Karen Spector’s Session Notes

Karen Spector’s Session Notes
LSRI (Local Sites Research Initiative)
The local sites research initiative is intended to build a portfolio of rigorous, context-specific evaluation studies of local writing project work. A central feature of the NWP model is that the specific design of professional development programs varies according to local needs, reform priorities, school conditions, and research contexts. Each writing project site emphasizes common core principles of effective instruction, while the design and delivery of services is negotiated locally. NWP’s goal for the LSRI is to develop a growing body of research that examines local professional development programs based on these core principles and that illuminates teacher practices and student achievement in writing across a range of grade levels, schools, and local contexts.
RFP Deadline: January 20, 2010
Amount: $20,000 for each of three years (or a total of $60,000)
Must be evaluation of an existing program in a new site

My idea: Begin a new continuity/inservice program with Rhonda at TCHS (Karen PI) Allison at Maxwell Elementary (Diane PI) for an initial programming year.

Apply for LSRI for 2011 and expand program to Stacey at Northington Elementary (Carol) and Cita at Tuscaloosa Academy (Diane). Karen will collect data for these sites (since programming folks can’t collect data for LSRI).

Professional Writing Retreats
This session was designed to teach participants how to replicate the NWP professional writing retreat model in local settings. We each received a handbook for planning and delivering a retreat and took part in a fun and useful “Project Runway” challenge.

I would like one of our Co-directors to take responsibility for planning our first open writing retreat. I would be willing to partner with a co-director on this.

Reading, Writing, and Teaching the Holocaust
There is a scholarship available to spend time in NYC studying the Holocaust. This summer fellowship is designed to help teachers plan tolerance programming at their schools. I found this session to be a big, hot mess. I will be writing the director of the program to give her my feedback.