Multiple Partners--Public and Private--
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Public and private institutions in Denver have forged a unique
partnership to prepare teachers via an alternative certification program. The purpose of
this article is to describe the general features of the partnership; to give an overview
of the teacher preparation program itself including a description of the Stanley British
Primary School (SBPS)—the institution with the central role in the teacher
preparation endeavor; to describe the interns attracted to the program and their placement
and retention history; to highlight the higher education options available to interns at
the University of Colorado at Denver (UCD); and to summarize the successes of the program
to date along with related future challenges. Three principal partners participate in the teacher preparation endeavor: (1) the Educational Psychology (EPSY), Division of the School of Education (or SOE, which interestingly separately conducts its own successful initial teacher education program) at the University of Colorado at Denver (UCD), a public institution; (2) the Stanley British Primary School (SBPS), a private K-8 school in Denver; and (3) Ebert and Steele Elementary Schools in the Denver Public Schools (DPS). The EPSY Division contains three components—Early Childhood Education (ECE), Research and Evaluation Methods (REM), and Educational Psychology (EPSY) itself, and currently is most focused on graduate programs at the master’s level. The Division of Education has a solid record of developing fruitful and creative partnerships with other agencies and schools in the community. For example, ECE faculty designed the ECE-CARE program with Head Start and other community agencies to prepare students in the master’s program to assist in counseling metro-area young children and their families who have experienced violence. The escalating need for this type of service has made this partnership particularly timely and welcome. Undoubtedly the most visible and successful Division partnership to date, however, has been with SBPS. The heart of the partnership described herein lies within the second partner, the SBPS. The roots of the school date back to 1972 when the Montview Community Preschool was started in a church basement with features similar to the English Infant (Primary) School in vogue in Great Britain during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1984, parents and other school supporters culminated a drive by purchasing Stanley Elementary School from DPS, remodeling it extensively, and commencing the Stanley British Primary School, originally K-2. (The 1891 school had originally been named for the explorer Stanley of Dr. Livingston fame.) In 1991, its teacher preparation model was approved by Colorado to offer an alternative certification program. The following year, a contract was signed between SBPS and DPS to initiate British Primary classrooms in Ebert and Steele Schools. In 1994, SBPS selected UCD as its higher education partner to integrate master degree programs with the certification process, and parents spearheaded the acquisition of land and buildings for the school at the deactivated Lowry Air Force Base (a favorite visiting place for former President Eisenhower). By 1998, SBPS had expanded to K-8, occupied two campuses, enrolled 240 students, and prepared about 20 teachers annually. Ebert and Steele Elementary Schools round out the partnership triad. Both schools are located in central Denver; Ebert primarily serves low-income families, predominantly Hispanic or African-American, while Steele’s students are typically Caucasian and from middle-class homes. Both schools contain a number of British Primary classrooms as well as other classes following a different approach termed "contemporary" (yet with many traditional features); parents select the approach that seems more appropriate for their children. The SBPS Teacher Preparation Program The Stanley British Primary School To better understand this unique approach to teacher preparation, a
more complete portrayal of Stanley’s educational approach is needed. In general, the
SBPS is committed to developmentally appropriate learning, mixed-age classrooms, student
and parent empowerment, diversity, and public outreach. Thus, children are active
initiators of many of their educational activities, and choices for students are common.
Classrooms are well equipped, filled with hands-on manipulatives, science equipment,
books, art and construction supplies, and other materials. Essentially, the classrooms are
designed to be laboratories of learning. The concept of the integrated day permits
considerable integration of subject areas and promotes student projects and cooperative
learning. Walls are covered with displays of children’s work and group products. SBPS
has written curriculum guidelines, yet their format permits and encourages teachers and
children to develop their enthusiasms and strengths. Multiage classrooms, usually
encompassing three grade levels such as K-2 and 3-5, are used at Stanley. Also known as
family or vertical grouping, this arrangement permits students to have the same teacher
for three years and reduces the same-age comparisons that are sometimes destructive to
slower-to-develop children. Parent participation is a hallmark of the Stanley approach.
