The Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute

With support from endowment income the Institute offered three seminars in the humanities:

The seminar on "Photographing America: A Cultural History, 1840-1970." (Left to right: Fellows Jacqueline E. Porter-Clinton, Malini Prabakar, and Sandra K. Friday.)

The curriculum units embrace the teaching of reading, writing, history, and critical thinking. James Brochin, a high school teacher of history, focuses on war photography; his goal is to transform students' viewing of photographs, and perhaps even their viewing of the world, from observers to engaged witnesses. Stephen Broker, who teaches high school biology and Advanced Placement environmental science, wrote a unit relying on close analysis of nineteenth- and twentieth-century photographs to examine America's changing perspectives on our natural heritage and how we choose to use natural resources. Jennifer Flood, a kindergarten teacher, addresses New Haven history through photographs. An English teacher of high school students who are at particular risk of dropping out, Sandra Friday invokes Gordon Parks' photography to sharpen students' visual skills, understanding, and communication skills as they interact with images from World War II through the Civil Rights Movement. Deborah Hare, who teaches high school English and journalism, also uses the work of Gordon Parks -- along with that of Lewis Hine, Dorothea Lange, and Margaret Bourke-White -- to teach "photojournalism for social change."

The seminar leader concluded that Fellows "explored the special power of talking about photographs (instead of merely showing them) to make the past come alive."

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The seminar on "Latino Cultures and Communities." (Left to right: Fellows Janet Priestley, John J. Donahue, Rosemary Little, Diane M. Huot, and María Cardalliguet Gómez-Málaga; seminar leader Stephen J. Pitti; and Fellows Tina Pedrolini Caplan, Shannon E. Oneto, and Cortney R. Costa.)

María Cardalliaguet Gómez-Málaga, a high-school teacher of Spanish, uses the Mexican and Chicano mural movements to foster students' language study as well as their knowledge of history and culture. A high-school teacher of English and literature, John Donahue probes Latino and American identity through fiction. Tina Pedrolini Caplan, who teaches middle-school social studies, employs oral history to teach students about immigration patterns in her school's neighborhood. Judith Goodrich, a middle-school teacher of history, focuses on civil rights struggles in the Latino community. A middle-school Spanish teacher, Diane Nichols uses cuisine as an angle for study of culture and language. Another teacher of middle-school Spanish, Alexandra Reyes applies music in a similar fashion. Diane Huot, teaching third grade, uses Latino literature as a "cultural springboard" for reading instruction. Waltrina Kirkland-Mullins, teaching language arts and social studies to second and third graders, provides students with a look at the intersections of West African, Puerto Rican, and Cuban cultures by way of the rhythm of the drum. Shannon Oneto, a first-grade teacher, uses holidays as a vehicle for language arts and culture instruction. And Cortney Costa, who likewise works in a dual-language setting, applies a particular work of Latino fiction to teach fourth-grade students literature, reading, and writing.

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The seminar on "Postwar America: 1945-1960." (Left to right: seminar leader Cynthia E. Russett and Fellows Mary Lou Narowski, David Reynolds, and Kevin Inge.)

Other groups, too, began to chafe against social constraints. Young people listened to Beat writers like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac and decided that their own lives as the children of the middle class were boring and lackluster. The Beat movement proclaimed that material goods could be set aside in the search for authenticity and what Kerouac referred to as "IT," thus laying the groundwork for the counterculture that emerged to the consternation of parents in the 1960s. And women in their suburban homes began to feel the discontent that Betty Friedan was to document.

During the 1950s the Cold War's repercussions were felt in a fear of subversion that led to McCarthyism. We now know that Soviet spies were indeed at work in this country, but McCarthy went far beyond any evidence to charge hundreds of people, almost all entirely innocent, with subversion.

Fellows' curriculum units addressed this among many other topics. Joseph Corsetti considers "McCarthy v. Murrow," challenging his high-school history students to think about different political systems and their consequences, and to evaluate, through a mock trial, the evidence McCarthy presented to support his charges. Ascertaining truth also absorbed two other units. David Reynolds, a high-school teacher of English, examines the work of the so-called "New Journalists" of the 1960s. At the middle school level, Crecia Swaim looks at the work of the documentary photographer Dorothea Lange and alternative records of reality. Targeting fourth graders developing literacy skills while studying history, Christine Elmore focuses on three individuals of the period whom she sees as agents of change -- Elvis Presley, Malcolm X, and Rachel Carson.

Fellows in this seminar found their richest source in the civil rights movement. Lucia Rafala, a library media specialist in an elementary school, begins her unit in the time of slavery and moves forward to the 1960s on what she called "The Road to Equality." Teaching English and social studies in the middle grades, Kevin Inge uses the work of Dr. Martin Luther King to emphasize the ways in which his life and work can teach students important lessons in leadership. Joanne Pompano, a teacher of the blind and visually impaired, examines the early beginnings of the disability rights movement, which drew energy from veterans with disabling war wounds from World War II.

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The seminar on "Math in the Beauty and Realization of Architecture." (Left to right: Fellow Pedro Mendia-Landa and seminar leader Martin D. Gehner.)

With opportunities for students to observe, analyze, design and construct projects the inclusive activities for these units offer learning opportunities beyond the classroom. The curriculum units created for this seminar recognize the importance of the talents and interests of individual students as they learn about principles of life through the focus on applied mathematics in architecture.

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The seminar on "Engineering in Modern Medicine." (Clockwise from left: Fellows Matthew D. Cacopardo and Raymond W. Brooks; seminar leader W. Mark Saltzman; and Fellows Chrissy A. Bieler, Karen A. Beitler, Judith D. Dixon, Carolyn N. Kinder, Chris J. Willems, and Hermine E. Smikle.)

• How depiction of the human body has evolved through the ages and how the social, cultural and scientific environment has affected that depiction.
• How schematic diagrams of the body may be used to clarify complexity.
• How cross-sectional representations of the body are understood and how they can enhance our ability to see three-dimensionally.
• How X-ray, CAT scans and MRIs are obtained and what they reveal about the structure and function of the body.

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The seminar on "Anatomy and Art: How We See and Understand." (Clockwise from left: Fellows Wendy Decter, Justin M. Boucher, Sara E. Thomas, Marisa A. Ferrarese, Heidi A. Everett, and Barbara C. Natale; and seminar leader William B. Stewart.)

• The applicant must be a current New Haven school teacher who will be teaching in New Haven also during the school year following Institute participation.
• The applicant must agree to participate fully in the program by attending and coming prepared to all scheduled meetings and by completing research and meeting due dates in the preparation of a curriculum unit.
• The teacher must demonstrate in the application that his or her specific interests are directly related to the seminar as it has been described by the seminar leader.
• The applicant must also show that the seminar and the curriculum unit that he or she proposes to write are directly related to school courses that he or she will teach in the coming school year.

The Fellows application form calls for the interested teachers to specify the subjects and grade levels they teach, the course or courses in which they plan to introduce the material they study in the Institute, and their willingness to meet each of the Institute's requirements for full participation. The applicants also write a brief essay describing why they wish to participate in the seminar to which they are applying, and how the curriculum unit they plan to write will assist them in their own teaching. Writing this essay is, in effect, their first step in formulating a curriculum unit through which they will bring the material they study from the seminar into their own teaching.

