Connections March 2015

In this issue Why and when to ask

NEW Coaches Handbook! “Why?” 2 By Michele Mattoon, NSRF Director Sign up for CFG Coaches Recently, I was facilitating a CFG Training this summer coaches training in Bloomington, IN, NSRF’s homebase. We were in the pro- 3 cess of learning about probing questions and had just finished reading the Under- my CFG community so many years ago. I told them that when my colleague Communities of Practice standing Probing Questions text. One of the participants (let’s call her asked me the probing question I was support Early Care “Ann”) commented that she had learned about to reveal, it felt like he reached education leadership to be careful with “why?” questions. out and punched me in the gut. My and professional She had been told that they can sound reaction was immediate, strong, and emotional, consisting of hurt, anger, development in Palm accusatory and make people feel defen- sive. (In that article, we urge partici- and defensiveness. That question was, Beach County pants to make sure they’re an advocate “Why do you think that that’s your job?” for the presenter with their language In this particular training, after the 4 and inflection, rather than appearing to group reflected about my revelation criticize especially when asking “why” for a few moments, “Ann” pointed out Book Review: Building questions.) “Ann” had been told that, that my intensely negative reaction was instead of asking “why,” to use words caused by a “why” question. This was a Better Teacher by like, “How did you decide…” or “What clearly true and a few other people in Elizabeth Green are your feelings around…” the group chimed in to say that “why” After a quick discussion about the questions would definitely make them 6 necessity for being cautious when using feel spotlighted and judged. After some “why,” the group went into the Probing discussion, I asked the group to listen to NSRF® Connections • March 2015 9 the rest of my story. In the Questions Practice Activity. As an depths of winter, I finally learned that example within this activity, I shared When I heard this question from my within me there lay an invincible Mini-poster summer.

– Albert Camus a dilemma from when I was a young critical friend, my immediate thoughts teacher with a student who had behav- were something like, “What do you 9 ioral problems. My focusing question mean, ‘why do I think it’s my job?’ Of centered on just one aspect of her dif- course it’s my job! I’m here to help ficulties: “How do I help that child in anyway I can my student develop the and social/emotional And more! Michele social skills she needs to Mattoon is the learning (especially for If you’re reading on an make and keep friends?” Director of first graders) is just as electronic device, watch for After the group the NSRF, an important as academ- International icons . practiced creating and ics! Students need Facilitator, and teachers that care for and blue type indicating refining their prob- CFG Coach. ing questions for me, I them!” and on and on in hotlinks to more content or Prior to leading NSRF, she that vein. You get the decided to share with taught first and second grade email addresses. picture. After a time, I them one of the most at Harmony School for more powerful probing ques- than 20 years. Email her at managed to calm down tions I received when I [email protected]. a bit. (Good thing there presented this dilemma to is a rule against trying to 2 NSRF® Connections • March 2015 answer probing questions!) The more of safely and trust. I reflected, the more I realized that Why do you think This discussion highlighted the under my anger and defensiveness cautions that should be taken when and my sadness for this little girl, I that’s your job? using a powerful probing question really was not being the best teacher such as “why?” Using “why” unskill- to her I could be. Why not? I real- fully can quickly shut down learning ized that a part of me was trying to After I had finished my story, by creating defensiveness and irrita- fill the role of her absent mother. another of the participants (who had tion or anger. However, when used When that truth hit me, it dra- actually been a CFG coach for many correctly, “why” can be a powerful matically changed my perspective of years and was taking the training tool to surface one’s beliefs and all the dilemmas I had around this again as a “refresher”) also shared a values. To make use of “why” in the student. In truth, the suggestions “why” story. He was once asked sev- most productive manner possible, use that my group gave me back then eral “why” questions in a row when it: may or may not have helped me. But he brought a dilemma to his CFG »» As an advocate for the present- the radical change of perspective community. He also had an uncom- er—be intentionally curious and open, brought to me by that “why” ques- fortable initial reaction, but similar and avoid using a tone, inflection tion absolutely did. Because of that to my experience, he truly had an and/or body language that is judging, single probing question I was much epiphany around his dilemma because more able to think clearly about what of the multiple “why?” questioning. »» In a group that already has built a was best for that student, the other culture of safety and trust, and “Ann” now wondered if the students in my class, and myself as “why” was one of the first or last »» At the end of a probing question their teacher. Although the proto- questions I was asked. “In my case,” session, rather than the beginning. col did not give me a magic wand I said, “it was one of the last ques- Without these proper conditions to make all this student’s struggles tions I was asked.” This training in place, you would probably be wise disappear, I was able to let go of a group then discussed how a “why” to stick with “what” or “how” ques- lot of the anxiety and stress that question early in a round of prob- tions instead. For other examples of this student’s history and behavior ing questions might be too powerful probing questions, please rerview the created for me. The clarity that this or too provocative, and might best Probing Questions Cheat Sheet or “why?” question brought me allowed be shared late in the round. I also Probing Questions Approaches. me to make better choices around pointed out that I shared my dilemma how I reacted and tried to help my in my CFG community—one that had student. already built the needed foundation