Parents are involved in classrooms, in the central office, on fund-raisers, on the
school’s board of trustees, on key school committees, and on ad hoc groups formed to
utilize parents’ special abilities to complete school tasks. Diversity has been
addressed in several ways; most obvious are the student scholarships financed by SBPS to
increase the numbers of low socioeconomic status (SES) children in the school. Public
outreach is illustrated both by Stanley’s work with Ebert and Steele Schools and, in
general, by its commitment to teacher preparation. In all, the net result is a highly
participatory, lively, and open school with obviously enthusiastic and joyful students and
teachers. The Teacher Preparation Program Stanley’s alternative certification program is popular and attracts a large number of applicants. (This process and the sources from which the interns come are described subsequently.) The formal experience begins with an orientation week in late August for the selected cohort of about 20 interns—the size of each cohort is deliberately kept small to assure the quality of the experience and to enhance cohort esprit. Interns receive a mix of guiding principles and practical ideas, meet and engage in discussions with mentors, and meet and hear from the principals and heads of participating schools prior to the first official day of school. During the academic year itself, Stanley uses a field-based apprenticeship model that connects theory to practice as the core of its teacher preparation program. Interns spend four days weekly in classrooms with experienced mentor-teachers, many of whom themselves are earlier graduates of the intern program. With two semester-long placements, most interns experience diverse student populations—one at Stanley and one at either Ebert or Steele, and also one private and one public school experience. The mentor-teacher serves as professional guide, supporter, and colleague to the intern with frequent informal and formal interactions. In addition, the intern is observed numerous times by an educational advisor who, in concert with the mentor-teacher and perhaps the principal, nurtures and supervises the intern’s professional development. The intern typically begins working with individual students, then small groups, with assigned responsibilities increasing as the intern emerges as an ever more confident teacher. Each Friday during the academic year (the interns’ fifth day), the intern community assembles to hear and share ideas with a variety of speakers. The EPSY Division, serving as Stanley’s higher education partner, advises on teacher preparation curricula and experiences; master practitioners and EPSY faculty conduct the majority of the Friday instructional sessions. Via these sessions, interns learn of and practice an appropriate repertoire of techniques and skills in the context of the SBPS ethos. Building on the interns’ classroom experiences, these instructional sessions address a wide range of topics, including curriculum development and related issues such as the Colorado State Standards for Schools. The sessions address three core areas: (1) central subjects: literacy, mathematics, and science; (2) affiliated subjects: social studies, computers, art, music, physical education, and dance/drama; and (3) foundational areas: educational history/philosophy/psychology, special needs students, and classroom management. During these sessions, two central requirements for certification are
presented--the completion of an observation-based child study and the development,
implementation, and evaluation of a curriculum unit; interns’ completed projects are
discussed with the full cohort. The year-long program concludes with sessions on creating
individual portfolios and applying for teaching positions. Stanley can recommend
successful interns for the Colorado certification in Elementary Education or Early
Childhood Education; to date, finishing interns have opted for the elementary option. The
extensive preparation process provides an opportunity for the students to develop a
