Volume 13, Number 1 The Coalition of Essentjal Schools September 1996

ORACE

Building mutualrelationships thatencourage honestlooks at teacher

practice andstudent work can

profoundiy shiftthe cukure Of

schooling. Bothinside schools and

among them, net-

works Of teachersare creating newways to share andquestion theirwork, learn fromeach other, and

hold themselves to

higher standards.

It\' KA'l 111.1{EN Ct N IMAN

Networks and Essential Schools:

How Trust Advances LearningI'()51· E A (;RC)UPI)FTE.AC 1 11{RS

sit[ing,tround a table in silence,itH: 15 cm a ,;chi Mil morn ing feemhalino,d oxymoronic, given the pressand pace of high schixillife. But forhundredh of F.s,ential Schoo] teach-

('rh who have participated in profes-

i,ic inal development through theCo.ilition, the ritual of "Connections"

now repre.ents a new way ofs[art-ing the day: quietly making spacefc ir human contact among their col-

li·.1);ai1:4 iand speaking, when they,irc moved to, of the emotional reali-

ties they bring with them to work.

"It's not a discussion," saysGine Thompson-Grove, who intro-

duc·ed the practice when she beganworking with the Coalition's

Citibank Faculty iii 1990. 'There'sric) nicil lo rusporid, ur even to

spe,ik at,111. Ni> one speaks twice,Linless everyone else who wishes tc)

has spoken." Not unlike a Quakermeeting, she says, those fifteen quiet

niinutes create bonds of communityand authenticity among those whohabitually share them. The samegroup>, typically end the day with acomparable period of "Reflections,"which often includes a brief journalentry resXmding to the day's workAWS U,MNPRotelve'is 12,?,R Msr,

brought (lic rituals into their stu-dents' lives, st,irling and endingl|dhh heSSiOnS with Connections and

Reflecthitib.

Why bother? Whal dies thew.,v teachers,ind sludenth fl'd have

li i do with the central goal of Essen-

tial schooling, that students learn to

use their minds well? Everything,ca> the growing numberof educa-t<iri whoargue thatsucces,4fulearning can only take place whensupported by an entire culture-aculture where it is safe to speakhonestly of one's beliefs and ques-tions, doubts,and hopes and fears.

"What you believe about yourstudents and your colleagues does

directly a ffect the quality of studentwork in yaur sclux,1," astrts Bob

McCarthy, the Coalition's interimexecutive director. "Acting asif aparticular group of kids can'tdochallenging work, for instance,virtually guarantees that they won't.

If you don't trust other teachersenough to open your classroom

door to them, you can't get theirsuppcrt and feedback as you trynew ways to reach students And ifadministrators act as if teachers

can't be trusted to hold themselves

accountable for high quality work,they get a system where that doesn'thappl!11."

Whatever the issue-whether

national standards and testing; race,class, and gender; or new structureslike cliarterschool..-dic,01 people's32#31,9¢45 7,124#Ve,t rk'R,is:72., A,,22 7, 5'7,7-

tling impact on bi,th policy and

practice. If authentic relationshipsbuilt on trust and common amcarn

begin to drive what gcies fin in

.schools, for example, small systemscould evolve where periple holdeach i,ther accuuntable to their

Circles of Support:The Context for Successful School Restructuring

< Student \,< Learning )

Authentic

Pedagogy

School

OrganizationalCapacity

External

Support-------

\

From Fred M. Newmann and Gary G. Wehlage, Successfit Schoo; Rt':tri,curing.Madison, WI, Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools, 1995.

shared standards amd educaticinal

purpose. And if the traditionalschcx)1 culture of i,nlation gives wayto 11(,11451 talk, we stan d to learnmitch Jbc itit how our beliefs about

children ami their learning affectwhat they achieve.

Because of this, helping teachersstrengthen and use relationships ininetworks kith within and outside

their own schc*)15 has latelyemerged as a key E.lisential SchoolAlrate#Y. School networks subvert

the very function of bureaucracy--toregulate people who are expected tofight with each other-and replace itwith Ii)05er a„sociatic,ns of trust and

common purpilse. 11,cally, a net-w rk's critic,11 mashalki reputationi·,in citten prcitrit restructuringschools from redctive politic.11 forces.Ani| natkinally, networks iii like-mitidi,1 4,114)01 reformers c.in wirId

i·Litisider,Ible licilitic,il Clout. At best,:iriworks Iliat l're.ile 1 "svurni i, f

HORACE

schools" to counter the conventional

"school system" hold radical poten-tial for reshaping the way schoolswork together.

