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national urban alliance professional learning model transforming schools transforming lives

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building relationships inspiring confidence and improving instruction so that all students are capable of high intellectual performances.

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table of contents the nua professional learning model an overview 3 components of the nua professional learning model 5 nua courses of study 11 elementary teachers 11 secondary teachers 13 coaches and teacher leaders 15 administrators 17 students student voices 19 nua results case study case study case study case study case study albany ny 23 bridgeport ct 24 eden prairie mn 25 san francisco ca george washington high school 27 san francisco ca visitacion valley middle school 28 nua logic model 31 bibliography 32 nua professional learning model 1

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just a note to express my thanks for all the help this past year we got the test scores back and we made double-digit improvements in almost every area on the state tests take a bow nua for your support it was outstanding please share with others i look forward to another good year jim dierke principal san francisco ca visitacion valley middle school national urban alliance nuatc.org

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nua professional learning model an overview the nua professional learning model plm is designed to transform underperforming schools into oases of success where all students demonstrate high intellectual performances the nua plm is a practical engaging evidence-based program of professional learning assessment tools and capacity-building procedures for transformation and sustainability that enables schools to co-create curricula and instructional programs collegially monitor their efforts and continually rejuvenate their spirits to elicit high performances from students teachers and administrators nua s strength-based approach improves teaching practices and accelerates learning for students who are challenged by poverty and/or marginalized because of race ethnicity or language the nua plm is a comprehensive proven model that reduces the gap between student potential and student performance teachers become able to equip their students with important learnings depth of conceptual understandings facility with literacy use of higher-order thinking and the capacity to learn how to learn these learnings meet the demands of the common core state standards and also help students develop the confidence and motivation to become college and career-ready at the heart of the nua plm is the mediative learning community a shared culture of positive relationships and cordial reciprocity between educators and learners in such a community students are authentic participants whose voices are sought and whose thoughts are valued history and expertise the national urban alliance for effective education has been a leader in the field of urban education since its 1989 inception at columbia university s teachers college and the college board since 1989 the nua has been a catalyst for transformation in metropolitan and suburban school districts throughout the country the nua faculty of nationally recognized expert educators engages teachers coaches administrators and students in rigorous learning experiences that transform their beliefs and practices and lead them to develop the competence and confidence to be self-directed and self-actualized learners rationale research and guiding principles the foundational principles beliefs and high operational practices guiding the nua plm derive from the pedagogy of confidence® and are illustrated through the nua logic model see the appendix the pedagogy of confidence is an approach to learning and teaching that is based on the fearless expectation that all students are capable of high intellectual performances the approach develops in teachers the knowledge and skill to support students in meeting that expectation ®the pedagogy of confidence is registered in the u.s patent and trademark office by dr yvette jackson nua professional learning model 3

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the pedagogy of confidence begins with a deep understanding of and appreciation for the realities of students lives that affect their ability to learn it includes a strong belief in their potential for excellence it also integrates the findings of cognitive psychology and neuroscience with practical applications that enable students to overcome impediments and achieve at extraordinary levels the transformational beliefs of the pedagogy of confidence are intelligence is modifiable all students benefit from a focus on high intellectual performance learning is influenced by the interaction of culture language and cognition the nua plm is designed to provide practical ways of applying these beliefs through a set of interrelated high operational practices hop these hop are identifying and activating student strengths building relationships eliciting high intellectual performances providing enrichment integrating prerequisites for academic learning situating learning in the lives of students amplifying student voices 4 national urban alliance nuatc.org

