DOCUMENT RESUME ED 340 104 EA 023 516 AUTHOR Hewitt, Geof, Comp.; And Others TITLE Leading & Learning: A Portfolio ot Changein Vermont Schools, 1991. INSTITUTION Governor's Institutes of Velmont, Stowe. PUB DATE Sep 91 NOTE 60p.; For 1990 edition, see ED 326 926. PUB TYPE Reports - Descriptive (1'11) -- Collected Works- General (020) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS High Schools; Leadership; *School BasedManagement; *School District Autonomy; *School Effectiveness; School Organization; *School Restructuring IDENTIFIERS Partnerships in Education; *Vermont ABSTRACT The Governor's Institutes of Vermontare summer programs for Vermont high school students. The studentsare chosen for their strong personal motivation andinterest in art, science and technology, and international affairs.Coordinated with the Institutes, the Lead Learner program is designedto enhance teacher and school efforts in restructuring.These and other programs help to build a new vision of education: to definethe needs of the 21st century learners, to transform schoolsso they can meet those needs, to promote standards of excellence inlearning and leadership, and to create powerful partnerships between schoolsand communities. This document chronicles the eventson Vermont's agenda for change from the personal and professional viewpointsof practitioners. Lead Learners tell what the institute'sprograms mean to them. Principals tell about their plans to work togetheron common issues. State leaders tell about the projects they leadand the challenge and promise they see. Five sections providethe following insights: (1) initiatives for change--active projectson Vermont's educational agenda;(2) institute reports--experiencesof the 1991 Lead Learners; (3) images--personal reflectionof educators;(4) great performances--success stories and innovativeclassroom ideas; and (5) profiles--reports from schools andcommunities working together for change. (RR) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRSare the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** LEADING LEARNING A Portfolio of Change in Vermont Schools U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Offv Pot f dur,abanyl Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RE SOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document haS been rePrOduCed as 'pc...hied Irom the person or organization originating it C Mino, change !. have been made to improve reproduclmon quality Poinis of 'nee or opinions stated in this dOCu, mem do nnt necessarily represent official OF RI position or policy -PERMISSION TO ; ItODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES 2 INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." BEST COPY AVAILABLE Ur0 RNORS MITItTES LgiVERMONT The Governor's Institutes of Vermont are summer programs for Vermont high school students with strong personal motivation and interest in Art, Science and Technology, and International Affairs. Students are chosen to study these subjects intensely with professionals, on the campuses of Vermont colleges. 3 sn 1991, the Governor's Institutes completed their ninthsummer Ieason, offering highly motivated high school students and educators engaging expetiential opportunitiesto learn together on Vermont college campuses in the Arts, International Affairs,and in Science and Technology. Coordinated with the Institutes,the Lead Learner prograrn is designed to enhance teacher and schoolefforts in restructuring. During the schoolyear; the First Network supports and encourages Lead Learnets and their school leadersto build upon each other's innovation and success. All of these programs of the Governor's Institutesshare fundamental goals with several other Vermont initiatives forchange. All are helping to build a new vision of education:to define the needs of 21st Century learners,to transform schools so they can meet those needs, to promote standards of excellence inlearning and leadership, and to create powetful partnerships between schoolsand communities. The second edition of "Leading& Learning"continues to chronicle events on Vermont's agenda for change from the personal and professional viewpoints of practitioners. LeadLearners tell what the Institute's programsmean to them immediately following and one year after their initial experience, principals tell about their plansto work together oncommon issues, state leaders tell about the projects they lead and the challenge and promisethey see in the future. Major suppod.for the 1991 programs of the Governor's Institutes of Vermont isprovided by: Barr Charitable Trust Bay Foundation Charles Gamper Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation W. K. Kellogg Foundation Josephine Bay Paul and C. Michiel Paul Foundation Vermont Council on the