How Networks Affect QualityStudent achievement lies at the heart

of this push for more personalconnections among school people.Entire groups of children suffer fromlow expectations, educators likeMichael Alexander and Nancy Mohrargue, because teachers' beliefs abc,utrace, class, and gender currently gounchallenged by their colleagues.IFew teachers invite direct criticalreview bv their fellows of actualwcirk, and even fewer schools ask

outsiders iii to give feedback.Mistmst betivirn "reformers"

and "resisters," between administra-

lots and te.whers, between parents;,ind school people grows from thesanic behaviors and attitudes that

stiow up in troubled families: we

2

forget to listen respftfully; we learlosing power and control; we clingto ways that ha\ e served old pur-poses H·eli.

Clearly. changing such familialpatterns cannot happen by policymandate, or even by introducinginnovative programs Only if the ifundamental units in school organi-zations-teachers. parents, students,administrators-an establish new·

habits of relating to each other andtheir work will a dvsfuncti(mal

schcx,1 community begin to thrive."Change continues to be a prob-

lem of the smallest unit" declares

Stanford University's MilbrevMcLaughlin in her ess.ay revisiting adecade later the conclusions of the

Rand Corpc,ration'h 198()ChangeAgent study of innovative schoolpractices. To change what goes on inschools every day, she savs, hasproved "beyond the control ofbureaucracy." In fact, McLaughlin'sresearch intcithe context of secondaryschool teaching shows persuasivelythat personal connections amongteachers-whether in a department, a

• HORACE

HORACE is published fivei times yearly at Brown

University by the Coalition ofEssential Schools. Individual

subscription ($20 a year,payable to Brown University),write Brown University, Attn:CES Subscriptions, P.O. Box910, Oxon Hill, MD 20750-0910or call 1-80062-HORACE.

For a list of back issues or

for information about the

Coalition, write to CES,

Brown University, Box 1969,Providence, RI 02912.

Editor.

Kathleen Cushman

Managing Editor:Susan Fisher

September 1996

profe%sional organization. ora net-work-most d irectly inE]uence thesuccess of %choot reforms.

When a whole chix d create,4

such a context, extraordinarychange•, ran re•ult. (*ganization#change, Peter Senge affert& in hi4book 7/w /·ifth /)8[ iplim·, when theirmembers can identify their mi»,tdir·ply ingrained a·,umption'., thenune,irth a shared picture cif thifuture and go after it together. Insuch "learningor<,anizations," hesay%, people "continually di%cove·rhow they create their reality andhow they ran change it, and c cintin-uouhly expand their capacity tc)( reati, their filturr."

94·nge is ·„aying what meat

succeful school people intuitivelyknow. that everrone learns more

when pe{,ple gather together bychoice to do wimething ther believein. Whether it happens inhide aschool or outside it, this is a per%onalact, not a bureaucratic one.

in fact, rn<st hucce,sful networks

have grown organically from thenced% of indiriduah to explore prob-Irms together, share re,·,ources, andlearn from each other. The Fox fire

1 ea i her Outreach Network, for

instance, grew from one Georgiateacher'% commitment to developliteracy through locally basedexperiential projects. The NationalWriting Project emerged from awide,pread de4ireto 5hare with

students in school, the real proces»writers e. The lational Elemen-

tarv School Network spran,g fromteachers' %enhe that Essential

4chooling, which began as a sec-ondan· school movement had

powerful meaning in lower grades,too. Even within schools, strongworking relationships typicallyform on common ground, as when

hpecial educatic,n teachers. forinstance, jc,in other teachers to add

perspertive and resources to af.tudent'> learning situation.

Student Work at the Center

The most powerful of these connec-tions often happen when peoplegather at regular intervals to look

The Essential School Network and How It Grew

The Coalition of ID,sential Schools is itself a network,which 1-heodore Sizer conceived as "a conversation amongfriends" ab<iut his Nine Common Principles. Such conversa-tion flowed readily among the dozon original membersschools and among the 150 participants at the first Fall Forum,hc·Id in Providence, Rhode island in 1986. As the member-

ship grew-- to 5() schools by 1988, more than 100 schools by1990, and more than 200 schools by 1995-school peoplebegan w<,rking together ti, support and strengthen each oth-er's effirts. Essential schix,1 teams signed up for CES-spon-sored "'I'ri,ks," wliich created cri)ss-school groups of "criticalfriends" to support each other's change efforts. More than125 teachers reccived intensive professional development atBrown University during the four years of the CitibankFaculty program, and they, along with several dozen princi-pals from the Thomson Fellows program, now constitute anetwork of practitioners, a nationwide "faculty," who worktoward I.sse,itial school change. A similar program preparedmath and science teachers to work with colleagues.