community of strength and a cohort that will exhibit lifelong ties. A very strong pool of applicants to be SBPS interns has resulted even though most of the recruitment to date has consisted simply of mail-outs to college placement offices and by word-of-mouth endorsements of the program by past and current interns to friends. Interns are paid a stipend of $10,000 and receive health and dental benefits, disability and life insurance, and paid sick, professional, and personal days. Interns are charged $4,000 to cover the costs of the internship program, while the blanket fee for the master’s program (currently $6,500 to $7,000) increases, as does tuition. Recruitment each year usually results in 60 to 70 applicants. Based on written applications and personal statements of philosophy, about 30 prospective interns are invited to visit (at their own expense) in mid-spring. They take detailed tours of Stanley, Ebert, and Steele. At the schools the prospective interns "try out" by presenting a lesson to a small group of students; they meet interns and teachers; and finally are interviewed by parents, teachers, principals, and an UCD faculty representative. The selection committee reviews rating sheet and notes from all interested parties. A key prerequisite to selection is the identification of one or more mentor-teachers who are willing if not eager to assume the responsibility of guiding each intern. As individuals as well as a group, the selected Stanley interns are indeed remarkable. Including the cohort completing the certification in Spring 1996, over half of them (54%) have graduated from Tier 1 (1997 U.S. News & World Report Guide of America’s Best Colleges) colleges and universities. Stanley interns have graduated from such schools in the Tier 1 category of "Best National Liberal Arts Colleges" as Bowdoin, Carleton, Colorado, Oberlin, Vassar, and Wellesley Colleges. Alma Maters of the Stanley interns from the Tier 1 category "Best National Universities" included Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and the University of California at Berkeley. An additional 21% of the SBPS interns have graduated from Tier 2 institutions, such as Michigan State, the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Texas, the University of Utah, and the University of Vermont. In terms of gender, about two-thirds (68%) of the interns have been female. Looking at age, nearly three-quarters (72%) of the interns might be considered "traditional students" in that they have completed high school and have entered the internship within 4 to 9 years. (In other states and settings, the majority of those undergoing alternative certification are often older; for example, see Chesley, Wood, and Zepeda, 1997, and Shen, 1997.) "Less traditional students" entering the teacher preparation program after 10 to 15 years, accounted for 12% of the SBPS interns; while, the "non-traditional student" category (entering within 16 to 33 years) was represented by 16% of the interns. Additionally, 14% of the interns identified themselves as members of an ethnic minority group. These general trends have continued with the last two more recent intern cohorts. About three-quarters of the graduates of the Stanley teacher
preparation program (again through Spring 1996) are still teaching; others are in student
roles, educational administration positions, or following other pursuits, e.g., raising a
family. A look at cohort by cohort reveals that two to three years after program
completion, over 80% of the former interns are teaching; after four to five years, this
figure drops to about 50%. Of those teaching, 47% are in Colorado private schools; 42% are
in Colorado public schools; 8% are in out-of-state public schools; and 3% are in
out-of-state private schools. Thus, the retention of this stellar cadre of teachers is
quite good, and is equally evident in both public and private schools. Higher Education Options Available to Stanley Interns Another fruitful linkage between Stanley’s alternative certification program and the University exists through processes by which interns can transcript courses, as well as pursue an UCD master’s degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE), Curriculum and Instruction (C & I), or Educational Psychology (EPSY). About three-quarters of the interns have sought a master’s degree. Early on, the C & I option was more attractive to interns, with just a smattering of students seeking the ECE master’s degree. In the past two years, with the addition of the EPSY option, the degree of choice has become the EPSY master’s degree for about two-thirds of the interns. Through additional reading, paper/project completion, and seminar
attendance, interns can complete about half of their degree during their internship
academic year. They come on campus during summer or other academic semesters to complete
the other half of their degree in courses attended by other UCD graduate students.
