Contact People:
James H. Porter
Lake County Board of Education
P.O. Box 490
Painesville, OH 44077-0498
Marilyn Troyer
Ohio Department of Education
Division of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional
Development
65 South Front St. Room 1005
Columbus, OH 43215-4183
Ohio has addressed the issue of time structures in education not as a separate or isolated issue, but rather as an integral part of larger school improvement efforts. Ohio has focused on cohesive school improvement strategies that address systemic educational change at the building level. A centerpiece of this effort has been the Venture Capital initiative, which targets a significant amount of dollars to individual school buildings that have developed comprehensive plans for school improvement. Within this framework, schools have the resources necessary to support time for professional development, whether through team planning time, use of substitute teachers, release time, or other time structures and strategies.
The primary issues are "finding and funding," according to James H. Porter, Lake County Board of Education:
"We are wrestling with the issue of finding time for professional development during the regular school day and year and with the issue of funding time during off hours and days. Particularly in the curriculum areas of mathematics and science we are well aware that a systemic approach is required if we are to implement the recommendations of the national study groups. This means retraining teachers in content and teaching strategies, and developing a support system within their school districts that permits them to teach using these tools."
The support system has to include time during the school day to plan and prepare materials and equipment for students. It seems that hands-on and manipulative teaching strategies are the order of the day. There needs to be time to observe model teaching and to network with other teachers in the same building to ensure coordinated, effective programs.
During off hours and vacations, teachers need the opportunity to network with university and industry staff to strengthen their content area knowledge and review and develop curriculum materials and evaluation strategies. This approach requires additional funding.
Either as a part of the Venture Capital initiative described above, or as a part of other systemic change efforts, schools in Ohio may request waivers from the Ohio Department of Education. Such waivers release schools from the obligation to meet specific standards for elementary and secondary schools and are granted on the basis of innovative practice targeted towards systemic change. The Ohio Department of Education is granting waivers from required instructional time to districts for approved professional development activities.
Another Ohio initiative, the Beginning Teacher Residency Program, is a pilot project that provides support for and assessment of beginning teachers. Starting in fall 1994, experienced teachers serve as mentors and spend a portion of the regular school day working with beginning teachers.
The Lakeland Area Center for Science and Mathematics in Lake County, Ohio, is in the third year of developing a model systemic change system for all elementary teachers in grades three, four, and five across two counties (K-12 enrollment is 47,000). It is a work in progress, but evaluations indicate a positive impact.
Eight Regional Professional Development Centers have been established in Ohio and are completing their second year of operation. Funding is provided for professional development through these centers, and a variety of professional development models, some with restructured time, have been implemented regionally. NCREL is conducting an evaluation of the regional centers.
Teacher certification policies also must be modified to promote team and cross-disciplinary approaches to teaching. Current certification policies limiting teachers to specific sub-areas within specific disciplines only encourage the "egg-crate" isolationism of today's teaching force.
Policies affecting the use of time must be addressed within the larger context of professional development supporting educational reform. Thus, policy must focus on promoting the development of professional learning communities engaged in educational reform, while freeing schools from restrictive regulations that impede innovation.
For example, states can encourage teachers' collaboration and dialogue by promoting cross-disciplinary and integrated approaches to curriculum. Ohio is developing an integrated science curriculum for grades K-12. Teachers will need to work across traditional disciplines in science in order to implement the model curriculum.
Teacher certification policies also must be modified to promote team and cross-disciplinary approaches to teaching. Current certification policies limiting teachers to specific sub-areas within specific disciplines only encourage the "egg-crate" isolationism of today's teaching force.
State policies should promote teacher teaming and collaboration; resources should be provided to support educational reform; and the schools should have the opportunity to experiment with innovative practices. Ohio is moving ahead on these fronts via integrated curriculum models, Venture Capital for schools engaged in systemic reform, and waivers from state standards for innovative schools.
Posted on March 6, 1995
URL: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/envrnmnt/go/94-4oh.htm