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components of the nua professional learning model the nua plm assists teachers in analyzing the appropriateness of their instruction for accelerating comprehension thinking and literacy for high intellectual performance the success of the effort is contingent upon an explicit partnership that recognizes the commitment of nua the district and its participating schools a partnership agreement is drawn up between nua and the district outlining the roles and responsibilities that have been collaboratively determined the plm comprises eight separate but linking components 1 instructional assessment the nua instructional assessment is a process for gathering baseline data especially information about school and classroom practices that affect student learning the information is used to plan cross-school and school-based professional development components include leadership interviews document reviews analysis of student achievement data staff surveys student surveys and classroom visitations a report is prepared for each school 2 the course of study cos the cos details the pedagogy and practices of the professional learning that will be provided to the district participants during cross-school seminars it is customized for the district to address the crossschool patterns revealed in the instructional assessment 3 cross-school seminars a minimum of five cross-school seminars are conducted during the year nua recommends that a minimum of one-third of each school staff attend the seminars to ensure successful team building and school-wide implementation the seminars encourage cross-school collaboration and serve as a vehicle for initial presentation of the practices of the pedagogy of confidence presentations include discussions of rationale modeling hands-on applications and ongoing reflections presenters are particularly sensitive to instructional issues related to ethnic and racial bias gender bias differentiated instruction multiple intelligences and english-language learners seminars use a workshop format with a balance of large and small-group activities participants are helped to understand the theory behind each practice as well as the practical applications ample time is scheduled for the meaningful internalization of the practices discussion and reflection are strong components of every session community and relationship building are addressed during each seminar time is set aside for participants to get together in school teams and reflect on what they have learned teams are asked to plan how to implement what they have learned and share those plans with the rest of the school staff teams with similar needs are put in touch with each other for more effective problem solving and cross-fertilization of ideas participants come away from each seminar with specific actions to take in the immediate future such as instructional strategies to use with their own students 4 school visits at least ten visits to participating schools are ordinarily scheduled during the school year depending upon the size of the school early on mentors and participants collaboratively develop a course of action coa based upon the considerations found in the school s instructional assessment most school visits involve a nua mentor conducting a demonstration lesson in a participating teacher s classroom to show how to apply one or more of the hop that were presented at the cross-school seminars before each demonstration lesson a briefing meeting is held to prepare the observing teachers the mentor explains what the lesson is about the strategies that will be used the rationale for selecting the strategies and the principles of learning on which the strategies are based each strategy addresses skills necessary to attain the common core state standards the demonstration lessons use authentic instructional materials and are related to the existing course of study and school curricula most important these lessons vividly illustrate the significant differences in advanced-level thinking that occur when nua professional learning model 5

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effective cognitive strategies and hop are used after the lesson a debriefing session is held to enable observers to discuss and reflect on what they saw school-based seminars some school visits are conducted as seminars to help participants with individual or school-wide implementation concerns and to enable participants to examine their own knowledge attitudes and expectations on-site seminars may involve review of the school improvement plan analysis of school achievement data problem identification and problem solving related to school reform efforts classroom observation peer coaching development of integrated lesson plans mini-workshops on specific strategies and/or parent workshops 5 leadership seminars leadership seminars focus on the values knowledge dispositions and skills that principals coaches and schools require to be successful in working with students and teachers awareness sessions are conducted for district and school teams to help them provide the support teachers need to implement the pedagogy of confidence 6 coach seminars eight coach seminars are scheduled during the year including the nua summer academy see item 8 below coach seminars prepare coaches to support teachers in implementing the pedagogy of confidence coaches participating for two or more years are eligible to qualify for nua coach endorsement as part of their capacity building 7 summer institute a three-day orientation institute is provided for teams of teachers and principals from schools that will be participating in the coming school year the summer institute provides an overview of the learning and teaching foundations of nua participants focus on identifying student strengths and interests creating lessons that situate learning in the lives of students and identifying prerequisite learning skills and strategies that foster effective learning demonstrated through high intellectual performances 8 summer academy schools are also invited to send teams to nua s summer academy to increase their knowledge of the pedagogy of confidence design a mediative learning community model for their classroom and collaborate with colleagues to develop a practical action plan to use when they return to school in the fall additionally participants learn from renowned educators engage in meaningful conversations with them and each other and reflect deeply on their own beliefs and practices the summer academy is a wonderful combination of modeling theory and practice this is how i need to structure workshops when i return to my district 2011 summer academy attendee 6 national urban alliance nuatc.org

