnesota State
Mankato to seek insight into school needs and program design.
In March, Superintendent Glen Schilling from Hartland/
Lakeside school district, which holds membership in the
Southeastern Wisconsin New Teacher Project, attended a PDS
Governance Council meeting to describe the impact of New
Teacher Center support in their consortium’s induction model.
Dr. Schilling cooperates with superintendents from twenty-four
regional school districts in collaboration with Cardinal Stritch
University for their mentoring and induction program.
At the meeting, Schilling spoke of a “culture of teacher
learning and leadership,” which linked teacher and mentor
professional development with district goals and student
learning. He described the district’s reasoning for participation
noting, “We are in a climate of rapid change, accountability
and a growing compilation of expectations for student learning.
Impacting the Nation
CMI’s director, Lori Bird, recently added research to the growing
mentoring field and, more specifically, to the impact of mentoring on
teacher candidates at the pre-service level. In the last issue, nodding to
the College of Education’s coverage in Educate magazine, Partnership
introduced the collaborative research pursued between Bird and
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, faculty and national mentor
leader Dr. Peter Hudson. Using this partnership as a springboard for her
research, Bird administered surveys to all Minnesota State Mankato teacher
candidates from the 2010-11 school year to gather student teachers’
perceptions on the impact of mentoring during clinical preparation.
While simultaneously contributing to teacher preparation program
research, Bird expanded knowledge within the mentoring field, including
implementation practices and how they can impact pre-service teachers.
In particular, Hudson’s five essential features of a successful mentoring
program were elucidated and used to examine mentoring within the
student teacher experience. The factors included personal attributes,
system requirements, pedagogical knowledge, modeling, and feedback.
A great majority of Minnesota State Mankato’s teacher candidates
noted their mentors practiced each one of the five factors during their
time together, and their anecdotal responses showed they received high-
quality mentoring in their placements. Most noteworthy to the teacher
candidates was the provision of pedagogical support and modeling of
best practices by the mentor teachers. Areas of enhancement were noted
in the mentoring practices of providing written feedback and the mentors’
support of the candidates in understanding the relationship between what
happens in the classroom and the larger educational context.
This research serves as a solid foundation to continue to positively
impact pre-service teacher experiences. Enhanced mentoring practices
will provide insight into dynamic professional collaborations that
produce well-rounded educators who remain in the classroom longer.
CMI will continue gleaning effective strategies for Minnesota State
Mankato teacher candidates while strengthening implementation
methods and mentoring capacities within the PDS to potentially
contribute to a fully supported consortium model.
Support Practices
Take Root in PDS
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STINGUISHEDTEACHING
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The need to change and improve student learning necessitates that
we change how we teach.”
The MSU/PDS consortium model follows the NTC Program
Theory of Action, which calls for ongoing development of new
teachers and mentors as well as their school and district leaders,
who continually collaborate with consortium leaders in the College
of Education. The program reflects the design features of a
continuum of support, developed by CMI over the last few years,
that impacts pre-service education students, new teachers and their
experienced colleagues alike. The colorful graphic indicating a
gear system shows the continuum of support and the various people
and places that are impacted through the collaborations.
NExT project leaders will continue building capacities within
the College of Education with input from all departments and
PDS partners to begin implementing one of the country’s most
innovative mentoring and
induction programs. Where
most programs directly impact
new teachers who are in their
first years in the classroom,
CMI intends to stretch the
boundaries by implementing
the induction process at the
pre-service preparation level. In
the Minnesota State Mankato
PDS, pre-service teachers will
gain direct exposure to best
practices before they even enter
the field, which ensures they are
equipped to excel as soon they
join the profession.
Expansion of Professional Development Services
PDS mentor leaders Carol Burns (CMI) and Pam
Kennedy (Faribault Public Schools), meanwhile, joined Bird in
developing a broader support system distributed throughout
the entire NExT project. Collaborations represent all higher
education institutions in the network across Minnesota, North
Dakota, and South Dakota. Two committee sessions have
been held so far and more are expected through the summer
into the next school year. NExT partners in the Bush Foundation
fully support these collaborative efforts.
The Support and Induction committee will proceed in co-
developing a three-tiered model of intentional mentoring and
induction practices so that all new teachers are afforded this
essential support. Each institution also contributes and shares
the resources enabling their best efforts, so communication
across three states continuously drives the preparation of future
teachers in approaches unprecedented.
These intentional mentoring and induction systems hold the
capacity to simultaneously transform the profession in coming
years. Not only will this impact those newest to the teaching
profession, it will serve to support the ongoing development of
professional educators over the course of their careers. As Bird
references from the work of author Carol Bartell, “Mentoring
sets the norms, attitudes, and standards that will guide their
professional practice for years to come” (from Cultivating High-
Quality Teaching Through Induction and Mentoring).
To access the expertise and resources contained within
NExT/PDS collaborations, contact the Center for Mentoring
& Induction in the College of Education.
http://ed.mnsu.edu/cmi/
As highlighted in the previous issue of Partnership, the Center for Mentoring & Induction’s (CMI) newly
established partnership with the New Teacher Center (NTC) at Santa Cruz, California, continues to grow.
In consultation with Rhonda Dubin, NTC consultant, CMI sought to help bridge the New Teacher Center
induction model with MSU/PDS capacities.
As the full school year of consultations came to a close, the fifteen-member consultation team had
articulated a mentoring and induction model that encompassed the entire PDS system, known as the
Consortium for Transforming Teaching & Leading (CTTL). The consortium model embraces new and veteran
teachers, along with their district colleagues and administrators, in developing a comprehensive mentoring
culture that fosters best teaching practices, whole-school professional growth, and improved student learning.
Alongside this transformative collaboration, Center for Mentoring & Induction Director, Lori Bird,
completed a year-long research study on best practices in mentoring and their perceived effects on
Minnesota State Mankato teacher candidates in the field. Moreover, CMI collaborated with the Bush
Foundation to convene representatives from each institution in the Network for Excellence in Teaching (NExT)
project around common mentoring and induction practices and resources. All the while, CMI leaders Lori
Bird and Carol Burns continued providing in-district training and support to schools around the state.
Glen Schilling sharing with Minnesota State Mankato PDS Governance Council members.

n PDS partners not only facilitate powerful relationships for positive
impacts on faculty, teacher candidates, and students in their buildings,
they also innovate to improve their own and each other’s work as
professional educators.
