Four panelists, a moderator, and a select group of journalists discuss what we need and expect from the teachers responsible for preparing our children for the rigors of 21st century life. The panelists for this forum are Barnett Berry, Anthony Cody, Jennifer Husbands, Michael Pritchard and moderator David Sibbet.
"The 21st century global economy requires that we get over the debate about teacher quality and the use of current standardized tests as the sole arbiter of teaching quality and student learning. We need new tools to identify and reward skilled and experienced teachers."
Dr. Berry leads a research-based advocacy organization dedicated to cultivating teacher leadership and conducting research that can transform the teaching profession. His core belief is that to close the student achievement gap we must close the teaching quality gap. In 2003, he created the Teacher Leaders Network -- a dynamic virtual community. It's purpose is to elevate the voices of expert teachers when it comes to policy debates regarding their profession and the students they serve. Berry also has worked as a social scientist at the RAND Corporation, served as a senior executive with the South Carolina State Department of Education, and directed an education policy center while a professor at the University of South Carolina. He has authored numerous academic and trade publications. Berry serves on several boards and in an advisory capacity to numerous organizations committed to teaching quality, equity, and social justice in America's schools.
"Our creative teachers have a tremendous amount to learn from one another. A collaborative process is central to our growth as teachers, and makes teacher leadership not only possible, but expected."
Mr. Cody taught science and math for 18 years at Bret Harte Middle School in Oakland, California. Cody became one of Oakland's first National Board Certified teachers in 2000 and served as a coach for National Board candidates. He developed a teacher-led science curriculum project in Oakland, and is currently helping lead Project POSIT, a State Department of Education-funded partnership that is helping grades 4 to 8 teachers improve their science instruction through teacher research. Cody is an active part of the movement to redefine the teaching profession in order to create greater avenues for teacher leadership, and was one of eighteen teachers who authored the influential Teacher Solutions report on performance pay for teachers.
"If we truly want to improve the education children receive in public school classrooms, then we need to rethink who we want to bring into the teaching profession, the incentives that will attract them, the types of training that will prepare them, and the schools that will retain them."
Dr. Husbands is the director of the High Tech High Graduate School of Education as well as the director of teacher credentialing for High Tech High schools. In these roles, she leads an innovative new institution - the first graduate school within a K-12 learning community - and directs the first charter school-based teacher credentialing program in California. Husbands has also led a series of professional development residencies and institutes for visiting educators from around the U.S. and the world. She earned her Ph.D. in Administration and Policy Analysis from the Stanford University School of Education. Husbands also co-authored "A Review of Selected High School Reform Strategies" for the Aspen Institute in 2001. And before returning to school for graduate study, she served as the evaluation specialist for the National School & Community Corps, an AmeriCorps program.
"A life well-spent is knowing thirty years later you realize that you filled their hearts. It's the currency we work for - not the paycheck. It's that moment when you realize that you made a difference."
"Too many boys in America are crying with bullets instead of tears."
Dr. Pritchard began his career on both the comedy stage and as a juvenile counselor in San Francisco's Youth Guidance Center. In 1980, Pritchard won first place in the San Francisco International Stand Up Comedy Competition as well as winning the prestigious California Probation Officer of the Year. Drawing from his counseling background, Pritchard began using humor to inspire, teach communication skills, anger management, diversity, conflict resolution, and how to overcome burnout and stress. For his work in promoting nonviolence with youth, Pritchard was awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Hartwick University. He also established Heartland Media Foundation, which focuses on building character and emotional intelligence, violence prevention, inciting motivation and leadership in young people and adults to improve schools and communities.
"Learning to rise above self interest and collaborate in inventing new forms of organization and relationships that will not deplete the planet, but help it thrive, is the challenge of our times. This is nowhere more critical than in how we educate our children."
Mr. Sibbet's explorations in graphic facilitation, strategic visioning, and collaborative process design have revolutionized the field of organization development. For eight years, in the 1970's, he was executive director and director of training for the Coro Foundation, a leadership development institute known for its pioneering work in experience-based education. He regularly designs and leads strategy, visioning, future forces, and large-scale system change processes for clients throughout the world. He is a former Chicago Tribune journalist and the author of several books.