Arts Vermont Department of Education Windham Foundation Genetvus colporale support is provided by : Chittenden Bank Gallagher, Flynn & Company Green Mountain Power Corporation Hemmings Motor News Howard Bank IBM Corporation National Life of Vermont New England Telephone TJX Companies Vermont National Bank Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corporation Local publir suppon pmvidcd by l'erinont highschools and their enthusiastic /alders, who nominate and partially fund students and adurator; IIIpadi(iptile iiiMI Individu(II support through .financial and zw/unteer efforts is provided byhundads ofVemont community members, ecpeciallv paivnts, and bythe nearly 24)(4, highly motit wted students who have attewded the Governor's Institutes sinre 1982. LEADING &LEARNING A Portfolio of Change inVermont Schools SEPTEMBER 1991 INITIATIVES FOR CHANGE: aCtiVe pnjects 011 1'erniont's educationalagenda What Is A 1991 "Lead Learner?" 4 What Have We Discovered AboutRestructuring Schools? 6 A Few Ideas About Restructuring 12 The Vermont Common Core ofLearning 18 A Hopeful Vision for Education 20 The First Network 25 UNSTITt TTE REPORTS: experiences of tlw 1991 Lead Learners International Affairs: The SovietUnion 28 Science & Technology: Natural Science andEcosystems 30 Arts: The Creative Process 31 IMAGES: personal reflections k, educators Along the Road to Restructuring 33 Through the Eyes of an Otter 34 Thoughts on Philosophy and Practice 35 GREY r PERFORMANCES: SUCCeNS StUriCS and billOnitizT classroom ideas One Year Later 36 The Nichols Pond Project . 40 The Last Two Weeks 43 page 31 The New Haven River Project 46 Bringing Choice, Challenge, andChange to the Senior Year 48 PROFII,ES: reportsfromschools and communities L'orkingtogether tor cluing(' Update on Restructuring at Otter Valley 49 Restructuring Special Services in the Cabot Middle School. 50 Leaders All: Champlain Valley Sets No Limits on Numbers 52 About the Lead Learners and Authors 54 6 INITIATIVES FOR CHANGE What Is A .1991 "EeadLearner?" ead Learners are a group of educators who As a second focus, the Lead Learner program are inspired by their own learningand introduces school leadership activities that highlight professional growth and who want to lead ideas in recent literature on educational change as others, inside and outside of classrooms, to inquire well as to provide teachers with a broadened con- into, discover and express thehighest values in text for working within theirschools. Lead Learners education. They come to the Governor's Institutes help their schools by taking pcsitions on steering in school teams to learn\vhat it means to perform committees, by initiating study groups and inquir- under very high expectations, and to uevelop inno- ies with their communities, and by applying a vative ideas to take back to their schools. widened perspective in strategies to enhance their Leading... The program associat:2s two kinds of educational philosophy. Articles by Julia Hewitt activities with leadership, believing that changes in and David Book on page 48, Bruce Douglas on roles and responsibilities in schools must begin in page 49, and Carlene Bellamy on page50 speak the classroom. Instructional leadership activities from this point of view. A statewide report on re- help teachers think of themselves as guides to, structuring is presented by RichardTulikangas on rather than authorities on, knowledge. Traditional page 6. classroom roles position the teacher as an expert ...& Learning The program associates two and the student as a rehively passive recipient who more groups of activities withlearning: teachers as is usually exposed to knowledgerather than chal- learners, and students as co-producers of knowl- lenged by questions Articles by Ken Martin on edge in reorganized learning environments. Teach- page 43 and by Helen Morrison on page 40de- ers are at their best when they areexcited about scribe how inquiry can take center stage in the their own learning. Being a Lead Learner helps classroom A statewide perspective on curriculum teachers to experience the excitement of learnine. leadership is offered by Steven Gross on page 18. again, and to think about whatthey need to be shomember Sally Alurdoek handc Lead Ltwiner /Owe Doug/fr.,' Ii,z.:.ork al 1/billub. (?lethnology. BEST COPY AVAILABLE 7 LEADING cr LEARNING fulfilled as learners. Lead Learners examine their current habits in light of those experiences and establish new practices which extend the same conditions to their.students. Lead Learners reflect on their teaching and use teaching to further their own learning. A statewide perspectiveon standards for Vermont educators and the future of professional develop- ment can be found on page 20 in Ken Bergst.rom's interview of Susan Kuntz,