As the number of schools joining the Coalition rose, thenumber of schools less formally affiliated with CES and itsideas ballooned past the 1,000 mark. Over 3,700 peoplejammed the 1995 Fall Forum in New York, The five-yearRe:Learning initiative ultimately spawned local Essentialschool networks in twelve states, comprising anywhere froma dozen to several hundred schools. Grass-roots networks,such as the Center for Collaborative Education iii New York

City, began attracting like-minded schoolpeople who meetregularly fur discussion and professional development.hidependent sch<,1,1 districts, such as Jeffermwi County,Kentucky and Brow,grd County, Rorida, supported Essential5111001 efforts and built active local school networks, further

swelling the Coalition's ranks.Not surprisingly, the Coalition's very success rendered the

"conversation,iinong friends" less personal and direct.Successful networks run the risk of overextending,

HORACE 3

Columbia University professor Ann Lieberman points out-losing control over their intellectual quality and diminishingthe sense of ownership on the part of an increasingly dis-persed membership. Recognizing this, the Coalition hasbegun restructuring itself to seat its crucial functions--including governance, fundraising, and professional develop-ment-in regional Centers around the country. Restoring amore manageable scale to the Essential School network,CES's "Futures Committee" decided, would not only enrichand enliven its work but also enable more direct and honest

accountability among its member schools. And it will allowlocal practitioners, through representation from the Centersat a twice-yearly national congress, greater influence on theCoalition's national agenda.

As a growing web of like-minded school reform initia-tives increases its political clout through a "network of net-works," Essential scliools aim to strengthen and deepen the"near in" connections that most directly influence sfudentachievement. Today the Coalition's strength is located not inProvidence but in small regional networks of schools thatuse the "critical friend" strategy to advance the NineCommon Principles. Several dozen Essential school teachersare being trained to coach Critical Friends Groups (CFG) bythe Annenberg Institute's new National School ReformFaculty; back home, they work with school-based CFCs tokeep the quality of student work at center stage.

Along with Harvard University's Project Zero, Yale'sSchool Develqpment PraiK,.and ,ely:atieo.Devalop.ozeatCenter, the Coalition belongs to a network of ATI-AsCommunities that embrace the goals of all four groups. Andit has joined with the League of Professional Schools, theschools involved in the Annenberg Challenge, the NationalWriting Project, the Breadloa f Rural Teachers Initiative, andnwny other schix,1 reform networks in using the Annenberginstitute for School Reform at Brown University as a forumfor sharing resources and amassing political weight.

September 1996

carefully at student< port folit>·· andexhibitions, read their (·,say. (ir labnotebooks, witne.•, their art ordrama or mubic-making, and talktogethfr about what they 'ce. Thihkind of converhation leads naturally,to ,>tudent'' experienring more conti-nuitv and coherenre in what 14(,(.5 onat •*-licK,1. For tracher,5, it ·erve, a' a

springboard from which to reflecton their daily experience, relate it tothe experience of i,thers, and havetheir understanding', critiqu(xi bytru„ted colleagues. Parents becomepart of the web of shared interest, asthev are invited to review andd Acu,+ what their children are

learning. Atl involved are construct-

Creating a Network of Schools as Critical Friends:The Fifty Schools Project

Since 1992 thc· (. oalition's Fifty Schucils Prc,ject has worked tobring togethersmall clusters of exemplary refi,rm-focused high schools and support them insharing resc,urces and solving problems. The effort could easily serve as ablueprint fur howany like-minded group could structure a network:

1. Four tc, right schcitils, preferably withhi easy reach of each other but possiblylinked imly thrflugh common ideas and goals, partner together in an activenetwork. Tuains from unch school meet in person twice a year in a clusterretreat (convening on a Friday afternoon and lasting through Saturdayevening), then follow up with clectronic mail and videoconferencing. A five-clay iminer institute also convenes around a common theme.2. A "cluster coordinator" provides logistical support and facilitative leader-ship to inch membrr school. She begins the year with a visit to each school ofup to,1 week, cluring whicli she ubserves and debried its faculty, notes areas of

