GlobalGiving.org: Engaging students through innovative teaching

Expanding our Reach in Baltimore City Schools

Alayna Buckner — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:50:30 GMT

Inspired Teaching is proud to report that we have launched the Inspired Teaching Institute for Mathematics Teachers in Baltimore City this year. In partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools, Inspired Teaching’s transformative model of professional development is fueling system-wide improvement in mathematics learning for students at the middle school level. Specifically, the Institute is designed to improve teachers’ attitudes toward math; build teachers’ in-depth knowledge and understanding of the Common Core practice standards in math; and strengthen inquiry-based instruction in math.

Through the Institute, math teachers are learning inquiry-based instruction that challenges students to be critical thinkers and confident, determined mathematicians. With a focus on long term learning, teachers are designing engaging lessons that ensure students go beyond ‘making it through’ the curriculum, to learn, understand, and apply mathematical content.

The program is already demonstrating results. Teachers report that it is changing the way they teach: “Inspired Teaching got me excited and motivated to return to school. It provided new insight about teaching math and running my class!”

And program evaluation found that:

100% of teachers report that the Inspired Teaching Institute for Mathematics has influenced the way they think about teaching and learning.
96% of teachers report that the Institute is ‘better’ or ‘much better’ than other professional development.
92% of teachers report that the Institute is developing their skills in using engaging instructional strategies.

Even more critically, students taught by teachers in the Baltimore Math Institute are learning more. According to data collected during summer school 2011, two months after the Institute began, students taught by teachers in the Institute demonstrated greater growth in academic achievement than students taught by non-participating teachers, with a particular emphasis on problem solving.

Inspired Teaching’s partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools is the first stage of our new business plan, in which we will bring our established teacher trainings to new districts. We want to thank all our long-term supporters for helping us take our work to the next level.

Center for Inspired Teaching in Washington Post

Bill Turque — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:31:32 GMT

Principal Zoe

D.C. charter schools have a ‘voice at the table’

Principal Zoe Duskin unlocked the front door just after 6 a.m. Monday. The seven classrooms at the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School, a new public charter school in Northeast Washington, were in perfect order. But she lingered over the last details, policing bits of dust from the floors with tissue paper and making sure each room had a doorstop.

“I am so excited,” said Duskin, 28, opening her first school as a principal. It was also a big moment for the city’s 53 publicly funded, independently operated schools — which educate nearly 40 percent of its 75,000 public school students — making it the most robust charter sector of any big city outside New Orleans. And it was a moment that Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) went out of his way to recognize.

In his first round of school openings as the city’s chief executive, Gray said during a visit to Inspired Teaching that it would not bother him if charter schools surpass traditional public schools in enrollment.

“I’m comfortable with our kids getting an education in the best possible place,” Gray said after visiting a prekindergarten class where he read a book called (what else?) “Hurray for Pre-K!”

This is no small thing for a mayor who was elected with heavy support from unionized teachers — the kind who don’t work in the District’s charter schools. But Gray said he was looking for charters to have “a catalyzing effect” on the city’s 123 traditional public schools, whose 45,000 students returned to class Monday.

“I think the competitive juices are starting to flow. [Traditional schools have] got to be able to get better to raise their market share,” said the mayor, who also visited Eastern High School on Capitol Hill and Hart Middle School in Congress Heights.

Although traditional schools show more overall growth in test scores over the past five years, charters made slightly larger gains this year on city tests. At Achievement Prep charter school in Ward 8, 87 percent of students scored proficient or better in math and 60 percent in reading. The passing rates topped those of any traditional elementary school in Ward 8.

Gray’s administration has asked a Chicago firm with close ties to the charter movement to study the distribution of schools — both charter and traditional — across the city to assess which communities are underserved. Officials say the study, by the Illinois Facilities Fund, could provide the basis for decisions to close underenrolled traditional schools and open more charters.

“We very clearly have a spot and a voice at the table,” said Brian W. Jones, chairman of the D.C. Public Charter School Board. He said he could not recall Gray’s predecessor, Adrian M. Fenty (D), visiting a charter school on opening day.

At Inspired Teaching’s site in Brookland, shared with the Potomac Lighthouse charter school, Gray was joined by D.C. State Superintendent Hosanna Mahaley, Deputy Mayor for Education De’Shawn Wright and other members of the public charter and state school boards.

