This letter verifies that Ami J Malia participated in Teach For America's 2013 summer training institute in Phoenix, Arizona from June 2nd to July 3rd. The institute provided over 200 hours of training for first-year teaching corps members through instructor-led sessions, a summer teaching experience, data-based coaching, and performance support tools. The training focused on developing teachers' knowledge, skills, and mindsets around setting ambitious goals, engaging students, effective planning and execution, and using data to continuously improve practice.
This multimedia presentation was created to highlight and review the different responsibilities of educational leaders, such as principals and assistant principals. This presentation works as a reflection of my completed coursework through the American College of Education.
Dalton, margaret developing a specialist degree for teacher leaders nfeasj[1]William Kritsonis
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD - Editor-in-Chief, NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS (Established 1982). Dr. Kritsonis earned his PhD from The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; M.Ed., Seattle Pacific University; Seattle, Washington; BA Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington. He was also named as the Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Education and Professional Studies at Central Washington University.
This multimedia presentation was created to highlight and review the different responsibilities of educational leaders, such as principals and assistant principals. This presentation works as a reflection of my completed coursework through the American College of Education.
Dalton, margaret developing a specialist degree for teacher leaders nfeasj[1]William Kritsonis
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD - Editor-in-Chief, NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS (Established 1982). Dr. Kritsonis earned his PhD from The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; M.Ed., Seattle Pacific University; Seattle, Washington; BA Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington. He was also named as the Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Education and Professional Studies at Central Washington University.
P ro f e s s i o n a lL e a rning C o m m u n i t i e s.docxgerardkortney
P ro f e s s i o n a l
L e a rning
C o m m u n i t i e s
Professional Development Strategies
That Improve Instruction
The Annenberg Institute for School Reform (a i s r) at Brown Uni-
versity engages in intensive work with urban school systems across the country that
are pursuing systemwide efforts to improve educational experiences and opportuni-
ties, particularly for English Language Learners and students from low-income
backgrounds. In our work, we support and encourage the use of professional learn-
ing communities (p l c s ) as a central element for effective professional develop-
ment as part of a comprehensive reform initiative.
In our experience, p l c s have the potential to enhance the professional culture
within a school district in four key areas; they can:
• build the productive relationships that are required to collaborate, partner,
reflect, and act to carry out a school-improvement program;
• engage educators at all levels in collective, consistent, and context-specific
learning;
• address inequities in teaching and learning opportunities by supporting teachers
who work with students requiring the most assistance; and
• promote efforts to improve results in terms of school and system culture, teacher
practice, and student learning.
P L Cs: A Research-Based Approach to Professional
Development
Research findings have repeatedly confirmed that a significant factor in raising aca-
demic achievement is the improvement of instructional capacity in the classroom.
Recent research shows that the kinds of professional development that improve
instructional capacity display four critical characteristics (Senge 1990; Knapp
2003); they are:
• ongoing
• embedded within context-specific needs of a particular setting
• aligned with reform initiatives
• grounded in a collaborative, inquiry-based approach to learning
Effective professional development to improve classroom teaching also concentrates
on high learning standards and on evidence of students’ learning. It mirrors the
kinds of teaching and learning expected in classrooms. It is driven fundamentally
by the needs and interests of participants themselves, enabling adult learners to
expand on content knowledge and practice that is directly connected with the work
of their students in the classroom (Corcoran 1995; Darling-Hammond and
McLaughlin 1995; Little 1988; Elmore 2002). Again, professional learning commu-
nities meet these criteria.
2 Professional Learning Communities
Research demonstrates that the development of a strong professional community
among educators is a key ingredient in improving schools (Fullan 1999; Langer
2000; Little and McLaughlin 1993; Louis, Kruse, and Marks 1996; Newmann and
Associates 1996). Louis et al. (1995, p. 17) identify effective professional learning
communities as being firmly embedded in the school and using schoolwide reform
goals as the basis for teachers’ commitment and interaction. These professional
learning commun.
International Leadership of Schools with an ability to consult on complex change initiatives based on 20 years in school leader positions and diverse international experiences.
Similar to Proof of Institute Completion_063013 (20)
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2013 Institute Verification PHOENIX
June 30, 2013
Dear Sir/Madam,
Please acceptthis letter as proof of training for Ami J Malia, who participated in our summer training institute for first-year corps
members in 2013.This letter contains an overview of Teach For America and our institute located in Phoenix, Arizona, where
we collaborate with the Roosevelt ElementarySchool District, Osborn ElementarySchool District, Imagine Schools,Teleos
Preparatory School,Tolleson Union High School District, Agua Fria Union High School District,Phoenix Union High School
District,and Gila Crossing CommunitySchool to train corps members in pre-kindergarten through high school classrooms.The
dates of the institute were June 2-July 3, 2013 and corps members resided atArizona State University (711 EastLemon Street,
Tempe,AZ 85281).
Throughoutour pre-service phase of training,corps members complete well over 200 hours oftraining, which spans pre-service
pre-work,induction,institute,and post-institute (first8 weeks).Please note thatour training evolves frequently, as we learn
lessons abouthow to increase our effectiveness in preparing effective beginning teachers.As a result,the exact trainin g that the
bearer of this letter experienced may have varied slightlyby institute site;however, the core elements ofthe program descr ibed
below are consistentacross all ofour summer institutes.
