or 46 years, UVEI has been an inno-vator in teacher preparation. Our

approach has been grounded in the ideathat teachers learn best by being immersedin the actual work of teaching, and thataspiring teachers should be assessed basedon their ability to teach. As we haveadvanced these ideas over the years, ithas, at times, felt that UVEI has been avoice crying out in the wilderness.

Over the last two years, however,UVEI has been a leader in an innova-tive, collaborative effort to advance thisapproach at the policy level. Workingtogether with the New Hampshire Institu-tions of Higher Education Network, whichincludes representatives from every teacherpreparation program in the state, UVEIhas been at the forefront of creating what

demonstrate that they can dothe foundational work of teach-ing: understanding their stu-dents’ needs, designing lessons,teaching, and assessing theirstudents’ progress. This kind of“performance based” assess-ment has long been a hallmarkof UVEI’s programs. The resultsof the TCAP are used not only

to determine if a teacher is ready to get alicense, but also to help programs evalu-ate themselves and determine the areasin which they need to improve.

Given our history as a performance-based program, UVEI has been an enthu-siastic partner and leader in this work,influencing policy and affecting teacherquality across the state.

UVEI prepares, inspires and supports K-12 teachers and school leaders to improve the quality of education for learners in their classrooms, schools and community.

News fromWinter 2015

Improving Teacher PreparationUVEI Participates in New Hampshire Teacher Candidate Assessment Pilot

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can be likened to a “bar exam” for teach-ers. When fully implemented, this assess-ment, called the New Hampshire TeacherCommon Assessment of Performance(NH TCAP), will be required for all newteachers in the state.

The TCAP is not just another stan-dardized test. It requires teachers to

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Teacher interns and faculty at August orientation.

his fall, the Upper Valley Graduate School of Education has brought

together a new cohort of UVEI alumni,current UVEI interns, and other experi-enced educators, all of whom are pur-suing a Master of Arts in Teaching.(That brings the total number of masterscandidates to 24, our largest groupever!) Through our collaborative work,a theme has emerged which we calldeliberate practice. Just like expertprofessionals in other fields, expertteachers become expert by, over manyyears, looking carefully at what theyare doing and consciously working toimprove. At UVGSE, we do this bybringing back evidence of our teaching(in the form of data about students andstudent performance, videos of teach-

Deliberate PracticeReflections on a Teacher Learning Community

by R. Page Tompkins, EdDing, lesson plans, and more) and exam-ining it closely with colleagues, reflectingon strengths and identifying next stepsfor further improvement.

These conversations are extraordi-nary! Teachers ask one another probingquestions, digging for underlying mean-ing. Teachers examine the questions theyask students, reflecting on what kinds ofthinking those questions elicit. And mostimportantly, in my view, teachers prior-itize the growth of their colleagues equal-ly to their own improvement, leading toa real sense of a learning community.

As I reflect on these Thursday eveningsessions, I never fail to marvel at howendlessly interesting and complex arethe “problems of practice” that emergefrom the everyday work of teachers.

Even more, I’m inspired by the genuinecare for individual students, coupled withattention to craft, that animates thework of UVGSE teachers. I hope andbelieve that this work helps teachersimprove, and in doing so contributes toUVEI’s mission to contribute to schools.I also hope that each of these teacherspursues the pathway of the master:continuous practice. Selfishly, though,I am grateful that part of my job isspending time listening to teachers asthey go about their work.

Page Tompkins is UVEI’s ExecutiveDirector and a member of the ProgramFaculty. You can follow him on Twitter@pagetompkins

veryday, as I work with teachersand leaders in their schools and here

at UVEI, I am struck by how complex,rich, challenging and inspiring is thework of educators.

Recently, I spent the morning hear-ing from intern teachers about the “coolthings in schools” that they were expe-riencing (see “Cool Things in Schools”article from Kristen Downey). As always,I laughed together with the interns; wasmoved by some of the stories; and wassurprised and delighted by the incredi-ble insights, compassion and determina-tion of these emerging teachers. Laterthe same day, I sat down with a UVEIgraduate who has returned to earn hermasters degree in teaching with us.Together, we puzzled through how shemight engage colleagues at her school inlooking closely at one another’s teach-ing. I was struck by the degree to which

E she wanted to make the learning experi-ences she was having at UVEI a realityin her school (see “Deliberate Practice”article about the Master of Arts inTeaching program). The afternoon wasspent preparing for a meeting with lead-ers from all of the teacher preparationprograms in New Hampshire. Together,we are working on a performance based“bar exam” for teachers that, we antic-ipate, will improve teaching and teacherprograms across the state (see “ImprovingTeacher Preparation” on page one). I waspleasantly interrupted by Nan Parsons,the Associate Director for School Leader-ship (see “Applying Twenty Years ofLeadership to the Next Generation”),who wanted to revisit a question aboutwhat school leaders need to know and beable to do related to building and improv-ing school cultures. And that was just aregular Tuesday.

