NATIONAL EDUCATOR PROGRAM
Facilitating school improvement through leadership, professional development and research
PORTFOLIO OF SERVICES
3700 QUEBEC STREET BUILDING 100, SUITE 286 DENVER, COLORADO 80202
Toll Free 888 - NEP - 1997 Fax 720-379-7957 www.neponline.org Your Partner in Educational Excellence
The NEP’s History The National Educator Program (NEP) was first conceived in 1997 when representatives of Stetson University, the National Education Association (NEA), Performance Learning Systems and the Walt Disney Corporation met in Washington, D.C. With three years of funding from the Ford Foundation, and additional funding from from the Walt Disney Corporation, the National Educator Program was born. Its goal was to provide world-class professional de- velopment to classroom teachers, school administrators and district-level administration on best practices on all as- pects of classroom instruction and successful school change. From 1997 to 2005 the NEP was housed in offices at Stetson University in Kissimmee, Florida. From 2006 - 2008 the NEP was housed by Performance Learning Systems and moved its base of operations to Denver, Colorado to be more centrally located nationally.
In 2008 the NEP incorporated as an autonomous educational agency and filed for non-profit status with the Internal Revenue Service. Still based in Denver, the NEP operates free of grant funding, is nationally recognized, has a lab school in Brooklyn, New York, and continues to focus on best practices and helping educators increase their schools' success. The NEP has provided professional development to educators in forty-three states, Canada and Guam.
What NEP Does The National Educator Program works in three areas: planning and design, professional development, and ongoing support to build capacity. Some of the work includes developing leadership, sustainable school improvement, career academies, high school redesign and all forms of small learning communities. NEP is also engaged in helping schools help each other via the NEPwork network of schools, research, and international dialog.
Planning & Design Professional Development Ongoing Support
We address the needs of entire districts and individual educators because when the needs of educators are met, they will in turn meet the needs of students. In so doing, the NEP has worked with educators from forty-seven U.S. states, and seven nations. NEP also hosts highly-acclaimed international and regional conferences annually.
NEP Portfolio of Services
1 Planning & Design
The planning and design process is the most important step in any school improvement initiative. It is here that the cost in effort and financial re- sources is determined. It is here the likelihood of sustainability is estab- lished. When NEP works in your district, everyone who will be involved in the new school structure will also be involved in the planning and design process.
NEP believes when it comes to school improvement, teacher ownership is superior to teacher compliance. We do not use a one-size-fits-none approach. Design is customized to the individual school and district. The academy or SLC you implement in your school with NEP will be one that is created by, and built on the talents of your staff, specifi- cally to meet the specialized needs of your students. Some of the tools used by NEP are:
The 5 Keys for Successful Career Academies
In 1998 the 5 Keys for Successful Career Academies were published identifying five characteristics successful acade- mies have in common. NEP uses the 5 Keys to assist in the design, implementation and ongoing improvement and innovation of career academies. The 5 Keys are also adaptable for small learning communities (SLCs). The 5 Keys are the basis of the TINA instrument and are the measuring standard for NEP “Schools of Promise” and “Beacon Schools.”
TINA - The Initial Needs Assessment
TINA is an asset-based needs assessment by team of educators to identify vision, establish priorities, and create short and long-term plans for school innovation. The comprehensive process is conducted by a team of national and re- gional experts on-site. An analysis is completed showing complete results of findings, recommendations, and ex- tended timeline of implementation and professional development based on the school’s priorities. The instrument and the process is based on the 5 Keys for Successful Career Academies and is customized to each school based on that school’s culture, values and priorities.
TONYA - The Ongoing Yearly Assessment
TONYA is a way to make sure your school stays on track, the initial plan is revisited regularly and revised if neces- sary. TONYA’s design is based on the outcome of TINA. The instrument can be conducted either by NEP or school staff. TONYA will compile data from the school demonstrating increases in student academic achievement and school participation, and progress on benchmarks established by the school staff and NEP during TINA. Additional recommendations may be made based on the data.
NEP Lab School
The Cultural Academy for the Arts & Sciences (CAAS) is based at the Tilden High School campus in Brooklyn, New York. An inner-city, Title I school with a multitude of challenges, this site serves as an example to other locations as to what CAN be done despite challenges and outside pressures. The NEP Lab School is a manifestation of the educa- tion philosophy that every student can do honors work, and carries the slogan, “Equal Access to Success.” Site visits to CAAS include a professional debriefing with your team about your school’s goals and needs.
NEP Portfolio of Services
2 Professional Development
When your design strategy is in place, it is time to equip your staff. This is a wise investment because long after grant funds dry up and budgets are cut, skills acquired from training and lessons from planning are yours to keep for- ever. NEP accesses expertise from practitioners and innovators in a wide range of topics. All NEP workshops are based on research & practice, interac- tive, practical and reflect the highest levels of quality in the industry.