Big news!

Coaches Handbook coming soon

In addition to prepping this month’s edition of Connections, ›› Activities to hone your CFG coaching skills including a we’ve been working like mad preparing the new Coaches cheat sheet for matching protocols to the work at hand Handbook, which will be used in all the new coaches trainings ›› Information to share with colleagues and administrators to this summer and which will be available for purchase on our promote your new CFG communities website in the autumn. This new book, because it includes ›› More tools and techniques for CFG coaches the protocols and materials that are only available on our website for trained coaches, will ONLY be available for NSRF- Once the artwork for the handbook certified coaches and NSRF National Facilitators to purchase. goes to the printer, we’ll also begin Brand-new content includes not only updated and new proto- adding the new materials to our web- cols and activities, some never-before seen on our website, site, available to our coach members. but also an entire section dedicated to tools for coaches, Watch for an announcement about including: new materials on the website in the next issue of Connections ... or just ›› Tips and pointers around how to form CFG communities, the keep an eye on the website for new facilitation of protocols, and more content! ›› Helpful information about how to structure and run your CFG community NSRF® Connections • March 2015 3

NSRF LOVES OUR BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA HOME ... BUT We do NOT support the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act, nor do most Bloomington businesses. NSRF welcomes everyone, and everyone attending trainings in Bloomington will be welcomed throughout the city.

Sharpen your facilitation skills, improve student achievement AND positively shift school culture through CFG training! Sign up for spring or summer Critical Friends Group® New Coaches Open Trainings

Current options: May 6-8 + two more days TBA in Athens, Greece June 22-26 in Nashville, TN June 22-26 in Orange County, CA July 6-10 in Los Angeles, CA July 13-17 in Bloomington, IN Open trainings this summer will use our brand-new Coaches Handbook as the training manual, with expanded content and updated materials!

Rave reviews: “Best PD EVER!” “Informative! Educational! Protocols I can use frequently in my work.” “...the protocols are really useful in bringing out our ‘best selves.’ They drew me into the activities in a way that nudged me towards being fully present. I developed a greater awareness of the effect of my behavior and how it might benefit or hurt the rest of the participants.” To enroll or learn more, visit the NSRF website or call 812-330-2702! 4 NSRF® Connections • March 2015 Communities of Practice support Early Care education leadership and professional development in Palm Beach County By Monique Wilkinson NSRF National Facilitator and CFG Coach in Florida, and Mary Sibley, CFG Coach in Florida

