PrintThe Center for School Improvement Leadership Institute is the AFT's premier large-scale professional development and technical assistance effort to help school improvement teams with their work. Teams attend this four-day national Institute. In some cases, AFT hosts this professional development onsite for large teams of educators in locals or states.
This institute is organized around five interactive sessions focused on the work of improving schools including:
Sessions are highly interactive and present practical strategies that teams can use directly in the work of improving schools for students. Each session ends with team meetings guided by focused questions to help teams reflect and respond on how they will bring what they have learned back to their colleagues. Teams leave with the tools to complete a sequential action plan in each of these areas. Overall, teams learn to:
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Develop and follow an agenda
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Use meeting roles to ensure effectiveness and efficiency
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Establish analytic and decision-making processes
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Rely on active participation of all team members
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Focus on tasks and also build respectful relationships
The Institute was developed and is delivered in collaboration with the UFT Teacher Center in New York City. The UFT Teacher Center supports high standards for students by promoting the professional growth of teachers and other educators; it is staffed by veteran educators with many years of experience providing high-quality professional development.
AFT Roundtable at the January 2008 Institute highlighted school improvement essentials.
For a look at the January 2007 Institute, read "Game Plan: Promote Union/School District Collaboration," an article from our March/April 2007 American Teacher.
Video Clips:
The Center for School Improvement Leadership Institute On-Site for Locals
In some instances, where a large team or teams within a district or local want to attend the Institute, AFT, with UFT Teacher Center partners, can bring the Institute onsite to locals. Part of the goal of such work includes building capacity within districts to share the information in the Institute. In a few committed districts, AFT and UFT Teacher Center staff members have worked to train trainers within districts to deliver the Institute.
Toledo talks about the Institute on-site:
Is your team ready to attend the Center for School Improvement Leadership Institute?
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AFT strongly encourages school improvement teams with labor and management members to attend the Institute. Buy-in from all parties involved—union leaders, members, teachers, parents, administrators, and community partners—is essential to improving schools. For more on the importance of buy in, read "The Importance of Staff "Buy-In" in the Selection of Proven Programs."
