Series No.: PA-004

Partners: Institute for Educational Renewal Based at Miami; Miami University local schools

Source: Institute for Educational Renewal Based at Miami School of Education and Allied Professions Miami University
203 McGuffy Hall
Oxford, OH 45056

Note: Individual variations of this template are also posted on this site. For a complete listing of Miami University agreements posted on this site, return to the partnership agreement menu.

The purpose of this agreement is to combine our resources and work together to improve results for Abracadabra' students and novice teachers enrolled in Miami University teacher education programs. We shall provide ongoing quality field and student teaching placements for teacher preparation students, ongoing professional development for Abracadabra's teachers who desire to become Partnership Faculty in Miami's teacher preparation program, and ongoing scholarly and faculty development opportunities for Miami faculty.

This memorandum of understanding assumes that the school is the critical unit of change. What is proposed here is that Abracadabra Elementary School becomes a Professional Development Site for students in elementary education, art, education, music education, health and physical education, speech pathology and other programs as might be agreed, and that all Abracadabra teachers eventually be prepared as Partnership Faculty. It is believed that all engaged in work at the school site must be committed to ensuring that each and every child learns and develops to her/his potential. It is further believed that all school staff ultimately should be committed to providing quality student teaching and pre-student teaching placements.

Two paramount goals will always be at the heart of our work and therefore form the axis for assessment and evaluation:

1. We want the best educated and motivated children possible; and
2. We want the best prepared and committed next generation of teachers possible.

1. The preparation of future teachers is the responsibility of the entire profession, both school based personnel and those in higher education.

    

2. The school is the unit of change rather than a few individuals within the school.

    

3. It is both possible and desirable to accomplish the mentoring and supervision of student teachers, methods students, and observers without bringing substitute teachers into the building.

    

4. A team approach to working with pre-service education students is more effective than the one to one approach now employed.

    

5. In order for the partnership arrangement to be a true partnership, responsibilities and resources must be shared.

    

6. It is important for the Partnership Faculty to understand the goals of the teacher preparation programs and it is important for the University Based Faculty to understand the goals of the school.

• Abracadabra elementary students will benefit from the presence of additional "classroom teachers" who can provide ongoing attention to individual needs in the classroom.

   

• Miami University benefits from having a Professional Development Site, staffed by Partnership Faculty who are knowledgeable about Miami programs and skilled in the use of supervision skills, where students can be placed for their preservice field experiences.

   

• Abracadabra teachers benefit from the chance to grow professionally in areas that may not be otherwise available to them. In addition, the possibility of team teaching with university based faculty with regard to professional methods affords the opportunity to critically examine the curriculum and methodology currently being employed in their individual classroom.

   

• Abracadabra school benefits from the presence of resources that they may use as the school sees fit in order to meet the needs of the school.

   

• The profession benefits from new teachers who have been prepared and nurtured in an environment where professional practice, commitment to principles, and excellence were associated with the entire range of their field experiences.

1. Abracadabra faculty interested in becoming Partnership Faculty will agree to participate in one/more seminars (X semester hours) that will prepare them to assume the dual responsibility of cooperating teacher and supervisor of teacher education students. Miami University will provide the instruction for this seminar through the Department of Educational Leadership and/or the Department of Teacher Education. It is the desire of the Abracadabra staff to receive this professional development prior to having students assigned to them in any way that involves a change from the current role.

    

2. Miami University will assign students to faculty who have undergone the professional development. It is the goal to have multiple teachers prepared at each grade level so that students may be assigned to teams of teachers rather than to one individual teacher. Students will then be mentored and supervised by the team. The team will be responsible for formal observations, day to day informal observing and counseling, and problem solving. Miami University will provide a faculty liaison that will assist in any policy oriented problems or cases that involve unusual difficulties and who will be redefining the roles of faculty supervisor and faculty liaison. This individual will be responsible for maintaining communication between University Based Faculty and the Partnership Faculty.

