The Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute

A National Advisory Committee, composed of Americans distinguished in the fields of education, private philanthropy, and public policy, assists the Teachers Institute with the dissemination, evaluation, and development of both the program in New Haven and the National Demonstration Project. New members are invited to serve, from time to time, by the President of Yale University. In advance of National Advisory Committee meetings, members of the University Advisory Council and the Steering Committee meet separately and together to discuss program development and evaluation, national dissemination, and finance. On each of these and any other timely topics they prepare papers that are circulated to brief the Committee before the meetings.

As the Teachers Institute plays a leading role in the national movement for university-school partnerships the National Advisory Committee assists in determining how to make the most effective contribution to institutions and schools in other communities. The Committee provides a variety of perspectives that aid in examining what each constituency for such partnerships would regard as the best evidence of their effectiveness.

The Committee met on November 28, 2000, in conjunction with a meeting of the presidents and superintendents (or their delegates) from the four demonstration sites with President Levin. Meeting separately at first, the Committee and the presidents and superintendents (and their delegates) considered the accomplishments thus far of the National Demonstration Project and a more ambitious draft Proposal for a second phase of replications of the Teachers Institute over the next ten years to be established through the agency of a national association of Teachers Institutes. The two groups then met jointly to share their comments on these topics; and then the National Advisory Committee continued its deliberation concerning the draft Proposal.

Those in attendance had great interest in the draft Proposal. They were convinced of the value of working together on a national scale, and they looked forward to an expansion of the group of Teachers Institutes. Several members of the committee spoke of the timeliness of this proposal and the boldness of its vision. Superintendents looked forward to expansion of the work in their cities and collaboration with other Institutes on a national scale.

Members of the National Advisory Committee offered suggestions about the kinds of preliminary work that should probably be carried out before launching upon this ambitious plan. They suggested that more research be done on the actual accomplishments of the Institutes now in existence. They suggested also that we consider more fully what has been learned in New Haven about the best strategies for implementing the process of establishing new Institutes. They also anticipated that it would be necessary in one or more ways to demonstrate the direct or indirect results of the Institutes with regard to increases in student learning. They were also clear that such a proposal must indicate how it will have systemic influence on education in this country. One might begin, they suggested, by dealing now with the question of the systemic influence at each demonstration site. The issue, they said, is not just a numerical scaling up in a larger city; it is rather finding ways to have a systemic effect that goes beyond the small numbers of seminars that can be fielded at this time.

It was strongly suggested, therefore, that the Proposal be modified to include a two-year preparation phase, during which all five of the existing Teachers Institutes would be engaged in a process of consolidation, intensification, and preparation. Each new Institute would be engaged in research on its own kinds of effectiveness and investigate the best ways to have systemic effects within its city, state, or region. At the same time, the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute would be engaged in similar research into its own accomplishments, would be reflecting on what it has learned during the National Demonstration Project, and would be gearing up for work on the next major effort. The draft Proposal is therefore being modified to include this preparation phase.