For example, Darin Doherty, TOSA for St. Peter recently hired
to serve as South Elementary Principal in the upcoming school year,
spent his time as District Technology Integration Specialist discovering
and spreading best practices in educational technology. With a
friend in software programming, he collaborated to build an Ipad
app specifically for fellow TOSA’s and educators using Danielson’s
Framework for Teaching for mentoring and/or evaluative purposes.
Throughout the 2011-12 school year, he gathered input
from TOSA’s at regular meetings and educators within his district
to refine the app’s capabilities. With iPad or iPhone in hand, the
app will allow educators to customize procedures for taking notes
on a teacher’s instruction according to the teacher’s wishes and/
or specific evaluative measures being sought. It also allows the
user to catalog the information categorically or in more customized
fashions, along with the ability to consolidate and maximize
reporting options. This means less paper but also more options in
highlighting specific measures, historical progressions of a teacher’s
performances, and keeping track of preceding evaluations and their
results for moving forward.
Doherty also plays a role in PDS district collaborations around
technology training to precede the next school year. Tools of
Engagement: Innovation Zone Summit 2012 represents collaborations
between St. Peter, Waseca, and Mankato to present and learn new
innovations merging technology and student engagement. Doherty
explains, “It’s not just a focus on technology. It’s actually a focus on
engagement, questioning, and formative assessments through the
use of technology.” Participants will meet for two full days on the
Minnesota State Mankato campus, delving into current research
and forming new perspectives on educational technology while
creating plans for sharing the new learning with Professional Learning
Communities (PLC’s) back in their districts.
n Another TOSA, Cindy Olson in Mankato, built on years of
experience with the Moodle online platform to offer the mentoring
As Professional Development School (PDS) partner school districts search for ways to ride the technology wave with expertise, the
College of Education at Minnesota State Mankato maximizes resources to offer complementary innovation and support in this
critical aspect of teaching and learning. PDS collaborations over the last year have produced some of the most innovative uses
of technology for greater student learning that is currently available. As P-12 partners build capacity within their buildings and
districts, they join with teacher preparation faculty to ensure best practices and boost results. This article references the extent of
educational technology innovation coming out of the PDS crucible.
n Peg Ballard collaborated with friend and colleague Mary Beth
Schwirtz from Sibley East Public Schools over a year ago to imagine what
could benefit both of their student populations. As time progressed into the
last school year, Sibley East purchased an initial round of iPads to use as
instructional tools. Meanwhile, the College of Education Dean, Dr. Jean Haar,
agreed to fund the Elementary & Early Childhood department’s purchase of
iPads to enhance teacher candidates’ training in technology integration.
Ballard teaches Elementary education students in Block 3 (Block
4 is student teaching) of their field experiences progression. Each block
works with different technology tools to maximize students’ instructional
understandings, and Block 3 recently began focusing on iPads.
Last spring, twenty-five teacher candidates, or I-Tutors, met with as
many third-grade students on the Arlington campus for face-to-face reading
instruction– through Apple’s FaceTime. Tutors and students plugged in
earphones to block out distractions, set their iPads up in front of themselves,
which allowed front and back camera angles, and read through passages
together working on comprehension and fluency. Both parties kept records
and documented evidence of student achievement as a result of the
intervention, which showed improvement right away.
Ballard immediately understood the implications of the innovation
and has set up opportunities to double the amount of candidates and
students interacting through the technology in the fall semester. Her
concern now lies within the new question, “What are ways to go beyond
the iPad applications?”
She discusses concepts with her students of using the technology
in broader, more effective ways along with related issues on classroom
management and student behavior. In this way, she continues offering students
in the College of Education a place in the forefront of educational technology
innovation. You can read more about the program in COE’s Educate (Spring
2012, Vol. 2, No. 1), available on
the College website.
n Mymique Baxter, the COE
Student Relations Coordinator,
created additional opportunities
by connecting teacher candidates
to more PDS students in Mankato
Area Public Schools. She
collaborated with Minnesota State Mankato’s Information Technology
department to offer homework support to students in the area. IT services
built an online platform using WebEx software for interested teacher
candidates to volunteer their pedagogical knowledge to struggling students
beyond traditional after-school program hours. In this program, families have
more chances for boosting their children’s academic success from 6-10pm
Monday through Thursday. The pilot program hopes to expand its reach by
next year. More information can be found in a related article on recruitment
and retention (see Recruitment updates, page 8)
n The Educational Resource Center (ERC) in Memorial Library staffs
media and instructional professionals to offer online platforms for organizing
information for teaching and learning purposes. Lisa Baures, Reference/
Instruction Librarian in the ERC, partnered with a Teacher-On-Special-
Assignment and P-12 educators on a Professional Learning Team about
classroom technology. The class guide she created organized all the learning
she and her colleagues collected through interviews with teachers and faculty
on how they used technology in their classrooms, and what resources the
teachers needed to effectively use technology to increase student learning.
The results of their collaborative action research on important educational
topics like technology serve the whole PDS community to continue partnering
in ways that enhance students’ and teachers’ learning.
For more information on this spring’s Professional Learning Team’s, turn to
the Curriculum updates on page 20.
n The College of Education
offers a Graduate Online
Educational Technology
master’s degree, in addition
to undergraduate courses in
technology integration and
a college-wide technology
committee. Dr. David Georgina, in
the K-12 & Secondary Programs
department, directs the MS degree
program, where students “not only
learn how to create technology
integrated lessons, but also how
to assess the technology-based
lessons.”
The IT department at Minnesota
State Mankato offers an array
of educational services to
faculty and teacher preparation
professionals. Within
Instructional Technologies,
faculty have access to the
Desire 2 Learn online platform,
experiential seminars in multiple
classroom technologies and
access to Enriching Learning
Environments (ELE) and the
Technology & Teaching Center.
Interested in gaining expertise
in technology integration. You
can boost skills in a particular
area in a single course, choose
from four certificates to become
a teacher leader, or go for
the full master’s degree. Go
to http://ed.mnsu.edu/ksp/
edtech for more info.
U niversity
n In addition to Sibley East’s I-tutoring initiative with the Elementary
& Early Childhood department, all PDS districts allocate staff and
resources specifically to the training and integration of educational
technologies.
In only one particular case, Le Sueur-Henderson Public Schools
recently adopted a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)
curriculum in one of its buildings for grades 4-5. As John Lustig, former
Technology Integration Specialist for the district and graduate of the
master’s program in Educational Technology, explains, “The curriculum
in the STEM school will be transformed by blending math and science
content to be more integrated with each other, infusing inquiry-based
teaching and learning methods into classroom learning experiences.”
