CAROL’S SUMMARY: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, former chief executive of Chicago Public Schools before joining President Obama’s administration, delivered a keynote speech at an education forum to encourage other colleges and universities to follow the University of Chicago’s example by taking districts under their wings. Specifically, he charged universities to “establish their own charter schools, develop better research methods to track the results of efforts to improve schools’ performance and provide more hands-on training and support for teachers.†By working together school districts improve their graduation rates and universities promote higher education and career training. While Timothy Knowles, Director the Urban Education Institute admits, “Not every university in the country should own and operate a public school,” every university can involve themselves in education reform by coming alongside struggling schools.
Academic coaching, with its emphasis on asking powerful questions, can help equip teachers with the tools for creating dynamic classrooms and becoming leaders in their districts. Many student success programs operate at both the high school and college level and collaboration could serve as an iron sharpens iron proposition. If teachers and professors attended academic coaches training together it’s possible that bonds would form in the spirit of cooperation and common good that might withstand the high turnover of school district administrations.
Could your district benefit from academic coaching?
What specific steps can school districts and universities to band together to improve our nation’s educational system?
Who is ultimately responsible for education reform and how might student success and transition programs be at the center of this reform?
ARTICLE:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
September 10, 2009
Duncan Urges Colleges to Help Underperforming Schools More
By Libby Nelson
Washington
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan urged universities on Thursday to get more involved in helping to improve underperforming schools, by forming partnerships with local school districts, establishing charter schools, and improving teacher education.
In a keynote address at an education forum presented here by the University of Chicago, Mr. Duncan pointed to that institution’s charter schools as an example and praised the university for not being an “ivory tower in the middle of the city.”
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