' cmnicin need with partner schools, and introduces techniques and processes(such as the "tuning protocol") thal the network can use in its critical friend-ships. In subsequent vigits of one cir two days, she provides structured check-points and follow-up as each School makes progress on its agenda for the year,helps start up critical friendships among the school's faculty, and gathers help-ful resources and reading,. She brcikers school viBits between teamsaroundareas of mutual interest or need, and plays an impurtant part in facilitating thetwice-yearly cluster malings (The Fifty Schcxils Project bears the cost of thecourdin,tor's salary for three years, but a group of schools could hire a compa-rable person by each contributing a portion of her salary from professionaldevelopment funds,)

3. A "sch<,01 coordinator"within each school works closely with the clustercoordinator to synthesize various initiatives within tile school so that theyhave as much coherence aspossible, and to make best use of the visiting coor-dinator'stime. At Specif'ied intervals betwion the twice-yearly cluster meet-ings, the school coordinators report to each other on how the work in theirschools is playing out. (The cost of the school coordinator equals that of reduc-ing a full-time teacher's load by one quarter.) They also help reach agreementas to the agendas for the twice-yearly cluster meetings, which generally focuson specific common concerns such as heterogeneous grouping, democraticdecision-making, standard-setting, or authentic instruction and assessment.4. An evaltiation program measures progress throughout the network. Schools„gree to use the hame measures acri,hs the network to assess and documenttheir progress in the key,)reas they are tickling. If thev need help in this effortfrom an c,utside partner (such as d university or foundation), they arrange forit collectivrly, and they disseminate results jointly when the time comes.5. Srhotils in the network make and share video presentations for communitydind parent groups, write articles for publication about the process of schoolchange, and present their work in public to support the network's efforts.

HORACE 4

ing Fc,werfulnew knowledge witheven· <tep

Fred Xewrnann, the director ofa massive Univerhitr of Wisconsin

stud v of the effects of restructurin gpractices on student achier·ement,draws a series of concentric circle toilluftrate how student work benefits

when a schoot organizes its profes-sional ccimmunity around improv-ing teaching and learning, and whenthe external environment-immu-

nity, ditrict, state-cmsistentlysupprirts that effort. (See fidel:,ar,page 2.) If one riewh the connectionsamong Xewmann's circles as theciutline of a web, it is easv to Mye

how a network begins to form.Schixis whose internal struc-

ture<. riicourage communication andtru,·t provide fertile ground for thalto happen. Many Essential schoolshave encouraged this by creating"critical friends" relationshipsamong their teachers, either throughCES-sponsored programs like theTrek cir through the AnnenborgInstitute's National School Refnrm

Faculty. (See sidebar, page 5.) Suchgroups shape small networks intheir own right, and also link tothose in other schools until it seems

sometimes that only "six degrees ofseparation" come between anygiven participants.

Their work starts with team-

building, which most organizationalchange experts call a prerequisite Forany reform effores success. Payingattention to group process; forexample, dramatically affects thequality of how people work togetherin a meeting. "We always reviewour ilorms first, and then address

any issues that might get in the wayof what we do," says Lois Jones,whose time as principal of OceanaHigh School in Pacifica, Californiahas been marked by a passion forbilliding community.

Oce.ina's Critical Friends Grouphas devised a number of ways t(iclime together an,und student work."Something as simple as showingrough videos of oursenior exhibi-lions really brought us together,

September 1996

vys humanities teacher Mary Stuart.Liketither(keana tracher who

are paired as critical friends, JillWhitbyand (;reg Nakara sit in oneach (ither'% cla„ses once everv tw'o

weeks over a two-year period.Though Jill teaches math and (,regis a humanitie,trat hi·r, thiy say thepractice get. them in the habit iiireflix·tingon tht·irtraching. 1·eed-back is inform.1 1, nd s pfintanci,us. atthe Lind of the first year the twowent to Yfisc·initi· for horne quirllim<· 1(> review the ran

Thes<, h,ibib,ind struc turci f

r,·fli·, tive practice lay a 401 idground for le.Ii her5 1(, reac h (nit to1,tit„iders when 1114·y fi·rl re,Hly. Asshi, elf H limt'nts, the work by v ht cilI juster•, in thi·(- alition's FiftySchix,15 t'n ject (sidebar, p.,gc· 4),Nancy W,ilwcxx| fiys, Jw mitices ,idifferetic i· hi·f wrtin ·hools that h.lve('j'(66.ind |ht}5(' th,}1 l|cm't. "hch ,()14

wheri· te,ic·hers know their idi'.)4 and

tipinions ,)rc, valu,11)10 1,}vi·a built-in1,inguage for working throughthings togrther," sht' say•i. "It'% a12.11 111·,11 propirn·Shi n then k, include·rxtern,it l),irtners to help Ihi,in cnn-limir thi, work they've chi)beti."