    

3. Seminars for all student teachers placed at Abracadabra will be the responsibility of all Partnership Faculty who have a student teacher during the semester. Seminars will consist of 50 minute sessions each week for the 15 weeks of the semester. Planning for the seminar will be the joint responsibility of Partnership Faculty and student teachers. Teams of Abracadabra teachers assigned to the student teachers will designate one person within the team to be the primary contact for this component. The Miami faculty liaison will provide assistance in the preparation of needed materials or human resources to accomplish the goals of the seminar.

    

4. Abracadabra will be responsible for determining the number of student teachers, methods students, and observers it will be willing to work with during a given semester and communicate that number to the Office of Student Teaching and Field Experience during the semester prior to the one in question. The Office of Student Teaching and Field Experience will place only the number of students to the grade levels that Abracadabra requests for that semester. Abracadabra will accept students according to the following ratio: XX student teacher, YY methods students, and ZZ observers. Miami will agree to provide Abracadabra with the names of students in these categories in a timely fashion in order for the appropriate planning to occur prior to the experience. Miami students in these categories will agree to meet with teachers at Abracadabra during the semester (student teachers) or week (methods students) prior to the experience.

    

5. The Partnership Faculty team will be responsible for a minimum of 8 formal observations during the semester, as well as the day to day counseling, and the preparation of student evaluations. Abracadabra school will provide flexible scheduling in order to allow the meeting and support necessary for student development. This will include time for (a) Partnership Faculty meetings, (b) student teacher meetings (other than seminar) and (c) conferencing with student teachers. This structure avoids the need for ongoing substitutes and takes the Partnership Faculty away from classroom responsibilities only minimally.

    

6. Miami University and Abracadabra school both invest in this effort because it benefits their respective students (see resource section below). A partnership decision making team, referred to as ADM (Abracadabra Decision Making Team) and with membership as listed below, is responsible for developing a plan for utilization of these resources. ADM shall maintain independent control over allocation of these resources. ADM team members will include the principal, two or more teachers of whom one is the building representative of the teacher association/union and the others are "Partnership Faculty," one or more Miami faculty members who serves as a liaison to all preparation programs engaged at the school, and a representative of the parents of children enrolled at the school.

    

7. Miami University and Abracadabra Elementary School will develop and a plan for assessment and evaluation. Assessment and evaluation should serve the dual purposes of continuous improvement and reporting to school administration and board and to participating university programs and administrators. The Miami faculty liaison and a Abracadabra staff member, plus one-two persons not directly involved in the pilot will constitute the assessment and evaluation team.

Miami University

• Miami University agrees to provide the following resources XXXXXXX for each grouping of students as follows YYYYYY.

   

• Miami agrees to designate a 'liaison" to for Abracadabra Professional Development School. This individual will be a full tune Miami University faculty member.

   

• Miami will assist in providing professional development for the school based faculty according to a plan worked out by the school administration and ADM. The experience will carry with it XX credit at no/reduced expense to the school based faculty member.

   

• Miami agrees to provide school based faculty with parking passes and library privileges at Miami University.

   

• Miami University programs that are engaged at Abracadabra Elementary Professional Development School agree to participate in the Institute for Educational Renewal.

Abracadabra Elementary

• Abracadabra will invest XXX dollars per student group to help support professional development.

   

• Abracadabra elementary will work with Miami to provide Partnership Faculty with the occasional release time that might be necessary for Partnership Faculty to work with University Based Faculty or students.

   

• Abracadabra will work within the existing policies of Magic School District to provide future longer term leaves that might involve semester long "professional in residence" type positions.

   

• Magic School District will empower ADM to allocate the resources described above.

   

• Abracadabra school will employ flexible scheduling methods in order to accommodate the needed meeting times described in the responsibilities section above.

   

• Abracadabra Elementary School agrees to participate in the Institute for Educational Renewal.

It is proposed that the professional development component begin during the Spring semester, YYYY, and that the first students be assigned to Partnership Faculty during the Fall semester, YYYY. Assessment and evaluation will commence with program planning and be continuous throughout the agreement, which is anticipated to continue throughout the YYYY and ZZZZ school years.

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