• Is the applicant's proposal consistent with, and significant for, the curricula and academic plans for your school?
• List the courses and/or the grade levels where the proposed unit will be used; if there are none, state "none."
• Will the applicant be assigned next year one or more of these courses in which to teach the unit?
• Please indicate any special merits or problems you find with the applications.

[This applicant] will work with the entire science department to continue to develop a range of upper-level science courses.

This appears to be a creative unit that will engage students in learning about concepts in the environmental sciences. Highly recommended.


[This applicant] will continue to teach eleventh-grade humanities and Advanced Placement U.S. history, and will develop senior history electives. [He] is an outstanding teacher whose participation will benefit the seminar.

Her proposed curriculum unit relates very well to the fourth-grade curriculum. Her unit sounds very interesting and will serve to motivate students to read about this important era in America's history.

The proposed unit is both timely and meaningful for the students. It is directly connected to the curriculum.

The planned unit of study . . . improves achievement in reading, is aligned with New Haven Public Schools social studies standards and incorporates components of the NHPS social development curriculum.

The unit deals with narrative writing, which is covered in the third-grade curriculum and on the Connecticut Mastery Test.

The proposal is . . . appropriate to the curriculum for our seventh- and eighth-grade social studies classes. I am positive she will also utilize her lesson in her language arts classes . . . . It is wonderful that she truly understands the importance of planning for good instruction. Her ideas are realistic and "fun" for students.

This proposal is directly linked to the curriculum she teaches. With our increasing Hispanic population, the background she will obtain through her involvement with the Teachers Institute will prove valuable to both her students and the school community.

The application fulfills the Connecticut science standards for chemistry.

The proposal directly connects multiple topics in geometry and offers real-world applications of math.

Students will be able to learn how to do research in a specific area of study, biology.

• To work with school Representatives at the conclusion of the application process, to serve on an admissions committee to consider proposals for curriculum development submitted by teachers applying to become Fellows, and to make recommendations to the Director about whom to accept as Fellows.
• To monitor the progress of a seminar through observation and conversation with participants, and to give progress reports at weekly seminar Coordinators committee meetings.
• To report to the seminar members any organizational information which should be circulated, such as the schedule of any visitors and notice of Institute-wide activities.
• To act as a resource for members of the seminar, providing information about unit-writing deadlines, guidelines for writing curriculum units, computer assistance available to Fellows, copyright procedures, and University facilities Fellows may use.
• To be available to the seminar leader to provide information on Fellows' perceptions of the seminar and on Institute policies generally, and to offer assistance as may be needed.
• To assist with the smooth operation of the seminar by keeping track of Fellows' promptness and attendance and the timeliness of their written submissions, and by encouraging Fellows to make and keep appointments for individual meetings with the seminar leader.
• To attend and come prepared to weekly committee meetings with the Director or Associate Director and to take professional days as needed for the above purposes.

The Coordinators work together as an admissions committee for the Institute. They met after school on February 1 to conduct a first reading and discussion of the applications to their respective seminars. They then contacted all teachers whose applications needed to be clarified or amplified. On February 8 the Coordinators met for a full day, by taking professional leave, for their final consideration of most applications. They met again on February 14 to resolve issues remaining in a few applications.

During their review, the Coordinators considered the findings of the school administrators and seminar leaders and made recommendations to the Director about which teachers the Institute should accept. By these means, the Institute seeks to ensure that all Fellows participate in seminars that are consistent with their teaching assignments and applicable in the courses they teach. The Institute accepted as Fellows 65 New Haven teachers, 36 in the humanities and 29 in the sciences and mathematics. A joint meeting of seminar leaders and Coordinators was held February 28 to discuss the admissions process just completed, and to review the seminar and unit writing process and the policies and procedures of the Institute. In this way, the Coordinators began to provide the seminar leaders with information about the teachers who had been accepted and to discuss their role in assisting with the conduct of the seminars.

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Table 1
Ethnicity and Gender of Participants

The seminar was more interactive than a typical class of mine at Yale. Because our syllabus and mission was broad, I allowed the Fellows to shape the direction that each meeting took.

My meetings with individual Fellows were direct and to the point. I tried to steer them as quickly as possible toward topics I thought would work, and away from topics that seemed unwieldy or infeasible.

During the period that preceded the regular weekly meetings, Fellows continued their reading, both preparing for the upcoming seminar discussions and working toward a brief prospectus of what their final units would contain. At the second seminar meeting, on April 11, Fellows submitted the prospectus, presented their revised unit topics, and began to discuss common readings. The regular weekly seminar meetings began on May 9; thereafter Fellows continued to develop their units in stages, with a first draft submitted May 30. The weekly meetings of the seminars continued through July 18, with Fellows submitting the second draft of their units July 5 and completed units by July 31.

Fellows spoke of the benefits of an extended period for research, writing, and reflection. One said, "During the writing process teachers spend time researching a subject area they would never have been challenged to research. . . . This provides a sense of ownership." Another said, "Having the opportunity to plan, review, revise, and amend certainly produces a unit that is exciting for me as well as my students." Another said,

Given the amount of time I spent pondering what activities should be used and when I feel there will be a greater understanding and excitement. . . . My teaching will be much smoother because of how prepared I am for the subject matter.

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The seminar on "Anatomy and Art: How We See and Understand." (Left to right: Fellows Sara E. Thomas, Marisa A. Ferrarese, and Heidi Everett.)

Discussion in seminar of Fellows' work-in-progress contributes both to unit development and to the seminar experience. One said it was "beneficial having the input and support of other teachers. I really enjoyed hearing how other teachers put their units together." A Fellow in a different seminar said it "contained the perfect balance of sharing lessons plans with providing pertinent information." According to another, "Toward the later seminar meetings we shared and tried out our lesson plans. This was extremely helpful in refining classroom activities for my curriculum." Others said:

Writing my unit, I was initially intimidated and unsure of how to even begin. However, I found more than enough support, especially through my seminar Coordinator and Fellows who had previously written a unit, as the seminar went on.

I enjoyed working with teachers from other schools. We shared our work and discussed common reading. Much of the discussion and reading period helped us to broaden our scope. . . . All contributed greatly in developing my curriculum unit.

The seminar participants were a vital part to the success of this year's experience. Each Fellow had the opportunity to teach a lesson from their unit. . . . This experience provided me with the opportunity to understand more about both the content areas and grade levels that Fellows were teaching, learn the material from a different perspective, and consider additional ways to present the information.

My seminar did a great deal to address [a] gap in my education. Almost immediately, I had new information to share with my students. . . . When I was able to incorporate this information into my teaching, I saw how excited my students became. . . . One of the topics was the Spanish-American War. . . . Because I knew more about the long-term implications of the war for Puerto Rico, my students were much more enthusiastic about learning about it.

During the first two months of the program, which serve as a reading period, all Fellows also met together on Tuesday afternoons for a series of talks by current or prospective seminar leaders. These talks are designed either to acquaint Fellows with the work of seminars other than their own, or with subjects of possible future seminars.