Overview of Teach For America
Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recentcollege graduates ofall academic majors who committwo years
to teach in underserved urban and rural public schools.Our mission is to build the movementto eliminate educational inequity
by enlisting our nation’s most promising future leaders in the effort.
In the shortrun, our corps members work relentlesslyto ensure thatmore students growing up in our nation’s lowest-income
communities have the educational opportunities theydeserve.In the long run, we are building a force of leaders who,with th e
insightand added conviction that come from having taught in a low-income community,work from inside education and many
other professional sectors to effect the fundamental changes needed to ensure thatall children have an equal chance at life.
Over the lastdecade,we have endeavored to better understand how to maximize the impactof our corps in their classrooms by
studying what distinguishes our mosteffective teachers – those who achieve the mostsignificantresults with their students –
from those who achieve moderate or minimal results.We have concluded thathighly successful teachers operate according to a
setof common principles thatleaders who drive significantresults in other contexts employ.Specifically, exceptional leaders in
any sector:setambitious goals,investtheir constituents in working hard toward those goals,plan purposefullyto accomplis h
goals,execute those plans effectively, work relentlesslyto achieve their goals,and use data-based problem solving to
continuouslyincrease their effectiveness over time.
We have codified these sixoverarching principles into the Teaching As Leadership (TAL) framework and have translated them
into 28 concrete, measurable,and observable teacher actions.Our performance rubric outlines five discrete levels of profici ency
with which teachers can take each action and compare their own performance in the classroom againstan absolute standard.
The broad framework serves as the architecture by which we organize all of the knowledge thatwe deliver to corps members,
beginning with their pre-service training.
Overview of Summer Training Institute
At our summer training institute,teachers work toward two dual aims:1) increasing summer school studentachievementand 2)
preparing themselves to increase studentachievementduring their two-year commitment.We supportcorps members in
working toward these goals by structuring learning experiences through which theygain mastery of the key knowledge,skills,
and mindsets that enable them to operate with our Teaching As Leadership principles and lead their students to significant
achievements.
2. We have come to see the following key drivers as essential to preparing corps members to be successful,and as a result,have
designed our training institute around them:a foundation of core knowledge, a well-supported teaching experience,and
performance supporttools,all grounded in a supportive and challenging communitythat shares a common purpose and setof
values and practices.
Instructor-led learning experiences to develop core knowledge:
1. Curriculum and Literacy sessions build in corps members the foundational knowledge,skills,and mindsets
necessaryto develop ambitious goals for studentachievement,investtheir students and families in working hard,
plan purposefullyand in a backwards-design fashion to lead students to master goals,and execute plans
effectively in the classroom.Core curriculum and literacysessions are delivered to all corps members,while
differentiated curriculum and literacysessions are delivered to a sub-setofcorps members with shared needs.
These sessions are facilitated by accomplished educators.
2. Diversity, Community,and Achievement(DCA) sessions help corps members develop an awareness of,
commitmentto,and initial skills related to four specific competencies thatenable teachers to interacteffectively
with diverse constituents.Specifically,corps members develop asset-based thinking,an extensive locus of control,
knowledge oftypical biases and abilityto self-monitor for those biases,and strong communication skills.These
sessions are led by facilitators who are trained to lead learning conversations and establish a tone that allows
corps members to feel both safe and challenged.
Summer SchoolInstruction:Corps members work in “collaboratives” – a groupoftwo-four individuals who work together – to
lead a class ofsummer school students to achieve significantacademic goals. Teachinga real class ofstudents is the
experientiallearning opportunitythat allows our beginning teachers to applythe knowledge theyhave learned in sessions,to
reflectand improve their practice,and to operate witha sense ofurgencyand responsibilitythatcan onlycomefrom being
responsible for students’ learning.
Data-Based Problem Solvingand Coaching:TeachFor America staffand districtfacultyconductfrequentclassroom
observations whichare followed byboth coaching conversations and technical supportsuggestions.During coaching
conversations, corps members andstaffusestudentdatato understandthe degreeoflearningin the classroom,prioritize
gaps in studentlearning,determinewhatteacher actions are leading to thosegaps,and developa planto build the
knowledge,skills,or mindsets necessaryto improve corps members’actions andtherefore increasestudentachievement. In
additionto conversations,corps members also receive specific,concrete feedback and suggestions thattheycan implement
in the classroom immediately. Finally,corps members attend lesson planningclinics in whichstaffmembers provide support
and feedback on dailylessonplans.
Performance SupportTools: Corps members use a school partner-approved studentachievementcurriculum and
toolkit that is grade-level,content-area specific,and aligned with state standards.These toolkits contain:
Ambitious and feasible goals for studentachievementin summer school
A unit plan containing dailylesson objectives,or guidance on how to create that plan from a listof prioritized goals
A diagnostic with answer key
A final assessmentwith answer key
Tools to track studentperformance ondiagnostics,ongoing formative assessments,andfinal assessments
If you need additional information or have any questions,please contact curriculum@teachforamerica.org.
Sincerely,
MichaelAronson
Michael Aronson
Senior Vice President, Institutes
Teacher Preparation Team
Teach For America