The district appropriated an iPad for each student in the new school
design for greater opportunity in student and teacher technology use.
Lustig’s successor will be crucial in the new school design as well
as district-wide initiatives, including “working one-on-one with teachers
as an instructional technology consultant and coach, facilitating
P -12 The 2011-12 PDS Leadership
Institute cohort created a range
of technology applications for
the schooling and/or education
process. Nearly all teams used
technology to support their
leadership capacities and
some focused on technology’s
instructional potential for their
PIP projects. For more on how
the PDS builds and sustains
innovative and dedicated talent
in the schools, flip over to the
Leadership Institute article on
page 14.
and induction team, including the
new teachers they serve, a common
forum to support their work. As soon
as the district began supporting the
technology, the team created an
initial website by the time they held
the new teacher induction program
in August. In it, mentors share district
resources, such as finding substitutes,
gaining continuing education credits,
and using classroom materials while
housing new learning and information introduced in new teacher seminars held
throughout the year.
The website divides into separate “classrooms” that support elementary,
secondary, or Special Education teachers. A “Bright Ideas” wiki holds resources
addressing particular new teacher concerns, such as English Language Learner
strategies, classroom management, and differentiation techniques. The team
hopes to add more interactive materials to increase activity on the website for
next year’s mentors/mentees.
echnology that
Interconnects, Enriches & Sustains
T
P DS Partnership
technology integration-related staff
professional development in small and
large-group formats, and co-teaching
with classroom teachers to model
best practices and assisting them as
they use new technology tools and
strategies with students for learning.”
Like other PDS district and/
or school technology staff, Lustig’s
mission “is to provide teachers the
resources that are necessary to
effectively integrate technology into
curriculum and instruction to improve
student learning, increase learning
opportunities, and encourage the use
of different and innovative teaching methods.” Starting this summer, he continues
his mission in St. Peter Public Schools as their new District Technology Director.
The 2012 Professional Learning
Teams delved into a variety
of technology applications in
their semester’s collaborative
learning sessions. Half of the
eight inter-institutional PDS
teams focused their resources
and practices on technology.
To view some of their learning,
see the article on Curriculum
updates, page 20.
Minnesota State Mankato PDS TOSAs developing e-handbook materials.
As a member of the COE technology committee, he helps increase
technology integration while assisting in the transition of courses to hybrid
and/or full online delivery options, which now requires dedication from an
office of staff in the College. With a wide variety of skills and scholarship
in the area, he also produces a blog detailing acquired theories and
methodology and co-created a wiki for the master’s program, and is a
Quality Matters certified online course reviewer. College students are not
the only population he serves, since the master’s program involves flexible
pedagogy (or andragogy) to align with the needs of diverse teachers,
cohorts, and schools.
Dr. Peg Ballard, Department of Elementary and Early Childhood,
shares about iPad technology and literacy.

http://ed.mnsu.edu/csup/ 15Summer 2012 Partnership
As Dr. Zierdt facilitated the
Institute’s delivery of outside resources
and education professionals that met
local district needs, Steiger used a
variety of exercises to engage the new
leaders as learners. Team-building
activities like Build It required a
concerted effort of experimentation and
reflection for groups of participants
to build common products and
understandings. Individual leaders
articulated their own principles and
ethics for personal leadership beliefs
through a Leadership Deconstruct, and
fit each other’s variety of views into a
whole picture of PDS partnerships.
Seminars full of learning and
collaborative activity fed the efforts of
each district team as they strove to lead
relevant and purposeful PIP projects in
their communities. The adjacent table
details the wealth of experience and
resources developed through team
projects.
The last Institute session on May
24, 2012, allowed each team to
present the successes and challenges
that came with leading high-level
changes within their schools. Leaders
collaborated to improve information
and assessment systems, train teachers
and faculty to work together, build and
deliver new educational technologies,
and produce a community video
literacy project.
“It was great to see how excited the
teachers were to share with each other,”
Katie Nakagaki commented on the
delivery of Owatonna’s project involving
all staff within a certain department. All
participants understood the significance
of connecting and empowering each
other through their own efforts and
extending the partnerships to the
broader PDS network at development
such as the Leadership Institute.
Jason Markusen, also on
Owatonna’s team, started off their PIP
presentation with a bow to Institute
staff, “Sam and Ginger, thanks for
bringing us all together. I think about
the impact of this Institute. Here, we
have this instant opportunity to learn
from and connect with each other.”
The Professional Development School (PDS) Leadership Institute
graduated the second cohort of school leaders on May 24, 2012, at
Minnesota State University, Mankato. On graduation day, each PDS
district team presented the processes and results of district initiatives
they led together over the last year as members of the Leadership
Institute. Their Professional Initiative Projects (PIPs), coordinated
within all seven PDS districts, represent another successful round
of teachers and school staff collaborating to improve teaching and
learning in their schools.
The last issue of Partnership discussed the variety of activities
PDS Leadership Institute participants receive in the PDS teacher-
leaders’ 18-month journeys. A list of Professional Initiative Projects
(PIP) accompanied the article highlighting a range of initiatives that
district teams coordinated and executed. This issue follows the last
two seminars in the series and the graduation of the second cohort
presenting PDS district leadership efforts.
PDS Leadership Institute staff and director of the Adventure
Education Program at Minnesota State Mankato, Sam Steiger,
continued leading experiential activities for participants to discover
and apply leadership principles to their learning. Steiger’s exercises
connected with the PDS Signature Trends that were designed to
address common needs across PDS districts, and Dr. Ginger Zierdt
facilitated additional Trend knowledge and Institute discussions.
In January, Dr. Richard Chase, Minnesota early childhood
researcher at Wilder Research, shared up-to-date research and
resources gathered over twenty-five years of experience working
with diverse communities developing early childhood education. He
presented a host of research topics that contribute to early childhood
systems in the state, making connections between brain research,
social sciences, economics, demographics and community-based
interventions and/or studies led by Chase at Wilder.
Chase confidently outlined a comprehensive early childhood
systems framework, which includes interconnected outcomes in
health, income, and education. “Early childhood development
is economic development. To do nothing costs K-12 more,” he
explained.
As a result, he provided a comprehensive list of opportunities
for building partnerships that benefit families in communities across
the state, especially as these services help prevent achievement gaps
that may exist in the schools.