Current seminar leaders gave three of the talks: Alexander Nemerov on "Reading and the Imagination: N.C. Wyeth and Robert Louis Stevenson," Mark Saltzman on "Engineering in Modern Medicine," and Stephen Pitti spoke on "Latino Cultures and Communities." Two prospective seminar leaders also gave talks: David Bercovici on climate change, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes and the geophysics of "Natural Hazards," and David Katz on "The Care and Feeding of Homo sapiens: Are We Truly Clueless?"

The talks were popular. One Fellow said the talks were "excellent and well received." According to another, they "were always interesting and full of information I was eager to share with my students and other teachers." Another called the talks "a great way of learning about the other seminars and topics in the forefront of research and education." Another characterized the "diversity and quality of the lectures" as "exceptional." Scattered criticisms concerned whether precious time might be used differently. More typical was this comment:

The talks were a great strength in the program. Through these talks, I became very interested in some of the topics that the other seminars were discussing, and because of this will be sure to look into the units from those Fellows.

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David Bercovici speaking on "Natural Hazards."

Most Fellows saw in the talks the purposes for which they were organized. Virtually all (98 percent) Fellows said that to a great or moderate extent the talks provided intellectual stimulation, while most (92 percent) said they provided a sense of collegiality and common purpose among Fellows. More than three quarters (83 percent) said the talks were successful to a great or moderate extent in providing an overview of Fellows' work in the seminars. A similarly high proportion (86 percent) said the Institute scheduled the right number of talks. Many Fellows reported that the talks prompted them, to a great or moderate extent, to read about the talk topics (57 percent), discuss the topics with their students (63 percent), and discuss the talks with other teachers (83 percent). These figures were comparable to, or even slightly higher than, those of prior years.

As in other recent years, the Institute scheduled an early workshop on curriculum unit writing. As part of their admissions folder, all Fellows had received Institute guidelines and mechanical specifications for preparing curriculum units, which outline the Institute writing process and the steps for Fellows' formulating, reformulating, and expanding their individual units. On March 21, the teachers serving as seminar Coordinators comprised a panel in leading the discussion on curriculum unit development.

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Session on Curriculum Unit Development. (Left to right: Seminar Coordinators Justin M. Boucher, María Cardalliguet Gómez-Málaga, Jacqueline E. Porter-Clinton, Chris J. Willems, and Crecia C. Swaim.)

The Coordinators spoke from their own experiences as Institute Fellows in researching and writing curriculum units. They selected for emphasis the topics they thought it was especially important for all Fellows to understand: "Narrowing Your Topic and Considering Your Audience"; "Following the Institute Process for Unit Development"; "Aligning Your Unit with School Plans and District Goals"; "Using Technologies for Research and Writing"; "Using the Institute's Reference Tools"; and "Collegiality and Professional Development: The BEST Portfolio and Beyond." After questions, the Fellows went into seminar groups, where each Coordinator led a discussion of purposes and practices in writing Institute curriculum units. This offered an opportunity for the first-time Fellows to learn about the guidelines and other aspects of curriculum unit writing from experienced Fellows. It encouraged veteran Fellows to share their experience and allowed all to discuss how the completed volume of units might display a range of teaching strategies and contain a standard form of annotation. By leading these discussions, the Coordinators also identified themselves as being knowledgeable about the process of writing curriculum units, so that other Fellows might seek their advice.

On May 31 the seminar Coordinators organized a discussion to recognize and encourage the beginning teachers who were participating as Fellows. This was an opportunity for the experienced Fellows to congratulate their new colleagues for participating in the Institute during their first or second year of teaching, to invite them to seek support from Fellows who had faced similar challenges, and to reflect with them on teaching in New Haven.

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Seminar Coordinators Chris J. Willems and María Cardalliaguet Gómez-Málaga.

At weekly meetings with the Director and Associate Director, held the day after seminar meetings, Coordinators discussed the progress of each seminar and gained an overview of the program. Both seminar leaders and Fellows acknowledged in their evaluations the essential role of the Coordinators. All Fellows agreed (70 percent "strongly") that the Coordinators provided teacher leadership without diminishing the collegial relationship within the seminar. Fellows found the Coordinators to be helpful either a lot (90 percent) or a little (8 percent) in providing information about unit writing deadlines; helpful either a lot (77 percent) or a little (21 percent) in providing information about guidelines for unit writing; helpful either a lot (75 percent) or a little (23 percent) in monitoring the process of the seminar through observation and conversations with seminar members; helpful either a lot (73 percent) or a little (25 percent) in providing information about the use of University facilities; and helpful either a lot (73 percent) or a little (23 percent) in facilitating discussion of Fellows' work in progress. Few Fellows found the Coordinators unhelpful in any respect. Overall they received considerable praise not only from Fellows, but also from seminar leaders. According to one Fellow, "The Coordinator did an excellent job of reminding people of their obligations without being rude" and "offered help to other Fellows." A Fellow in a different seminar said: "Our Coordinator was always actively involved in class discussions and was very helpful." A participant in a third seminar wrote that the Coordinator was "always available, enthusiastic, and helpful." Another called that Coordinator "extremely effective." From another seminar:

My Coordinator . . . was of great assistance to me throughout the seminar. He kept a strong line of communication between the leader, himself, and all of the Fellows. This allowed for us to operate as a team . . . comfortably.

To maintain current information on the program and to address any problems that arose, the Institute Director and Associate Director met monthly with the seminar leaders as a group. This also gave the seminar leaders, four of whom were conducting an Institute seminar for the first time, an opportunity to talk with one another about their approaches and experiences.

The seminar experience was very rewarding. The seminar leader provided excellent leadership and readily encouraged Fellows to participate in discussions. . . . he succeeded in facilitating follow-up comments, clarifications, and amplifications of ideas from each of us.

It proved to be a very interesting and enjoyable experience. The group of teachers represented all levels of teaching from elementary through middle and high school. We got along very well and were able to discuss the [material] in a meaningful and uninhibited manner. This was due greatly to the leadership. . . . The atmosphere was very congenial throughout and I for one was sorry to see the end of the seminar. Everyone. . . was very helpful and a joy to be with.

My seminar experience was wonderful. . . . My seminar leader was excellent and I enjoyed the time spent with my colleagues. My seminar leader was not only very knowledgeable about the field but he was also very helpful.

My experience this year has been extremely positive. . . . The readings and the seminars were carefully planned. . . . Everyone in the seminar had a positive attitude, and the seminar leader always facilitated discussion and participation. Presenting the units to other Fellows helped everyone to understand what others were doing. I had very high expectations for the seminar that I have fulfilled.

The professor was knowledgeable, personable, and easily adapted the [seminar] to the Fellows as it progressed. We saw a wide range of sources and points of view and lots of good primary sources.

My seminar leader was always well prepared and provided the seminar with interesting readings on engaging subjects. The members of the seminar were always professional during seminar discussions. I feel that I learned a great deal about my seminar topic, which will be very helpful to me as a teacher.

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The seminar on "Anatomy and Art: How We See and Understand." (Left to right: Fellow Barbara C. Natale; seminar leader William B. Stewart; and Fellows Wendy Decter, Justin M. Boucher, Sara E. Thomas, Marisa A. Ferrarese, and Heidi A. Everett.)

This year's seminar offered a variety of opportunities to read materials I had never read before. . . . As an English teacher I had never. . . learn[ed] about the civil rights movement. This . . . is something I will definitely use in my classroom.

