Overview of the Vanguard
Project
May 2014
Vanguard Project
• Goal: Transform the system of education in
Kentucky to a level whereby schools/students
will perform at levels comparable to those of
schools in top-performing countries in the
world
• Partnership among WKU, BGISD, DCSD, OISD,
and WCSD
Objectives
• Recruit high-performing students into teacher
education programs
• Increase standards for individuals seeking
admission to and exiting teacher education
programs
• Increase expectations of teacher candidates
relative to mastery of subject matter
Objectives cont.
• Provide clinical experiences to ensure
prospective teachers master the craft of
teaching
• Enhance support for new teachers entering
the profession
• Restructure/align districts/schools with the
project guidelines
Design of Vanguard Project
• Raise higher education standards/match with
measures to professionalize teaching in schools
• Rely on volunteer consortia
• State will offer help
– Raising money
– Relief from regulation
– Technical assistance
• Competition against criteria, not each other
Timeline
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Meeting held 12/17/2013
Initial planning (January and February)
Prospectus submitted and reviewed
Proposal (Tentative date-Summer 2014)
Proposals read and rated by
– Readers from Kentucky (CPE, KDE, and EPSB)
– External reviewers with expertise with school
systems in high performing countries
Current Initiatives
• WKU’s Clinical Experiences and Practice in Teaching
(CEPT)
• SKyTeach
• GSKyTeach
Criteria for School Districts
• Career pathways model
• Elementary teachers required to have a minor
in subjects they will teach
• Continuing professional development for
teachers
• Districts provide one to two year induction
program for new teachers with reduced load
and mentoring from Master Teachers
Phase-in Model
• Maintain current programs for time being
while also offering parallel Vanguard Program
• Begin with specific majors, school districts,
and then scale up
Criteria for Universities
• Designed to raise the high school
graduation/score quartile from which
candidates are recruited
• Raise admission requirements for schools of
education
• Three stage admission process
– Strong academic record
– Passion for teaching
– Ability to connect with young people
Criteria for Universities
• 2 programs
– Major or minor in subject and masters in teaching
or
– Combined program leading to both degrees
• Secondary, Middle School, P-12 and 5-12
candidates major in subjects to be taught
• Elementary candidates minor in subjects to be
taught
Criteria for Universities
• Program to include
– Training in research methods
– Extensive clinical training
– Training in diagnosis and prescription
• Training in craft based on best research in subject
area
• Design for program must include
– Findings of the TELL Survey
– Methods & strategies used by Math Center at NKU
Criteria for Universities
• Universities to develop clinical schools similar to
how teaching hospitals are affiliated with schools
of medicine
– School faculty have university faculty status
– Collaborative planning between university and school
faculty in development of the program
– University faculty conduct research in clinical schools
– Schools used as primary training facility for teachers in
training
Teacher Preparation
• More selective admissions
• Toward clinical model for teacher education
– Pre-service clinical experiences in every semester
of the program, building toward residency model
in the 5th year
– Move toward problem-based instruction
organized around real situations
– Courses taught by a collaborative team:
pedagogical, content, and clinical faculty
Five Year Preparation Program
• Elementary:
– Minors in STEM or ELA/SS
– Clinical seminar
– Classes mostly in school settings – teaching
schools (hospitals)
– Fifth-year residency and culminating in master’s
degree
Five Year Preparation Program
• Middle Grades/Secondary (8-12)/P-12/5-12
– Major in subject area and discipline-specific
pedagogy
– Fifth year residency requirement
One Year Master’s Degree Program
• Building upon a bachelor’s degree in a
certifiable content area
– Residency model
– One year in the craft of teaching
Related Work
• Excellence for All
– High school redesign
– World class curriculum, assessment tied to Common Core
– Designed to bring all students to work and school ready by
the time they leave high school
• National Institute for School Leadership
– Nation’s largest state-level program for training school
leaders
– Designed to work in tandem with Excellence for All and
teacher quality program
Things to Remember
• This is not a “project” – it is the way Kentucky
will do this statewide
• This is the Vanguard of a whole system
• We are designers, not just implementers
• KY will be the first of several states doing this
work
• Access to the world’s pioneers along the way
• Not a replication of other systems
Next Steps
• Finish meetings with school districts
• Conduct focus group sessions on campus
• Development and submission of proposal
References
• Surpassing Shanghai by Marc S. Tucker
• Finnish Lessons by Pasi Sahlberg
• The Smartest Kids in the World and How They
Got that Way by Amanda Ripley