If Gray intended to highlight the ascendance of charter schools, he picked an unusual setting. Inspired Teaching’s founders reject the notion held by some reformers that charters will be the salvation of a dysfunctional, hidebound public education system.

The school, serving 150 students through third grade, is a spinoff of a nonprofit group — the Center for Inspired Teaching — that has spent the past 15 years training educators not as providers of instructional content but as “instigators of thought.” Founder Aleta Margolis said the goal is to instill in children a love of learning by challenging them to seek their own answers in a nurturing, nonauthoritarian environment.

Margolis also wants to nurture teachers. She said she was appalled several years ago during a meeting with then-Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee, who said that most teachers in D.C schools needed to be replaced if there was any hope of a turnaround. The evaluation system that Rhee devised has led to the firings of hundreds of teachers for poor performance.

Margolis said the idea of the super-teacher who will single-handedly lift underperforming children is harmful and unrealistic. Most good teachers are made, she said, not born.

“We want to get away from the human capital argument, that if we got better teachers then things will be different,” she said. “You can only have so many super-teachers.”

As a demonstration school, Inspired Teaching will function as an educational equivalent of a teaching hospital, with first-year residents leading classes alongside seasoned “master teachers.” After a year, the residents will leave to teach at regular or charter schools.

“We don’t want to save the system. We want to save teaching,” Margolis said.

For Duskin, a former assistant principal at a San Francisco high school, Inspired Teaching is a “dream job.” On Sunday, she asked her teachers in an e-mail to spend part of the day in reflection, “readying themselves to be in the presence of children.”

She was asked what that meant for her on the first day of school.

“I think about what I want kids to remember in 20 years,” she said. “They won’t remember what book they read, or what toy they liked best. I want them to remember what it felt like to make a friend for the first time.”

Links:

Washington Post article

Spring Updates for Inspired Teaching

Aleta Margolis — Wed, 04 May 2011 21:29:18 GMT

Dear Friends,

In February, hundreds of individuals and supporters joined Inspired Teaching at the Embassy of Canada for the 2011 Chocolate Inspiration. The United States Ambassador to Canada, David Jacobson, graciously hosted a VIP reception in his private suite; afterwards, nearly 300 attendees enjoyed a rich sampling of chocolate desserts, heard updates on Center for Inspired Teaching's programmatic work, and viewed the premiere of Inspired Teaching’s new video.

Our new video follows two teachers, Ben and Michelle, through typical days in their classrooms. To watch it, please click here.

First, the video features Ben, a third grade teacher at Brookland Educational Campus and a member of the inaugural cohort of the Inspired Teacher Certification Program. Ben says Inspired Teaching has given him the confidence to know that he can do things a different way in his classroom and that learning will actually be better and richer for the students. The Certification Program’s third cohort was just finalized this month, and 27 new Fellows will join Ben as intelligent, diverse, and passionate change-makers in our city’s schools.

This year’s Fellows were selected from an impressive pool of almost 200 applicants. The cohort includes recent college graduates to late career changers, ranging in age from 21 to 61. Five candidates have Masters Degrees, and one holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education. The cohort includes individuals fluent in 8 different languages, a photo journalist, a licensed pilot, and a Sergeant in the Army National Guard. We are extremely pleased to welcome this excellent group to the Inspired Teaching family!

Second, the video follows Michelle, a teacher at Gladys Noon Spellman Elementary School, and a participant in the 15th Annual Inspired Teaching Institute. Michelle says that the Institute helped her become more aware of her students’ interests and needs and helped her find ways to do things differently in her classroom.

The 16th Annual Inspired Teaching Institute, a free year-long professional development course, is now accepting applications. We are seeking passionate, committed secondary teachers in the Washington, DC area to join us for a powerful year of learning and rethinking your role in the classroom. If you are such an educator or know someone who is please visit our website to learn more and to apply today.

Your contributions are vital our work to develop highly qualified teachers like Michelle and Ben -- who are agents of positive change in their classrooms and a key part of the solution to effective education and reform in Washington, DC. We look forward to continuing to work with you this year.

Warmly,

Aleta Margolis
Executive Director

Where we've been, where we're going

Aleta Margolis — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:37:46 GMT

Dear Friends,

In the last year I’ve shared a lot of exciting news about Center for Inspired Teaching’s programmatic success and future growth. With the Inspired Teacher Certification Program in its second year, a new partnership with the Flamboyan Foundation to develop a family engagement curriculum, and a literacy partnership with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Inspired Teaching is reaching more teachers and students with deep – and transformational – programs.

