CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL COVER SHEET
April 12, 2013
NAME Penelope L. Lisi, Ph.D., Professor
DEPARTMENT Department of Educational Leadership
DESCRIPTIVE TITLE OF GRANT
Creating a culture of literacy: An investigation of leadership in support of the implementation of the Common Core State Literacy Standards
AMOUNT REQUESTED $3,470
ADDITIONAL FACULTY INVESTIGATOR(S)
Catherine Kurkjian, E.D.D.
Professor, Department of Reading
Creating A Culture Of Literacy: An Investigation Of Leadership In Support Of The Implementation Of The Common Core State Literacy Standards
Significance
Starting in 2012, the authors have worked to build a collaborative project that enhances our capacity to support our students in creating a culture of literacy. Towards this goal, we have developed a longitudinal research project, initiated conversations with colleagues in Ireland about possible partnership efforts, and prepared to present an academic paper at a peer-reviewed conference in April 2013 in Ireland about our preliminary findings. In the process, we have established what we hope will be a long-term cross-department collaboration to investigate this critical area.
Why this effort to enhance our capacity to support our students in creating a culture of literacy? In 2005, the National Association for Secondary School Principals (NASSP) published a report, Creating a Culture of Literacy: A Guide for Middle and High School Principals that describes the major deficit in the literacy achievement of the nation’s secondary students. Unfortunately, direct literacy instruction that might address this glaring deficit ends, in most cases, at the third grade. Literacy instruction must not end when students enter middle school. And this necessitates strong and effective leadership.
One response to the challenges of developing literacy in U.S. schools has been the creation of standards or expectations of what students will know and be able to do. Since 2010, a promising educational reform initiative in the United States has been the development of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in the English Language Arts and in Mathematics, and other content areas.
This study is a three-year plan to ascertain perceptions over time of Connecticut teachers and administrators regarding the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). During the first year we have piloted the data collection tool and collected baseline data from students we serve in terms of their understanding of the literacy standards and the supports for, and challenges to the implementation of the standards. In years two and three, data will be collected from a random sample of teachers and administrators in the state using the refined survey to examine perceptions of the implementation of the CCSS over time.
We hope to enhance research relationships with educators in Ireland. Why Ireland? Educators in both countries, at all levels, are experiencing tremendous change. In Connecticut, educators are grappling with ways to implement the newly adopted national Common Core State Standards, develop new mechanisms for school and teacher evaluation, and transform curriculum to be relevant for diverse learners. In Ireland, educators are grappling with the same heightened expectations for student achievement within an environment of diminishing funding.
At the same time, students in both countries are performing at approximately similar levels. One example of this fact are the results from several iterations of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study, conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In the PISA results for 2009 in the area of reading, students in the U.S. performed at the 515 level and students in Ireland scored at the 513 level.
Relationships with Irish colleagues were established in 2009 to explore commonalities and differences in school improvement efforts. One result of that initial exploration was that one of the faculty members for the current proposal co-authored a peer-reviewed paper with two Irish colleagues and an Icelandic colleague. The publication appeared in a 2010 issue of the Irish Educational Studies, the official publication of the Educational Studies Association of Ireland.
Since our project is a three-year longitudinal study that includes collaborative work with colleagues in Ireland, we are proposing to present a professional paper about our Year 2 findings and work at the annual meeting of the Educational Association Studies of Ireland- ESAI, (April, 17-19, 2014) at the University College Dublin in Ireland.
Goals of the project
We propose to extend a collaborative cross-cultural research agenda to address the area of Creating a culture of literacy: An investigation of leadership in support of the implementation of the Common Core State Literacy Standards. The primary goal of the project is to enhance our knowledge of promising educational practices that are applied in American and Irish schools as they work to address the literacy achievement challenges. We are quite aware of our lack of understanding of promising educational practices in other countries and believe an enhanced knowledge base and understanding of education in other countries is critically important to the preparation of educational leaders for education in a global society.
Secondary goals of the project are to use our enhanced understanding of promising educational practices in Ireland to impact instruction in existing leadership and reading programs at CCSU as well as lay the foundation for graduate level student study abroad.
Goals(s) are relevant to our fields, departments, and university responsibilities
Field - There is strong consensus within the education community that American schools need to prepare students to participate in a global society. It is ironic that the preparation of leaders and teachers for our nation’s schools continues to emanate primarily from a knowledge base derived from within our own borders. There is much that can be learned about promising leadership and teaching practices by looking outside our borders.
Ireland and the U.S. students are performing at nearly equal levels, indicating similar experiences and challenges. Thus, Ireland is a potential powerful site for exchange of ideas, research, and information. While we are certainly working diligently in the United States to develop new means to improve student academic achievement, there is much we can learn from our educational colleagues and by studying educational activity in other countries.
Departments - In light of the growing realization that educators could learn from and with their colleagues in other countries, a cross-department collaboration between the Department of Educational Leadership and the Department of Reading is providing opportunities for educators to study best practice in other countries, and to reflect on their own approaches to leadership for teaching and learning. In our departments we have discussed the PISA studies and the implications of the study’s findings for educators in this country. However, we believe that a deepened understanding of educational practices in other countries, gained through first-hand experience, will have a greater impact on our own teaching and our students’ learning. We plan to share our findings with all members of the Departments of Educational Leadership and Reading.