Frequent reports from UCD professors have identified the Stanley interns in their courses
as a wonderful addition and enhancement, given their active participation, academic
strength, and enthusiasm for learning. Since 1994, about 40 interns have completed their
master’s degree, while another 40 are in the process of completing the degree. Successes and Challenges of the Partnership and the Alternative Teacher Certification Program Five successes and a related set of challenges can be identified as the result of this multiple partner approach to teacher certification. One key success is that the SBPS teacher preparation program has attracted a significant number of talented, dedicated, somewhat idealistic, and (for the most part) young persons into the teaching profession; the majority of those so trained continue to teach in Colorado and in other parts of the United States. The related challenge is continuing to attract persons of similar high quality into the program by having an active, focused recruitment program. A second success is found in the British Primary classrooms at Stanley, Ebert, and Steele that function as dynamic, developmentally appropriate engines for both students’ learning and interns’ teaching. The classroom teacher as mentor has been the key cog in the program’s preparation wheel, and, to date, the mentor has been well supported by the educational advisor and building head/principal. (The crucial importance of the mentor in the SBPS preparation program is echoed in reference to numerous other settings; for example, mentors’ centrality in early childhood teacher preparation was reviewed by Sull, 1997.) The concomitant challenge for the future is to maintain and enhance the program in terms of support for mentors and for mentors’ own professional development, thus, helping the cadre of mentors excel as teachers, professional educators, and role models. Another success involves the creation of a model that recognizes the solid experiential and educational backgrounds of interns, and the clear benefits that accrue from the addition of an intern as another caring, skilled adult to each classroom’s "instructional mix." Interns and mentors receive stipends for their work, responsibilities, and dedication. The associated challenge is obvious—the model assumes that someone and/or some agency is paying for these important and legitimate costs. Gaining financial support for the key players in the model is a continuing issue, and schools and school districts are being solicited for funds to help defray the costs of training and, in turn, to receive the benefits that ensue for classrooms and students. A fourth and recent success has been the acquisition of a permanent site for the intern program. Stanley’s expansion to a second campus has freed up two second-floor classrooms in the original school. Plans include designing one room as a model British Primary classroom, and the other room as a Teachers Center replete with relevant resources and references. The linked challenge is to make the model classroom and the Teachers Center as multifaceted, stimulating, and helpful as possible to meet the diverse needs of individual interns, mentors, and other educators. One priority would be the induction needs of SBPS prepared teachers who remain in the Denver metropolitan area to teach (Chesley, Wood, and Zepeda, 1997). A fifth success has been providing quality higher education options to
interns through UCD. These options have benefited all parties: Stanley receives important
recruitment advantages, the schools in general acquire promising interns, interns can
garner both a certificate and a master’s degree with considerable time and financial
savings, and UCD courses are enriched by the enthusiastic participation of the interns.
The companion challenge is to keep the higher education contributions to the partnership
visible, realistic, and viable; especially important in this regard are the higher
education choices and the quality of the experiences made available to interns. While this partnership approach to teacher preparation continues to
face challenges—both of a "big picture" variety (such as the five denoted
above) and the daily challenges/crises associated with most operational programs, it has
also experienced notable and important successes. Evidence demonstrates that a truly
superb group of persons are being attracted to and retained in the teaching profession as
a result of this alternative certification program. We look forward with optimism to
continuing and even improving this coordinated multiple-partner effort. Chesley, L. S., Wood, F. H., & Zepeda, S. J. (1997). Meeting the needs of alternatively certified teachers. Journal of Staff Development, 18 (1), 28-32. Shen, J. (1997). Has the alternative certification policy materialized its promise? A comparison between traditionally and alternatively certified teachers in public school. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 19, 276-283. Sull, T. M. (1997). Of critical consideration: Teachers’ beliefs
and the mentoring relationship. Leadership Quest, 1 (1), 7-9. 1. Appreciation is expressed to Christopher Myers, Carolyn Hambidge, and Marjory Bender, all affiliated with the Stanley British Primary School in Denver, for their input on and reactions to earlier drafts of this paper. 2. This paper represents an adaptation of a
presentation made at the Eighth Annual Conference of the National Association for
Alternative Educator Preparation, Certification, and Licensure, Louisville, KY, from May 7
to 9, 1998. William Goodwin is a Professor of Education and Coordinator of the Division of Educational Psychology in the School of Education at the University of Colorado at Denver. He has written numerous articles and books on early childhood and educational psychology, and serves as the University’s Liaison to the Stanley British Primary School. William earned the Doctorate in Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. University of Colorado at Denver John Paull is the Director of Teacher Training and Professional Development at Stanley British Primary School. Former English Headmaster, John Paull, has worked as a consultant in the U.S. on several occasions. He has written over twenty books on school science and several school television’s science programs. John earned a master’s degree in Education at the University of Leicester. Stanley British Primary School Mary Chavez is a Professional Research Assistant for the Educational Psychology Division at the University of Colorado at Denver, specifically working on the partnership project. Mary earned a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at the University of Colorado at Denver and is currently working towards a doctoral degree in the Educational Leadership and Innovation Program. University of Colorado at Denver
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