The next 6 months will continue to be exciting for Inspired Teaching:

Our recent partnership with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will support DC teachers in building their students’ literacy skills while teaching social studies, science, and other core classes.
The Inspired Teaching School will open in August 2011 with school-wide professional development and the first teacher training residency in DC provided by Center for Inspired Teaching.
Inspired Teaching is working with the Bridgespan Group in an extensive business planning process designed to help us understand our organization’s unique contributions to education reform. With this knowledge we will be able to make our programs more efficient and replicate our model in school districts across the United States. Our ultimate goal is to have Inspired Teaching happening in as many classrooms as possible.

With all this growth, Inspired Teaching remains committed to its work in DC to ensure that all children have a teacher who challenges, values, and nurtures their potential. In order to manage this growth, we are hiring a Managing Director to help the Inspired Teaching shape its strategic vision. If you know someone who would be a good fit for this position, please introduce us here!

Inspired Teaching is also working with an Atlas Corps Fellow to implement a robust volunteer program to enable the organization to connect with passionate, like-minded people dedicated to education reform. More details will be available on our website soon. I hope you will look over what we have to offer and find something that sparks your interest!

Ultimately, our strategic expansion aims to reach more teachers so that all students one day have a teacher who teaches them how to think - not what to think. If you have questions on where Inspired Teaching is going, please give us a call. Your contributions have brought us to this important step and we would love to have you involved in our future endeavors.

Warmly,

Aleta Margolis
Executive Director

PS- Mark your calendars for February 24! Chocolate Inspiration will be at the Embassy of Canada to discuss the future of education in DC and sample delectable chocolate concoctions from the capitol’s finest chefs!

A curriculum for everyone!

Aleta Margolis — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:06:54 GMT

Dear friends,

The past three months at Center for Inspired Teaching have been full of growth, presenting the Inspired Teaching staff with new challenges, opportunities to learn, and reasons to be excited!

Recently, we’ve been developing, piloting, and evaluating a family engagement curriculum for teachers in a partnership with the Flamboyan Foundation. A strong body of research confirms the importance of family engagement in ensuring students succeed in school and in life. With Inspired Teaching’s family engagement curriculum, teachers are becoming more skilled at effectively involving parents in their children’s education – and more than 200 teachers have been involved to date.

As teachers in our programs pilot this new curriculum, they are also beginning new coursework in their respective professional development programs. For the 2010 Inspired Teaching Fellows and Residents, winter courses began last week. Early Childhood and Elementary Education Fellows are learning how to provide age-appropriate, fun lessons in math for young learners. We’ll post pictures of their Math Dance activities—used to teach important concepts like length and congruence—very soon! Meanwhile, our English Language Arts certification candidates are learning the Art of Teaching Writers to boost literacy and provide students with a productive outlet to express their creativity.

In addition to all of these exciting classrooms, Inspired Teaching is in the process of developing several unique curricula for our Professional Development Partnerships at local schools. Our current partners include: Orr Elementary School, Arts and Technology Academy, IDEA Public Charter School, and Thurgood Marshall Academy. The Professional Development Partnerships provide customized training to each school based on its needs including: mentoring, collaborative lesson studies, coaching, retreats, and coursework.

Creating new material to share with teachers and principals has been an extremely rewarding process—our program participants show confidence in their abilities to master content and boost student success. For example, one of Fellow Bri Zika’s students with a profound love of music struggled to learn geography. Bri worked with her to put the names of each country in South America into a song, and with this mnemonic device, the student mastered all of the content and excelled on the next test. Teachers like this are one of many reasons why I, and Center for Inspired Teaching, appreciate your support. YOU have made this important work possible.

Best,

Aleta Margolis

Executive Director

PS- Chocolate Inspiration will be at the Canadian Embassy on February 24, 2011. Join us for a night of delicious confectioneries and thoughtful conversation about education!

The Founding of an Inspired School!

Aleta Margolis — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:25:06 GMT

Reading in an ELE summer classroom

Dear Friends,

Can you recall the last movie you watched about a teacher or our schools?

Most likely, the story follows a heroic individual working with challenging students, surrounded by a bureaucratic administration and apathetic peers. The teacher will go to extraordinary efforts to get through to the students, gain their trust, and educate them. By the end of the movie, the teacher will have managed to reach these formerly-unengaged students, and ultimately make a difference in their lives.

