UNC-TV’s NCO Community Leadership Summit Final Report

Activity: UNC-TV is requesting a grant to conduct a thematic summit on the issue of teacher professional development in reading.  The conference will specifically bring together classroom teachers in Title One schools with statewide organizations and reading professionals to address three critical needs:  teacher retention, teacher professional development in reading, and providing and expanding the reading resources available to classroom teachers. 

This summit will be developed with the recognition that effective professional development must (1) acknowledge a teacher’s knowledge base, (2) help teachers reflect and manage their thoughts and behaviors through strategic processing, (3) be sensitive to teacher motivation and issues of affect, (4) realize and provide for the fact that teacher learning is developmental, and (5) be contextually grounded (Alexander and Murphey, 1998; Hawley and Valli, 1999).

Partners:  UNC-TV will partner with Associate Professor Dr. Betty Wells Brown, the director of the reading education graduate program at Pembroke University; the North Carolina Reading Association (NCRA); the North Carolina Literacy Association (NCLA); the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and teachers from Title One schools identified as not making adequate yearly progress. UNC-TV’s outreach staff members have strong relationships with Dr. Betty Wells Brown, the North Carolina Reading Association, and the North Carolina Literacy Association.  Although we have had contact with the Department of Public Instruction, we are just beginning a new relationship with the new Associate State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Director of Title One schools.  We have never before targeted reading teachers from Title One schools. 

Why:  UNC-TV has built strong relationships with the NCRA and the NCLA but has utilized those partnerships primarily in the areas of adult learning and literacy.  Most recently Dr. Ronald Plummer, our Adult Learning Manager, has drawn on the expertise of these two organizations to tackle the needs of the state’s growing Latino population and their needs for health literacy and workplace safety.  However, an equally important need exists in the state in the area of teacher professional development, particularly in reading.  North Carolina’s students reading scores are on the decline as measured by state end-of-grade tests and nationally normed tests.  Among eighth-grade students taking the National Assessment of Educational Progress in 2005, North Carolina ranked lower than 30 of the 52 states and jurisdictions participating in the assessment.  The 2005 eighth grade scores demonstrated a decline from previous test scores in both 2003 and 1998.  Fourth-grade students’ scores likewise dropped and placed North Carolina fourth graders behind students in 20 other states or jurisdictions.

Based on the standards of No Child Left Behind, only eight of the 115 school systems serving North Carolina made adequate yearly progress in 2004-2005.  In October 2006 the list of schools not making adequate yearly progress for 2005-2006 will be available.  The Associate Superintendent of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has said that she will target 15-20 of the most needy school districts in the state and require teachers to take professional development, including enrolling in TeacherLine.

Thus professional development, especially in the area of reading, is an essential piece of the education puzzle in North Carolina for teachers and the students they impact.   Emily Castleberry, one of UNC-TV’s outreach staff is devoting some of her doctoral research into the role of teacher professional development as it relates to both teacher retention and to student achievement.  Furthermore, she believes that the establishment of learning communities among teachers and community groups can help break teacher isolation and provide a valuable source of professional development and support.

Some of her ideas are taking shape under a TeacherLine Innovation grant from PBS.  Through a $20,000 grant three part-time TeacherLine trainers are being hired who will provide recruitment, mentoring, and support to teachers in their region.  The summit would take advantage of the expertise, local connections, and administration of these trainers to enhance and reach beyond the confines of PBS TeacherLine.  Specifically the summit will:

1. Bring together a diverse group of Title One teachers from across North Carolina to identify their common professional development needs in the area of reading,
2. Creatively pool the resources of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the NCRA, the NCLA, other community groups, and UNC-TV to address teacher needs,
3. Establish both local communities of learners and a statewide community that serves as a clearinghouse for resources and ideas.  These communities will (a) establish and nurture a commitment to professionalism among teachers; (b) build a substantial foundation of technology, teaching, and learning and encourage full integration of reading into the regular classroom; (c) create an ongoing learning community among teachers that supports them in executing innovative ideas and best practices.  Phone calls, list serves, e-mails, the Web, and mailings will all be used to share information and continue the dialogue about how to improve teacher professional development in reading.