Leadership Institute participants described several local
examples of community outreach within their district’s services and
early childhood options. Chase applauded grassroots partnerships
and noted additional Foundation initiatives such as Invest Early and
the Minnesota Early Childhood Initiative that provide more options
for maximizing local interventions.
In March, participants expanded on the community theme by
discovering and sharing new research in a reading workshop for the
last PDS Signature Trend of the series, Family/School/Community
Partnerships Development. Dr. Zierdt presented manuals, guidelines,
and real success stories from school-community partnerships positively
impacting student learning across the country, and Institute leaders
culled major themes and/or ideas to circulate through the education
communities represented in the room.
PDS Leadership Institute Professional Initiative Projects
(PIP) – Cohort 2
Purpose: Build greater interaction between Special Education and general Education
departments to increase all teacher candidates’ learning and collaboration
Results: Created surveys to assess current opportunities for collaboration and
knowledge; Interviewed students and faculty through surveys or focus groups, including
student clubs; Planning future mechanism to build practical opportunities
Faribault
Purpose: Produce multilingual video literacy project for diverse student/family
populations
Results: Piloted videos of books read by high school students in multiple languages;
Partnered with Faribault Public Schools administrators, Faribault’s Early Childhood
Initiative, and Faribault city services/events to maximize impact
Le Sueur-Henderson
Purpose: Build capacity for Personal Learning Networks that fit in with district
Professional Growth Plans
Results: Researched and applied technology tools to assist development of PLN’s; Built in
technology training for staff development
Mankato
Purpose: Discover student perceptions of school climate, extending district research into
questions and concerns involving Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) and
the MN Student Survey
Results: Surveyed 7th & 10th grade students in district; Sharing results with PBIS teams
at middle and high schools for planning
Owatonna
Purpose: Examine Response to Intervention (RtI) curriculum and instruction and increase
collaboration through co-teaching and identifying teacher strengths
Results: Co-Teaching training and additional collaboration options- on standards and
instruction- for Intervention staff; Identified and leveraged teacher strengths to build
positive relationships; Shared resources and strategies through great conversation
St. Peter
Purpose: Use results of St. Peter Public Schools’ environmental scan to assess strategic
priorities
Results: Increased understanding of community demographics, patterns, and trends
informing appropriate school decisions and opportunities that build the whole
community
Sibley East
Purpose: Create K-12 Technology plan for district
Results: Developed iBook access for every teacher/department to build awareness and
best practices; Work with district acquisition of 1:1 iPads for students, incorporating
training and development to improve student learning
Waseca
Purpose: Create format for reviewing student progress and formulating intervention
solutions using new data system, Viewpoint
Results: Researched system for potential applications and development opportunities;
Created Jing videos for staff to reference; Partnered with district technology team and
Professional Learning Communities in buildings
School Leaders Partner to
Improve PDS Schools
14

PDS Leadership Institute Graduation Class (Cohort 2)
16 17Summer 2012 Partnershiphttp://ed.mnsu.edu/csup/
The goal of the PDS Leadership
Institute is to engage partner
educators and administrators
(P-K-12 and Higher
Education) in meaningful
dialogue centered on global
trends and the leadership skills
needed to understand and negotiate
them. Leadership at all levels of
education is a key factor in achieving
and sustaining school and community
success. To achieve this goal, the PDS
Institute was developed specifically
by and for Professional Development
School (PDS) partner educators. The
sessions brings together complex
curriculum that focuses on the critical
leadership needs to address global
trends and institutionalize a culture of
positive change. Content experts and
dialogue facilitators create a dynamic
and valuable learning experience.
Bottom Row 1 Left to Right:
Ruth Oftedahl (Waseca)
Tracey Magnuson (Faribault)
Kristin Halda (Mankato)
Stacy Collins (Waseca)
Joanne Harmsen (Owatonna)
Row 2 Left to Right:
Craig Brenden (Waseca)
Katie Nakagaki (Owatonna)
Ytive Prafke (St. Peter)
Lexie Schilling (LeSueur-Henderson)
Alexandra Panahon (College of Education)
Kathy Leary (LeSueur-Henderson)
Heidi Oanes (Faribault)
Annette Engeldinger (St. Peter)
Amanda Schaffer (Mankato)
Carrie Chapman (College of Education)
Jane Ellingson (Mankato)
Julie Sullivan (Owatonna)
Lori Pierret (St. Peter)
Margo Jennison-Hanson (St. Peter)
Ryan Wendlandt (LeSueur-Henderson)
Jeff Dahline (Mankato)
Holly Vos (Sibley East)
Keith Hanson (St. Peter)
Jason Borglum (LeSueur-Henderson)
Chad Bachman (Sibley East)
Mike Feterl (Sibley East)
Lisa Engbrecht (Faribault)
Stacy Pauly (Sibley East)
Terry Turek (LeSueur-Henderson)
Jason Markusen (Owatonna)
Dawn Peanasky (Faribault)
Jeanne Swanson (Waseca)
Not Pictured:
Dustin Buttell (Mankato)
Chip Wolverton (Sibley East)
Darren Nelson (Waseca)

Summer 2012 Partnership
Partnership magazine has provided full coverage of the
new Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program
implemented in southern Minnesota districts through Professional
Development School (PDS) collaborations at Minnesota State
University, Mankato.
The Summer 2011 issue of Partnership outlined the PDS-wide
agreement to offer AVID in its school districts. Last issue, we heard
from stakeholders at each level of the AVID process, including
the students themselves. Now, Minnesota State Mankato and
PDS AVID leaders stand at the close of their first year, reflecting
together on the many ways in which they succeeded and the
many things they learned for their second.
The last year was full of active partnerships and innovative
program opportunities. AVID site teams from all five districts led
the charge by meeting throughout the year to glean new ideas
and address common issues together. Center for School-University
Partnerships assistant director, Paul Preimesberger, also district
director of four of the AVID programs, led three day-long sessions
with the teams, complementing each building’s internal team
collaborations.
Each site team of eight educators from all levels of the school
developed site plans that remained focused on AVID essentials
over the first year. St. Peter High School principal, Paul Peterson,
explains, “The site team summits provided our team with a great
opportunity to share and compare. With this being our first
year in the AVID system, there is a little anxiety about whether
Each site team welcomed anywhere from two to six
tutors twice each week, as they reinforced AVID strategies
of collaboration and inquiry to guide students through
academic problems during tutorial sessions. The final Site
Team Summit allowed AVID elective teachers the chance to
honor the efforts of AVID tutors.