While uplifting, these types of movies send the wrong message: that excellent teachers are necessarily uncommon; that only heroic teachers will be able to reach all students. Center for Inspired Teaching challenges this storyline. We envision a future in which every teacher provokes students to think, create, ask questions, and play; a future in which every teacher is transformational.

Imagine walking down the hallway of a school, and peeking in the doorway of each classroom to see what’s happening….what do you see? Do you see fractions on the blackboard, and students sitting quietly in their chairs completing a worksheet? Or do you see students playing an active, whole-body math game? Imagine an entire school filled with classrooms where learning was fun, imagination was valued, and educational opportunities were created with everything from play dough to nature walks. This is the Inspired Teaching School!

In April 2010, the Inspired Teaching School received conditional approval from the DC Public Charter School Board. Beyond preparing children to be inquisitive learners, creative problem solvers, and thoughtful citizens, the Inspired Teaching School will create a professional community where master teachers work with teacher residents to supply a diverse group of students with a great education and increased chances for future success. Renowned education advocates and community leaders have partnered with Center for Inspired Teaching to launch the school.

At full capacity, the school will offer Pre-School–8th grade. In school year 2011-2012, Inspired Teaching School will provide inquiry-based curriculum for age 3 to Grade 3. Each year, the school will add one grade level until reaching full capacity in school year 2016-2017 with the addition of 8th grade. The Inspired Teaching School is already searching for an exceptional Principal and Executive Director to lead the school, teachers, and students to high achievement.

It is an honor to share this exciting news with you as your support has helped Inspired Teaching reach this immense opportunity for growth. I look forward to having more inspiring stories to share about our work and the work of the Inspired Teaching School.

Warmly, Aleta Margolis Executive Director

Comprehension through kinetic learning

Increasing knowledge of science and technology

Chocolate, Cohorts, and Classroom Prep!

Aleta Margolis — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:23:40 GMT

Dear Friends,

The past two months were exhilarating for the Center for Inspired Teaching!

In March, over 300 supporters joined us at the Cultural Institute of the Embassy of Mexico for the 2010 Chocolate Inspiration. The Chocolate Inspiration is a festive evening where friends of Inspired Teaching come together to sample delicious desserts, celebrate Inspired Teaching’s work, and meet Inspired Teaching Fellows and Master teachers. We were excited to have the largest number of attendees in our organization’s history, showing momentum for Inspired Teaching’s mission to ensure every child has a high quality teacher - every year. This month, we finalized our second cohort of Inspired Teaching Fellows, a diverse group of 26 intelligent, passionate change-makers: 2 candidates hold a PhD, 2 hold JDs, and 7 have a Master’s degree; we have former AmeriCorps volunteers, Peace Corps volunteers, an 8-time Division III All-American track and field athlete, and the out-of-state volunteer coordinator for the Hillary Clinton for President campaign. We are extremely pleased to welcome this excellent group to the Inspired Teaching family.

Next month, we will be gearing up for the Inspired Teaching Institute. 2010 marks the 15th year that our flagship program has prepared teachers for the transition from summer to school so that children do not lose a single opportunity for learning and imagination when they return to the classroom. We are extremely pleased to continue investing in great educators and connecting new Inspired Teachers with our distinguished alumni.

All the best to you in the upcoming summer months, Aleta Margolis Executive Director

Best Wishes for 2010!

Aleta Margolis — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:41:41 GMT

Dear Friends,

Below we’ve highlighted a few of the many inspiring stories our supporters made possible in 2009. Highlights include the successful launch of a new teacher certification program, induction of our 14th class of Inspired Teaching Institute teachers, and plans in the works for a demonstration school. If all goes as planned, 2010 promises even more growth. That means more children than ever have access to the rich, rigorous, and relevant instruction Inspired Teachers make possible.

I am so grateful for the many individuals, foundations, and corporations that have kept Inspired Teaching moving forward. It is hard to believe, but this spring we’ll celebrate 15 years of operation in Washington, DC. I look forward to sharing many more stories like the ones below in the months that lie ahead.

On behalf of the entire Inspired Teaching family I wish you the best in 2010 and hope that your year ahead is filled with realized potential.

Very best, Aleta

Stories from the Classroom: 1. In the summer of 2009, Maya Garcia took the Inspired Teaching Institute and credits that experience with "revolutionizing" the way she approaches her work in the 2009-10 school year.