Finding and pr,wlicing ways toprnmcilt· rt,bliectilll dirciursr imdifficult topics helps immeasurably,Ihi·s, sch<%11% 94()Ile tool thit int,stC Kis find invaluable |s the "tuningprotorn]"' clevi·loplrl at ('1{54 byIi».i·pli Mcihinald amd David Allen,which ciffris a structured format for"warin" ,ind "cuo]" conversationabout stuilent,ind tearlier work.

(Set· 11(,RA< 3., Voltime 1 1, Number 4.)After |rn teachers kit New

11.imps|lire'h, Sotilic,gi n I ligh School|cartic| lo ilse thi tuning protocol,says tr,ic-her Jermifer Mueller, theyset up works]Hips to familiarizellicircolleagues with the tool. "Now(*r'q'46' h.·,yf ¢6-04*wme t'o· M·,Yn· d4,11(clitivlm,ition alilit][ i,111„irt,miIliingh," slie S.,VN. A. thi pr,ictil·cVirr.111, 5|le SavS, "wi llid 114,1 .Intici-pite h w much it ivcitild he|pin (ilarmis//'/Ii hin'il li}nwrS,ltions, 19%1."

"We hirtiggle ti) lind w,Ws tcihav h,)11| things ki <•.Ii·11 8lher in,m

HORACE 5

What Does a Critical Friends Group Do?

A Critical Friends Group (CFC) brings together four to ten teachers within aschool over at least two years. to help each other Iook seriously at their ownclassroom practice and make changes in it. A fter a sojid grounding in groupprocess skills, members focus on designing learning goals for students whichcan be stated specifically enough that others can observe them in operation.They work ciut strategies to move students toward these goals and collectevidence on how thcae strategies are working out. In a structured setting ofmutual support and honest critical feedback from trustid peers, they then workto adapt and revise their goals and strategies and to modify conditions withinthe school qi as to better support student learning A portfolio of each member'swork documents evidence of their progress.

Each CRS meets for at least two hours monthly with a coach, sometimesfrom within the schix)1 and sometimes not. Many Essential schools have morethan one CFC; and typically, the groups broaden their perspective through part-nerships and regional meetings with CFGs from other schools. The AnnenbergInstitute's National School Reform Faculty provides training to CFG coaches andhelps with yearly week-long summer institutes for school teams.

fkimetimes pe,ple with a common interest will form a Critical Friendsr;roup whose members hail from different schools. Librarian Mark Gordon, forexample, coaches a "virtual" CFG that links five Essential school librarians viaelectrc,nic conferencing; and CFGs made up of Essential school principalsccinvene m many regions.

honest bilt comfortable way," saysSouhegan'5 academic clean, AllisonRowe. Such talk includes more than

jilst "siraight shooting"aboutacade-inic nwtteri, she,iddh.

ikah with studembi iind with

cille,Igues, we nied to be able totalk,ibiciut how their behavior affects

uh," hill' Silyh. 'Smiet)ne once said tome in a critical friends meeting,'Yciu're using an mt,Ill,lislrillia' vi)ice

that makes nie very uncomfortable.'1-hat was rual learning for me-1didn't even know i had an adminis-trative voice! But it wah even harder

for the pers*m to say it"Using the tuning protocol with-

in their school gave new heart to thefaculty of l.ouisville's Fairdale 1-lighSclwxii, discouraged by Kentucky'shigh-stakes labeling of schoolsaccording to state test scores. "Webrought it first into the classroom tofocus on stitilent work," principalSherry Abinia says. "ll helped build,1 culture „f truS[ iii which teachers

crnild critique their ciwn work"'Doing this redefines the start-

ing point," says Allison 14,we. "Itlil·Ips yul, be flexible enough to imivepenple frum the point where they'rebrginning." As pekiple grow used to

havinga sa fe place to voice theircr,iicerns, "resisters" and "reforniers"

start sharing the same goals."The term 'buy-in' sends the

wning message," observes KennethDuncan, who teaches at Flower

Vocational-Technical High School inChicago. "We're not se//ing some-thing. This is about bringing ideastogether until weshape somethingweall want.'

" Implicit in everv conversationin a good network is a senseof 'into,''through; and 'beyondi" says SteveJubb of the Bay Area regional CESCenter. "-the work is always evolving from shared understanding, andleading to continued action aimedatwhat's good for kids."

Networks Among SchoolsBoth in the Coalition's regionalCenters and in local school networks,

E<senTI.liscl\)L)& plirstte t'60 samekind of intercc,tinections with the

.same tools.ind strategies aimed atbuilding trust and candor. ln theprocess, Bob MIC'arthy says, they arereel.iiming accountability as theirown business.

