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EdCamp Flyer "EdCamp Vermont (http://edcampvt.posterous.com), an education conference like no other, will be held at Essex Middle School on Saturday, April 14th. The structure of the conference is very informal, with attendees signing up to run sessions first thing in the morning. The conference will be free from corporate vendors and booths, with the focus being solely on conversations about education. Attendees will come from all over Vermont and will range from classroom teachers to administrators to coaches and school board members. There will be time for attendees to gather informally to share ideas as well as a variety of sessions for them to attend, run by their colleagues and fellow educators."

What a great way for a group of Fellows to share either individual initiatives...or to talk about the process of change...how change happens...how to maintain an initiative...how admin can be generative leaders...or any of a number of pieces that Fellows and their schools have learned from our experiences.

I am going to be there with our school's art teacher. We couldn't miss this.

Vermont Communities in a Digital Age brings community leaders and learners together to share what they have discovered so far. Take away lots of new ideas about how digital tools and broadband can be used in your community to: create jobs, reinvent your schools, attract visitors, improve civic involvement, and enliven your community.Thursday, February 16th; 9am - 4:30pmVermont Technical College, Randolph Vermont

"As part of IDEA'’s efforts to foster dynamic conversations around powerful learning, we invite you to join us for an Innovation Tour in Vermont. Thirty participants will spend the day visiting three innovative schools and programs and reflecting on our experiences together." Rowland Fellow Tom Sabo's work at Montpelier High School will be one of the three stops!

"the wisdom and foresight of Vermont" in rejecting some federal education incentives

Really a great post by Vermont Superintendent Dan French. In this he talks about educators from across districts and beyond "utilizing the collective wisdom of their peers." He sees a potential providing an opportunity for educators where "Curriculum development and professional development are 'open sourced' with best practices being identified, implemented, and evaluated much more quickly across a group of schools since teachers are no longer working in isolation within their own schools or districts." I can't imagine that there isn't a person among us that wouldn't agree with the concepts he puts forward here. I think we as a group already have the pieces in place to implement what he proposes. If we were to come together as a true PLC I think that we could not only greatly help with transformation in our individual schools, but could have a profound and powerful impact on education across Vermont.

"...offers a college preparatory program that focuses on a liberal arts program. The curriculum is designed to accelerate students into college courses at the University of Toledo, beginning with the freshman school year. Students take two years of English, up to three years of mathematics and science and two years of social studies at the high school level. All other courses, including electives and foreign language are taken at the University of Toledo. Students can earn up to 60 college credits during the four-year high school experience. College-level courses and required textbooks are provided at no cost to students. College courses qualify for dual credits, allowing them to be counted for high school and college credits."

(Right-click and open links in new tab.) Thinking about the Semester Online program that is just rolling out I wonder what we could do in Vermont with elements of this school in Toledo in combination with an online component. Vermont does have a Dual Enrollment program, but it is no where nearly as comprehensive as this. And, students still have to pay for a vast majority of their classes. It would seem that a high school would actually come out ahead by paying for college courses rather than for high school faculty to teach a less rigorous...and noncredit earning course.

Ranked 17th out of 3500 schools in Ohio... Even more significant given that the district it is in ranked 708th out of 937 districts.

"Lately, there has been more discussion over what is meant by a world class education system. Last week the US Department of Education put out its white paper on international education strategy entitled, Succeeding Globally Through International Education and Engagement, and in 2012 several books on the topic were published. ... I thought I would synthesize the key concepts of these books in order to formulate policy design principles for Vermont as we begin to think about transforming our current educational system into a world class system."

Regardless of opinion on positions in this paper, it is an interesting and data filled read. Worth sitting down and looking at over a quick cup of coffee.

Leading School Transformation (EDLP 380) is a graduate-level course that brings together educators who are leading transformation efforts in Vermont schools. The course will build on the Rowland Foundation Transformation Conference at the University of Vermont through professional dialogue, personal refelection, and related readings. EDLP 380 will help participants develop school-based projects based on the latest research related to school transformation. Participants will read The Big Picture by Dennis Littky and Drive by Daniel Pink and develop strategies to lead change at their schools.

'A great overview of Dan Pink's "Drive" by Vermont principal and VTASCD board member Larry Fliegelman. Thanks to my principal Jim Avery for reminding me how much is to be learned in this book about leadership and teaching.

The Common Core in Vermont Wiki is a warehouse of materials and resources to help you and your school in our transition to the Common Core State Standards.The resources on this page are designed to increase awareness and provide general information about the Common Core State Standards and Vermont's plan for implementation.Content area resources available for Phase 2.

An unconference, free conference for teachers, administrators and anyone involved in education. Essex Middle School on April 14, 2012

This article is from the discussion led by Rowland Fellow Adam Rosenberg who visited Finland in 2010. The author, Pasi Sahlberg, emphasizes how Finnish teachers are respected as innovators and experts in their field--much like the philosophy of the Rowland Foundation! He contrasts this approach with the test-based accountability system so prevalent in the U.S. Here's another Finland article which discusses The Finland Phenomenon, a film featuring Tony Wagner's exploration of the Finnish school system. Wagner will be the keynote speaker at this year's Rowland Foundation Conference on School Transformation. http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/11602/the_finland_phenomenon/ Watch The Finland Phenomenon trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcC2l8zioIw For more on the Rowland Foundation Conference at the University of Vermont: http://www.therowlandfoundation.org/annual_conference.shtml

When it comes to NCLB and educational opportunity, Darling-Hammond & Ravitch are rock stars in the field. Here's a very approachable presentation of some of their Finland ideas. Good for a school board meeting? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP3tF2fF2B4&feature=related

I believe that the most Powerful...and Empowering...piece of this is in Teacher Preparation. I also believe that this is where the biggest obstacles and push-back would be found if we were to try to implement this across Vermont.

The Institute on Thailand and its Cultures is a study abroad program for Vermont educators and teachers in Thailand. The program, which includes three instate planning session and three weeks overseas, provides participants with the opportunity to study various aspects of Thai culture such as economic development, education, and women's social status, and minority cultures in Thailand.

In my humble opinion, the best way to think out of the box is to actually get out of the box. What a better way to do that than something like this?

"This is a graph for the ages, and it comes from a presentation by the New Jersey Commissioner of Education given at the NJASA Commissioner's Convocation in Jackson, NJ on Feb 29." Notice of "Selected Schools"

"...reality is that Free/Reduced lunch alone explains about 2/3 of the variation in proficiency rates across schools." We want Education Transformation in Vermont...address this issue alone. Reach this population... This is both the hardest problem and the most obvious...why is our focus not 100% on this issue?

I would love to share with others my work during my sabbatical on the Achievement Gap at Burr and Burton Academy. I am willing to do consulting work for schools in Vermont about how to address poverty in a white, rural state.

"...the DOE Weekly Field Memo, a compilation of the messages sent to principals and superintendents in a single, concise format." This is a great way to keep up on coming events, courses, workshops, topics being explored at the state level, grant opportunities, and in general what is happening in education.

YATST schools in Vermont provide one model for youth and adults to engage in meaningful conversations and action about Rigor, Relationship, Shared Responsibility and Relevance in our schools.

13 schools categorized by area of focus / innovation.

It would be a great resource for the Vermont ed community to put together a categorized list of schools such as this. Sometimes the most innovative practices are happening right down the road. (And, sometimes right down the hall)