Note: Palm Beach Palm Beach County, Florida’s Early Care Education (IEECE), a partner in the County’s County uses the and Education community is nationally known ECE system, has taken the lead in developing term “Communities for being on the cutting edge of quality im- and co-facilitating communities of practice at of Practice” (CoPs) rather than Critical provement to support outcomes for children. all levels. Of particular interest is support- Friends Group to em- In a movement dominated by state initiatives, ing child care center leaders to be successful phasize the concept Palm Beach has been one of only a few coun- in the new Strong Minds system. Two Center of community which ties in the United States to create and main- Leader CoPs have been established, including reflects our holistic tain a quality rat- directors, curricu- approach to early care and education ing improvement “This wonderful group of leaders has been invaluable to lum specialists and (ECE); working with system (QRIS) for me as an administrator. We meet together monthly and lead teachers, who children, families, and early care and tackle some of the biggest challenges that we face as are charged with colleagues in “a group education pro- directors and as advocates for the field of education. It not only day-to- of people who share grams, including day management a common concern, a has been a great source of strength that I can call upon. set of problems, or an classroom assess- And, it has helped me share my passion and vision with of the centers, but interest in a topic, and ments, technical my own staff.” also mentoring the who come together assistance, and implementation of for discussion, in professional devel- evidence-based cur- search of resolution, opment supports. riculum and assess- or perhaps just to share best practices.” The QRIS has recently evolved into the Strong ments, and guiding staff professional develop- Despite the difference Minds Network and is funded by the Children’s ment that meets program and personal goals. in terminology, the Services Council of Palm Beach County, a purposes and pro- Currently, Palm Beach County’s Strong voter-approved, independent special district Minds system is emphasizing two data-driven cesses are the same supported by local tax dollars. as one would find in a assessment tools that will lead to more posi- Critical Friends Group Since 2012, Palm Beach State College’s tive outcomes for children. The first is the community. Institute of Excellence in Early Care and Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), an observational tool measuring the qual- ity of teacher-child interactions. The second is Teaching Strategies GOLD, an authentic assessment measure designed to assess the ongoing development and learning of children from birth through kindergarten. Early child- hood practitioners attend courses to learn the “why and how” of these assessments and can request on-the-job technical assistance to ad- dress any challenges they encounter. To scaffold the success of these initia- tives, the Institute of Excellence has spon- sored two New Coaches Trainings, with a third planned for summer 2015. The New Coaches Training provides center leaders with the skills Palm Beach County’s Founding Center Leaders Community of Practice: Nancy and confidence to build their own Leader Tirado, Kiddie Haven; Shannon Vasquez, Palm Beach Preschool; Deirdre Phil- Community of Practice, as well as grow CoPs lips, Opportunity, Inc.; Mary Sibley, facilitator; Catherine Stefano, Center for at their centers. With mentoring from col- Early Learning; Ali Eger, Opportunity, Inc.; Kathleen Wininger, The Appleseed. leagues and other NSRF-trained coaches and NSRF® Connections • March 2015 5 national facilitators, these leaders create leagues. It allows us to see that we’re not a trust-based, learning organization within in it alone. And another member in the Monique Wilkinson is a which teachers and leaders share differ- community shows her enthusiasm by say- National Facilitator and ent approaches to similar issues, gather ing “... I am excited to see the improve- Certified CFG Coach for new ideas from one another to ease ments for children that I know are on the National frustrations and dilemmas, and enjoy per- the way. I believe those changes will be School sonal support, creative collaboration and child outcomes and teacher team building Reform innovation. In other words, Palm Beach within my school. I feel prepared to facili- Faculty. She County’s ECE community is becoming a tate while also looking forward to gaining has been valuable professional source for new and more experience.” facilitating CFG work as relevant learning and support. a coach with colleagues, No doubt, communities of practice are community partners and Members look forward to the regu- making positive differences in the lives of child care center directors lar meetings. Says one director, “I am so center leaders and their staff. It is help- since completing her excited to be a part of the Palm Beach ing them connect “what they know” with CFG training, as well as County Center Leaders [Community of “what they do” (Buysse, Sparkman, & using protocols in her Practice] group . . . This wonderful group Wesley, 2003). They are experiencing the A.S. degree courses. of leaders has been invaluable to me as an benefits of collaboration, sharing ideas, Monique is also an early administrator. We meet together monthly networking and much more. And from this childhood Instructional Designer with the Institute and tackle some of the biggest challenges shared experience, the young children in of Excellence in Early that we face as directors and as advocates their care will have greater opportunities Care and Education, and for the field of education. It has been a to grow and flourish. an adjunct professor great source of strength that I can call http://www.palmbeachstate.edu/ieece/ in early childhood upon. And, it has helped me share my pas- education, both at Palm sion and vision with my own staff.” http://www.cscpbc.org Beach State College. Email her at wilkinsm@ An owner/director states that the palmbeachstate.edu Center Leader CoP “has brought friend- References: ship, bonding, and trust with local col- Mary Sibley is Buysse, V., Sparkman, K.L., Wesley, a CFG coach P.W. (2003). Communities of Practice: in Florida and Connecting what we know with what we Instructional do. Council of Exceptional Children, Designer 69 (3), p. 263-277. Retrieved November and ESOL professor at 21, 2013 from http://ici-bostonready- Palm Beach pd-2009-2010.wikispaces.umb.edu/file/ State College. Since view/Communities+of+Practice+Connectin completing the Five- g+What+We+Know+With+What+We+Do.pdf Day CFG New Coaches Cambridge, D., Kaplan S., and Suter Training two years ago, Mary has applied what V., 2005. Community of Practice Design she learned across her Guide A Step-by-Step Guide for De- work. Most rewarding signing & Cultivating Communities of has been facilitating Practice in Higher Education. Retrieved monthly CFG meetings 5/13/2013 from http://net.educause. with Early Childhood edu/ir/library/pdf/nli0531.pdf leaders, some of whom are pictured in this article. Franck, E. 2013. Communities of Email her at sibleym@ Practice – What’s All the BUZZ About? The palmbeachstate.edu Early Childhood Communicator, Issue 2, December 2013. Institute of Excellence in Early Care and Education, Palm Beach State College.

