Overview of the Vanguard Project

May 2014

Vanguard Project• Goal: Transform the system of education in

Kentucky to a level whereby schools/students will perform at levels comparable to those of schools in top-performing countries in the world

• Partnership among WKU, BGISD, DCSD, OISD, and WCSD

Objectives• Recruit high-performing students into teacher

education programs• Increase standards for individuals seeking

admission to and exiting teacher education programs

• Increase expectations of teacher candidates relative to mastery of subject matter

Objectives cont.• Provide clinical experiences to ensure

prospective teachers master the craft of teaching

• Enhance support for new teachers entering the profession

• Restructure/align districts/schools with the project guidelines

Design of Vanguard Project• Raise higher education standards/match with

measures to professionalize teaching in schools• Rely on volunteer consortia• State will offer help– Raising money– Relief from regulation– Technical assistance

• Competition against criteria, not each other

Timeline• Meeting held 12/17/2013• Initial planning (January and February)• Prospectus submitted and reviewed• Proposal (Tentative date-Summer 2014)• Proposals read and rated by – Readers from Kentucky (CPE, KDE, and EPSB) – External reviewers with expertise with school

systems in high performing countries

Current Initiatives• WKU’s Clinical Experiences and Practice in Teaching

(CEPT)• SKyTeach• GSKyTeach

Criteria for School Districts• Career pathways model• Elementary teachers required to have a minor

in subjects they will teach• Continuing professional development for

teachers• Districts provide one to two year induction

program for new teachers with reduced load and mentoring from Master Teachers

Phase-in Model• Maintain current programs for time being

while also offering parallel Vanguard Program• Begin with specific majors, school districts,

and then scale up

Criteria for Universities• Designed to raise the high school

graduation/score quartile from which candidates are recruited

• Raise admission requirements for schools of education

• Three stage admission process– Strong academic record– Passion for teaching– Ability to connect with young people

Criteria for Universities• 2 programs– Major or minor in subject and masters in teaching

or – Combined program leading to both degrees

• Secondary, Middle School, P-12 and 5-12 candidates major in subjects to be taught

• Elementary candidates minor in subjects to be taught

Criteria for Universities• Program to include– Training in research methods– Extensive clinical training– Training in diagnosis and prescription

• Training in craft based on best research in subject area

• Design for program must include– Findings of the TELL Survey– Methods & strategies used by Math Center at NKU

Criteria for Universities • Universities to develop clinical schools similar to

how teaching hospitals are affiliated with schools of medicine– School faculty have university faculty status– Collaborative planning between university and school

faculty in development of the program– University faculty conduct research in clinical schools– Schools used as primary training facility for teachers

in training

Teacher Preparation• More selective admissions• Toward clinical model for teacher education– Pre-service clinical experiences in every semester

of the program, building toward residency model in the 5th year

– Move toward problem-based instruction organized around real situations

– Courses taught by a collaborative team: pedagogical, content, and clinical faculty

Five Year Preparation Program• Elementary:– Minors in STEM or ELA/SS– Clinical seminar– Classes mostly in school settings – teaching

schools (hospitals)– Fifth-year residency and culminating in master’s

degree

Five Year Preparation Program• Middle Grades/Secondary (8-12)/P-12/5-12– Major in subject area and discipline-specific

pedagogy– Fifth year residency requirement

One Year Master’s Degree Program• Building upon a bachelor’s degree in a

certifiable content area– Residency model– One year in the craft of teaching

Related Work• Excellence for All

– High school redesign– World class curriculum, assessment tied to Common Core – Designed to bring all students to work and school ready by

the time they leave high school• National Institute for School Leadership

– Nation’s largest state-level program for training school leaders

– Designed to work in tandem with Excellence for All and teacher quality program

Things to Remember• This is not a “project” – it is the way Kentucky

will do this statewide• This is the Vanguard of a whole system• We are designers, not just implementers• KY will be the first of several states doing this

work• Access to the world’s pioneers along the way • Not a replication of other systems

Next Steps• Finish meetings with school districts• Conduct focus group sessions on campus• Development and submission of proposal

References• Surpassing Shanghai by Marc S. Tucker• Finnish Lessons by Pasi Sahlberg• The Smartest Kids in the World and How They

Got that Way by Amanda Ripley