Chris Larson was a teacher candidate last spring and
traveled to St. Peter as an AVID tutor. He described his
experience recently to a group of Teachers-On-Special-
Assignment, or TOSA’s, at their monthly forum with College
of Education faculty at Minnesota State Mankato. “I would
recommend it to other student teachers. I got to know
my students personally, which made me more effective
teaching them in my other classes.”
He also cited the tutoring aspect of using Socratic
questioning methods with the students as helpful for working
with different populations in his other classes. “It’s amazing
to hear the students’ questions; they really know so much.”
AVID leaders worked hard to keep engaging tutors in
the schools each week over a full school year. The largest
percentage of tutors came from the College of Education at
Minnesota State Mankato, and intentional efforts were made
halfway through the year to begin fulfilling field experience
requirements for more education students, including teacher
candidates, to gain experience improving student learning
through research-based teaching strategies.
In the true spirit of partnership, the Counseling & Student
Personnel department collaborated with AVID leaders to
deepen their school counseling candidates’ knowledge
and experience. Counseling students visited AVID sites to
provide even more support to the students through intentional
guidance methods addressing students’ engagement with the
new program, both academically and emotionally.
Teachers, counselors, administrators, district staff, and
superintendents experienced positive implementation results
in their first year with the program. Each site looks forward
to the second year of implementation as they add another
section(s) to their existing program or, in one district’s case,
build the program into another high school. AVID leaders
set their sights on enhanced collaborations after teams
attend more training in the summer, in some cases with
other PDS teams, to further refine their site team’s plans.
Next year also promises to extend AVID’s scope within the
PDS network as leaders continue meeting over the summer
to draft plans for achieving greater success.
Partnership Pioneers:
AVID Leaves
Lasting Impacts across PDS
AVID District Profiles
Faribault Public Schools 7th & 8th grades- Middle School
9th & 10th grades- High School
Le Sueur-Henderson Public Schools 9th & 10th grades
Mankato Public Schools Mankato West: 9th, 10th, & 11th
grades
Mankato East: 10th grade
St. Peter Public Schools 9th & 10th grades
Sibley East Public Schools 10th & 11th grades
Waseca Public Schools 9th & 10th grades
you are ‘doing it right’ or staying on pace with other schools
in the system. The summits were the perfect venue for honest
conversation with other schools on the AVID journey.”
It was also the right venue for celebrating the growth in
AVID students and schools over the first year. All site teams had
something positive to say about their students’ progress, or even
their own, in the AVID journey. They all took advantage of the
AVID goal to create a college-going culture by sending students
to nearby college campuses, and by recognizing the education
of school teachers and staff. One class appointed AVID
Ambassadors within the school community and raised funds by
helping sell tickets for Elton John at the Verizon Wireless Mankato
Convention Center, while another saw the average GPA of AVID
students raised by over .7 points.
Barb Kunz, AVID Elective Teacher at Waseca, described
several highlights of the program, including how five of the
students presented to the School Board and the local Rotary
Club to share their experiences. “The community was in awe of
the program and the way the ninth grade students were able to
speak so eloquently to their adult audiences.”
She also described the impact of AVID tutorials, a key
feature of the program, which build students’ critical thinking and
questioning skills as well as their capabilities to work together
to increase learning. “I am very proud of the way students
collaborated in the tutorial process and impressed with the growth
I have seen in this activity over the year.”
Support from the National AVID Organization
Maria Cobb, National Director of Divisional Support for AVID,
visited many of the sites to allay first-year jitters and assess key features
of implementation. As an experienced AVID leader who has seen
many AVID classrooms and graduations, including several of her own,
she understands the apprehension students and teachers may feel at
implementing such an expansive program into the school calendar.
When she visited PDS AVID classrooms in southern Minnesota
districts, she solicited students’ input and started a dialogue around the
advantages of participating in AVID. She noticed the students were very
responsive in articulating and attaching meaning to their experiences,
which from her perspective proves that students are already gaining
more skills in critical thinking processes. One student reminded her of
the significant relationships built through the program when she told
Cobb, “I want to take you home with me.”
Cobb responds, “What’s consistent for many of the students is AVID,
and what she’s learned is how beneficial the relationships can be for her.”
In the classes Cobb addressed the students as AVID pioneers
in their school culture, telling students “you have a responsibility for
those coming behind you. Others have gone before you as well, and
now you can place your own bricks starting the new path.” Students
responded enthusiastically as they sang songs with each other at one
point in the visit after choosing positive words that characterized their
new experiences.
18 http://ed.mnsu.edu/csup/ 19
AVID site team leaders with the PDS.

New Curriculum
The Minnesota Board of
Teaching has proposed rules for
new special education licenses to
better meet the needs of current
practitioners and their students.
Dr. Teri Wallace of the Special
Education department worked
with Professional Development
School (PDS) partners to address
the proposed rule changes.
In response, the department
will implement a new cross-
categorical license of Academic
and Behavioral Strategist (ABS) for
undergraduates starting this spring.
Previously, undergraduates in
Special Education received a license
to serve students identified with
Developmental Cognitive Disabilities
(DCD) across grade levels and the
disability spectrum (mild to severe).
As the MN Board of Teaching
explains in its report, “It is far more
common for teachers to serve
students across categorical areas
throughout the course of the day
or year, and teachers holding an
ABS license will be equipped with
the new degree provides more opportunities
for where they can go at any given time,
she says. She meets with many of the
introductory classes to familiarize them with
expectations and specific classroom or
district needs.
The degree offers new courses as well,
including IEP (Individualized Education
Plan) Writing and Professional Practice,
Instructional Decision-Making, Positive
Behavioral Supports, and Strategies for
Teaching Learners with Special Needs in
Math and Science. Important topics such as
working with paraprofessionals and using
educational technology have been included
as well. As the degree broadens to expand
students’ knowledge of best practices in the
field, students will also spend more time in
the field with a broader range of students
and their disabilities.
As a cohort, special education
undergrads will begin working in the
field immediately in their first semester
of coursework, directly experiencing
the multiple settings for students with
disabilities, including those with more diverse
populations as a separate component.
As students progress in the program, they
increase time in the field with semester-long
experiences working with each disability
area across grade levels, including
familiarity with transition programming.
Wallace highlighted the significance of
this time working with our school partners.