Early Childhood leaders, Cyndy Sanders and Deirdre Phillips, proudly share Chalk Talk results from the group of early educators they facilitate at Opportunity, Inc. Early Learning Center, Palm Beach County. 6 NSRF® Connections • March 2015

Book review Building a Better Teacher: How Teaching Works (and How to Teach It To Everyone) Reviewed by Dave Lehman, Connections Executive Editor Building a Better Teacher get them to think their way into a new Spartan Village Elementary School in way of acting.” Learning to teach East Lansing, Michigan. (This was a lab by Elizabeth Green involves more than knowledge about school of the University that closed in New York: what is involved in teaching. As in 2003 due to state budget cuts to edu- W.W. Norton & Company, 2014 learning how to play a sport, at some cation, and now houses a post office, community police office, and other Building A Better Teacher was administrative offices). recommended to me by a colleague who uses the book in his introductory Elizabeth Green also draws on undergraduate course for teacher edu- videotapes of Lampert’s teaching as cation candidates. The book also has well as material from Lampert’s book, a subtitle, “How Teaching Works (and Teaching Problems and the Problems How to Teach It To Everyone).” This of Teaching (Yale University Press, may lead the reader to believe that 2001), about teaching mathemat- the book will tell one how to become ics. This excerpt from Green’s book a teacher, and not just an “A” teacher, demonstrates Lampert’s approach of but an “A+” teacher. (The “A+” is developing generalities about teach- encircled and in red, like a grade on a ing by zeroing-in on a single subject in student paper.) depth: Initially, I found the book interest- “[Students have] been working ing, and a helpful overview of many on a math problem you wrote on the of the most recent efforts to improve chalkboard while they were out at teaching and to develop methods and recess. programs to train classroom teachers. Condition: A car is going 55 mph. But readers may initially be disap- Make a diagram to show where it will pointed that it does not seem to live point you have to actually get out on be up to its title and subtitles. An under- the court and shoot the basketball at A. after an hour graduate interested in becoming an el- the basket! Then you must do it again, ementary or secondary school teacher, and again, and again, until you de- B. after 2 hours hoping to learn how actually to teach velop at least the beginning skill of a C. after half an hour will be disappointed. basketball player. D. after 15 minutes But then again, for anyone who There are some great examples of Consider how to get everyone to teaches, or who has tried to teach, truly effective teaching in this book, quiet down. Next to you, on a table, that is perhaps an unrealistic ex- particularly in the prologue, “How to is a small bell. Do you ring it? Per- pectation. Teaching, as the author Be A Teacher (Part One), chapter 2, “A haps you should raise one hand and indicates, is a complex and difficult Teacher is Born,” and the epilogue, put the other hand over your mouth. profession. Yes, there are “skills” “How To Be A Teacher (Part Two).” In Or what about that old line? When involved which can be described to a those first two chapters the author my hand goes up, your mouths go neophyte, and even shown in a vid- draws on several interviews between shut. You go for the bell. Thankfully, eotape of a teacher with a classroom with Magdalene Lampert, then a Pro- it works, and you launch a discussion. of students. But, like other profes- fessor at Michigan State University. sions, it is largely learned by doing. As During the 1989-90 school year, Soon, fifteen minutes have Millard Fuller, Founder of Habitat for Professor Lampert taught the stan- passed, and class is almost over. So Humanity once said, “It is generally dard, district-mandated, mathematics far, the students have worked on the easier to get people to act their way curriculum to a fifth grade class (chil- problem in small groups of four to into a new way of thinking than it is to dren ten and eleven years old) at the six. You have circulated around, peer- NSRF® Connections • March 2015 7 ing over shoulders at their varying the activity, how to include all degrees of success, deciding when students in the work, how to to talk and when to not and when to make the work rigorous and hold in a laugh…. All of you, together, relevant while continuing to have reasoned your way through A, B, build her