I don't believe anyone would have felt uncomfortable and inadequate in this dialectical setting. . . . [The seminar leader] was fantastic, thought-provoking, and understanding. . . . She was interested in our units and . . . [kept] us moving.

My experience . . . was excellent. . . . [The seminar leader] . . . showed us how medicine, medical devices and techniques have changed and the possibilities that exist for the future. He also shared his colleagues, his students and his laboratory with us. The seminar group was also very knowledgeable.

My seminar leader engaged us weekly with Internet sites, presentations on relevant topics and open discussion. . . . We were able to perform hands-on activities. . . . This seminar was so incredible and awesome, one that I will never forget and will incorporate in my teaching for many years.

I had a wonderful experience. The first three or four meetings were comprised of [the seminar leader's] disseminating important information for our units. . . . After these initial meetings we briefly discussed our units. Our professor then tailored the remaining sessions to our needs. As we continued these meetings. . . we brainstormed ideas about how to adapt the lessons. . . . He did a fantastic job. . . [and] allowed ample time for us to present questions.

The seminar gave me the opportunity to work with a great collaborator, content specialist, and humanist seminar leader. . . . [He] shared his knowledge and research with us and we shared our teaching experiences, research and best practices. . . . In addition, each of us met with him at least two times in person. We also communicated with him by way of telephone and e-mail. On all of these occasions, he made himself available to us and was flexible in allocation of his time. He helped us to stay focused on our work, which made the process easy. During the seminar, Fellows presented their units in progress several times . . . . It was so exciting and motivating. What a job well done!

I benefited tremendously from my participation in the Institute. It was refreshing to see the enthusiasm of teachers who are helping students prior to their entry to college, and I am sure that this will help me in my teaching of freshmen, in particular. I profited from thinking through some of my seminar topics, and pushing myself to make the topics more engaging and accessible, without losing rigor. I am sure that this will benefit my Yale students, as well.

Each time I lead one of these seminars I find my own background expanding. . . . This year I designed my seminar on a new topic for me, although I am generally familiar with [it], and I designed it specifically to "test drive" the course so that I could teach it in one of the new Yale freshman seminars this fall. So for me the seminar was particularly useful.

It was also rewarding to share my experiences with other high school teachers of different subject areas. This provided me with information that was valuable to my approach to developing the unit and my approach to teaching in general. [This] also ignited a valuable exchange from the other teachers. They could see the connections that needed to be made between subject areas.

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The seminar on "Photographing America: A Cultural History, 1840-1970." (Seminar leader Alexander Nemerov.)

Other Fellows wrote:

If I knew a lot about the subject I wouldn't have taken the seminar; the collegial atmosphere was open-minded and welcoming. It was easy to ask questions and think out loud. I really benefited a great deal.

The other Fellows in my seminar also helped to make this experience enjoyable. They offered lesson plan ideas, Web sites they knew on the topics, books and journals that might be helpful, etc. We had established a strong bond throughout the seminar and it made the experience less stressful and much more exciting!

The . . . Fellows were dedicated, very interested and active participants in the seminar. The group developed an esprit de corps which created a great bond between very different personalities. Everyone, including myself, seemed to enjoy a strong sense of learning and sharing.

[The seminar leader] is an excellent teacher. . . . He took his time and let ideas develop and let people take their time and think. I want to incorporate this into my own teaching style. The other thing that made the [seminar] outstanding was his knowledge. . . . He led interesting discussions, and helped create a feeling of camaraderie among us all. I enjoyed every week.

[My seminar leader] was available for consultation even when we were not meeting specifically to discuss my unit or my topic. He is a very skillful teacher and modeled several questioning techniques to elicit conversation. These techniques I included in my unit and used in my classroom as well as my summer teaching program.

[The seminar leader] both puts his Fellows at ease and challenges us so that our discussions are lively and there are many moments of revelations. . . . Everyone participated in our discussions very regularly and we developed camaraderie. His style of teaching encourages participation. He never forgets that we are teachers who will go into our classrooms with the skills and strategies we have learned from him and from each other.

The seminar on "Engineering in Modern Medicine." (Left to right: Fellows Judith D. Dixon and Karen Beitler; seminar leader W. Mark Saltzman; and Fellow Chris J. Willems.)

[The seminar leader] was passionate and knowledgeable about the content. . . . He used our units to guide his instruction and presented complex information thoroughly and understandably. He compiled activities, presentations, and readings to help us understand. . . . [His] regard for our units, interests, and well being was impressive. He was sincerely interested in our group as a whole and was willing to make himself continually available for our needs.

[The seminar leader] conducted the seminar with a high degree of professionalism. He was a good listener, accommodative to our ideas and concerns. He was willing to learn from us as we were willing to learn from him. He cultivated an atmosphere of collegiality, where one could experience reciprocity and respect. He acknowledged that each member of the seminar brought their strength and weakness and he was able to meet each one at his/her own level. He not only provided timely feedback during the writing process, but took a keen interest in the individual units.

My seminar leader was a pleasure to work with. He was very knowledgeable on the content area and he presented it with enthusiasm. He was open to altering his planned discussions to allow for any other topics the Fellows would like the opportunity to learn about. He was critical in assisting me to write my unit, not only with his expertise on the subject but with advice on my focus and how I wanted the unit to unfold. He was always available, easy to talk to, and very encouraging.

My teaching will be enhanced, more up-to-date and more detailed after this seminar. My students will benefit in the exposure to new and current medical techniques and . . . new career choices. Overall the units produced in this seminar are all relevant and within standards adopted by the city and state . . . . We will all benefit from this seminar as we update our curriculum and introduce our students to the new standards in education.

Other Fellows said:

This unit delivers a variety of standards neatly packaged in a well thought-out unit. I am excited to have so many topics in one unit which directly relate to the students. I use the Institute to generate unique and exciting curricula for my students . . . stylizing lessons that interconnect standards rather than teaching them separately.

As far as the school curriculum goes, I hope this unit will help to get students more interested and excited. It is another way of helping students to increase the amount and quality of their writing.

While I was a participant in the seminar, I also had the privilege of working to rewrite the district's social studies curriculum. . . . I made sure that the experiences and history of Latinos was included in a much more significant way.

My unit will add excitement to my teaching the classical civilizations component of the world history curriculum. It will also add a "hands on" research project . . . [giving] students a meaningful task that reinforces curriculum standards.

The unit I wrote was written with two of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards. . . . Students should be presented with real-world problem-solving. . . [and] see the relationship between mathematics and other subject areas.

I was able to develop a comprehensive plan that aligns with both my school's mission and Connecticut state standards. I was also able to use the knowledge of a Yale professor to ensure the accuracy of the information, determine most relevant content, and that it is all current. My students will reap the benefits of the curriculum by using less of their assigned student textbook and more discussion, inquiry-based learning, active participation, creative interpretation, and discovery.

The content of my seminar directly correlates with district standards . . . . I am now more knowledgeable concerning the advances the have been made in medical imaging and this will assist me in teaching my students concerning advances in sciences and technology. The students will also benefit from my increased knowledge of the software and programs available that aid in teaching anatomy.

The effect . . . my curriculum unit and Institute participation will have on my teaching, students and school curricula is profound. . . . District standards in science state that we need to use the inquiry approach. . . . Biomedical engineering is a good way to help students think about their lives and the effect of diseases.