"The Coalition base became· so

September 1996

large that it 10•t the ability to stayacc(,unlable," he fays. "School clusters can scilve that by developingclear expectatirms am(>ng thcmselvcsand setting up ways to mutinely holdeach other accountable."

"Ask yourself what kind ofevidence you would trust fromantither schot,1 that theyare makinga difference' to tudents," (8 vice-chair Deborah Meier told a FiftySchot>16 gath{·ring recently. "-ilienask, "l lc,w would 1 check it (iut?"'

11·ic· Fifty School, network ha#1,4411 th,· tuning protocol both to< hirk out th,at c ·videnre and to ca wi

any awkwardne.4 in vilting a part-ners,hon] to view their work in

progru,$. fc·ire 4,idebar, page 4.) "11Ii I!(iwed u4 to enter rach othir'h

M·hoo| cill turi'h sm,x,thly, giving 115:i common language in which wecould get down ti, busint·s•„" 5ayhprincipal K.,thy Mason of Crottin-I larmon I ligh School in New York,wheri, a f.wility team has exchangedvAilsover thu, past thri·r yi·.irh withC 71.ith,m (NY) 1 ligh Schi x ,1,1 mi

i S uhegan High Schix,1.The practici· becarne so routine

thal, stuck in the planning stages ofi, now advisory program, Crottin'sfaculty asked its Fifty Schools trainto preM·nt their work in progress for"ltining" t, Skitihi,gan, which hadking bITin lihing advisory groups.

Teachers Learning Along a Continuum of ConnectionsAnn Lieberman uses this chart to describe the many ways that connectionsamong teachers and the outside world can advance their professional growth.

"Direct" Teaching Learning in School

• Inspirationals• Awareness

sessions

• initial conversation

• Charismatic

speakers• Conferences

•Courses and

wcirkshops• Consultations

• Team teaching• Peer coaching• Action research

• Problem-solving groups• Reviews of students

• Assessment development• Case studies of practice• Standard setting• Journal writing• Working on tasks together• Writing for professiotial

journals• On-line conversations

• School-site managementteani

• Curriculum writing• Mentoring• Peer reviews of practice

Learning out of School

• Reform networks

• School/universitypartnerships,

• Subject matter netivorks• Study groups• Collaborations

• Teacher centers

Reprilited with per,ilissimi from Ami Liebermwn's 'Transfonning Conceptions ofTeacher i-earni,ig," in M. W. Mclnughtin and 1. Oberman, eds..Teacher Learning:New Policies. New Practices. Neiu York: Tenchers College Press.

The resulting proposal won facultyappri>val partly because of how itwas developed and presented.

"Schools trying out new ideasappreciate not having to start fnimscratch," says Nancy Waiwo(id."And even when teachers feel

Regional Centers: A Larger Link, A Stronger VoiceThe Coalition's Regional Centers provide many of the same benefits to a ffiliatedschools that clusters do: a milieu in which to work together on common con-cerns, to build critical friendships, and to locate helpful resources. In fact, manybegan as smaller networks or clusters of schools engaged in critical friendships.

But as nonprofit organ17.ations with governing boards and position in thecommunity, CES Centers also can reach into the outside world to rally supportfor schools in the midst of complex change. They can bring together small clus-ters or networks for larger conferences and forums. They can exert pressure ond istricts and ad ministrators to support systemic change; they can raise moneyfrom foundations; they can carry out king-trerm evaluative studies and publishthe results. Finally, Centers send voting representatives to CES's new governingCtingress, giving the naticnal ietwork a stronger regioiial voice.

CES regional Centers arealreidy up and running in New York City, Boston,Southern Maine, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Kansas City (MO),C'hic,igo, and elsewhere. 1-he National Elementary School Networks has alsotail nchixi sehcx31-based centers across the country to foster Essential Schoolprinciples in elementary schools.

HORACE 6

buried under everything, takingtime away from the school buildingtoget feedback from other schoolshas proved a very powerful way topush past the comfort zone, to trvnew things and ask new questions.They commimicate with each otherin ways that they don't in school."