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From the Executive Director

Applying TwentyYears of Leadership

to the NextGeneration

by Nan Parsons

have been in education or an edu-cator most of my life. The excitement

I felt on my first day of first grade – inmy new smocked dress and black patentleather shoes, my metal Barbie lunch-box, and a crooked pixie haircut – fol-lowed me into my first classroom atWashington Street School in Penacook,New Hampshire, where I began my careeras a multi-age grade two/three teacherof 28 inquisitive students.

Fast forward and I am walking proud-ly into my first principalship at CanaanElementary School, and then into mysecond principalship at Lebanon HighSchool. It has been an amazing journey.

Today, I feel the same excitement aboutbeing an educator that I felt decadesago. Through hard work and reflectivepractice, continued quality professionaldevelopment, and outstanding mentors,I have had a rewarding career as a public

Schools are critically important partsof our communities and society. We know,from research and experience, that themost important way we can improveschools is by growing and supportingthe people who work there. My inspira-tion comes from seeing this growth hap-pen first hand, everyday, here at UVEI.The collection of stories and updates inthis newsletter are only a small taste ofthe energy, passion and learning thatmakes up our work, and we are so pleasedto share it with you.

With best regards,

R. Page Tompkins

school educator. Mentors saw in me whatI was not able to see in myself and theysupported, pushed and prodded me as ateacher leader, then as a principal andnow as an instructor of school leaders.

Throughout my time as a principal,I maintained a close association withUVEI, serving on panels, mentoringteachers, and as a speaker at gradua-tion. Whether in the classroom or theprincipal’s office, I saw UVEI as a pro-gram with a focus on developing educa-tors ready to lead schools in significantways. So when the opportunity to jointhe staff and faculty came last spring, Ichose to become part of this innovative

and collaborative organization that, Ibelieve, is a leader in education.

I am honored to now be training thenew face of leadership, to share myexperience as a leader and to celebratethe learning of this new generation ofschool leaders.

With this year’s principal intern cohort,I see great promise, deep reflection, andpassion to meet the needs of today’slearners. Being part of the education ofthese new leaders has only increased myhope for the future of public education.

Nan Parsons is UVEI’s Associate Directorfor School Leadership and a member ofthe Program Faculty

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Principal interns and faculty at August orientation.

TeachersClass of ’03

Kristen Downey has joined our facultyand staff (see Faculty and AdministrationNotes below).

David Dukeshire completed six years onthe UVEI Board of Directors. (Thank you,David, for your service and contributionto UVEI!) Since earning teacher certifica-tion, he completed an MEd in Curriculumand Assessment. He teaches English andSocial Studies, focusing on AP WorldHistory and the Humanities at LebanonHigh School.

Class of ’06

Cristina Veresan was selected as a Lind-blad Expeditions and National GeographicEducation Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. Assuch, she participated in an expeditiondesigned to enhance geographic learningthrough hands-on, direct field experienceand to bring that knowledge back to herclassroom. Cristina teaches at Star of theSea School in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Class of ’07

Patricia Harris is in her seventh year ofteaching. She taught for three years at theBridgewater Village School and is nowat the Albert Bridge School teaching 3-6ELA.

Marie McCormick has joined our staff(see Faculty and Administration Notesbelow).

Class of ’08

Deirdre Detjens presented at the NationalScience Teachers’ Association in Bostonin April 2014. She also visited her mentorteacher, Trudy Fadden (Class of ’87),who is still giving her helpful teachingadvice.

Class of ’11

With his third graders at Barre TownMiddle and Elementary School, Kyle

Dubois built a chicken coop housing 12hens. Meant to serve as a lesson in sus-taining an ecosystem, the hens’ eggs areused in the food served in the dining roomwhile their feed is supplemented withfood scraps from the school’s kitchen.Kyle welcomes you to contact him formore info.

Christina Nadeau is a part-time art teacherat the Ray School in Hanover. Duringthe summer she teaches children’s class-es in the clay and mixed-media studiosat the League of NH Craftsmen.

Carol Schroeder was selected as one of thehighly-qualified teachers from across thecountry to attend the one-week all-expensepaid Mickelson ExxonMobil TeachersAcademy (MEMTA) professional devel-opment program this summer. MEMTAequips teachers with lessons designed toencourage children to develop a lifelonglove of STEM. Carol is a third/fourthgrade teacher at the Surry Village CharterSchool in Surry, NH.