“The time our teacher candidates spend with
cooperating teachers in their classrooms
working with students is the most meaningful
time of their preparation. We are grateful for
such collaboration.”
New Learning (& Teams)
At Rosa Parks Elementary state-of-the-
art campus, spring 2012 Professional
Learning Teams met in the library to
display large posters of new learning and
resources discovered through a semester
Extended collaborations were a part of each team’s process and learning,
including guest speakers, interviewing colleagues, assessing environmental conditions, joining webinars,
the list goes on. Below are a few specific actions taken by PLT’s.
libguides.mnsu.edu/techlearning team, from
PLT, “Technology Learning Team: Where the
Classroom Shapes the Practical Application
of Knowledge”
Using Adobe Connect to conduct
video conferences, from PLT, “It Takes a
Village to be SMART”
Adding Math SMARTBoard lesson to
SMARTExchange, an online community of educators
using SMARTBoard in innovative ways, from PLT, “It
Takes a Village to be SMART”
Curriculum Mapping and Faculty Survey
resources for assessing where and how
mental health is being addressed, from PLT,
“Mental Health Learning Team”
Practical application of Flipped
classroom principles, from PLT,
“Technology: It’s Dirt Simple”
Mental Health resources like Schoolmentalhealth.
org, research reviews in addressing PTSD, links
between mental health and diet and/or wellness,
from Mental Health PLT’s
Curricular Initiatives
Run on PDS Innovation
In the previous issue, we saw the Elementary & Early Childhood department’s new curricula changes,
following curriculum news from the K-12 & Secondary Programs department in the last summer issue. Now,
Special Education unveils a comprehensive update to the department’s curriculum in a partnership that extends
into relationships at the state level addressing current realities of K-12 special education settings.
Last issue, we also met the first Professional Learning Teams, who researched and practiced new knowledge
identified within the topics of co-teaching, differentiation, and TPA. This spring, new teams in mental health and
technology forums created timely, relevant resources and learning for the Minnesota State University, Mankato
PDS community of P-12 educators and teacher preparation faculty.
“The Board acknowledges the collaborative effort of your faculty that developed this
program. Thank you for your continued service to the profession through the important
work of teacher preparation.” – Executive Director of The Minnesota Board of Teaching in
a recent letter to University President, Dr. Davenport, and College of Education Dean, Dr.
Haar, confirming the Board’s approval of the new license
understanding of multiple disabilities
and the necessary assessment tools
and instructional strategies for each.”
Now, graduates have the ability
to appropriately serve more students
identified as mild to moderate
in Autism Spectrum Disorders
(ASD), Emotional and Behavioral
Disabilities (EBD) and Learning
Disabilities (LD), in addition to the
existing DCD. Furthermore, they will
have more relevant and sustained
experience with these students
before entering the workforce. Plus,
if and when the needs of a special
education role requires a more
in-depth understanding of particular
categories, the teachers can enroll in
hybrid and online courses designed
for working professionals in disability-
specific areas such as EBD, LD, DCD,
and the high-need area of ASD. The
Minnesota Board of
Teaching requires
teachers holding
an ABS license- as
part of their renewal
within five years- to
earn a license in a
categorical area
at the severe level.
These graduate
courses will help
working teachers
of collaboration. The posters hung on
a wall of cork-board, and child-sized
stadium seating let a group of P-12
educators and teacher preparation
faculty catch up on other Learning
Teams’ group action plans, learning
agendas, new learning and acquired
skills, applications and next steps.
The Professional Learning Teams,
created by the Curriculum Redesign
committee within the Minnesota State
Mankato Network for Excellence in
Teaching (NExT) project, added new
topics on mental health and classroom
technology, as previously identified
by focus groups and surveys with PDS
partners as important issues within the
schools. Six teams delved into the new
topics, while two remained focused
on previous topics of co-teaching/
differentiation and the Teacher
Performance Assessment (TPA).
Through the collaborative learning
of these teams, school districts in the
PDS now have a bank of resources and
experience to apply smarter practices
with classroom instruction, whether it’s in
a lecture hall or at elementary stations.
The same can be said for the outcomes
of other Learning Teams, and generally
speaking, all teams’ self-guided and group
learning is gradually building a cadre of
experts in a variety of teaching strategies,
methods, and supports.
The structure of PLT activities, based on
Professional Learning Communities research,
is modeled to allow for differentiation and
customized, convenient forums for pursuing
new learning. One of the few guidelines of
participation calls for four meetings over the
semester, the extent of which is determined
by each team individually. There are hopes
to meet as much face to face, but Minnesota
State Mankato also offers the Desire 2 Learn
(D2L) online platform for group learning. Teams
come together to gather resources at a 2-hour
launch meeting, and reconvene at the end of
the semester to share learning and processes
for each group. When collaborations
conclude, brief summaries of all new
knowledge post to D2L, available to the whole
group and others invited to join.
Below are a few highlights from the efforts
of spring 2012 PLT’s. If you’re interested in
participating, talk to your PDS colleagues
or let Laura Bemel in the Office of Field &
International Experience know.
laura.bemel@mnsu.edu
meet this requirement within two to
three courses.
Wallace credits the PDS
network of teachers, administrators,
supervisors, and faculty with
whom she coordinated, and a
target group of Special Education
directors and teachers participating
in an Advisory Board, with the
practical success of designing
strategic and comprehensive
changes in the department’s
offerings.
Karen Letcher, a TOSA for
Mankato Area Public School’s
special education services, worked
closely with Wallace to plan for
the new degree and arrange field
experiences for the new cohort.
She says the new degree “is a plus
because it aligns the pre-service
training to what actually goes on in
the field.” She adds, “Now, special
education teachers will have access
to more techniques and strategies
since the students graduate with
broader training, and then have the
ability to focus the scope of their
expertise as they pursue advanced
degrees in a specific categorical
area.”
Letcher had some issues
finding placements specific to
previous students’ DCD training, but
Dr. Teri Wallace visits with TOSAs Karen Letcher (Mankato) and Lisa Zika (Waseca).

Earlier Models
Lori Piowlski starts with her Level
I elementary education students. At
Level I, the students are just beginning
their field experiences, which focus on
targeted observations, tutoring, and
one-to-one instruction over four weeks
for Minnesota State University, Mankato
teacher candidates. Essentially, this is the
first time they visit a school as education
professionals, so appropriate attention
is given to the teacher candidate’s
understanding of the “context of learning,”
as defined by Charlotte Danielson’s
Framework for Teaching.