relationships with and C. each individual student and On the chalkboard, you’ve drawn the class as a whole, etc., etc. a straight horizontal line, with dis- This is why it is so difficult to tance represented on top and time give teachers a simple set of underneath….. things to master in order to be a successful teacher: context Point to the board. Ask: Can any- matters. one show where the solution to part D should go on the diagram? In this book Elizabeth Green (cofounder, CEO, and Hands shoot up. Then, right in editor-in-chief of “Chalkbeat,” front of you, Richard adds his. You a nonprofit education news know enough about the others to organization) provides an have an idea of how they understand overview of a number of differ- ‘rate,’ or at least an idea of what ent efforts to improve teacher they will be able to do with the prob- education. Working on the book lem. Richard, though is something of over five years, Green visited Elizabeth Green a mystery…. Now he’s volunteering to schools, interviewed educa- key differences: answer the most difficult part of the tors, and analyzed the research. She “Japanese math teachers led class question – and you have no idea what includes “Teach for America,” Doug he’ll say. with a different pace, structure, and Lemov’s “Teach Like a Champion,” the tone than did other countries’ teach- What do you do? KIPP schools, No Child Left Behind, ers [Germany and the US]. Instead the Race to the Top, Common Core Look at the clock; only 10 minutes of a series of problems, the teacher Standards, and others, noting not only left. Do you have time to risk a wrong used just one, and instead of leading their successes but their failures and answer? What about Richard. What students through procedures, they let disappointing results as well. if he isn’t even close? If he’s wrong, students do much more talking and will he, an African American boy in a I found Chapter 4, “Knead and thinking.… The American and Japa- racially diverse classroom, shut down Rise,” particularly insightful. It’s nese scripts were the most different and hesitate to participate again? On about the dramatic reforms in Japa- from each other….some American the other hand, nese schools which teachers called their pattern ‘I, actually were We, You’: after checking homework, what message does Dave Lehman is the it send to the oth- former founding principal/ based on three teachers announced the day’s topic, ers not to call on teacher of the Lehman American sources: demonstrating a new procedure: him? Alternative Comunity John Dewey’s ‘Today we’re going to talk about progressive educa- dividing a two-digit number by a one- ‘Richard,’ you School in Ithaca,NY. This public middle-high school tion ideas; George digit number’ (I). Then they led the say. He stands up, was named for Dave and Polya, a Stanford class in trying out a sample problem turning his note- his wife Judy by the Ithaca, New York mathematician together: ‘Let’s try out the steps for book so he can see Board of Education upon their retirement whose writing 24 divided by 6.’ (We). Finally, they it from the board, after 30 years. Dave was a member about problem let students work through similar and walks slowly of the very first “Principals Seminar” solving had influ- problems on their own, usually by to the front. leadership group at the beginning of enced Magdalene silently making their way through a Everyone waits, the NSRF, under the umbrella for the Lampert; and worksheet: ‘Keep your eyes on your silent…….” Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Soon thereafter “NCTM,” the math- own paper. If you have a question, Several things he was trained as a CFG coach and ematics standards raise your hand.’ (You) are happening then an NSRF National Facilitator. produced by the “The Japanese teachers mean- simultaneously in His email is [email protected] National Council of while, turned ‘I, We, You’ inside out. this excerpt from Teachers of Math- You might call their version ‘You, Magdalene Lam- ematics. Y’all, We.’ They began with an in- pert’s mathematics class with her fifth Referring to a study done compar- troduction, but a single problem [like graders. She is thinking and rethink- ing American, German, and Japanese Magdalene Lampert] that students ing her teaching strategies in the mo- approaches to teaching elementary spent ten or twenty minutes working ment; asking herself questions about mathematics, Green summarizes the through alone: ‘Come up with as many how to respond next, how to modify 8 NSRF® Connections • March 2015