We provide professional development in many forms. (1) On-site workshops provide awareness training and skill development for teachers and administrators. (2) Peer coaching and collaboration build capacity so your staff can take ownership of their own professional growth without reliance on expensive, outside trainers. (3) Virtual net- working, along with national and regional conferences help your staff share ideas with other schools throughout the United States. This national collaboration helps increase their skill base and identify solutions to challenges more quickly.
On-site Workshops
Teacher and administrator training and follow-up on multiple subjects. The NEP pulls from a pool of 18 nationally and regionally recognized experts to assist schools in all aspects of professional development: (a) awareness, (b) skill development, (c) implementation and (d) peer collaboration for ongoing use and improvement.
Some of the workshops topics include (but are not limited to):
• Student performance and achievement • Mastering the master schedule • Classroom assessment • Equal access to success: Preparing every student for work AND college • Long term change - Design, implementation, and their affects on culture • Sustainability and building capacity • Creating safe schools • Teacher ownership of the change process • Academic vigor • Creating success for over-age/under-accredited students • Effective educator teams • Meaningful instruction • Curriculum integration • Higher order thinking in the classroom • Hands-on Math and Science instruction for student mastery • Successful advisories • Community partners in curriculum and instruction (business, parents and higher education) • Using learning styles for individual student assessment and differentiated instruction • Getting back on track for academies that have lost momentum
NEP Portfolio of Services
3 Leadership Lab
Five powerful days of developing the thinking of new administrators. NEP’s Leadership Institute shows how the job of administration is divided into two parts: leadership and management. This week will immerse new administra- tors in the leadership aspect of school administration with a panel of presenters. Research, case studies and fact- based simulations will help new administrators make quick and accurate decisions that balance short-term needs with long-term values and goals.
Persistently Dynamic Schools Workshop
When a school is hung with the label “persistently dangerous,” teacher morale takes a sharp drop and administrators feel intense pressure. NEP will help them onto a productive and empowering track with our workshop “Persistently Dynamic Schools.” Led by administrators and teachers at the Cultural Academy for the Arts & Sciences (CAAS) in Brooklyn, NY, they will show educators how they turned their own inner-city school around from a “persistenlty dangerous” site, to a dynamic NEP School of Promise and lab school. They will lead and coach participants into plan development for quick, but effective and sustainable results at their own schools.
Peer Coaching & Collaboration
The greatest power on any campus, and the greatest determiner of success, is the classroom teacher. Peer coaching and collaboration (sometimes referred to as “professional learning communities”) allows educators to tap into intel- lectual and creative resources in their own building, on their own staff. In-depth training on how to us this powerful tool creates long-term success and improvement by building capacity for your staff. This puts control of the profes- sional growth process in your teachers hands, rather than in the hands of outside consultants. Investment here saves money in the long run and virtually guarantees sustainability of your initiative.
National & Regional Conferences
The SLC International Conference has been an annual event in the spring since 2003. It focuses on practical strategies for leadership, classroom practice, coalition-building and teacher ownership, and developing a support network. There have also been two additional national conferences and three regional events along the same model in different parts of the country to meet the needs of specific school districts and states.
Regional conferences are contracted to a single district, state, or consortium. They allow school districts to share the national conference experience with an entire district and far more teachers than would be practical to travel with. These events are great for building momentum toward change, as well as establishing a shared, common vision. Other regional events focus on one topic and are a cost-effective way for schools to get professional development on topics that are timely for them.
NEP Portfolio of Services
4 Ongoing Support
You have your design in place and your teachers equipped. When most pro- fessional development organizations call it a day, NEP increases its commit- ment to you with a wide range of services to support your schools’ continuing innovation. We believe the job of improving the educational experience four our young people is never finished, so we are never finished either.
Some of our ongoing support services include the following:
The NEPwork - “Schools Helping Schools”
The NEPwork is a U.S. patent-pending process of interstate peer collaboration, support, data sharing and cultural exchange. The process assists schools in making sound progress more rapidly by multiplying the resources at their disposal. The NEPwork includes structured communications at regular intervals; video conferencing, podcasting and virtual office space online for teachers to observe best practices and make ongoing, peer-reviewed improve- ments. This creates an online presence for professional growth and student achievement, including powerful on-site components. What peer coaching and collaboration does for the classroom, the NEPwork’s national resources and connections do for your whole school.
School Honor Recognitions
The National Educator Program believes it is important to have a database of schools showing outstanding practice for other schools to learn and get support from. NEP also believes it is important to identify and bring recognition to schools who have earned it through their efforts to help students and must be renewed regularly.
Schools that show proficiency with at least two of the 5 Keys for Successful Career Academies may qualify for the designation “NEP School of Promise.” This designation recognizes that a school has laid a foundation for success in the near future with academies or SLCs. “Schools of Promise” have struggles and obstacles, but are working to move toward their vision. This designation is good for three years. At the end of that time, a school may extend the desig- nation for a brief time or apply for “Beacon School” status.