Collaboration . . . provided refreshing interaction with colleagues with similar interests and goals. The seminar was directed with astute care by our seminar leader . . . working to meet each individual's needs.

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Fellow Ekaterina Barkhatova teaching her Institute unit to students at Dwight Elementary School.

The seminar has broadened my understanding of architecture and structural engineering. The experience has left me with far more confidence in those areas than I had previously. I expect that my teaching of these topics will improve with this increased knowledge and confidence.

I feel confident in teaching my unit because of the time and support that was put into it. My unit may be taught in the language arts, social studies or social development classroom. I'm excited about teaching my unit!

My experience in the Institute this year was very positive. . . . My initial feelings were overwhelming. . . because of my lack of knowledge on the subject. In this seminar not only did I learn a great deal . . . but also it allowed me to build confidence in my ability to adapt what I learned to teach my students.

Preparation of a unit of this kind with the intensive background information covered certainly is the way in which to properly design and instruct in the classroom. This unit was specifically designed with my students in mind. It is like having a tailor-made suit designed specifically for you. It fits to a tee. The middle school language arts curriculum in New Haven is integrated with social studies curriculum so my unit will definitely be used.

Institute participation always makes me a better teacher, by increasing the depth and breadth of my knowledge and by providing me with more contacts within the New Haven school district. The sense of community developed through participation in the Institute is valuable to me.

I am broadening my knowledge base and certainly making myself a better teacher, better equipped to help my students. My curriculum will also be enhanced . . . because I have discovered new ways to teach poetry and engage students.

Aside from the benefits the students will get from the actual unit, I believe that I am now better prepared to handle some of the questions and confusion that my students may have about their heritage and background.

The Institute validated my love of teaching, the excitement of research and writing curriculum. I learned so much and cannot wait to share it with others. My passion will motivate the students.

I believe my teaching will benefit from witnessing [the seminar leader's] style. . . . I also learned numerous tricks and workable lesson ideas from the other teachers in the Institute. My curriculum will directly affect my classroom. My unit will infuse my teaching with a greater depth of scientific content than I have had in the past. I will be much better prepared this year to approach this content. My students will benefit. . . . I have made connections and done interdisciplinary work that will make this material more accessible and interesting.

Fellows spoke, too, of their access to Yale facilities. From the Institute's inception, all Fellows have been full members of the University community, listed in the directory of faculty and staff, and granted use of facilities and services similar to that of their Yale faculty colleagues. They receive a University identification card, computer account, and borrowing privileges at University libraries. For most Fellows (81 percent) access to Yale's academic facilities such as the library was an incentive to participate; 84 percent reported that membership in the Yale community had been greatly or moderately useful to them.

One Fellow wrote, "The Yale atmosphere and benefits added to this teacher's morale." Other Fellows "liked having access to Yale facilities" and "value using the Yale libraries . . . throughout the year." Another said a "highlight of the seminar was the laboratory tour." A participant in a different seminar said, "We took a trip to the anatomy lab -- what an amazing resource!" Another Fellow in that seminar elaborated,

We visited the Yale medical laboratory where we observed cadavers, explored the many wonderful systems of the human body and had a hands-on demonstration of how to perform a medical autopsy. We were also able to have a hands-on experience dissecting the human brain. We also attended the Yale Art Gallery to observe the human body depicted in art over the ages and in various genres. We attended the Yale medical library to examine ancient medical books and pictures.

Fellows see the results of the Institute as extending beyond their own classrooms, and beyond the teachers who have themselves personally participated in the seminars. Almost all Fellows said that they plan to encourage or assist other teachers in using the unit they prepared. More than half planned to do so with three or more other teachers. In all, Fellows planned to encourage or assist a total of 243 other teachers. One plans "to share my unit with the teachers in my grade level, as we are all required to teach some aspects of the topics." This, the Fellow said, "will be a good way to expand upon what we are mandated to teach and make the learning more in tune with students." Another said,

I am better prepared to assist and guide my fellow teachers in creating units for their classrooms. Because of the many resources that my professor has given me, and that I have discovered, I can not only help these teachers informally, but I can guide them to resources that will help them to better understand their students.

My students will benefit from the lesson plans that I have developed, and I anticipate that they will develop a greater enthusiasm for course materials that I use. In addition, the curriculum units that I have written for use in AP environmental science continue to enrich the district curriculum. . . . A primary goal that I have set for the course is to raise student achievement in the national AP examination. The 2006 curriculum unit I have written is another step forward.

I will make a significant change in my curricula this year when I integrate some of the material from the seminar into the course. I will be able to integrate some of the material into the district curricula as well. . . in history and language arts. The seminar was "eye-opening" and hopefully will have the same effect on our students.

I believe the current curriculum will strongly benefit from my unit. It can be used in any high school chemistry, biology, health, or nutrition class. . . . I expect that other teachers will realize the positive impact this unit can have.

My school's curriculum will benefit greatly. We are a multimedia technology, art, and multicultural inter-district magnet school. This unit incorporates all avenues of our school mission statement.

I really enjoyed and learned a lot in my seminar. . . [which] increased my content knowledge about the topic but was also a springboard for personal learning and professional growth. . . . Having a concrete program through which I can practice being a lifelong learner with other teachers, and being able to apply it to my teaching in a very practical way, was wonderful.

I found everyone . . . friendly and accommodating. My seminar leader, in particular, treated all of us with respect and was very helpful in the completion of my curriculum unit. While teachers are regularly trained in how to teach, we rarely get to discuss what we teach. The Institute clearly addresses that need. It made me excited to be a student again [and provided] insight into the teaching of my students in ways that . . . professional development workshops rarely do.

Since I do not have much background in biology, I was very nervous about participating in this seminar. However, the material was very interesting and was presented in a way that I could easily grasp. I was very fortunate to work with such a great team this year in the Institute.

As a first-year teacher, some said I was crazy to do the Institute with everything else that I had on my plate. . . . My thought was that I needed all the support possible and all the interactions with veteran teachers as possible. I feel I found that here in the Institute. The Institute provided an atmosphere for intellectual growth as well as interactions with colleagues of other disciplines, which I feel I may not have gotten elsewhere. . . . This experience has provided insight to what I wish to do in the classroom as well as a way to utilize my curriculum unit for the BEST portfolio. As I head into a time in my career that I have to focus on the BEST portfolio, the resources provided from the Institute will assist me.

I believe that the success of my Institute seminar is largely due to our seminar leader, whose knowledge and resources appeared limitless. . . . My fellow Fellows also contributed to the quality of the experience. . . . All were as focused on my success as they were on their own. These are very compelling characteristics; true teamwork in a scholarly setting. Finally, I attribute the quality of this experience to the resources of Yale University. . . . The seminars encouraged original thinking and reflecting on significant, contemporary subjects. I am proud to be part of this process.

My participation in the Institute provided many opportunities to strengthen my teaching. My experience with the seminar has increased my awareness of how I can integrate more hands-on activities for the science classroom and how to design the activities so they are more inquiry-based. The seminar also provided me key networking opportunities throughout the district and with Yale. I am more aware of and comfortable with using Yale's facilities to enhance my teaching and the experiences of my students.