Piowlski notes, “It is imperative that
a bridge of collaboration is built between
University and district faculty that enhances
the experiences of teacher candidates and
positively impacts student achievement in
the classroom. Relationship-building is what
drives this new model of support.”
Rosa Parks Elementary principal, Rick
Lund, agrees, “We’re having fun developing
a team that Minnesota State Mankato is
when they begin student teaching.
This relatively amounts to a full-year
internship in a school or district, which
has the ability to fully nurture the
candidate’s learning experience and
increase their students’ learning.
TOSA’s have had beneficial
experiences facilitating long-term
placements in their districts, so
much so that five of them joined
together to create a presentation
on the PDS internship models at the
National Association of Professional
Development Schools conference this
March. They collectively introduced
seven student experiences across
four PDS school districts, citing
more effective PDS relationships,
resume-building experiences for the
candidates, and efficient student
teaching procedures.
For instance, one student stayed
with the same teacher for a full year
while others switched teachers and/
or buildings the second semester. One
worked with three teachers in the
same district to cover the breadth of his
certification, and another chose to stay
within the same building over her last
three semesters of clinical experiences.
A teacher candidate at Le
Sueur-Henderson Middle and High
School merely changed classrooms
between experiences while remaining
in the same building and department.
One of her cooperating teachers,
LaRae Ludwig, commented on the
candidate’s performance stating,
“Amanda already knew a lot of the
routine by the time she got here.
She could really start teaching right
away instead of trying to learn a lot
of procedures.” In fact, Amanda’s
developed confidence surely helped
her assume more direct teaching roles
when her cooperating teacher had
an emergency absence for a couple
weeks.
Partnerships Offer Candidates
the Full Teaching Experience
Teacher Candidate Research
In the previous issue, College of Education (COE) faculty and the Office of Field & International Experiences (OFIE) consolidated co-
teaching opportunities for teacher candidates as well as broadened the extent of global collaboration for candidate’s abilities to study and
teach in other cultures.
In this issue, COE faculty continued building capacity internally to provide the most effective teaching and learning experiences
for their candidates. Here, you will read about the strength of Professional Development School (PDS) partnerships with school districts,
particularly how meaningful relationships create lasting impact on teacher candidates’ skills and enhance their impact on students in the
schools. Meanwhile, the COE Assessment committee helps ensure that we know more about our teacher candidates.
How are our teacher candidates
doing when they enter a teacher’s
classroom? Psychology professor Emily
Stark asked them for us, through a
longitudinal study she recently designed
and piloted with twenty-four education
seniors last fall.
Stark’s prior research agenda focused
on finding links between a students’
attitudes toward schooling and their
academic performance. Then, she came
across the Network for Excellence in
Teaching (NExT) project’s call for proposals
on teacher candidate research. Accordingly,
she designed a study to assess the attitudes
and beliefs of teacher candidates in an
attempt to understand how much of it related
to their teaching performance.
The survey asked for the candidates’
perspectives on what makes good teaching,
how they see their teaching abilities, their
confidence in their abilities, and their
motivations to teach. With only twenty-four
respondents, the survey doesn’t say anything
yet for certain, but Stark intends to continue
surveying more students at different points in
their coursework. A parallel goal includes
identifying the effect of different types of
field experiences, which will inform the
key points of initiatives like those explained
above.
Stark presented her research at
the second gathering of the College of
Education Research Committee Forum in
March. Dr. Daria Paul-Dona and research
assistant Dr. Volodymyr Lazar work hard to
provide this new forum for the University’s
developing research community.
Minnesota State Manakato teacher candidate observed in Co-teaching at Central Intermediate School,
Waseca as part of the Bush Foundation’s annual site team to the NExT Project partners.
Reprinted with permission from The Free Press, Mankato, MN
April 19, 2012
Minnesota State Mankato Hosts Kindergartners for Literacy Fun
By Amanda Dyslin Free Press Staff Writer
MANKATO — More than 70 kindergartners and a few dozen college students in a room together could
have been utter chaos.
Instead, calm and quiet 5- and 6-year-olds sat in groups throughout a carpeted room in the Centennial
Student Union at Minnesota State University, listening intently to various Eric Carle books being read, including
“The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and “10 Little Ducks.”
The unexpected order had to do with the leaders of the event, which brought 73 Rosa Parks Elementary
School kindergartners to MSU for a couple of hours of literary fun Thursday morning. Two sections of
elementary education majors — in block one, meaning they’re newbie teacher-trainees — had planned
various activities centered around Carle books. A reading of each was followed by a craft that the kids could
take home.
“It’s a great learning experience,” said the students’ professor, Lori Piowlski. “I’m really proud of them. ...
They went above and beyond.”
When thumpin’ dance music rang out over the speakers, that signaled for the kids to move onto the next
project. “Dance! Dance! Dance! Dance!” said student Brad Drazan, showing the kids some of his moves.
Drazan was part of “The Very Busy Spider” group, which was a hit with the kids. During the reading of the
book, the kindergartners were asked to help read along and wiggle their little bodies along with the teachers
when they said, “The spider didn’t answer. She was very busy spinning her web.”
After the reading, they made black spider hats with squiggly legs hanging off the sides. Rosa Parks teacher
Denise Geistfeld, who was impressed with the students’ ability to keep the children engaged, offered a
helpful little tip at the spider-hat table.
“Can I give you a hint? Put the staples on the outside so it doesn’t catch their hair,” she said to Drazan,
who nodded.
“Hey, (many) years of teaching kindergarten,” she added with a laugh.
Drazan put the finished product on the head of a very happy little girl, eager to show off to her friends.
“That looks awesome. Nice job,” Drazan said.
Haydin Heilman was also pretty proud of his spider hat.
“Spider!” he said. “I like it.”
a part of. The earlier and longer these
experiences are for the candidates, we can
build more and better relationships.” He
adds, “There can be more gaps within the
experience if we’re not on the same page.
We must work together so everyone gains.”
To ensure this, Piowlski and Lund
communicated with teachers, Teachers-
On-Special-Assignment, and candidate
supervisors before field experiences began.
They agreed on a mutually beneficial
partnership where the course focus on
literacy and the school’s learning context
drives the design.
Students first go into the classroom
earlier in the semester, once a week, to
learn more about cooperating teachers,
their students, and administrators’
perspectives. They meet with their Teacher-
On-Special-Assignment (TOSA) for a tour of
the building, with the principal to discuss
the professional context of the school
and classroom environment, and with
the principal and professor to clarify and
answer any questions.