Time line:  The Title One Director will be appearing on one of our locally produced programs, Education Forum, in September.  If we receive funding for this grant, we can publicize the summit as part of the program.  We will dovetail our summit with a meeting being called by the Associate Superintendent of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.   This will ensure that all reading teachers in Title One schools will be present.  In March or April 2007 the Southeast Regional Teaching Conference will be held in the eastern part of North Carolina.  UNC-TV outreach members generally give one of the talks, and the findings of the summit would be reported to the larger education community at that time.

Sustainability:  This plan has built-in sustainability because of two unique features:  it capitalizes on the on-going work of the PBS TeacherLine grant, and it harnesses the manpower and commitment of existing local and statewide organizations to improve the current status of reading in North Carolina.  

Leadership Summit-October 26, 2006:  North Carolina Compensatory Education Conference, Greensboro, NC Participants

1. Dr. Lynn Warren, State Coordinator of Compensatory Education and Director of Title I
2. Dr. Betty Wells Brown, Professor, Director Graduate Reading, UNC Pembroke (facilitator)
3. Dr. Valjeaner Ford, Associate Professor, UNC Pembroke (Co-facilitator)
4. Dr. Judy Cheatham, Director of Adult Learning, Greensboro College & Board Member of North Carolina Literacy Association (NCLA)
5. Elaine Dupree, Vice President of North Carolina Reading Association (NCRA) & Title I Teacher
6. Ann Rankin, Basic Skills and Even Start Instructor, Randolph Community College
7. Linda F. Ward, Director, Federal Programs & Elementary Education, Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools
8. Lisa Huber, Supplemental Education, East Carolina University
9. Sandra Eaton, North Carolina Central University, Parent Educator
10. Ronald Plummer, Adult Learning Manager, Director of Ready To Earn
11. Abraham Encinas, ESOL graduate student at Greensboro college and multi-lingual speaker
12. Gus Gillespie, NC Director of Elementary and Middle School Education
13. Evelyn Slappy, K-5 Retired Principal, Durham Public Schools
14. Patti Taylor, Wake County Public Schools Teacher
15. Robin Herridge, Johnston County Schools Teacher
16. Linda Green, State Liaison, North Carolina Association of Compensatory Educators, Wilkes County Schools
17. Emily M. Castleberry, Literacy Coordinator and Director of TeacherLine
18. Pamela Hines, PreK-12 Manager and Director of Ready To Learn

Note:  Three others joined us from the North Carolina Compensatory Education Conference proper, but left before the end of the meeting and did not sign the list or give contact information.  The three participated in small group discussions while there. 

NEW CONTACTS

• Ann Rankin, Basic Skills and Even Start Instructor, Randolph Community College
• Lisa Huber, Supplemental Education, East Carolina University
• Sandra Eaton, North Carolina Central University, Parent Educator
• Gus Gillespie, NC Director of Elementary and Middle School Education
• Patti Taylor, Wake County Public Schools Teacher
• Robin Herridge, Johnston County Schools Teacher
• Linda Green, State Liaison, North Carolina Association of Compensatory Educators, Wilkes County Schools

II.  GOALS

Goal 1.  Partnerships
New partnerships were formed with Adult Learner Educators in the local community colleges.   The summit as originally planned became a merger with early childhood literacy and family summit that added richness to the discussions and to the smaller partnerships formed out of the summit.  One of the members from Randolph Community College has offered to help in any meetings or discussions across the state to help the cause of literacy for adults and children.  The North Carolina Association of Compensatory Education provided the space for the summit meeting.

Describe what challenges, successes and surprises you encountered. 
The original plan of the summit was focused on teacher retention, teacher professional development in reading, and providing and expanding the reading resources available to classroom teachers.  Although these areas were discussed, the summit became more.  The summit addressed not only how to meet the needs of the classroom teachers, but also how why the parent connection is so important.  Adult literacy became the third important component of the summit.  The summit took place in Greensboro at the NCACE Fall Conference at the Greensboro Embassy Suites with the title "Community Leadership is Essential -Communication is Key.”  Challenges included switching facilitator’s midstream. Dr. Betty Wells Brown enlisted the aid of Dr. Valjeaner Ford as facilitator for the summit when she was called away unexpectedly.  The Southeast Regional Conference was changed this year to a virtual meeting for planning purposes only.  There was a general openness and sharing among participants—a definite success.  When the Director of Title I turned to the Adult Educator from Randolph Community College for advice on dropouts that was a surprise, but just one sense of the genuineness and openness of the summit.  A major problem as always—length of time—never enough time.  One challenge was the need for additional Education Forum productions, but the UNC-TV Director of Programming and Educational Outreach worked with the project to assist in meeting the goals set forth as action steps.  We were able to save the cost of the facility fee and travel expense and use those monies to help offset some of the cost of the addition production.  The remainder became in-kind from UNC-TV.  Other summit members continue to distribute information concerning free resources via websites, newsletters and conferences.  This is an ongoing process.
Goal 2. Community Needs
Top three issues identified for Our Community