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related activities nua experts mentor and provide feedback to school leaders coaches and teachers as they try out newly learned practices this coaching which involves collegial observations enhances the competence and confidence of participants in the process participants analyze the impact on student learning and plan for continuous implementation and assessment of the new learnings study groups develop a high degree of professional competence with newly learned principles and practices nua provides technical support for the organization and maintenance of study groups that build internal capacity and promote the continuous implementation and assessment of effective teaching models and practices throughout the school interschool visitations help school leaders and teachers learn from each other visiting each other s schools participants share the products/artifacts of their work and collaborate to shape other leadership and professional learning activities that are aligned with the objectives of their schools no later than three months after the beginning of partnership activities the school will have established and begun implementation of a regular schedule of interschool visitations by the end of eight months the school will have established its own network as a showcase for improved learning and teaching in a thinking curriculum coach endorsement builds capacity further through the endorsement process nua seeks to hand over aspects of the professional development to a network of internal school experts who are fully qualified to guide and sustain leadership and professional learning in a mediative learning environment through the framework of the pedagogy of confidence the process begins at the start of an initiative and can last two to three years depending upon the scheduling of sessions to be endorsed coaches must demonstrate high levels of proficiency in implementing the hop and providing guidance and support to teachers who will demonstrate the same leadership and instruction walk-throughs encourage school leaders and coaches to examine practices in various areas principals school leaders coaches and teachers learn and apply successful principles and practices for observing and improving learning and teaching moreover they learn to win support throughout the school for the transformation of learning and teaching student voice activities bring students into a meaningful planning and training process with the adults in the school to establish a mediative learning community principals school leaders staff and parent leaders learn how to encourage and support students as vital partners in the transformation of learning and teaching in the school they learn side by side with students in forums and other professional learning activities school leaders and teachers improve leadership and pedagogical skills while students gain higher respect and responsibility for their learning students enhance their leadership skills and achieve higher levels of social development and academic achievement students also enhance their production of high intellectual performance products that meet and exceed the expectations of the common core state standards documentation and evaluation are designed to provide a meaningful record of implementation the course of action and data regarding its impact on leadership teacher practice and student outcomes form the basis of documentation of the effort school participants receive guidance and support in regularly assessing the impact of the leadership and professional learning activities on transforming learning and teaching in the school nua professional learning model 7

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district capacity building nua aims for district staff to become direct service providers as nua reduces its presence in the district while continuing to serve the school-based coaches and other collaboratively identified district leadership personnel through seminars and site visits nua expands district capacity to deliver the types and quality of services nua provides starting with the third year of school-based services building-based coaches become the co-service providers when the nua mentor begins the third year of service in a school the district-based leader of coaches and each participating school s coach attend the nua summer academy each year starting with the summer before the start of the first year of schoolbased services the coach is prepared to deliver services such as seminars classroom demonstration lessons and workshops and is supported by the school s nua mentor in delivering these services district staff principals coaches and teachers have opportunities to participate in additional nua professional development including attending and presenting at nua-sponsored national conferences implementation guide the superintendent the superintendent establishes a two-phase partnership agreement phase one outlines the initial services nua will provide including the orientation meetings and the instructional assessment process phase two incorporates the results of the instructional assessment and the superintendent s priorities it identifies those schools in which the partners agree there are need interest and readiness on the part of the principal and teachers to actively engage with nua both phases of the contract indicate the services nua will deliver and the supports district and school staff will provide these district supports include assign a district/nua liaison for overall project management create the superintendent s nua partnership team that meets with the nua regional director regularly it includes district and school-level instructional staff e.g deputy superintendents department/division heads district-based leader of school coaches administrators teachers coaches who serve as liaisons visiting schools between nua visits to identify progress in implementing the principles and practices of the partnership and the pedagogy of confidence team members also attend all cross-school seminars provide district testing data by school and an analysis of teacher-specific student test data for the past three years and for each year of the partnership responsibility of a designated accountability team member from the district arrange all large-group meetings and seminars designate district curriculum instruction and assessment staff to participate in large-group meetings and seminars support the creation/maintenance of one or more school-based coaches in each participating school partnership implementation data are collaboratively reviewed each year to determine which if any replacement schools should be considered based upon fidelity to implementation as detailed in the partnership agreement the superintendent and district leadership staff publicly articulate the vision of the district/nua partnership and the standards of engagement required for partnership success periodic updates of partnership progress for district staff and community organizations demonstrate the superintendent s commitment to the partnership and help build awareness of and commitment to partnership success among all members of the school community the active participation of district curriculum instruction and evaluation/assessment personnel during awareness sessions 8 national urban alliance nuatc.org