If several di fferent groups ofpeople, working on different aspectsof change, get together over timebetween the same two schools, a

critical mass begins to accumulate ofknowing the other school well, notesDeana'. Greg Nakata. Cross-schoolvisits between Oceana and the

Humanities school at Finer HighSchool in Santa Rosa sent Nakata's

team back "brimming with ideas,"he says; and Piner revamped itssenior exhibitions based on the ideas

it gleaned from Ocrana.Small-scale schol,1 colinections

tiften blossom into larger networks.Ilill Liebensperger worked for uneyear as an external coach to a newCritical Friends Group at Reynolds-burg High School, traveling some 4(1

September 1996

milr, from hi% own high whool inCallowav, Ohic 1, which wa* not yetready to commit to a CFC, At year'send the team ran a week-long

summer institute modeling thecritical friend process to othersch(x,14 in the region, and a smallnetwork of Ohio chcx,15 wa. born.

Multiple NetworksThrin't theri. rome a point whenoilt,ide networks take over th(·land-

scapx·, distracting teachers frorn thi,daily work c,f M.lic,01? Schi)(31%involved in multiple networks nc·eda strategic plan, Steve Jubb obferves,to make the sititation work for

r,itlier than against them.in California, where hi, and 1.isa

[.asky co-direct the Bay Area C ESregicinal ('enti·r, an lissential hchix,1might eilsily participate in ah many04 half a dozen (iverlapping net-wcirk,4- -the Ntate's 1274 %chix,1

1<c'structuring initiativr, a partnir-ship with Stanford Univerhity, theBay Area Writing Project, the

, AnnenberAChallenge, theTransi-tic)115 project oil coil,·gl' admifficins,ami more. So as thi'C-enter facilitates

connections among twenty Ii>.sentialschools, it,11,40 aims to coordinate

and bring rcihercnic to their workon many different initiatives.

"At best, milltiple connectionscan dic,pen the work, give moreBriple oppcir|unitieS to beccimeleailers in the school, and galvanizenew ideas into action by providingmciney or conceptual structures,"says Jubb. "I'he down side comes ifyou just assign the ernie group ofpeople to merely 'comply,' in theintercs& of time."

In Chicago, eleven CE; sclciolsare Clit.Stered with a regional Coali-tion center, and teachers have begungetting together Iii work on topicslike bkick schedliling and to share10014 for pir.riiiaching ,ind ('llierill·.ik'gies. 111 i.,ch schcic,1,) CriticalIgriends C;ri,up of te,ic·hirrs ivill si,)11br merting regul.Irly with its co,ir'11,,md cti,Ii·hes frlim thirlln,en sch(H)19

will ,i inert iminthly (1, slwreprogre,45. Ali\iderhhip'I'eam tor

HORACE

Elements of a Successful Network

A review of the writings of Ann Lieberman and Maureen Grolnick. AndyHargreaves, and others suggests these elements of a successful network:

• Building trusting relationships through inquiry and work initiated or chosenby members because of their own needs and carried out together over time.• Establishing nonns of reflective practice and shared decision making, whichprovide internal avenues by which to share information.• The support of district and building leadership, including respect for trueempowerment of teachers, parents, and students rather than "contrivedcollegiality" in the service of administrative control.

• A common purpose and the flexibility to adapt and revise that purposetogether as the network evolves.

• Compelling activities that support the central purpose, allow for participantsto share their own experience, and extend intermittent "transformative"experiences into actual daily work.

• Crossing role groups to use both "outside" and "inside" knowledge,balancing theory, research, and practice to solve common problems.

• A reliable way to provide information to members.• Structures and roles thal diffuse responsibility and leadership among themembers of the organization.

• An emphasis on informal personal connections in network activities, even atthe expense of efficiency or uniformity.

principals will meet monthly as criti-cal friends. Finally, parents will beworking with the Right Questionproject, a national effort to help par-ents improve communication withtheir local schools. When viewed in

the context of its surrounding stateand national networkaffiliations»

the Illinois Alliance of Essential

Schools, the Annenberg Challenge,the National School Reform Faculty-Chicago forms a web of comple-military a,iinections supporting thesame central goals.

In Missouri, two regionalCenters in Kansas City and St. Louishave worked together to establishan Essential Sci*101 presence acrossthe stale and to cooperate with theAccelerated Schools nicivement, the

League of Professional Schools, theNational Center *W Ed ucaticnial

Renewal, and either school reform

eficirts. lirum that effort is growing ash.ired netwi,rk whizie sch<x>Is arc

dill. borating to advance "al thenticpedagogy," says SuA,in 1 liman, whodirects tho St. I.ouis Center. A new

Prinrip.its 1.radership Network will

7

tie into that work; so will "action

research" by member schools on theeffects of shared decisionmaking onteacher practice and student learning.