TOSA’s fill an integral role in mediating
and enhancing the experiences of
teacher candidates, well beyond merely
coordinating placements in the schools- they
also mentor each candidate. In this case,
Mankato Elementary TOSA’s, Kay Green
and Laura Linde, worked in concert with
Piowlski and Lund to facilitate the most
effective and convenient scenarios for each
candidate and cooperating teacher.
Then for four weeks- 5 days each
week- the students observe, co-teach, or
tutor children according to the culture of that
classroom. Piowlski’s students are already
versed in that teacher’s curriculum and
instruction models, technology applications,
classroom management styles, testing
schedules and assistance, and, of course,
literacy programs when they come in for
the clinical. Immediately following one
observation each week, Piowlski and/
or another supervisor leads the class
seminar there at the school to analyze the
experience while it’s fresh in their minds.
The opportunities for real experiential
learning are endless, given the circumstances
of each placement. For a student’s first
experience in a school, they are adding
more value to the students’ learning, the
teacher’s instruction and environment, and
their own understanding of the job.
Long-Term Internship Model
Experiences don’t just start earlier
now, though, they also occur more often.
Laura Bemel, assistant director of OFIE, has
facilitated new long-term field experiences
for all elementary and secondary teacher
candidates over the last two semesters.
She regularly collaborates with TOSA’s and
education faculty to send students into one
district or building for their Level 3 clinical
experience prior to student teaching. The
candidates then continue with the same
teacher, or within the same building or district,

Advancement
The NExT project extends innovation in teacher preparation
to thirteen other higher education institutions. Four of them,
including Minnesota State Mankato, belong to the Minnesota
State Colleges & Universities system (MnSCU); the others are
Minnesota State Moorhead, Winona State, and St. Cloud
State. The NExT project not only intends to improve individual
institution’s teacher training, but also increase capacity for
participating institutions to share best practices that elevate the
collective potential of preparation programs.
As a result, the four MnSCU institutions work closely together,
especially within Assessment & Research, and they eventually
identified key obstacles that were unique to MnSCU structures in
accessing and reporting data within NExT initiatives. This discovery
led to a collaborative request for additional funding to hire a
research analyst to assist in assessment needs, specifically regarding
the ability for efficient sharing and uses of each other’s data.
Dr. Gregory Leslie accepted the new position in March and
Partnership is the
In the previous issue of Partnership, Dr. Bob Hugg co-created a new system for collaborating around research
and best practices in the field. The MavAIR/Prism system brings together faculty, teachers, administrators, community
members, and students to view the research projects and interests behind common education issues.
While Hugg and Dr. Daria Paul-Dona, Assessment Coordinator in the Network for Excellence in Teaching (NExT)
project, collaborated to expand capacity for the new technology, they also worked together to identify, retain, and
build the internal capacity of the Assessment team. One of their challenges in advancing a research community around
teacher preparation involves the University’s historical presence as a practitioner-based institution.
The team made several advances to build common awareness and collaboration, work out kinks in a system
designed to keep essential data mainly for reporting in accreditation purposes, and leverage the talent of existing
partnerships to maximize research opportunities.
holds office on the Minnesota State Mankato campus, although
he shares duties across MnSCU NExT partners in maximizing
individual and collective research project processes. NExT
partners hope to eventually convene inter-University research
forums around the shared data to inform future research agendas.
Until then, the Bush Foundation has agreed to fund his position
for the first two years, after which NExT partners may contribute
collectively to retain his talents for future viability in the project.
Dr. Paul-Dona understands that “finding viable research
opportunities takes a lot of creativity.” As a result, she appreciates
the talent and energy within the PDS partnership to provide the
collaboration and dedication necessary to advance the NExT
assessment system and goals at Minnesota State Mankato.
Eventually, and together, they will help build a culture of evidence
that revolves around “interdisciplinary research collaboration,”
and produces high-quality teachers that truly understand how their
teaching impacts students’ learning.Collaboration
During the last school year, a College of Education
(COE) Assessment committee convened representatives from
each department of teacher preparation programs. Dr. Paul-
Dona co-chaired the committee with Dr. Maureen Prenn from
Elementary & Early Childhood, which also included a K-12
representative in Lynn O’Brien, Sibley East’s Teacher-On-
Special-Assignment and district data coordinator.
They spent the year developing a common agenda
and forming member roles and tasks. The partnership
intended to encourage familiarity with the assessment
system already in place and address potential challenges
and/or opportunities. They hope to eventually build
a comprehensive system to encompass assessment
procedures and results, and currently are in initial stages
with its stated goals.
Meanwhile, assessment leaders bridged research
communities across the University to contribute to a research
agenda for the NExT teacher preparation project. The
idea formed last fall, but this spring two brown bag lunch
sessions convened researchers and interested parties to
present new learning (one session had to be cancelled).
One of the presenters came from the Psychology department
and introduced research on teacher candidates and how
their conceptions of education impacted their teaching
performance (see Field Experience updates, page 23).
Other presenters included Dr. David Georgina, Educational
Technology master’s program director, and Dr. Carrie
Chapman from K-12 & Secondary Programs, who leads
research projects on co-teaching.
For the second time, Value-Added Research Center
(VARC) representatives visited Minnesota State Mankato
to share their analyses of district and building-level data
on student achievement. Assessment teams from each PDS
district met in April to gain insight into statistical advances
in the methodology and pose questions for deeper
understanding of the results. VARC staff also presented
to COE faculty concerning the Center’s use of data and
helped build internal capacity for addressing PDS questions
and concerns with the new round of findings. More detailed
information about VARC can be found in the summer 2011
issue of Partnership following their first visit with the PDS.
The Assessment team took advantage of the
conference to request the initial formation of a committee
to collaborate around the use of the far-reaching
information. Dr. Paul-Dona explains, “We want to set a
joint vision for priorities with the data; mutual goal-setting
is what we need. We are in this together, with each other
and for each other.”
Toward this end, she and others hope to convene
an initial group this summer around the assessment with
intentions of deepening existing partnerships to leverage
the data’s impact. Each district contributes a representative
to participate, and the goal is to continue collaborating
into next school year.
Core of a Culture of Evidence
The Minnesota State Mankato NExT Project Leadership Team meets with members of the Bush Foundation Executive Team for an annual site-visit review of the project.

summer2012partnership

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