High schools in America face profound challenges: unprecedented demographic
changes, increased scrutiny from parents and the public, powerful
pressures from external accountability systems, and changes in the
composition of the teaching force. In the face of these challenges,
however, high schools generally have been resistant to lasting change.
Many educators acknowledge the urgency and necessity for concerted action to make high schools vital, powerful, successful,
and engaging places for students and adults to live and work.
Redesigning High Schools for Improved Instruction
provides the theories, knowledge, and practice necessary to redesign
high schools to become powerful learning centers for students and
adults.
Creating an Environment for Powerful Learning
This institute brings together educational practitioners, Harvard faculty,
and national researchers to provide a setting for practical problem solving
in the redesign of the American high school. By attending this institute you will:
-
Understand the fundamental issues with existing structure and practice
-
Master key principles for improving instruction
-
Develop concrete strategies and action plans for redesigning your school
- Create a powerful learning environment for students and faculty
Redesign issues are explored in relation to both small schools and
comprehensive high schools. Examples are drawn from a variety of
schools that have successfully completed major redesign, as well as those
that are actively engaged in that process—providing a variety of
strategies for the redesign of your own school. The institute clarifies where you are in the redesign process, and what next steps you need to
take.
The institute is informed by the practices that
support excellence and the convictions that shape and drive the best
in modern American secondary schools. Three areas of knowledge and practice
are examined, providing a framework for your own redesign plans.
• The Work of High School Redesign What
are the fundamental problems of the existing structures and practices
in American high schools? What principles can we develop for the
redesign of these structures? What do schools look like that apply
these principles and how do they work?
• The Practice of Instructional Improvement. How can the redesign of high
schools be strongly connected with powerful learning experiences
for students and teachers? How can redesign address issues of
access and opportunity for all students to high quality, rigorous
content and instruction?
• Internal and External Accountability. How
can redesign lead to clear, consistent expectations for students
and faculty; coherent, understandable processes and structures;
and instructional practice that is consistent with the best teaching
and learning we know how to do? How can high quality high schools
survive and thrive in an environment of increased accountability
for student performance?
Develop Your Own Redesign Plan
During the institute, participants form small working groups, representing a cross section of schools. Here, participants create
their own redesign plan, and receive feedback from colleagues
and faculty. Participants also explore strategies for overcoming resistance
to change and enlisting community support. Time is provided to consider nest steps for implementation upon your return home.
At the conclusion of the institute, participants return to their schools or
districts with a clear understanding of the components of effective
and productive high schools, as well as with research-based strategies,
concepts, and tools to being redesigning a more successful and vibrant
school.
Hands-on, Interactive Format
Class sessions utilize a number of interactive formats: large group
presentations, peer and small group discussions, case studies, video
discussions, panels, and working groups.
A full schedule of sessions is held each day, with formal and informal
activities on some evenings. As full-time participation and preparation
are required throughout the institute, participants are expected to free
themselves from all work obligations during the program. Prior to the
institute, participants receive a packet of background information and
readings to help prepare for the program.
Who Should Attend
The institute is designed for school leaders, high school department heads, and classroom teachers
engaged in or beginning the process of high school redesign or reinvention.
Members of school networks and those who lead school improvement
efforts as well as officials from state departments of education are also invited to attend.
Those who attend in teams
will have the opportunity to reflect and plan together during and after
the institute.
Participants are welcome from public, independent, and parochial schools
and districts located in urban, suburban, and rural communities.
Faculty
Katherine Merseth, Director, Teacher Education Program; Senior Lecturer on Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is a former public high school teacher of mathematics and a devotee of the case method of instruction.
Richard Elmore, Gregory P. Anrig Professor of Educational Leadership; Co-Director, Consortium for Policy Research in Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education. Elmore is currently exploring how schools of different types and in different policy contexts develop a sense of accountability and a capacity to deliver high quality instruction.
Ron Ferguson, Lecturer on Public Policy, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He is also the faculty Co-chair and Director of the Achievement Gap Initiative. His teaching and publications cover a variety of issues related to education and economic development, with a strong focus on racial achievement gaps.
Bob Kegan, William and Miriam Meehan Professor in Adult Learning and Professional Development, Harvard Graduate School of Education. His work explores the fit between adult capacities and the hidden demands of modern life.
Jim Nehring, Founding Director, Bethlehem Lab School, Albany NY. Nehring has worked both as a practitioner and researcher in the field of high school redesign for over two decades. Most recently, he served as Founding Trustee and Chairman of the North Central Charter School.
Monica Higgins, Associate Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education. Higgins’ focus is in the area of leadership and organizational behavior. Previously, she spent eleven years on the faculty of the Organizational behavior unit at the Harvard Business
Additional Harvard faculty and national researchers and policy makers will participate in the Institute.
General Information
Program fee
The comprehensive program fee of $2795 includes tuition, all program and instructional
materials, a single bedroom at a Harvard Undergraduate Dormitory, breakfast and
most dinners at the dorm, special events, a certificate of completion, and a letter
indicating clock hours of instruction.
Registration
Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Payment or a purchase
order is due thirty days after registration has been received. Participants
are responsible for their own travel expenses; please wait for payment confirmation
before making travel arrangements.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations must be made in writing. Full refunds will
be granted until May 30, 2008. Cancellations between May 31 and June 13 are subject to a $300 administrative fee.
Cancellations after June 13, 2008 and no-shows are subject to full payment.
The Harvard Graduate School of Education reserves the right to change faculty
or cancel programs at its discretion. In the unlikely event of program changes,
the school is not responsible for non-refundable travel arrangements or other
planning expenses incurred.
Accommodations
Interaction between faculty and participants outside of the classroom is an integral part if the institute. To foster this total immersion learning environment, participants are encouraged to reside
at the Currier House
Undergraduate Dormitory.
A fifteen-minute walk from the main classroom, participants
are assigned a single room with a shared bath. While facilities are air-conditioned and comfortable, they are spartan. Linens and daily housekeeping are provided. Currier House residents have numerous opportunities to interact interact informally with program colleagues.
Participants also have the option to stay at a local hotel at their own expense. Hotel reservations are the responsibility of individual participants.
Further Information
800-545-1849 • ppe@gse.harvard.edu
The Harvard Graduate School of Education affirms the right of all individuals
to equal treatment in education without regard to age, race, religion,
sex, sexual orientation, marital status, handicap, national origin, or
any other factors that are extraneous to effective performance. The Harvard
Graduate School of Education will accommodate anyone with disabilities.
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