Engaging the Arts and Sciences at the

University of Kentucky

Working Together to Prepare Quality

Educators

Session Presenter

James G. Cibulka, Ph.D.

Dean and ProfessorCollege of Education

University of Kentucky

AACTE Annual Meeting New Orleans, LAFebruary 2008

Overview of Presentation

Context of educator preparation at the

University of Kentucky Unit governance structure that facilitates arts

and sciences involvement in educator preparation

Sample collaborative initiatives among education and arts and sciences faculty at the University of Kentucky

Strategies to ensure arts and sciences involvement in NCATE accreditation process

Challenges to effective collaboration

Institutional Context:University of Kentucky

Public, land-grant, research university with very high research activity

Enrollment of 27,209 students in fall 2006 with 2,458 candidates enrolled in the unit

Educator preparation programs located in seven different colleges on the Lexington campus

Accredited by NCATE in 1954, the first year NCATE accredited institutions

Located in an NCATE partnership state in which the state (Education Professional Standards Board) conducts program review and the NCATE and State Board of Examiners function as a joint team

Arts and Sciences Involvement in Governance of Educator Preparation

Program Faculties – Governance groups responsible for administration of individual preparation programs Membership – Education faculty, arts and

sciences and other content faculty, P-12 school practitioners, and candidates

Duties – Revise curriculum and field and clinical experiences; conduct admissions process, including interviews; and assess candidate performance throughout program

Arts and Sciences Involvement in Governance of Educator Preparation

Program Faculty Chairs Group – Facilitates collaboration and coordination across individual program faculties Membership – Chairs of all program faculties,

associate dean for academic and student services, associate dean for research and graduate studies, director of academic services and teacher certification, director of field experiences and school collaboration

Duties – Revises unit admission, retention, and exit policies; administers the unit continuous assessment plan; reviews candidate performance data

Additional Structures that Facilitate Arts and Sciences Involvement

Outreach faculty appointments in the College of Arts and Sciences

Joint faculty appointments Intercollegiate Council on

Educator Preparation

Benefits of Unit Governance Structure

Encourages networking of education and content faculty to facilitate collaboration on grants, course and program revisions, and accreditation and program approval

Examples of Collaborative Grants

Appalachian Mathematics and Science Partnership (AMSP), grant funded by National Science Foundation

American Legacies: Revitalizing American History in Public Schools, grant funded by USDOE Teaching American History Program

Examples of Collaborative Grants

Curriculum Review and Alignment, three-year grant funded through Title II Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant, that resulted in major revisions to the elementary and middle school programs

Examples of Collaborative Course and Program Revisions

Course development, e.g., Physics for Elementary Teachers, Geology for Elementary Teachers

Elementary Education Program Revision Process

Appointment of a 20-member Elementary Education Revision Committee with representation from education, arts and sciences, and fine arts faculty, P-12 practitioners, graduates, and candidates

Elementary Education Program Revision Process

Reviewed program data to determine areas of concern

Held focus groups of student teachers and graduates

Met twice monthly as a committee for over a year; faculty work groups met weeks the full committee did not meet

Elementary Education Program Revision Process

Course content reviewed to determine alignment with Kentucky’s Core Content for Assessment for Elementary Students, the Kentucky New Teacher Standards, NCATE Standards, and PRAXIS II examinations

Elementary Education Revisions

Identified key themes to be addressed throughout the program: Working with students with special needs Assessment of student learning Diversity Technology Reflective decision making Inquiry-based practice Human development and learning

theories

Elementary Education Revisions

Revised program elements include: Requiring a new course in working

with students with special needs Replacing calculus class with

statistics and logic courses Streamlining art and music course

requirements

Elementary Education Revisions

Revised program elements include: Providing emphasis on health and fitness

in the elementary classroom Redesigning area of specialization to

focus on literacy and mathematics Requiring common syllabus across

sections of Foundations course to emphasize diversity for all candidates

Middle School Program Alignment

Collaborative work groups comprised of arts and sciences and education faculty in disciplines of English, mathematics, science, and social studies

Middle School Program Alignment

• Reviewed course syllabi across the four disciplines

• Aligned the course content with the Kentucky Core Content for Assessment in Grades 5-8

• Addressed gaps and duplication

Strategies for Ensuring Arts and Sciences Involvement in the NCATE Accreditation

Process

Included arts and sciences representatives on the unit’s NCATE Accreditation Steering Committee

Included arts and sciences representatives on the unit’s NCATE Standards Work Groups, which were responsible for collecting evidence and writing the Institutional Report

Involved arts and sciences faculty in numerous interviews during the site visit

Invited arts and sciences faculty to post-site visit celebration

Additional Strategies for Ensuring Arts and Sciences Involvement in the NCATE

Accreditation Process

Have regularly scheduled meetings Host retreats focused on specific topics Fund attendance at professional conferences

and workshops Establish and communicate timelines well in

advance Send gentle reminders Involve in preparations for site visit Document involvement all along the way And, finally, remember to celebrate and say

thank you!

Challenges to Effective Collaboration

Higher education faculty, particularly in arts and sciences, often not rewarded for involvement in P-12 schools and educator preparation activities

College-level and institutional-level administrators, especially in research universities, may not value collaboration; perceive this work as peripheral to institutional mission

Limited faculty resources hamper collaboration

Effective Collaboration

Collaboration among education, arts and sciences, and other institutional faculty Does not occur automatically but requires

continued effort Occurs when genuine, ongoing

partnerships are established – most effective when each benefits from the involvement

Works best when core of faculty are involved in areas of common interest

Has support and active encouragement of college and university administration

Comments and Questions?

For more information

James G. Cibulka, DeanCollege of EducationUniversity of Kentucky103 Dickey HallLexington, KY 40506-0017cibulka@uky.edu 859-257-2813 phone