1. Lack of communication between governmental and non-governmental providers of services alike.
2. The need for the statewide dissemination of the information shared at the summit.
3. The connection between home and school in literacy and learning if education is to work in North Carolina.  The needs of the children and the needs of the parents must be met.

Goal 3.  Action Steps. 

1. How to access available resources in North Carolina must be made clear to teachers and parents across the state.  The members of summit must seek increase awareness of the free resources across the state whenever and wherever possible.
2. Connections need to be made between home and school.  It was agreed that for teachers to meet the needs of students in the North Carolina K-12 classrooms in literacy the connection with parents must be made.  This will help teachers, students and adult learners.
3. Information needs to be shared by participants in meetings and conferences.  For example:  It was requested that the information shared be disseminated at the Carolina’s TESOL Winter Conference February 15-17, 2007, in Winston-Salem, N. C.
4. The total literacy picture in North Carolina is important. Parent or adult literacy was also discussed along with why students drop out of high school so frequently in North Carolina.  This came from a discussion between attendees from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the North Carolina Community College Adult Education.  It was agreed that adult literacy and parent literacy must be addressed in upcoming dissemination and presentations.
5. It was agreed that a statewide sharing of the information gained through the discussions at the summit should take place.
6. A statewide broadcast of Education Forum on all levels of literacy for adults and children was planned and included members of the summit as panel members.
7. A second statewide broadcast of Education Forum on the Home To School Connection brought other members of the summit to cover this area within two of the panel’s discussions to complete the awareness component stressed at the summit.

 Goal 4. Sustainability
What steps will the station take or put into action to sustain the partnerships and momentum of the day’s outcomes?

• UNC-TV included Dr. Lynn Warren, North Carolina Compensatory Education Coordinator and Director of Title, in a preliminary panel on Education Forum September 2006—Get Back To School Your Way: Digital & Distance Learning
• UNC-TV participated with partners at the summit in the Carolina TESOL Conference.  Both Literacy Coordinator/Director of TeacherLine and the PreK-12 Manager are working members of the 2007 Basic Skills Conference Planning Committee.
• UNC-TV participated with partners at the School Improvement Conference with 450 schools not meeting AYP and in “improvement “ status to share resources.  This participation has lead to partnerships with individual schools in various parts of the states.
• UNC-TV produced with partners and summit participants Education Forum Looks at Literacy Resources Throughout the State (February 2007) [funds applied here]
• UNC-TV produced an Education Forum with partners dedicated to the home-school connection—Education Forum Looks at Teacher-Parent Relationships and Adult Learning  (May 2007)
• UNC-TV TeacherLine’s Director and TeacherLine Ambassadors are continuing to work across the state addressing the goals identified in the Summit Meeting.  Working as a team with other UNC-TV personnel such as the Adult Learning Manager and the PreK-12 Manager to address the needs of children, adult learners and teachers across North Carolina especially in Title I schools and Districts where the greatest need is felt has enhanced this effort.  Additionally, UNC-TV

III.  BUDGET and MATCH

• Were you able to stay on budget? (If no, please explain.) Yes
• Were you able to leverage additional money with the NCO grant?

Please attach a final project budget USING THE NCO BUDGET FORM

IV.  SIGNATURE

Please sign and date your report.     May 24, 2007

(Please note that all NCO grant forms are available in both Word and PDF format on our Web site or in hard copy from our offices.)

III. Local Leadership Summit Grant Budget

(Please use this budget form, or duplicate electronically)

Total cost in NCO column should be $2,000.
Submitted by:
 Emily M. Castleberry, UNC-TV Literacy Coordinator and Director of TeacherLine
May 2007