Rud Jr., Anthony G. and Oldendorf, Walter P. (Eds.) (2008). A Place for Teacher Renewal: Challenging the Intellect, Creating Educational Reform. Reviewed by Kathleen Wiebke, Arizona State University

Rud Jr., Anthony G. and Oldendorf, Walter P. (Eds.) (2008). A Place for Teacher Renewal: Challenging the Intellect, Creating Educational Reform. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing Pp. 160         ISBN 978-1-59311-902-7 Reviewed by Kathleen Wiebke Arizona State University November 29, 2008 How do we encourage our best and brightest students to become teachers? And, how do we keep them in a profession that sees thirty to fifty percent leaving in the first three to five years of their career? Much attention has been directed to these two questions in the policy arena. Little attention has been placed on the concept of teacher renewal. A Place for Teacher Renewal, edited by Anthony G. Rud, Jr. and Walter P. Oldendorf, provides the reader an in-depth look at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT). The book itself is divided into eight chapters, each written by an individual with either a connection to NCCAT or who is an expert in the field. As a result this book provides multiple perspectives on teacher renewal. The book opens with an historical account of NCCAT written by Christine Shea, a senior fellow at NCCAT. In Chapter One, NCCAT’s Search for a Teacher Renewal Philosophy: An Historical Account, Shea outlines the three historical models of teacher education programs: a moral reform approach, behavioral skills approach, and a cultural reform approach (p. 3). The moral reform movement emphasized conforming to set of rules and regulations. She writes about how historically teachers were viewed as paragons of virtue and how educational improvement took place in teacher institutes that resembled religious events. In the late nineteenth century, the behavioral skills approach emerged in which classroom teaching was reduced to series of specific actions. Teacher training was grounded in the belief that mastering a set of basic competencies was essential to effective teaching. By the twentieth century, the prevailing theories argued that people were “essentially irrational and emotional beings” (p. 9). The author explains that cultural socialization was “important in shaping attitudes, emotions, and temperaments.” She concludes her review of these models by stating, “teacher education is more than the acquisition of technical proficiency, more than moral awakening, and more than building self-esteem and emotional stability” (p. 11). Shea argues for a more comprehensive approach to teacher education and believes we need to move beyond the moral, cognitive, or social aspects of these historical approaches. The NCCAT philosophy of teacher renewal suggests that help should be provided for teachers to be their own problem-solver “through practical solutions that are both emotionally satisfying and aesthetically pleasing.” They call their framework a “meaning-making structure” (p. 13). Research from NCCAT suggests that job dissatisfaction for teachers is due to working conditions, and as a result teacher burnout is a “structural rather than a personal dysfunction” (p. 10). The teacher renewal experience at NCCAT is grounded in seminars where teachers can “reexamine, refine, and in some cases reconstruct their existing philosophical world views” (p. 14). NCCAT views teacher renewal as skills development, socio-cultural expression, moral decision-making, and aesthetic practice. The historical models of teacher education were focused on teacher reform, whereas, the NCCAT concept is one based on teacher renewal. Why North Carolina?: The Early History of a Teacher Renewal Effort is the focus of Chapter Two, written by Diane K. Hoffbauer, an assistant professor of education at Mankato (Minnesota) State University. Hoffbauer's dissertation focused on the early history of NCCAT. In this chapter, she provides the reader with a deeper understanding of how NCCAT came to be. NCCAT came out of the administration of Governor Jim Hunt. In the 1970s, North Carolina students were scoring below the national average in reading and the drop-out rate exceeded 30 percent. Leaders from all sectors wanted to make the state an economic powerhouse, and they realized that the people needed to be educated for the state to be able to solve the problems facing North Carolina. At one of the public meetings the North Carolina Teacher of the Year, Jean Powell, a high school English teacher, spoke: To attract and retain the best in education, we must find a way to enhance the teacher’s self-worth, … pride of accomplishment, and … enthusiasm. We have a governor’s school for gifted students. Why not something similar for teachers? We don’t need more educational methodology or the latest curriculum fad. We’d like to study the “real stuff.” What about going to school 1 or 2 weeks, or even 4 to 6 weeks, to study some of the great books: Plato, Homer, Virgil, Shakespeare, and others? Include the opportunity to visit an art gallery, see live performances of Shakespeare’s