Maya revamped her school's science fair, moving from the traditional poster-board displays and cookie cutter projects to using digital presentation software and authentic student-driven inquiry and research. Presentations included: using a pediatrician's hearing test machine to evaluate the sound-canceling effects of different types of earplugs, and investigating the effects of mints and music on test-takers' concentration. 2. Gabrielle Tucci is a first-year high school English teacher, and Inspired Teaching Fellow. But five months into the school year she already does much more than simply teach English at Friendship Collegiate Academy.

Within days of starting at Friendship, Gabby became the first female teacher of the RoboKnights robotics club - making it possible for female students to participate in off-campus competitions. So far this year the girls' team has been raking in the wins, claiming victory in a November championship in North Carolina.

Gabby also bakes for almost the entire student body every Sunday. She started the wildly popular "Brownie Mondays" as part of an effort to promote tutoring in her classroom after school.

3. Every year Inspired Teaching partners with schools across the city preparing and supporting educators to practice, defend, and advocate for a child-centered approach to teaching. This year partnerships include Oyster Bilingual, Arts and Technology Academy, and Next Step Public Charter School.

But interest in this instructional approach goes well beyond the District of Columbia. In the past few months we've had educators from Tajikistan and the Rural China Education Foundation visit our staff to learn about our work and discuss ways our teaching methods can be shared with schools in their countries.

Inspired Teaching Progress Report

Aleta Margolis — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:23:15 GMT

Inspired Teaching Fellow Gabby Tucci helping a student

Dear Friends,

With another school year underway, Center for Inspired Teaching continues to provide intensive mentoring and transformative coursework to District of Columbia Public School teachers and schools. Each day we’re reaching thousands of children with challenging lessons, engaging activities, and teacher support. Our high-quality teachers are making an impact in all grade levels throughout the city. I would like to share a few powerful stories of change involving new teachers that are part of our newest initiative, the Inspired Teacher Certification Program:

1. At the beginning of the school year, a student in Inspired Teaching Fellow Tim Street’s kindergarten class destroyed the class sign-in sheet, frustrated that she could not write her own name. A few weeks later with Mr. Street as a teacher, she called him over to see the perfectly formed “S” that she made on the sign-in sheet. As he enthusiastically congratulated her, the student lingered over the page, writing more and smiling all the while. Initially, Tim and his Inspired Teaching Mentor had concerns about this student, who had difficulty adjusting to school. With her significant victory over the sign-in process, the student has become motivated, eager, interested, and cooperative!

2. When Hart Middle School lost power in September, Inspired Teaching Fellow Travis Barnwell used the opportunity to give his 8th grade students a cultural lesson. He shared his teaching experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Lesotho, Africa, where students went to school and learned without electricity every day. The class also received lessons in Sesotho, Lesotho’s native language. While other teachers allowed their students to sit unengaged, restless in class or roam the dark halls, Travis provided engaging instruction that piqued his students’ curiosity and expanded their knowledge.

3. Inspired Teaching Fellow John Fantuzzo is currently teaching a unit on Ancient Greece to the students in his 9th grade English class. Though it is the second or third time that these students are taking the course, they have been fully engaged in making connections between their lives and the ideas of ancient philosophers.

After reading about Plato’s Ring of Gyges, a mythical artifact that makes a person invisible at will, the students wrote about and shared what they would do if they could be invisible. John’s class responded to the statement “People are only good because they fear getting caught” in their journals. The students were asked to split into groups based on whether they agreed or disagreed with the prompt. Groups developed points to defend their stance and began a thought-provoking debate on morality that involved everyone in the classroom. Some felt that belief in a higher power motivates people to behave morally, whether they ran the risk of being caught or not. Other students felt that even if a person tried to do good deeds with the Ring of Gyges, he or she would inevitably hurt someone. The debate ended without establishing a “correct” answer, but all students left class intellectually challenged and deep in thought.

Inspired Teaching Fellows are new teachers enrolled in the Inspired Teacher Certification Program, having a positive impact on hundreds of students’ lives in DC public schools. Fellows are selected through a rigorous application process and receive intensive mentoring and research-based coursework that addresses national standards for teacher preparation. Inspired Teaching Fellows are committed to education, social justice, and most importantly, improving education in the DC community. Fellows connect with students every day, assisting and challenging them to achieve beyond their perceived abilities.

If you would like to learn more about sponsorship opportunities for the Inspired Teacher Certification Program, please contact Eneida Alcalde at eneida@inspiredteaching.org or at 202 462 1956.