solutions as you can.’ (You). While each others’ classrooms (but by stand- REVIEWS AND TESTIMONIALS the students worked, the teacher ing quietly in the back of the room to from other sources: wove through the students’ desks, avoid disrupting the teacher whom studying what they came up with and they were observing). They regularly “Great education is the foundation taking notes to remember who had and consistently discussed the lessons of a flourishing society, and it which idea. Sometimes the teacher after such observations and studied depends on great teachers. Building then deployed the students to discuss the curriculum materials with their a Better Teacher illuminates how the problem in small groups (Y’all). colleagues, fine-tuning their teaching. we can develop gifted educators Next, the teacher brought them back In the epilogue, Elizabeth Green who prepare children for a brighter to the whole group, asking students ends Building A Better Teacher with future. With strong evidence and to present their different ideas for her own effort to teach several sec- compelling cases, Elizabeth Green how to solve the problem on the tions of a high school social studies has written an important book that chalkboard. Give the answer and the class of a teacher friend at the School every educator ought to read.” — reason for your answer. Finally, the of the Future in New York City. [It Adam Grant, Wharton professor and teacher led a discussion, guiding stu- is interesting, particularly given her best-selling author of Give and Take dents to a shared conclusion: ‘What critique of the misuse of standardized did you learn from today’s problem, tests, that Green doesn’t mention that “Elizabeth Green draws upon or what new questions do you have, if the School of the Future is a mem- years of interviews and research any?’ (We) ber of the “New York Performance as an education writer and CEO of “Americans asked a lot of simple Standards Consortium” which uses Chalkbeat to make the case for why questions and sought quick answers. performance-based assessments, port- teaching is a craft and that it can ‘1 – 4: What does it equal?’ Japanese folios, and demonstrations in assessing be taught to anyone. Her excellent teachers, working at the slower pace student learning.] book should be read for a detailed provided by a single focused problem, Green discovers for herself how account of the history of teacher used questions not simply to under- hard it is to plan even one lesson for education, an international context, stand whether the child had the right one day that will have rigor, be rel- and an entertaining narrative.” — answer, but to peek into her mind, evant, and be effective; how learning Jonathan Wai, Psychology Today doesn’t happen in sixty-minute peri- “Mathematicians need ods, but over weeks and months; how a teacher needs to know her students “At the heart of Green’s exploration to understand a problem well, building caring relationships is a powerfully simple idea: that only for themselves; math with each of them. And she ends her teaching is not some mystical talent book with these words: “No amount of but a set of best practices that can teachers need both to reading and watching and interview- be codified and learned through know the math and to ing could substitute for real practice extensive hands-on coaching, self- working with students.” scrutiny, and collaboration.” — Sara know how 30 different Mosle, The Atlantic minds might understand So you won’t necessarily take away from reading her book that (or misunderstand) it. Then you’ll need to master Doug Lemov’s “Everyone who cares about teaching they need to take each list of 62 “techniques that put stu- should read [Building a Better dents on the path to college,” or start Teacher]. Right away.” — Judith mind from not getting it using the 19 “high-leverage practices” Shulevitz to mastery. And they need of Deborah Ball. However, you may SEND US YOUR to do this in 45 minutes or gain some new insight into just how complex teaching truly is, with a FAVORITE QUOTE AND less.” —Elizabeth Green renewed appreciation of not only the YOU MAY WIN A PRIZE! craft and skill involved, but the deep From time to time, we’ll create mini- discerning what she understood and thinking and caring inherent in our what she didn’t: Who had the same profession, as well as the essential- posters inside Connections featuring thinking? Anything to add to this way ity of a supportive, critically thinking some of our favorite quotes. Submit of thinking? Did anybody else use group of colleagues meeting regularly another way?” to work on being “A Better Teacher.” your own favorite, and if we use

