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 Acknowledgments

The National Awards Program for Model Professional Development does more than acknowledge and celebrate exemplary efforts. It also provides a resource from which others can learn. As part of an effort to make the insights from these successful schools available to others, the U.S. Department of Education asked WestEd to examine the eight schools that won the award in the first two years of the competition, 1996-97 and 1997-98, and to tease out the factors leading to their success. (Several districts were also recognized, but their stories are beyond the scope of this study.)

To undertake this study on a rapid timeline, WestEd was fortunate to be able to subcontract with Joellen Killion and the National Staff Development Council. The long-term work of both Killion and the organization equipped them to learn quickly and to appreciate the extraordinary features of these schools. Working with a team of researchers from the two organizations, Killion orchestrated site visits, case reports, and cross-site analysis. The initial research report (accessible on WestEd’s Web site: http://www.wested.org/ wested/ pubs/ online/ PDawards/) provides the details of her thorough analysis of trends across the eight sites. The team of researchers included Ann Abeille, Vivian Elliott, Nancy Hurley, Treseen McCormick, Cindy McPherson, Renya Ramirez, Dolores Sandoval, and Susan Schiff.

Distilling the information from the research into the present document was the task of a set of writers and editors at WestEd. Thanks are due to the primary writers Jim Johnson and Lynn Murphy. Design assistance was provided by Max McConkey and the staff of Visual Strategies. The cover photos are the work of Nita Winter.

The identification of these schools as award winners would not have been possible without the continuing efforts of staff from the Regional Educational Laboratories who have worked with the U.S. Department of Education over the past several years to design and conduct the awards program. Laboratory staff also provided valuable input to this document.

The report that follows is based on hundreds of hours talking with teachers and administrators at these eight schools. We appreciate their graciousness in welcoming visitors into their schools in the closing weeks of the school year and their openness in sharing the stories behind their success.

 

Nikola N. Filby

Coordinator of the Regional Laboratory Program

WestEd

February 2000

Book: Teachers Who Learn, Kids Who Achieve

 

 

 
 

The U.S. Department of Education asked WestEd to examine the eight schools that won the National Awards Program for Model Professional Development in the first two years of the competition.


 
 

 

 

 

 

The report that follows is based on hundreds of hours talking with teachers and administrators. We appreciate their graciousness and openness in sharing the stories behind their success.


 
 


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