We hope that you are enjoying the new school year. Many thanks for your ongoing support!

Very best, Aleta Margolis Executive Director

P.S. I've been nominated for the 2009 Jewish Community Hero of the Year for Center for Inspired Teaching's work to transform education, and I'd love to have your vote. You can click here to vote: http://shar.es/1sn6A. No registration is required and voting ends just before midnight on October 7. Thanks very much for your support!

Students preparing for their Final Exhibitions

Middle school students’ mural

Exciting news from Inspired Teaching!

Aleta Margolis — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:52:20 GMT

Dear Friends,

I have some exciting news regarding the future of Center for Inspired Teaching!

Beginning in summer 2009, Inspired Teaching will build on its track record of high-quality teacher training and first-hand knowledge of DC Public Schools by preparing, certifying, and supporting exceptional individuals who wish to serve children in the District of Columbia as new public school teachers. In its first year, the 15-month Inspired Teacher Certification Program will transform 30 Inspired Teaching Fellows into Inspired Teachers—pioneering change-makers who champion a student-focused instructional approach to positively impact learning and achievement for all students.

But that’s not all.

By 2011 this program will become a teacher residency model, embedding the Inspired Teacher Certification Program in the first Inspired Teaching School—a groundbreaking teacher and student development center where teachers who are being certified will collaborate with Master Teachers to gain hands-on experience, on-the-ground insight, and individualized support in Inspired Teaching’s philosophy and methodology. In this dynamic setting, accountability and creativity will not be mutually exclusive, but integrated in order to nurture engaged and inquisitive students who think critically, understand information, solve complex problems, and develop the desire and ability to become life-long learners.

If you are interested in learning more about our new initiatives, I encourage you to visit our website at www.inspiredteaching.org. And, if you’d like to learn about sponsorship opportunities for the Inspired Teacher Certification Program, please contact Eneida Alcalde at 202-462-1956 or at eneida@inspiredteaching.org.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support!

Best, Aleta Margolis Executive Director

P.S. You can now start following our day-to-day activities on Twitter. Please find us at http://tiny.cc/InspiredTeaching.

Attachments:

Inspired Teacher Certification Program Flyer (PDF)

An Update from Center for Inspired Teaching’s Executive Director

Aleta Margolis — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:30:50 GMT

Dear Friends,

Inspired Teaching is delighted in the progress we continue to see at Orr Elementary. Turnaround stories in Washington, DC are few and far between. When they make it into the headlines they usually involve a school that has replaced all of its staff and started from scratch. Orr Elementary’s turnaround story is different. The school has seen remarkably low teacher turnover in the past five years and the experienced staff is challenging the theory that veteran teachers can’t change their practice.

For Principal Michelle Edwards the turnaround is all about creating an environment where teachers and students can realize their full potential.

When Michelle walked into Orr Elementary in Southeast DC in the fall of 2004 as a brand new principal, her arrival was greeted with uncertainty from a staff that had persevered through a string of short-term administrators. As she got to know her students and staff, Michelle identified goals for the school and started bringing in partners, including Inspired Teaching, to help meet them. Michelle wanted to raise student achievement and create a professional learning community—but in order to do that she knew she had to ensure a positive climate for teachers and students.

“The Inspired Teaching staff didn’t come in here trying to change everything about Orr, they came in trying to strengthen Orr,” says Michelle. Michelle credits Inspired Teaching with helping to foster a positive, more collaborative work environment. As a result, five years later, Orr’s test scores in reading and math have gone up. The school is part of a district-wide model-school learning community, and teachers within the building are active participants in daily site-based professional development.

Orr Elementary exemplifies the positive gains we have seen in our partner schools. Thank you for supporting our work with teachers at Orr and other partner schools throughout Washington, DC. I look forward to sharing more about Inspired Teaching with you in the coming year!

Sincerely, Aleta Margolis Executive Director

P.S. If you are in the Washington, DC area on February 26, please consider joining us for the 2009 Chocolate Inspiration! At this event, educators, funders, and supporters of quality education will come together to feast on the finest chocolate desserts and cocoa inspired beverages. You can learn more about the event at http://chocolate.inspiredteaching.org/

Project Update- Letter to Presidential Candidates

Aleta Margolis — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:02:42 GMT

Dear Candidates,

Though there are many issues in this election, few are more important to the future of our country than education.