An “NEP Beacon School” is one that shows not just proficiency, but mastery of all of the 5 Keys for Successful Career Academies and is in a state of ongoing improvement and innovation. This designation is extremely difficult to achieve. NEP will only assess up to four schools per year.
Advocacy
NEP is regularly an advocate for individual school district programs, securing funding from Washington lawmakers that support innovative educational programs. While NEP is not a lobbying firm, we are familiar with the process of filing papers requesting funding and setting up meetings between lawmakers and educators, and can assist schools in pursuing federal funding for their initiatives. NEP can attend meetings between lawmakers and school districts when requested to speak as an advocate with both the House of Representatives and the Senate on behalf of those schools.
NEP Portfolio of Services
5 Research
NEP is regularly engaged in research and data generation. Ongoing projects include NEP Lab School, the history of development of career academies, teaching & learning styles affect on student achievement, social promotion, multi- national teacher efficacy on student abilities, and more. Other research projects are based on specific activities in schools and/or classrooms on school climate change, teacher performance, and student achievement.
Innovation Magazine
The official publication of NEP, Innovation showcases success in small learning communities (SLCs). It is a forum for SLC educators and students to share insights and best practices, updates educators on upcoming national and re- gional events, and results of the latest research and findings on SLCs and classroom instruction. It is written by edu- cators nationally and is edited and produced by career academy students at the NEP Lab School, CAAS.
Free Resources
A battery of publications, resources and services are always made available to educators by NEP. These include:
• Forms for setting up successful site visits to other schools • A school culture & design self-assessment • Innovation Magazine • School evaluations & designations • All the resources of our website www.neponline.org
More resources available with no cost and no membership requirements are becoming available regularly.
NEP Portfolio of Services
6 NEP Clientele
A partial list of clients (Additional clients and references available upon request):
Schools School Districts Ben Lomond High School - Ogden, UT Baldwin County Board of Education - Daphne, AL Bentonville High School - Bentonville, AR Broward County Schools - Ft. Lauderdale, FL Birmingham High School - Birmingham, AL Clay County Schools - Orange Park, FL Chamberlain High School - Tampa, FL Columbus Public Schools - Columbus, OH Charlotte High School - Charlotte, FL Conway Public Schools - Conway, AR Columbia High School - Columbia, SC Hamilton County Schools - Chattanooga, TN Dekaney High School - Houston, TX Hillsborough County Schools - Tampa, FL Dixie Hollins High School - St. Petersburg, FL Indianapolis Public Schools - Indianapolis, IN Dresden Middle School - Dresden, TN Lake County Schools - Howie-in-the-Hills, FL Dundalk High School - Baltimore, MD Los Angeles Unified School District - Los Angeles, CA Florida State University - Tallahassee, FL Ogden School District - Ogden, UT Gulf Shores High School - Gulf Shores, AL Orange County Public Schools - Santa Ana, CA Heritage High School - Bentonville, AR Pasco County Schools - Land O’ Lakes, FL Huntington Park High School - Los Angeles, CA Polk County Schools - Bartow, FL Joliet Central High School - Joliet, IL Princeton Public Schools - Princeton, MN Lake Worth High School - Lake Worth, FL St. George County Schools - Hopewell, VA Madison High School - Mansfield, OH Salem-Keizer Public Schools - Salem, OR McKay High School - Salem, OR Spring Independent School District - Spring, TX McKinley High School - Honolulu, HI Miami Beach High School - Miami Beach, FL Organizations Moore Haven High School - Moore Haven, FL California Partnership Academies - San Francisco, CA Morton Freshman Center - Chicago, IL Canadian International Learning Foudation - Ottawa, QB Newburg Technical Center - Newburg, NY Connecting Schools to Careers - Aurora, CO North Hollywood High School - Hollywood, CA Florida Department of Education - Tallahassee, FL North Salem High School - Salem, OR Florida Inclusion Network - Tampa, FL Northstar High School - Lincoln, NE Green River Educational Consortium - Bowling Green, KY Ogden High School - Ogden, UT Illinois Business Educators Association - Springfield, IL Owensboro Community College - Owensboro, KY Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce - Jacksonville, FL Rogers High School - Rogers, AR National Association of Staff Development - Washington, D.C. South Salem High School - Salem, OR National Tech Prep Network - Waco, TX Stetson University - Kissimmee, FL Pennsylvania Staff Development Council - Hershey, PA Tilden High School - Brooklyn, NY Philadelphia Academies, Inc. - Philadelphia, PA University of Edinburgh - Scotland Southern Regional Education Board - Atlanta, GA University of Missouri - Columbia, MO Texas School Improvement Region XIII - Austin, TX University of South Florida - Tampa, FL Virginia Career & Technical Education - Roanoke, VA Waipahu High School - Waipahu, HI Wesley United Methodist Church - Tampa, FL Wunsche High School - Houston, TX Women in Educational Leadership - Lincoln, NE
NEP Portfolio of Services
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