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leadership seminars and cross-school seminars further supports partnership success school personnel also benefit from the support and recognition provided by district leadership personnel during their visits to participating schools these visits enable district staff to monitor implementation of recommended instructional practices and provision of scheduling arrangements required for teachers to engage in these activities the principal instructional leadership by principals is central to nua s efforts the partnership is successful to the extent that principals are actively involved by attending nua sessions supporting the activities in their buildings scheduling to accommodate program needs understanding the changes that are taking place and providing other needed supports it is important that principals become conversant with the practices teachers are implementing so that when they observe teachers they can note and encourage the implementation should participating teachers not be implementing the practices being presented at the large-group seminars and site visits it will be incumbent upon administrators to discuss reasons for non-use if teachers conclude there is less than full commitment from their supervisors their own motivation to press forward with reforms may be impaired one component of this process is to assist administrators with techniques for observing instruction and subsequent conferencing with teachers the principal is the key in ensuring that participation and implementation of the pedagogy of confidence is taking place in the school the nua liaison or a comparable person should be designated to assist the principal in the dayto-day implementation regular and open communication between the principal and the nua liaison is essential to a successful project the success of the school-wide implementation of the pedagogy of confidence will depend greatly on the skills attitudes and behavior of the participants principals should take the following into consideration when selecting who will participate in the initiative include the school-based literacy liaison coaches specialists and department chair in the selection process ask for volunteers have representatives from as many grade levels or departments as possible have representatives from the site-based management team or school improvement team select teachers who commit to attending all six large-group sessions and site visits select teachers who are willing to train the rest of the staff with the literacy coach keep in mind that participation must be viewed as a reward not a punishment nua recommends that the first cohort of participating teachers be self-selected by initiating services with teachers who have volunteered to participate there is greater likelihood of building a professional learning community that will influence those teachers who are not yet ready to participate by the start of the third year of services three cohorts of teachers will be participating cohort one would then be in its third and final year cohort two would be in its second year and cohort three would be in its first year it is also recommended that at least two teachers from each targeted grade level or content area are selected teachers need support from each other for reflection planning and sharing teachers and coaches it is imperative that teachers and coaches actively engage in nua professional learning activities and that they work collaboratively to promote and incorporate nua professional learning perspectives and pedagogy during seminars and school visits and during the time between school visits to ensure student success teachers should incorporate hop into their instructional practice additionally coaches will participate in the nua national summer academy each year and team with nua mentors to co-deliver nua services beginning with the third year of school-based services nua professional learning model 9

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we blew everybody away we went well beyond our goals for the percentages of our 6th graders making proficiency in math and reading not too shabby for a failing school we are changing that and we have nua to thank amy marshall principal beardsley school bridgeport ct 10 national urban alliance nuatc.org

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nua course of study elementary teachers outcomes participants will be able to state the principles and beliefs associated with the pedagogy of confidence participants will gain the knowledge and apply the learning and teaching strategies that support the pedagogy of confidence and student high intellectual performances participants will internalize the foundational principles of nua and develop sustainability plans for applying them in their instructional practice defining features these features are addressed in each seminar nua principles/throughlines science of learning art of teaching session goals evidence of learning pedagogical concepts nua areas of focus professional resources literacy standards cognitive skills session texts pedagogical tools high intellectual performances high operational practices and student development year 1 practices · community builders · setting up maintaining the nua notebook guiding principles professional discourse text-based discussions using readings from the pedagogy of confidence by yvette jackson classroom instruction that works and building background knowledge by robert marzano the differentiated classroom by carol-ann tomlinson closing the vocabulary gap by catherine snow culminating discourse · using protocols and strategies for reflecting on processing and applying session content · reflecting on strategies implemented and student growth observed · learners need to be engaged they need to participate actively and show clear signs of interest and enthusiasm · learners need to feel challenged intellectually in ways that lead them to strive for and achieve high intellectual performance · reflection/frame of · learners need to make connections between what they are learning and reference what is personally relevant and meaningful to them · demo lessons · affirmations nua professional learning model · learning is best nurtured in a psychological climate of warmth rapport and mutual respect 11 · strategy practice w/ccss · learners need many opportunities to interact with each other as learners and appropriate grade-level to construct meanings process new content teach each other and content texts and resources reflect together on what they are learning and doing · exploration of research and · cognitive functions are strengthened and high intellectual performances performance-based learning are manifested when strategies that explicitly teach cognitive skills and and teaching strategies develop conceptual understanding are provided as prerequisite training · exploration of research for students and performance-based · learners benefit when all in the classroom focus on expressing assessment tools themselves clearly in different ways as needed and give each other · providing feedback and specific timely feedback geared to enhancing understanding enrichment · learners need opportunities to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways including the use of visual musical dramatic and rhythmic media as well as oral and written media.