Center for Inspired Teaching is transforming education by investing in teachers. Our work with thousands of teachers, through courses, mentoring, and whole school partnerships over the past 13 years has proven that teachers are the solution. They are where the rubber meets the road in our schools. Yet all too often teacher quality is not the focus of school reforms. Improving accountability systems, establishing programs to attract new teachers and retain experienced ones, and encouraging new curricula are all valuable strategies in and of themselves, but they will accomplish little if we are not simultaneously investing in the quality of our nation’s teachers.

Inspired Teachers like Carolyn Wells prove this point. Carolyn teaches second grade in a school where less than 30 percent of students are reading on grade level. Her school tried every intervention you can imagine to get kids reading: after school tutoring, new textbooks, less recess, more testing. But what Carolyn noticed was that none of the one-size-fits-all strategies were working for her class filled with 22 individuals. So she came to Inspired Teaching looking for new ways to reach the students who were struggling to keep up. She took an Inspired Teaching course in which she learned to teach vocabulary through movement, to tap into students’ imaginations through storytelling, and to let her children’s various interests guide the reading material – not the chapters in the textbook. She applied what she learned in the classroom and at the end of the year she had the highest reading scores in the school. Carolyn was the solution, and there are hundreds of thousands of teachers out there just like her who have the potential to change what happens in their schools.

With this in mind, as you continue to develop your education agenda Center for Inspired Teaching asks you to consider the following:

1. If our nation is to remain strong and healthy, it is time to establish a higher, and more meaningful, standard for student success. It is not enough for young Americans to do well on standardized tests that assess a narrow set of basic skills. Rather, the graduates of our K-12 system must be prepared to engage fully in civic life. All of our children deserve a rich, relevant, and rigorous school experience that prepares them to think critically, demonstrate understanding, solve complex problems, and apply their learning to the challenges facing our communities.

2. A higher goal for students requires a new role for teachers. It is time to redefine the role of the teacher in the United States from deliverer of facts to developer of future citizens in our democracy. Redefining the role of the teacher will require rethinking our policies and practices in the areas of teacher recruitment, preparation, and evaluation. The effectiveness of an excellent teacher cannot and should not be measured by credentials or test scores alone. Rather, teacher quality policies for a strong democracy will encourage fresh approaches to evaluating what matters: the quality of actual classroom instruction, and impact of that instruction on students’ abilities to be active, productive citizens.

At Center for Inspired Teaching we know there is tremendous potential in our nation’s classrooms. We are calling on the next President of the United States to push for comprehensive education reform that addresses the needs of the new global economy. In order to be successful this reform must include a strong focus on teacher quality. We urge you to bring the challenges we identify above into the current political debate so that the potential of our teachers can be turned into practice.

As you craft your education policy agenda, we would be honored to share with you our years of experience in schools and classrooms and our advice on the best and most effective way to reform our schools.

Sincerely,

Aleta Margolis, Executive Director

A Letter from Inspired Teaching's Executive Director

Aleta Margolis — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:53:52 GMT

Dear Friends and Supporters,

At Center for Inspired Teaching, we are continuing to strengthen Washington, DC’s public schools by investing in their teachers. Through inspiring new and veteran teachers, we are enabling them to unlock the innate potential in students across the District and contributing to a positive trend of empowerment in our communities.

Our programs are designed to improve teachers’ ability to think critically and solve problems, so they can do the same for their students, resulting in higher student achievement in school and in life. Teachers are themselves taught how to improve the emotional climate of their classroom, so that children feel safe and can focus on learning, resulting in improvements in behavior and a change in students’ life aspirations. As a result of these changes, students are more engaged in learning and less disruptive, thus decreasing the time teachers spend dealing with discipline problems and increasing the time spent teaching.

Inspired Teaching's most recent evaluation results demonstrate that: * Inspired Teaching teachers spend over 50% less time on discipline than those who have not taken our programs. * Inspired Teachers increase student participation by spending more classroom time in productive learning activities (83% vs. 74%) and far more often require students to be active participants in their learning (60% vs. 17%). * Inspired Teachers engage students in much higher levels of thinking. Students in Inspired Teachers’ classrooms spend more time performing higher-order skills (43% vs. 26%) and Inspired Teachers ask more questions that require students to think at complex levels (62% vs. 32%). * Inspired Teachers create an environment conducive to learning by focusing their discipline strategies on problem-solving and building relationships, rather than punitive behavior modification systems (95% vs. 37%). * Inspired Teaching measures five elements of the work environment that research has shown to relate strongly to teacher job satisfaction and retention: leadership/school culture; professional development; facilities and resources; teacher empowerment; and time. Evaluations at partner schools show improvement in all of these areas.

