CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL COVER SHEET
April 4, 2012
NAME Penelope L. Lisi, Ph.D., Professor
DEPARTMENT Department of Educational Leadership
DESCRIPTIVE TITLE OF GRANT
Creating a culture of literacy in Connecticut and Ireland: Research and recommendations for teachers and educational leaders
AMOUNT REQUESTED $2,790
ADDITIONAL FACULTY INVESTIGATOR(S)
Catherine Kurkjian, E.D.D.
Professor, Department of Reading
Significance
Individually and within our own departments, the authors have worked to prepare educators and educational leaders to engage in effective school reform initiatives. For example, one faculty member teaches courses in leadership for teaching and learning, promising practices in professional development, teacher supervision and evaluation, and school reform. The second faculty member teaches courses in the areas of literacy and language arts and has worked to integrate the Common Core State Standards especially at both programmatic and course level. Members of the two departments are essentially working to address similar goals, and yet, we continue to do this work in parallel tracks.
With this faculty development proposal, we are proposing to enhance our capacity to support our students in creating a culture of literacy. We plan to establish a long-term cross-department as well as a cross-cultural collaboration to investigate this critical area. Among the areas to be explored in this investigation are: educational access; cultural issues in literacy and leadership; research-based leadership strategies in support of a culture of literacy; and professional learning opportunities for teachers in a culture of literacy.
In order to address this work, we will conduct collaborative research about current and promising practices in creating cultures of literacy. Why the need to focus on creating cultures for 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.
Beginning in the summer 2012, we will work collaboratively to develop a position paper on creating a culture for literacy that we will propose for professional presentation. We are proposing to present the paper at the annual meeting of the Educational Association Studies of Ireland- ESAI, (April, 11-12, 2013) at the University College Cork in Ireland. We will also meet with Irish colleagues, and visit schools. We will work to engage students and faculty from the two CCSU departments in learning from and with each other about strategies for developing a culture of literacy. At the same time, we propose 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). PISA 2009 data indicates that the student mean score in science in ranked Ireland 14th out of 30 developed countries, while the student mean score for United States students ranked it 21st out of 30 countries. In the same year, results from the math test ranked students in Ireland 16th out of 30 countries, while students in the United States ranked 25th out of 30. 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.
We have been looking for opportunities to extend our working relationship. This particular effort presents a strong and timely opportunity, as well as a new opportunity for cross-department work at CCSU.
Goals of the project
Based on conversations and interactions with our Irish colleagues, as well as our investigation of current research on promising practices, it appears as though there is much we can learn from and with each other. We thus propose to develop a collaborative cross-cultural research agenda to address the area of Creating a culture of literacy: Research and recommendations for teachers and school leaders.
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, as well as gain critical understandings of Irish culture and history that appear to impact high levels of student achievement in Irish schools. 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. With that said, 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. Interestingly, we tend to think our challenges in American schools are unique, and that we have the knowledge, and are developing the strategies to best address these challenges. In fact, by connecting in meaningful ways with our international colleagues, we may be able to shift our perspectives in such a way as to allow us to truly help children learn deeply.
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 would provide opportunities for educators to study best practice in other countries, to reflect on their own approaches to leadership for teaching and learning, to learn first-hand about other cultures, and to enhance their capacity to effectively educate all of our children.
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. We also anticipate sharing our findings from the study trip with faculty members in the School of Education and Professional Studies through a presentation at a meeting of the governance council of the school.
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: Research and recommendations for teachers and school leaders.
2. Attend and present the position paper at the Annual Meeting of the Educational Association Studies of Ireland- ESAI, (April, 11-12, 2013) at the University College Cork 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 they are achieving in moving this agenda along.
· discuss teaching exchanges and cross-cultural pollination among faculty at both universities
· make relevant historical and cultural site visists in and around Cork as arranged by our Irish colleagues.
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 and school
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 2012 Two CCSU colleagues collaborate to investigate the research and prepare paper on creating a culture for literacy, for submission to present at the ESIA Annual Conference
April 8, 2013 (Monday) Depart Boston Logan Airport
April 9 (Tuesday) Arrive Dublin; acclimate; Visit Trinity College Library and sight see on own. Make contact with university and school representatives and confirm school site visits
April 10 (Wednesday) School visits and meetings with university representatives (arranged through Dr. Joe O’Hara and Dr. Gerry McNamara)
April 10 (Wednesday night) Travel to Cork; Meet with representatives from University College Cork- international program
April 11-12 (Thursday and Friday) ESIA Conference at Cork
April 13 (Friday night) Return to Dublin.
April 14 (Sunday): Return to U.S.
End of April 2013 Dissemination of findings with colleagues in the Departments of Reading and Educational Leadership at CCSU; discuss possibilities for future student study abroad and faculty exchanges; share resources and plan for future work
Outcomes
Outcomes are clearly described
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 Irish schools. We will be investigating also the preparation of teachers and educational leaders. 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.