This year's seminar experience was most rewarding. [We had a ] knowledgeable seminar leader, bringing in resources that proved useful across grade levels. . . . Non-fictional and fictional selections, audio materials, and engaging discussion helped us to better understand the diversity, complexity, and challenges past and present. . . . Each engaging seminar session helped participants.

My seminar . . . was a wonderful experience. Every time I drove home from a seminar meeting, I felt as though my eyes had suddenly been opened to new observations. . . . [The seminar leader] is an amazing teacher.

I have used every curriculum unit that I wrote for the Institute. There is no doubt that they enhanced my knowledge and gave me the confidence to try new things in the classroom. . . . One unit I use every year is a curriculum designed to get students who are not college bound interested in going to college. It is also designed for students who think they might want to go to college but have no idea what college is like. . . . Because of the Institute I have a curriculum ready. . . as well as writing assignments. It has even made some kids want to go to college. . . . Another unit I continue to use every year is [on poetry]. Once again, it built my confidence in my ability to teach poetry. Because of this I include some form of poetry in all my English classes. . . . I can't say enough how valuable these seminars are to teachers and therefore to New Haven students.

I have been able to enhance the reading/writing curriculum by teaching my units to students. Quite a few of my units have centered around biographies and because I have become familiar with each figure . . . I am better able to guide my students as they explore the lives of these people in guided reading, shared reading, and independent reading sessions. Because I keep in mind the Connecticut standards as well as my district's initiatives. . . it all fits.

The topics of mathematics and architecture are the perfect match when trying to integrate multiple curricular areas under one theme. Therefore, I was able to explore ways of doing so to enrich the New Haven district's curriculum.

I feel my teaching is improving a great deal since I am part of the Institute. Some of the most creative lesson plans I have developed lately have been under the inspiring influence of the Institute. I think being around other enthusiastic teachers has a lot to do with this.

Fellow Mary Lou L. Narowski teaching her Institute curriculum unit to her students at John Martinez School.

Every year since 1990, when they became a regular part of the Institute, elementary school teachers have noted the particular advantages of the Institute for them and their curricula. For example, one elementary school teacher among the 2006 Fellows said,

I learned a great deal about the . . . cultures of the many Latino students I teach. I am now better prepared to teach these students. . . . I do not have a strong historical background. . . . this seminar filled in many of the gaps.

As already described, Fellows especially value the Institute's bringing together teachers across grade levels. One elementary school teacher wrote,

My favorite part of the seminar was being able to converse and collaborate with other colleagues. Throughout the school year, there is little time for teachers to meet and socialize with other teachers. By participating in this Institute . . . I enjoyed learning about what other teachers are doing at the middle and high school levels.

I learned a tremendous amount about New Haven and . . . the ways that my work at Yale does and does not translate into high school and grammar school classrooms. . . . I leave the Institute with a much greater interest in helping teachers who want to introduce related content into their classrooms. I will be eager to talk with my undergraduates and graduate students about these experiences.

I developed material that I will now use in my [university] teaching. I plan to incorporate various . . . exercises into my teaching. Most of these are exercises that I developed as examples for the Fellows. Since I have no formal training in teaching, I learned a considerable amount of pedagogy from my Fellows.

My unit will have a direct effect on my teaching because it was a learning process for me as I wrote it. All the research I did had made more informed. . . . It also allowed me to reflect on best teaching practices for the particular group of students for whom the unit was intended. I had to take a good look at their needs as a unique group and design my instruction around that. This was great.

To attempt to gauge the impact of this year's units in New Haven classrooms, we asked Fellows about the number of students to whom they planned to teach their new unit, and on how many days. Forty nine of the Fellows planned to teach their unit to 20 or more students; 24 said that they would teach their unit to 50 or more students. The total number of students to be taught a unit by this year's Fellows is more than 2500. Chart 6 indicates the lengths of time the Fellows planned to teach their units. For almost all Fellows, the unit is a significant part of their teaching plans.

As in past years Fellows were optimistic about the responses they anticipate receiving from their students to the material they had studied and developed in the Institute. Nearly all (91 percent) of the Fellows agreed that, as a result of Institute participation, they have a higher expectation of their students' ability to learn about the seminar subject. We have already quoted Fellows who spoke about what they gained, how their own enthusiasm for a subject would motivate students, and how they planned to involve students more actively in classroom learning. Others said:

Students are used to opining rather than describing. This seminar taught me how to get a stimulating discussion involving visual analysis, and our seminar leader also modeled how to get everyone involved. . . . I hope to transform students' approach to visual material from that of mere audience members to that of engaged witnesses. This seminar will be of immense help.

My unit will infuse a reasonable element of enthusiasm into the teaching of math, which is sometimes perceived as overwhelming. Traditional lesson plans may fail to sustain academic enthusiasm, when math becomes too abstract.

I've had a great chance to read materials that will supplement many of the books we read in class. For instance, we read Native Son and . . . after being involved with the Institute, I do feel I can give [students] a more extensive and varied background.

My teaching will be improved because I now have so much more knowledge to share with my students. . . [who] will really enjoy the lessons that I have so thoughtfully crafted.

My students will benefit because I have learned new knowledge. . . . I have [also] learned a variety of new ways to present the material. . . . By participating in the Institute I have help in writing curriculum I would have to write anyway. This way the curriculum is tested, well thought-out and facilitated by an expert in the field.

(image available in print form)

Fellow Zoila M. Brown and her students at Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School.

Several Fellows commented on ways their Institute experience will help their students learn science:

The students will be more engaged with inquiry-based lessons which should instill a sense of curiosity, resulting in a deeper understanding and most importantly appreciation for the subject matter.

My lessons will become more hands-on, creative, and relevant. Students will benefit by becoming more engaged in lessons and being asked to use their critical thinking skills. . . . I plan to make my science curricula more interdisciplinary and include more reading and writing, including original sources and nonfiction.

I have gained new teaching strategies and have established strong lesson plans for my unit that I have already used in the classroom and will continue to use in the future. I have been made aware of other resources that are available to me, such as Web sites and journals, that will be essential to me as a teacher in the many years to come. My students will also benefit . . . . I have created my unit around them.

In participating in the Institute I had made the decision to write a unit that would be interdisciplinary based on the interests of all my students. The unit was able to incorporate chemistry, biology, and physics, which will inevitably prove beneficial to the school environment.

My enhanced understanding of DNA technology will help me with the biology course curriculum I'm teaching. Cell culture technology is a topic I think students will find fascinating. . . . Vaccines and antibodies are also an essential part of the biology curriculum, and having specific examples to use in the classroom is very useful. . . . Drug delivery . . . [will be] captivating for my students. The chemistry and materials science in this topic neatly address several science standards.

For students of American history, this prior unit offered numerous opportunities to make connections between seemingly widely spaced and varied events. I have taught about these themes in my U.S. II and civics classes and have also included some of the material in my U.S. I class.

Most of my previously written Institute curriculum units have been developed for my teaching of environmental science. My students have benefited from my development of classroom, laboratory, and field activities through my participation in the Institute. The AP environmental science course continues to attract substantial student interest, and I frequently hear that the course is one of the most popular science courses among my school's students. . . . The units developed through the Institute have improved the course significantly.