Our work continues to be in high demand with principals and teachers requesting more school partnerships and programming, in response we have nearly tripled our staff. This year we inaugurated the Inspired Principal Institute, designed to reinvigorate and support veteran principals leading DC area schools. And, in this academic year we have worked with nearly 20 different schools!

It is my sincere hope that you will join us as we continue to transform DC’s schools through the power of Inspired Teachers and the potential of all students.

Sincerely, Aleta Margolis Executive Director

P.S. To learn more about Inspired Teaching's research-based professional development programs, which range from in-depth school partnerships to professional development courses for teachers, please visit the organization's Web site: www.inspiredteaching.org.

CIT featured in the Washington Post

Aleta Margolis — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:10:37 GMT

Inspired Teaching is featured today on the front page of the Washington Post education section in an article entitled "Center Focuses on Teachers, Not Test Scores" by Valerie Strauss:

Standing in a circle, three dozen teachers listened to an instructor rattle off a math problem. "The square of 4 times 3 plus 5 times 7 minus 8."

They attempted to calculate it in their heads, but not everyone got the right answer, and it wasn't because they couldn't do the math. The teachers realized that not everyone accurately heard the instructions. Some thought the instructor said -- or meant to say -- square root of 4, rather than the square of 4. (So their first calculation was 2 instead of 16.)

"It may seem simple, but this is why it is so important to be sure that you and your students are on the same page," Aleta Margolis, founding executive director of the nonprofit Center for Inspired Teaching, told the D.C. teachers attending a summer workshop. "If teachers can get confused, think about what happens with children."

Relating to students, handling difficult administrators, designing inventive lesson plans and working well with colleagues are among the topics hundreds of teachers are tackling as part of a training effort by the D.C.-based center, which was founded to help teachers become better at what they do.

To read the full article, click on the link below!

Links:

Washington Post article about Center for Inspired Teaching

A Letter from Center for Inspired Teaching's Executive Director, Aleta Margolis

Aleta Margolis — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 14:46:08 GMT

Dear Friends and Supporters,

On a daily basis we are bombarded with stories about the failure of our schools. A million students drop out each year. Nearly half of all African American, Hispanic, and Native American students fail to graduate. Research increasingly cites boredom and lack of engagement as leading factors influencing these dismal statistics. Luckily there’s a solution: Inspired Teachers. Center for Inspired Teaching is changing the way children are educated by investing in their teachers. Since 1995, through innovative courses, mentoring, and intensive school partnerships, over 5,000 teachers have been transformed into Inspired Teachers, improving instruction for over 125,000 students.

We believe every child possesses the ability to think critically, learn and understand information, and solve complex problems. It takes an Inspired Teacher to develop this ability and enable students to reach their full potential.

Inspired Teachers employ a range of tools to keep their students mentally, physically, and emotionally engaged. They teach young people to become knowledgeable, self-disciplined, and compassionate citizens.

We’ve been committed to this kind of teaching for 11 years and our research shows that Inspired Teaching does three things for teachers: • Decrease time teachers spend maintaining discipline; increase teaching time. • Improve teachers' ability to think critically and solve problems, so they can do the same for their students, resulting in higher student achievement in school and in real life. • Improve the emotional climate of teachers' classrooms, so children feel safe and can focus on learning, resulting in improvements in behavior and a change in students' life aspirations.

In our Intensive School Partnerships we see these changes on an institutional scale. Two years ago, partner school Tyler Elementary was labeled one of the lowest achieving schools in DC. In 2006 it was one of only 3 schools to show growth in reading and math, and posted the highest special education scores and the highest gains in student attendance in the District.

In response to our growing success story, we have experienced a significant rise in the demand for our programs. To meet the demand we have: doubled our staff and trained alumni teachers so we can expand our course offerings; tripled our school partnerships; and reached more teachers and students than ever before. Our goal is for every child to have an Inspired Teacher and we plan to continue growing to make that goal a reality. We are grateful for people like you who support us in continuing this vitally important journey.

Sincerely, Aleta Margolis Executive Director

P.S. We also have a new blog! Become part of our conversation by accessing it at, www.inspiredteacher.blogspot.com

Attachments:

Testimony_from_Inspired_Teachers.pdf (PDF)