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year 2 practices text-based discussions using readings from the pedagogy of confidence by yvette jackson closing the vocabulary gap by jane l david teaching with the brain in mind by eric jensen the new science of learning brain fitness for kids pbs by peter coyote narrator · reflecting on strategies implemented and student growth observed · implementing cross-curricula and school-wide goals · using protocols and strategies for reflecting on processing and applying session content guiding principles professional discourse culminating discourse 12 practices · community builders · maintaining the nua notebook · reflection/frame of reference · demo lessons · reflection/affirmations · strategy practice w/ccss and appropriate grade-level content national urban alliance nuatc.org professional discourse text-based discussions using readings from the pedagogy of confidence by yvette jackson a word for the words by camille blachowicz and peter fisher intellectual character by ron ritchhart · planning for sustainability · sharing generative practices with noncohort members · all people have an intrinsic desire to learn and to be · community builders self-actualized · maintaining the nua · all brains require enrichment opportunities to · notebook demonstrate and build strengths supports to · reflection/frame of reference address weaknesses strategies for developing critical thinking and experiences that build the · demo lessons dispositions needed to be focused engaged · affirmations tenacious self-confident and self-actualized · strategy practice w/ccss and · mediation elicits the cognitive agility inherent in the appropriate grade-level content formal operations students are capable of · exploration of research and · the relationships that teachers cultivate with performance-based learning and students can maximize students engagement with teaching strategies learning · sharing generative practices with noncohort members year 3 culminating discourse · using protocols and strategies for reflecting on processing and applying session content · reflecting on strategies implemented and student growth observed · implementing cross-curricula and school-wide goals guiding principles · participants will have an understanding of the pedagogy of confidence · participants will know and be able to effectively apply multiple learning and teaching strategies and practices that support the pedagogy of confidence · participants will be able to state foundational principles of the national urban alliance for effective education · each participant will possess a clear and applicable · providing feedback plan for implementing and sustaining session · exploration of research and content in his or her instructional program performance-based learning and teaching strategies

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nua course of study secondary teachers outcomes participants will be able to state the principles and beliefs associated with the pedagogy of confidence participants will gain the knowledge and apply the learning and teaching strategies that support the pedagogy of confidence and student high intellectual performances participants will internalize the foundational principles of the national urban alliance for effective education and develop sustainability plans for applying them in their instructional practice defining features these features are addressed in each seminar nua principles/throughlines science of learning art of teaching session goals evidence of learning pedagogical concepts nua areas of focus professional resources literacy standards cognitive skills session texts pedagogical tools high intellectual performances high operational practices and student development year 1 practices · community builders · setting up and maintaining the nua notebook · reflection/frame of reference · exploration of research and performance-based learning and teaching strategies · identification of students strengths · providing feedback and enrichment guiding principles professional discourse text-based discussions using readings from the pedagogy of confidence by yvette jackson the new science of learning brain fitness for kids pbs by peter coyote narrator teaching reading to black adolescent males by alfred tatum intellectual character by ron ritchhart culminating discourse · using protocols and strategies for reflecting on processing and applying session content · sharing classroom implementation plans · learners need to be engaged they need to participate actively and show clear signs of interest and enthusiasm and they need to have opportunities to demonstrate their strengths and build on their interests · learners need to feel challenged intellectually in ways that lead them to strive for and achieve high intellectual performance · learners need to make connections between what they are learning and what is personally relevant and meaningful to them · learning is best nurtured in a psychological climate of warmth rapport and mutual respect · learners need many opportunities to interact with each other as learners to construct meanings process new content teach each other and reflect together on what they are learning and doing nua professional learning model · cognitive functions are strengthened and high intellectual performances can be manifested when strategies that explicitly teach cognitive skills and develop conceptual understanding are provided as prerequisite training for students · learners benefit when all in the classroom focus on expressing themselves clearly in different ways as needed and giving each other specific timely feedback geared to enhancing understanding 13 · learners need opportunities to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways including the use of visual musical dramatic and rhythmic media as well as oral and written media.

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