Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education

An opportunity for college and university leaders and their school partners to engage in focused planning for restructuring teacher preparation programs.

Purpose

The summer institutes will provide an opportunity for teams of higher education leaders and their K-12 and community partners to develop action plans and implementation strategies to improve teacher education in their communities. Institutes will focus on three strands and four cross cutting themes.

These institutes are the third step in a series of activities sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education designed to improve the quality of teacher education.

• In September of 1999, the Presidents' Summit on Teacher Quality convened college and university presidents to discuss their leadership roles in elevating the importance and improving the quality of teacher preparation on their campuses.
• The National Conference on Teacher Quality in January 2000 brought together other college and university leaders and their school counterparts to learn about the options and processes involved in redesigning teacher education.
• The Summer Institutes described in this brochure will provide opportunities for college faculty and K-12 educators who are charged with restructuring teacher education programs to develop implementation strategies and local action plans.

The institute will be an intensive working session for four- to seven- member teams. This format is significantly different from a "typical" conference where participants listen to speakers and have limited opportunities for active participation. There will be no plenary sessions or presentations in the traditional sense. Instead, teams will spend most of the 2 1/2 days working in their teams with assistance from a facilitator, a recorder, and content coaches who have had successful experiences with restructuring one or more aspects of teacher preparation. The content coaches will meet with teams on an individual basis to help them analyze their particular situations, identify key issues to be addressed, and assist with the development of strategies to accomplish the restructuring goals that the team sets. The expectation is that teams will leave the institute with an action plan for accomplishing redesign of at least one aspect of their teacher preparation program. The action plan will provide a detailed description of goals, timelines, persons responsible, resources needed, and next steps to implement the plan in their local communities.

Participants

Each institute will provide a maximum of 30 teams of educational leaders the opportunity to engage in focused planning for the restructuring of local teacher preparation programs. Each team should consist of a minimum of four and a maximum of seven participants. The team must include at least the following four members:

• Representative of the provost's office or the arts and sciences school;
• Representative from the college or school of education;
• K-12 administrator;
• Teacher and/or union leader.

Teams may add up to three additional members, including a community college representative; an influential faculty member, such as a department chair; a state policymaker; and/or a business/community leader.

One team member will be designated as the Team Coordinator, and will be responsible for coordinating the team's pre-institute preparation activities. Once a team has been accepted for participation in an institute, a needs assessment, planning tool, and other materials will be forwarded, along with instructions for completion of the required pre-institute activities.

Institute Overview

During the 2 1/2 day institute, teams will spend the majority of their time working together on their plan, using a common framework and an action plan template. Each team will be assigned a trained facilitator and a recorder to assist them in the planning process.

On Day One, participants will have the opportunity to hear brief presentations by content coaches who have expertise in restructuring teacher education and can help teams work through their challenges. The coaches will be available on Day Two to assist individual teams during 30-minute consulting sessions. Teams will have the opportunity to meet with multiple coaches. The institute will conclude with an opportunity for teams to share their plans and discuss next steps with other planning teams.

Costs

Registration is $125 per participant. Once teams are selected, they will be contacted with registration payment information. The fee includes three breakfasts and two lunches. Attendees are also responsible for travel and hotel costs. Should you have difficulty finding resources to attend an institute, funds may be available through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act--Title II (Eisenhower Professional Development Program) and Title VI (Innovative Education Program Strategies); Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act (State Leadership Activities); National School to Work Opportunities Act; Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; and Goals 2000: Educate America Act, among others. Please contact the appropriate state program coordinator.

Also, the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, has limited funds to support the travel and registration expenses of special education faculty team members, if other sources of support are unavailable. Because funds are limited, timely applications are encouraged.

Please direct questions to Sara Bjerde at teacherquality@dtihq.com or 703-299-1663.

Institute Hotels

Room Blocks have been set aside for the institutes. When making room reservations, use the reference name "Department of Education".

IRVINE
Hyatt Regency Irvine
17900 Jamboree Boulevard
Irvine, CA 92614
Main telephone/ reservations: 949.975-1234
Toll free: Hyatt: 800.223.1234

Room block reserved: June 27 - June 30
Special room rate: $99 single / $124 double
Offers complimentary airport transportation from John Wayne/Orange County Airport
Hotel may be able to accommodate stay-overs on Friday night at this low rate. Please check with hotel/ based on availability.

DENVER
Denver Renaissance
3801 Quebec Street
Denver, CO 80207
Main telephone/reservations: 303.399.7500
Toll free: 800.831.4004

Room block reserved: July 10 - July 13
Special room rate: $ 83 single / double
Hotel may be able to accommodate stay-overs on Friday night at this low rate. Please check with hotel/ based on availability.

WASHINGTON, DC
Washington Court Hotel
525 New Jersey Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20001
Main telephone: 202.628.2100
Located in Capitol Hill area.

Room block reserved: July 25- July 28
Special room rate: $ 118 single / double
Hotel may be able to accommodate stay-overs on Friday night at this low rate. Please check with hotel/ based on availability.

CINCINNATI
Hyatt Regency Cincinnati
At Hyatt-Saks Fifth Avenue Center
151 West Fifth Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Located in heart of downtown.
Main telephone/reservations: 513.579.1234
Toll free: Hyatt: 800.223.1234

Room block reserved: July 31- August 03
Special room rate: $ 69 single / $94 double
Hotel may be able to accommodate stay-overs on Thursday night at this low rate. Please check with hotel/ based on availability.

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