plays along with the videotapes and films, with outside reading and even written critical commentaries. If that kind of learning experience doesn’t turn on teachers of the humanities, I don’t know what will. That excitement will be communicated to students. Furthermore, being a student will give a teacher a renewed perspective of the student’s role (pp. 28-29). These remarks served as the foundation for the formation of NCCAT. The following year Governor Hunt presented a comprehensive plan to educators, and business and community leaders. The teacher renewal center was part of his plan. His plan was met with overwhelming support, and he realized that this idea would revolve around funding. In June of 1984, the Governor requested $100,000 from the North Carolina General Assembly to establish a planning group. This request was unfunded because other activities held a higher priority. The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) was approached for funding. They wanted the Center located in western North Carolina and while a number of chancellors from the 16-campus University of North Carolina system were interested in having it located at their institutions, Western Carolina University laid claim in a letter to the president of the University of North Carolina. ARC agreed to pay $150,000 for the planning and establishment of the center at Western Carolina University. It was decided early on that while the Center would be part of a reward structure for teachers in North Carolina, it would not be part of the traditional system of professional development and would not be part of the licensing and credentialing of teachers. Renewal, reward, and retention became the message of the Center. The staff at the Center highlighted these words as they began planning for their first series of seminars. In the summer of 1985, NCCAT ran three pilot programs. In July of 1985, the North Carolina General Assembly approved $4.7 million for the Center as part of a larger budget to expand public schools. This money was set aside to pay not only for operating expenses, including 35 staff positions, but to pay for substitute teachers, upkeep, and travel. An additional $7.4 million was appropriated for construction of the Center. Chapter Three, Building a Rationale for Teacher Renewal, by Anthony G. Rud, Jr., a senior NCCAT fellow, speaks about the processes of thinking and the overwhelming responsibilities of the job that inhibit intellectual growth among educators. At the Center, they “wanted to foster curiosity in learning, a recognition of ambiguity, a taste for finding and creating meaning in the world, and a relish for sharing that meaning with others in conversation, writing, or art” (p. 47). The nature of their work was grounded in five tenets: multiple paths of knowledge, learning that is interdisciplinary and interactive, opportunities for reflective and critical thinking, participants forming a community of inquiry, and seminars encouraging participants to take risks in their own learning and thinking. The art and hospitality of teacher renewal are the hallmarks of NCCAT. They base this thinking on the work of Henri Nouwen, “Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place” (p. 56). To the Center this means attending to the intellectual growth of their participants by providing them comfort and security. On-going feedback is not only encouraged, it is desired and seminars can be changed midstream with feedback from the participants. Thus they develop a sense of trust with the teachers. While the prevailing theme of this book is teacher renewal, the authors periodically take the reader back to educational reform movements. Chapter Three is no exception. There is a strong belief that efforts, which allow teachers to explore and learn, must precede or work alongside educational reform efforts. Rud remarks, “for teachers to believe that they have a stake in the improvement of an institution, they must see that the institution has a stake in, or cares about, them as people and as intelligent, capable human beings” (p. 59). Walter P. Oldendorf, who served as the interim associate director for programming at NCCAT, authored Chapter Four, Adventures for the Intellect. Many staff development programs seem to be built on the assumption that a teacher needs to be fixed or reeducated. At NCCAT their assumption is that teachers need “opportunities to develop their unfulfilled potentials” (p. 63). Traditional pre-service and in-service programs rely on teaching strategies and content knowledge grounded in research designed to increase test scores and later observed and measured in the field. NCCAT’s approach is almost the polar opposite. Participants are told up front that there is no follow-up observation or measurement. They see this as a positive deviation from the state-mandated programs that emphasize a more traditional model. There is an emphasis on each participant constructing his or her own knowledge. Teachers are invited “to become members of a special scholarly community” (p. 86). The emphasis is not on creating a product but rather the process of