Students have benefited from the new approaches and ideas I have brought back to my classroom. . . . The seminar helps to keep you aware of the curriculum in other grades . . . . My students have also had the benefit of doing . . . exciting things like constructing bridges, making models of the planets, and writing . . . poems.

My first unit related to mathematics and solving word problems. . . . It is a very useful unit that I continue to use. It made solving word problems more fun for my students. . . . My second unit. . . I was able to integrate science, math, and language. . . . It fits perfectly into the New Haven curriculum.

My participation in past years has increased my motivation to teach subjects with materials and curricula that I created. It also increased my students' motivation. . . this motivation helped create an environment that was conducive to learning with minimal to no behavior problems to impede the learning process.

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Fellow Waltrina D. Kirkland-Mullins, standing at left, with Sarbani Basu, leader of the seminar on "The Sun and Its Effects on Earth," and students from Davis Street School. The students' project, resulting from the curriculum unit Ms. Kirkland-Mullins wrote in the 2005 seminar, won a prize at the New Haven Public Schools' Science Fair in 2006.

I use material from all the past seminars in my classes all the time. I select seminars based on what I don't know - which is a lot - and the seminars help me out more than I ever anticipate! I use the new vocabulary and concepts as well as the "facts." . . . . Kids ask about things all the time and the Yale seminars help me shape an answer or a new question for my students. I feel more prepared.

I have used my first unit on children's books in a series every year. The third graders I teach are at the "just right" age for these types of books and the unit is very motivating for them to read. My second unit . . . was [also] a great success. The students enjoyed the activities and learned the material.

Curriculum units. . . enhanc[e] required courses of study. Last year, for example, I had the privilege of developing a curriculum unit on the sun. . . . Children worked on independent research projects, parents joined them in creating dioramas (placed on display for school-wide viewing), students were engaged in learning the subject matter. We went on to win first-place in the district-wide science fair.

The theme of my [previous] unit was, "You can be a success despite your circumstances." . . . Students shared many of their difficulties. . . . We were able to connect and bond closer as a class because of this unit.

The unit I prepared last year was designed for a high school class. . . . I was transferred to a middle school. . . and decided to initiate my unit with my eighth grade students. The results were astonishing! I was amazed at how well my class did. . . . The class sought out historical information about Shakespeare, assembled the Globe Theater in groups, read the entire play. . . and even put on the play.

A teacher, given the opportunity to design a curriculum unit in its entirety, will present it to her students with great enthusiasm. . . . As you teach your unit, you tweak it and make it better and more appropriate for the particular class . . . . The students, in turn, naturally respond to your enthusiasm. . . . It is refreshing to be able to teach lessons that you have created, that you have invested a lot of time and effort in. I have found that my students have always enjoyed the units I teach and I am pleased to have access to other people's units.

This last quoted Fellow was one of several who expressed appreciation for units their colleagues had written earlier. Another said,

Through the Institute I have been exposed to many different teaching styles and lesson concepts, which I can incorporate. . . . My teaching will also benefit from greater use of the curriculum units published in previous years.

Those units are among the extensive resources available on the Institute's Web sites, which are described later in this report.

We asked the Yale faculty who led seminars to provide their conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of the Institute. Overall, the leaders' assessment was strongly favorable.

(Chart 7 available in print form)

One seminar leader who "think[s] highly" of the program believes "the number of teachers who return again and again suggests that it is filling a deep-seated need felt by the teachers themselves to enlarge and enrich the courses that they teach." Others said:

The context and history of the Institute serve as a significant channel for quality education in the public sector. The Institute's support and resources truly influence all the participating Fellows. . . . Not only are the goals of the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute commendable, they have been consistently achieved with evolving strength and outreach. It is a significant resource and support for the public school system, both locally and nationally.

The main strength of the Institute is the long-term (several-month) relationship that develops among the leaders and the Fellows. The number and distribution of meetings gives ample opportunity for the leader to develop as an effective content expert and Fellows to articulate their claims as teaching experts. In this way a meaningful partnership can be achieved. Over the course of many seminars and many years, Yale and New Haven can work to mutual enhancement. The many years of experience at the Institute are evident in the smoothness with which it runs.

I expected this to be a profitable experience for me, and I got more than I expected. My work with the Fellows was invigorating and encouraging. I was impressed to see how such a complex program can be accomplished. The discipline that was imposed by the program administration was incredibly helpful in keeping me and the Fellows on task and working efficiently. The long experience of the Institute, and the lessons that the Institute leadership have learned through the years, was clearly a major strength.

Teachers have input into the subjects of the seminars. . . . I like that the Institute listens to and responds to the teachers' input. This tends to be left out of many other professional development programs. The Institute offers professional development that causes the individual to grow and gain confidence.

Any deficiencies Fellows cited tended to concern the challenge of fulfilling the program's considerable requirements; as one wrote, "the only perceived weakness" was the "time commitment." Another said, "For a first-timer and non-writer, it was difficult to find the most efficient way to put the unit together."

Most comments were highly positive. The same "first-timer and non-writer" listed the following "strengths":

To learn extensively about the topic, to hear speakers on other topics, to use the Yale facilities, to make new friends, to be supported and inspired by a Yale professor, to be published, to write useable and motivating curriculum, to receive financial help, and to be around an intellectually inspiring environment.

Others said:

The strengths of the Institute come from the faculty that participate and their level of commitment to the program. I have never participated in the Institute when there was not the highest degree of cordiality and enthusiasm. . . . The fact that you offer computer help and orientation to the libraries is also great.

The Institute offers teachers, both new and seasoned, many wonderful opportunities. Its strengths are many. I especially value being able to "study" under the direction of a Yale professor, interact with other teachers from different schools and grade levels, and design my own curriculum unit related to the seminar.

The Institute is a great program for teachers. You can get a Yale education and get paid for it! The real strength of the program is teachers supporting each other in a relaxed atmosphere. It seems the teachers who participate in the program are dedicated to their teaching. They love what they do. This enthusiasm is contagious and invigorating. Hence, I find the Institute to be therapeutic. One of the major problems in the teaching profession is a teacher working on his/her own island. The Institute gives teachers professional development that will enhance their teaching and the lives of their students.

In their evaluations, almost all the Fellows said they would participate (75 percent) or might participate (21 percent) in the Institute in one or more future years. These proportions are comparable to those in most prior years. Only two individuals said they would not participate in the future: One will not be "returning . . . because of my intended schedule . . . not because of the Institute," while the other planned to move out of state for personal reasons.

The Institute hires graduate and undergraduate students who offer this computing assistance by phone, by e-mail, or in person. In addition, Fellows may use computing facilities available to members of the University community across the campus. The electronic resources and services available to Fellows include opportunities to learn about and use computing. Perhaps most important, each Fellow receives a University network ID and password which enables them to use databases and other electronic resources available only to members of the Yale community.

I went to the initial seminar and learned how to use the library services and general information - from there I visited libraries or worked from home. It was nice to know the assistance would be there if I needed it.

Computer assistance is quite wonderful, as there are many people (myself included) who are still learning. . . . The information packet first mailed to me . . . contain[ed] a lot of helpful information . . . . It was, however, great to have the computer team.

I did not use computer assistance this year because I used it in the past and I learned from prior mistakes. Each year I feel more comfortable writing a unit. I do however appreciate the corrections and comments that are made on our second drafts.