University – This project will contribute to the achievement of CCSU’s strategic plan to internationalize the curriculum and provide international learning opportunities for faculty and students. This project clearly addresses several key elements as listed in the CCSU goals. First, as a result of our expanded understanding of promising educational practices in other countries, we will be better equipped to support meaningful student learning (Goal #1). Also, a deeper understanding of promising practices in other countries will allow us to prepare our students in new ways for productive lives as professionals (Goal #4). Finally, as the project contributes to an expanded awareness of education practices in other countries, we will be better able to promote global awareness for our students and colleagues (Goal #5).
Methodology
Major activities
Two faculty from the School of Education and Professional Studies request funding to support the following:
1. Prepare a position paper and submit a proposal to present the paper on Creating a culture of literacy: An investigation of leadership in support of the implementation of the Common Core State Literacy Standards.
2. Present the research paper at the Annual Meeting of the Educational Association Studies of Ireland- ESAI, (April, 16-18, 2014) at the University College Dublin in Ireland, and
· meet with Irish colleagues Dr. Joe O’Hara, current president of the Irish Studies Association, and professor at Dublin City University, and Dr. Gerry McNamara.
· arrange through our Irish colleagues in higher education to make several school visitations in Cork and Dublin to learn first-hand about the challenges educators are facing in creating a culture for literacy, as well as successes.
· discuss teaching exchanges and cross-cultural pollination among faculty
3. Upon return, investigate faculty exchange opportunities, as well as study abroad opportunities for Irish and American students.
4. Develop reading and resource lists about promising practices in Ireland, to be shared with other faculty and students at CCSU; presentation to colleagues in the departments.
5. Work to submit the conference paper for publication to a relevant journal.
Relation of activities to the goals
First, we expect that through our participation in this project we will enhance our understanding of the topic under investigation, as well as the challenges and promising educational practices in another country related to the same topic. We look forward to collaborating with each other in the investigation of creating a culture of literacy.
Second, we anticipate, through our participation in this project, enhancing cross-department collaboration experiences to benefit both students and faculty. Both faculty members have served on the International Lab for the Center of International Education (CIE) as representatives of our respective graduate programs. While our undergraduate programs at CCSU have a rich array of options for international experiences, we find that there are limited opportunities for our graduate students. This in part is due to the work schedules of administrators and teachers enrolled in our programs, as well as their unique educational needs. Thus it becomes a challenge for a single department to generate sufficient numbers of students to create a viable study abroad program. A secondary purpose then is to address this need by developing a cross-departmental program designed to fit our students’ work schedules and tailored towards their intersecting educational and programmatic needs.
Moreover, Ireland is a country that has been targeted by the CIE as a promising study abroad site. It is a feasible site for our students because the time of travel is conducive due to the limited time available for international travel, the commonality of language lends itself to online student to student conversations, and finally, both Ireland and the United States grapple with similar issues as demonstrated by the PISA study (2006).
What is the time frame for accomplishing these activities?
Fall 2013 Two CCSU colleagues collaborate to extend our investigation of creating a culture for literacy through the following: 1) collecting and analyzing data from a survey instrument that will be disseminated to approximately 200 practicing teachers and 200 practicing educational leaders; 2) prepare a proposal to present at the ESAI Annual Conference in April 2014 in Dublin
April 14, 2014 (Monday) DepartBoston Logan Airport
April 15 (Tuesday) Arrive Dublin; acclimate; make contact with university and school representatives and confirm school site visits
April 16 (Wednesday) School visits and meetings with university representatives
April 17-19 (Thursday- Saturday) ESAI Conference at Dublin
April 20 (Sunday): Return to U.S.
End of April 2014 Dissemination of findings with colleagues and students in the Departments of Reading and Educational Leadership at CCSU
Outcomes
As a result of our participation in the proposed project, we expect to:
1. Cross-department collaboration - Expand our knowledge and expertise in areas that are important in our instruction through cross-departmental collaboration on intersecting areas of concern. The academic work done by two faculty will help us to hone in on common and related key areas of focus.
2. Internationalize education - In order to contribute more effectively to the preparation of educational leaders and teacher, we need to enhance our own understanding of promising education practices in other countries. We are both steeped in, and very much involved with promising educational practices in the United States. We do not have nearly the same levels of awareness of promising educational practices in other countries. The opportunity for us to learn about promising practices in Ireland will have a direct impact on decisions we make about how and what we teach in our courses
3. Investigate the research - We anticipate gathering in-depth understanding of specific promising practices that are used in Connecticut and Irish schools. We will be investigating the preparation of teachers and educational leaders in support of cultures of literacy. We will meet with university researchers to discuss specific findings from the PISA studies, as well as research conducted within Irish schools about the contributors to high levels of student achievement.
4. Opportunities for faculty exchange and student study abroad - In the process of building cross-departmental and cross-cultural knowledge, we will work towards developing opportunities for our graduate students to study abroad in Ireland. We will use the contacts we have made and the sites we have visited to develop an international exchange program tailored to the scheduling and curricular needs of our graduate students across departments. By pooling our resources across departments, we believe we will be able to develop a feasible and high quality program of international study with sufficient numbers of students.
Outcome success is defined and reasonable
We will prepare the conference paper for publication and will work to identify journals to which we can submit the position paper. We will also debrief the study trip with our colleagues in the departments. We will share resources with them and with students. We will work to identify possibilities for faculty exchange and student study abroad, using our newly made contacts.
In the department, we teach graduate courses in leadership for teaching and learning, comparative education, motivation and education, curriculum and instruction, among other areas. We anticipate that the knowledge we gain from an investigation of the promising practices that contribute to high levels of student achievement in Irish schools will inform how and what we teach in our leader preparation courses at CCSU.