scholarly and intellectual growth. There is an attempt to provide learning that is interdisciplinary where teachers can begin to build their own understanding. NCCAT has developed an array of seminars. At the heart of these is their standard seminar where teachers spend three to four days on the NCCAT campus. Examples of different seminars include “Martin Luther King: The Power of a Dream” which focuses on the civil rights movement of the 1960s. “The Black Tradition in American Dance” highlights the works of African-American choreographers. “Humans Versus the Environment: The Florida Experience” takes place in south Florida as participants examine the Florida Everglades and the overdevelopment of the Florida Keys. The teacher scholar program provides an unstructured environment for teachers to pursue their own intellectual and creative pursuits. Mentors from Western Carolina University are available to the participants, but the emphasis is on private time for individual inquiry. Special interest programs are designed for specific teacher interests such as early childhood education or specific programs designed for administrators. Alumni reunions were formed to meet the demand from teachers who want to stay connected with other seminar participants. NCCAT has reunion topics that invite opposing viewpoints and continued discourse. Finally, global alumni seminars are NCCAT seminars designed to take place outside the United States. These are designed specifically for alumni who are interested in pursuing an idea or topic within its international context. While the organization of NCCAT is not unique, the effort is unique in that it is a state-funded renewal center for K-12 educators. In Chapter Five, Administration for Human and Organization Growth, R. Bruce McPherson, the Center’s first full-time director, shares that the evaluations of NCCAT indicate that it has been successful in accomplishing its goals. NCCAT continues to focus its efforts on the needs of its clients, teachers. A certain level of autonomy has been attained due to having its own Board of Trustees and a unique reporting relationship with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Finally, the Center's focus is on teacher renewal and not reform. NCCAT, as a renewal organization, models the collegiality and flexibility needed to be responsive to the needs of its clients. The organization of NCCAT is centered on collegiality, moral responsibility, learning, and commitment. Collegiality of staff is emphasized and everyone from the cleaning crew to the director takes an active role in shaping the organization. Staff is empowered to make decisions and work collaboratively in the planning and execution of the seminars. Leadership is shared, and there is a sense of moral responsibility among staff. They understand that the needs of the clients and the Center dictate flexible schedules and overtime. All employees are encouraged to work with and interact with not only the teachers but the visiting faculty as well. As a result they see the importance and impact of their work in the lives of the teacher participants. William W. Cooley, the director of the Pennsylvania Educational Policy Studies at the Learning Research and Development Center and professor of education at the University of Pittsburgh, along with William E. Bickel, a senior scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) and associate professor at the University of Pittsburg, authored Chapter Six, The Role of Evaluation in the Development of the Center. Cooley and Bickel were asked to define a strategy for evaluation. It was decided that formative goals would guide the early evaluations as they would guide the most immediate work of the Center. The evaluators used decision-oriented education research (DOER). An element of this design is “taking a client orientation toward the development of the evaluation research agenda” (p. 113). The formative evaluations, were designed for use by the program developers while the summative evaluations were developed for the Center’s board, state legislators, and others who would participate in decisions integral to the future of NCCAT. Another component was a mixed approach to data collection and analysis. With DOER, a complete picture is created and preserved through paper documentation. As the Center grew, so did its need for evaluation. As programming became year round, staff needed to find a way to stay abreast with the details of the on-going formative evaluation. It was determined that staff needed two types of data. Macro data were needed for state leaders, their board of trustees, and legislators. For those responsible for planning and implementation, the need was for far greater detail. Regular staff meetings were held to review the data and reports. To design the summative evaluation, interviews of people who were responsible about making the decisions regarding NCCAT were conducted. Questions focused on what they wanted to know more about and the research questions they wanted answered. The main research task was to survey the 740 NCCAT participants. The primary purpose