We had easy access to the reading through the Yale classes server and could easily download the readings to print them or just read them online; this method was much more convenient than being directed to read selections from the reserve shelf.

(Chart 8 available in print form)

These Centers are not permanent installations but must be regularly renewed. A Center may remain so long as the school has a need and desire for it, and can then be moved to another school. Moving Centers around the school district increases exposure to the Institute and ensures their resources will be located where they will be most beneficial each year. The Steering Committee, which makes these decisions, developed criteria for targeting sites: A suitable site must be of sufficient size, with a critical mass of participants and adequate leadership. It must be able to rely upon a favorably disposed school administration and an appropriate school plan, and be consistent with the aim of allowing most New Haven teachers to have a Center at their school or nearby.

The Centers operate from attractive and properly equipped rooms in the schools, where the Institute installs special furnishings designed by Kent Bloomer, Adjunct Professor of Architectural Design at Yale, who has led three Institute seminars. Bloomer designed for each Center two pieces of furniture that remind the users that a Center is a way of bringing teachers together as colleagues, and that it is a function of the mutual presence of Yale in the schools and the schools in Yale. Combining utility and symbolism, these pieces have a solidity and elegance in harmony with the tradition of design at Yale University, and an evident durability suggestive of the Institute itself. One piece is a round table, with a hole in the middle, which provides the "center" about which eight people can sit. The center of the table is filled with a circular design, the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute logo multiplied as a continuous fret, which is done in tile and set in cast metal for permanence. The second piece is a very high bookcase, designed to hold volumes of the curriculum units and other Institute materials, with hand-plated inlay work across the top that carries the same continuous fret depicting the Institute logo. A banner continues the logo of the fret into the room. Most Centers contain at least one computer so the teachers have easy access to the Institute's Web site and other online resources.

Schools interested in becoming a Center site must submit an application that is approved by the principal and school planning and management team, who agree to support and provide necessary resources to the Center. In 2006, a group of Center leaders, including one teacher from each of the seven Center schools, met periodically to provide peer review of the Centers operations and to exchange ideas on effective Center activities. These meetings were held on January 25 at Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School, June 8 at Columbus Family Academy, October 11 at Davis Street School, November 15 at Fair Haven School (preceded by an open house for teachers at that school), and December 13 at Cooperative Arts and Humanities.

The meetings provided an opportunity to discuss reports from each Center and to orient teachers new to the Center concept. They explained connections between the hundreds of Institute-developed curriculum units and the academic standards and curricular priorities of the New Haven Public Schools and placed emphasis on ways the Centers can in support and engage beginning teachers.

Fair Haven School uses its Center as a "collaboration corner" to promote collegiality and introduce teachers to ways that Institute-developed units support school plans. The Center team has created an attractive, comfortable space in a high-traffic area with a copier, where posters call attention to teachers who have been Fellows. Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School has created a similar display in its Center, which is in a lounge area that many teachers frequent.

Institute Center for Curriculum and Professional Development in Davis Street School. (Clockwise from left: Center leaders Dina K. Secchiaroli, Jean E. Sutherland, Ralph E. Russo, Lucia Rafala, Waltrina D. Kirkland-Mullins, and Jacqueline E. Porter-Clinton.)

With respect to Centers' efforts to support beginning teachers, the Career High School Center's Coordinator wrote,

The students have benefited from the Center's activities due to new teachers being able to access units that aid in providing a wealth of resources to beginning teachers who are not well endowed with resources or with the knowledge of where to look for such resources. The beginning teachers have been able to infuse novel ideas into lessons that would help to engage the students in the material.

Similarly, the Coordinator for the Center in Columbus School wrote,

Many first-year teachers have struggled with resources, and finding books revolving around particular topics. I have always recommended that they look up that topic in the units, and use [Institute] resources to assist them with finding books connected to the topic. Our library media specialist has been a great help with this as well, as I have reminded her on several occasions to guide people in that direction.

Teachers in my school are always working together on projects based on curriculum. For example, we are currently trying to base our literacy block around our school's science-based instruction. . . . We are always using units to try and tie different pieces of information together with books and activities. . . . The students have benefited greatly from this. . . . the teachers are informed about the resources available for them, and are able to pass this knowledge on to their students. I have seen many teachers using activities and books that they later told me have come from the Institute's units.

The results of student efforts as they pertain to implemented units have been showcased throughout our school and used as a reference point for fellow instructors who are implementing similar curriculum. Earlier this year, for example, [one Fellow's] students created wonderful stories based on their study and readings. . . . [The] work was proudly displayed on the classroom bulletin board and principal's showcase bulletin board; parents and visitors clamored at the children's writing ability!

The units have been included as a required part of Davis' Comprehensive School Plan. These resources are used by Davis Street instructors across grade levels. . . . Students are/have been excited to be able to actively participate in curriculum unit activities. Their work is showcased throughout our school, during special parent/teacher conferences and other presentations, community based venues (i.e., the Public Library, Gateway Center, the 4-H Club).

We have also continued to familiarize parents with Center resources during our first parent/teacher open house and during subsequent encounters. At our beginning of the school year parent-teacher orientation sessions, we encouraged participating Fellows to continue referring parents to these resources online; we have found that bibliographies contained in these resources help many of our parents gain background knowledge to support their children at home.

Representatives meet twice monthly from September through December and weekly in January and February. They receive an honorarium for this work and agree in advance to participate in the program they are planning; Contacts perform many of the same functions but are not required to participate in meetings or to commit themselves to Institute participation. Through the Representatives and Contacts, the Institute ensures that all teachers throughout the school district may have an effective voice in shaping a program of curricular and staff development in which they will then have the opportunity to take part.

Representatives meeting. (Clockwise from left: Associate Director Josiah H. Brown; Chrissy A. Bieler, Justin M. Boucher, Barbara C. Natale, Sara E. Thomas, María Cardalliguet Gómez-Málaga,Sandra K. Friday, Mary Lou L. Narowski, Melanie Wolf, Diane M. Huot, Marisa A. Ferrarese, Kenneth W. Spinka, Jennifer B. Esty, Huwerl Thornton, Matthew D. Cacopardo, Erica M. Mentone, Jacqueline E. Porter-Clinton, Judith D. Dixon, Shannon E. Oneto, and Ralph E. Russo.)

During the fall, as many as 126 teachers expressed interest in the seminars being planned for 2007. By December the Representatives had decided to offer five seminars: "American Voices: Listening to Fiction, Poetry, and Prose," to be led by Langdon L. Hammer, Professor of English and Chair, English Department; "Voyages in World History before 1500," to be led by Valerie Hansen, Professor of History; "Frontiers of Astronomy," to be led by Sarbani Basu, Professor of Astronomy; "The Science of Natural Disasters," to be led by David Bercovici, Professor of Geophysics and Chair, Geology and Geophysics Department; and "Health and the Human Machine," to be led by W. Mark Saltzman, Goizueta Foundation Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering and Chair, Biomedical Engineering Department.

*Does not include 12 individuals who teach special education, 3 who teach English/ESL, or 1 who teaches physical education in the elementary grades.

*Grade 5 and grade 6 teachers in K-8 and middle schools are reported in Table 2.
**Self-contained classroom teachers.
n/a = not applicable.