Additionally—of particular inter- yours in an upcoming issue, you’ll est to those of us involved with NSRF win a prize from NSRF! email luci@ and CFG work—the Japanese teachers regularly and consistently observed nsrfharmony.org NSRF® Connections • March 2015 9

In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.

– Albert Camus 10 NSRF® Connections • January 2015

NSRF Connections is published by Shout-out to researchers Have you written a thesis or dissertation on a topic associated with Critical Friends Group® work or NSRF® protocols? National School Reform Faculty™ Now and then, we hear from someone Harmony Education Center seeking published research on the efficacy 909 E. 2nd Street Bloomington, IN 47401 of Critical Friends Group® work, or the use 812-330-2702 of protocols in the classrooms. We’re happy to share research we have on file, but real- [email protected] ize that it’s a bit dated. We expect some of www.nsrfharmony.org you can point us to fresher research. If you EXECUTIVE EDITOR: know of any studies we should know about, Dave Lehman (email) too, please contact [email protected]. MANAGING EDITOR/ASSISTANT Thanks so much! DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS: Luci Englert McKean (email) NSRF DIRECTOR: Michele Mattoon (email) NSRF is a non-profit, professional Shout-out to EVERYONE! development initiative that focus- What do you think? How are we doing with the new design and content es on increasing student achieve- ment through a specific variety of Connections, and with the new website? of professional learning communi- We’re working hard to eliminate ties. Part of Harmony Education bugs and add all current members and Center, we train educators to coach Critical Friends Group® member-coaches to the new website. We communities. CFG communities really want to hear feedback from you, use NSRF protocols and activities whether you have warm or cool feedback to facilitate meaningful, efficient to share ... especially if you’re having a communication, problem solving, problem finding something you need! and learning. Please send comments of any variety Paid membership helps us con- to [email protected]. We appreciate tinue to provide materials via our it! website, and supports our mis- sion to offer training worldwide. We encourage you to support the Lois Butler Scholarship fund so Want to write for Connections? that any teacher could partici- pate in a training regardless of Submit your ideas to [email protected] and let’s talk. Authors of published ability to pay our fee. articles receive one year’s subscription to NSRF for free, with our appreciation. MANY WAYS TO STAY IN TOUCH http://www.fb.com/ http://www.twitter.com/ We’re just starting to NationalSchool TheNSRF (We don’t learn about LinkedIn, ReformFaculty tweet much but we love but we’ll be here being tweeted about! soon, too.

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