was to determine the impact their experience at NCCAT had on them as educators. Part One of the survey focused on their experience at the Center. Overall, the message was that the most important benefit was a sense of renewal and intellectual stimulation. In Part Two, they were asked to react to a set of testimonials. Overall, teachers felt they were treated with dignity, respect, and were valued. They indicated they were not accustomed to this type of treatment. Part Three of the survey focused on what happened when they returned home. Eighty-five percent returned to the positions and those who changed jobs simply changed teaching positions. They stated that the “big difference back on the job was they felt renewed, recognized, and more confident” (p. 124). One important thing that did emerge from the survey was that the working conditions, particularly the lack of time to reflect and plan, needed to change to keep excellent teachers. One teacher stated, “You don’t volunteer to go to Vietnam because you heard that the R and R in Hawaii was great” (p. 124). In Chapter Seven, Learning from NCCAT: An Outsider’s View, Gary A. Griffin, a professor of education at the University of Arizona, provides the reader with a final glimpse of the preceding six chapters and the overall work at NCCAT. He notes that the time at which the Center came into being a thoughtful and complete look at the teaching profession was required. However, NCCAT went against the tide of what was and is popular. Rather than “concentrate efforts on remedying perceived deficiencies in teachers, individually and collectively, it set out to reward teachers for their excellence in teaching and to reverse some of the long-standing and negative conditions that teachers and others had come to expect” (p. 131). Griffin speaks to teacher isolation and NCCAT’s desire to bring educators together in safe and supportive learning environments. The place where teachers do their day-to-day work is often an intellectually and aesthetically barren environment. NCCAT has created a learning environment that is not only aesthetically pleasing but one that is encouraging and supportive. Griffin further explains that teaching is a flat (non-hierarchical) profession where nearly everyone is treated the same. A basic premise of NCCAT was to reward excellent teaching. He questions this notion and wonders if an NCCAT opportunity could be tied to not only reward excellent teaching but to promote it as well. There exists a deep divide between the daily practices of a teacher and that of intellectual stimulation. NCCAT provides teachers opportunities to become deeply connected with the leaders in a variety of specialties. “Exploration, rather than sharing and remembering, is a central tenet” (p. 135). The final chapter, Charting the Course: The Center’s Future Role in Teacher Renewal, by editors Oldendorf and Rud, challenges the Center to think about its place on “the continuum of teacher development as its programs encompass larger segments of the teaching population” (p. 147). They encourage the Center and teachers to recreate themselves through “adventure in intellect” (p. 148). While NCCAT might be a small effort, it is by no means insignificant. In Rud’s chapter, Building a Rationale for Teacher Renewal, he quotes Lee Shulman: All the talk of reforming schooling must never lose sight of the ultimate goal: to create institutions where students can learn through interaction with teachers who are themselves always learning. The effective school must become an educative setting for its teachers if it aspires to become an educational environment for its students (p. 45). For our schools to truly be their best for the students they serve, teachers need to be lifelong learners. It is through the intellectual challenge and collegial environment at NCCAT that teachers not only experience a sense of renewal but a renewed commitment to the profession. A Place for Teacher Renewal is a book that needs to be read not only by people responsible for assisting educators in moving their practice forward but by policy makers as well. North Carolina leaders took a political risk in the creation of NCCAT. It has become part of the North Carolina education success story. Teachers College Press first published this book in 1992, and Information Age Publishing has republished it. Its message is timeless and has earned its new opportunity to be read. This book challenges the reader to rethink the role of a quality teacher in moving student achievement forward. It is a story of vision, creative thinking, and commitment grounded in the thoughts of a practicing classroom teacher. About the Reviewer Kathleen Wiebke is a PhD student at Arizona State University in the Division of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. She is the Executive Director of the Arizona K-12 Center, a state-funded professional development center. Her research interest is teacher quality. She holds a master’s degree in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University and a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University.