Sometimes a large networkmust break into smaller ones to getthe job done. "A network has toshare an intention," says MarianMogulescu, who coaches a CFG atVanguard High School, whichbelongs to one of twelve small net-works linked through the Center forCollaborative Education in New

York City. "The point of ours is topool our staff development moneyto work on the same issues."

Because people typically joinnetworks by choice, what they dothere tends to have a spontaneous,flexible, personal character. Oftenmembers forge relationships face toface, then keep them alive using e-mail. For example, many Essentialschool teachers are members of the

Four Seasons network, a joint projectof Columbia University's NationalCenter for Restructuring Education,Schools, and Teaching (NCREST),CHS, thi Fox fire Teacher Outreach

September 1996

Network, and 1 larvard Univer,itv's

1 'rc,ject Zer . its participants me(·ttwice yearly to work on authentica.seskment, then keep in kiuch viathe World Wide Web. "lEs a•, if the

conference extends all year," *,ay•·J<le] Kammer, a teacher at PinerI figh Schid and a Four· Se,aonsmember.

How Networks Thrive

If such ronnections •,tay alive andinfrirmal, re·arch by Ann I.icix·rmanand Maurt'(m (irc,Inick •,how,,net-

work<% will adapt to their changing9 (inti:x t.and last a. king as theyremain tikful- -unlike bureaucracies,

whic·li tivid Ic> perpt'tuatc· tlic'mM,lve",indefinitely. And as king 2,9.1 n{·t-work brci.idly disp·rs(i le,iderhhip,ind ri'v,)<inibilitici, itain provide,1vital and r<·'·ilient alk·mativi, to,a

r,)h ific,d liure,iticr,}c y

A, milch,is school ch,Ii,Ac·

drpends cin ixirilination anil +Ilp-port nt all levels, though, il ri·t, tinincliviclil,11 piripli, making.ll,thenticFAMMI n,1.ilion%hiph b,thet| im

I interests, nifils, and growing trust."11 is very difficult to change one'spr,wlice in ,1 vacutim," kays MarylynWentworth, who helped found thi'9,uthi·rn Mdine Partnership'sri,giC ln,11 ('1{S ('i·lili'r. "1 ·vI·ry£)ne

1 HORACE

Coalition of lissential Schools= Ikix 1969, Brown University

Pr)vidence, R[ 02912

needi a place hi generate ideas,share reflection, get feedback, tackleproblems, expre,B frustrationTeaching requires t(,0 much energyto be without the regeneration thatcomes from the collective intelligencenf a vrong network"

That regenerative process ts per-w,nal, which i•, why informality andspontaneity characterize a 4trongnetwork more than efficiencv or

uniformity. But we're talking aboutrcipi·ct, 17(,t intimacy, Ikbc,rah Meierpoints out: work-orlented activitiesthat may spill over int(; the social 1%thi· work gets dcine, like a theatericimpany'% opening night party.

"The basis for all organized

Ii,arning ih to invite in iew pec>plewho.ire nic>re expert than we are inwhat wr want to dc)," hhe argues."But thi·, only happens if adults in4£11< jols have an exciting intellectuallifi· cif thuir own-if we get togetherthe way lawyers do, to have goodthick conversation>. in small groups.Without thih, educating kids isimpx):hhibir; kids meed toexperienced respxinsible, thoughtful communi-ty of grownups whom they want tobe like. We must build these

5(nictures into the very jittrpost' ofschooling, and then hold ourselvesan·c,untable to providing them." 3

Readings About Networks

Ann Lieberrnan and MaureenGrolnick, "Networks and Reform inAmerican Education." New York:

National Center for RestructuringEducation, Schools, and Teaching(NCREST), 1996.

Ann Lieberman and MilbreyMcLaughlin. 'Networks for Educa-tional Change: Powerful and Prob·lematic." Pm Delta i#pptin, May 1992

Milbrey Mcl aughlin and Joan E Tai-bert, Colitexts thnt Matterpr Tmchingami Lean,ing. Stanford, CA: Centerfc,r Research on the Context of

Secondary School Teaching,1993.(415) 7234972.

Milbrey Mclaughlin, "The RandChange Agent Study Revisited.Macro Perspectives and MicroRealities." Educatioimi Res,wrcher,December 1990.

Peter Senge, The Fifth DiSCiplitze. TheArt and Practice of the LwrningOrganizat imi. New York. CurrencyBooks, 1990.

Fred M. Newmann aid Gary G.Wehlage, Successful School Restritc-turing. Madison, WI, Center onOrganization and Restructuring ofSchools, 1995.

Theodore R. Sizer, Horace's Hope:What Works joi· the American HighSchool. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,1996.

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