Class of ’12

After two years teaching a combined firstand second grade class at StockbridgeCentral School, JoAnn MacMaster isteaching first grade at WoodstockElementary School.

Class of ’13

In June, Tim Alvarenga left the BerniceA. Ray School to pursue an opportunityworking with the Peace Corps RuralEducation Development program. Heteaches English and assists with othersubjects in a small village in Zambia.Tim wishes everyone twalamonana.

Class of ’14

Dan Griffith is teaching middle schoolmath at Blue Mountain Union HighSchool in Wells River, VT.

Karen Wilson is teaching fourth gradeat Samuel Morey Elementary School inFairlee, VT.

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Alumni Notes

UVEI welcomes you to submit news about your career-related achievements (placements, promotions, awards and fellowships,special commendations). Send by email to: bmarshall@uvei.edu. Please note that your copy may be edited due to space limitations.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Editor’s Note: In addition, 80 percent ofthe Teacher Class of 2014 have securedpositions at: Barre Town ElementarySchool, Belmont High School, ChristaMcAuliffe School, East Valley Academy,Exeter High School, Franklin NE Super-visory Union, The Gunnery School, Hart-ford Middle School, Hartford HighSchool, Haverhill Cooperative MiddleSchool, Marion Cross School, MiltonMiddle School, Montessori Children’sSchool, The Newton School, OttauquecheeElementary School, Oxbow High School,Plainfield Elementary School, ReadingElementary School, Richmond MiddleSchool, Rivendell SD, Springfield HighSchool, Thetford Academy, WhitcombHigh School, Windsor Junior/Senior HighSchool, Windsor State Street School.

PrincipalsClass of ’09

After serving for six years as AssistantPrincipal at Londonderry High School,Paul Dutton is now the Principal atLondonderry North Elementary School.

Class of ’11This is Sally Hayes’ second year as thePrincipal at Brewster-Pierce MemorialSchool in Huntington, VT.

Class of ’12

Deanna Poulin is the new assistant prin-cipal at Golden Brook School in Wind-ham, NH.

Editor’s Note: All Principal Class of 2014graduates are working in leadershippositions at: Barre City Elementary andMiddle School, Concord High School,The Concord School, Grovetown Middle/High School, Hartford High School,Thetford Elementary School, The WarrenSchool.

In July, Nan Parsons joined UVEI asAssociate Director for School Leadership

and Program Faculty.Nan has held the posi-tion of principal forfourteen years at bothLebanon High Schooland Canaan Elemen-tary School. Prior tothat, she was a multi-age teacher and a pri-vate tutor. She and her

family live in Grantham, NH.

Board of Directors

At the Annual Meeting of the UVEIBoard of Directors, the following officerswere elected: Chair: Jackie Richter-Menge;Vice-Chair: Anne Silberfarb; Treasurer:John Ziegler; Secretary: Helen Schotanus.

In Memoriam: With affection and grat-itude, we remember our talented, thought-ful and inspiring Board member, DavidP. Evancich, who passed away on January13, 2014. We miss Dave and honor thecontribution he made to the well-beingof UVEI during the time he served onour Board of Directors.

Faculty and

Administration

Kristen Downey joined UVEI as AssociateDirector for Secondary Education andProgram Faculty. A 2003 graduate ofUVEI, Kristen most recently taughtEnglish at the FrancesC. Richmond Schoolin Hanover, where shewas instrumental ininitiating and execut-ing several school-wide projects, men-toring teacher interns,and serving as theKendal at Hanover-Richmond School liaison. She and herfamily live in Thetford Center, VT.

Marie McCormickjoined the UVEI staffi n M a y a s o u rProgram Associate.Marie, a 2007 gradu-ate of UVEI, returnedto the Upper Valleyfrom Seattle in 2012.In Seat t le , Marietaught high schoolmath at Ballard High

School. Before joining the UVEI staff,she kept busy as a math tutor and a stay-at-home new mom. Marie and her fam-ily live in Lebanon, NH.

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Board, Faculty and Administration Notes

Kristen Downey

BOARD OF DIRECTORSJackie Richter-Menge, ChairAnne Silberfarb, Vice-Chair

John Ziegler, TreasurerHelen Schotanus, Secretary

Peter D. CoburnMichael HarrisJoan Holcombe

Robert McCarthyAnne Segal

John E. (Jed) Williamson

EMERITIBarbara Ragle BarnesCarolyn M. ClintonCornelius C. Rose

ADVISORY COUNCILDavid Grant

Deborah MeierJohn Merrow II

Nancy Faust SizerTony Wagner

STAFF AND PROGRAM FACULTYR. Page Tompkins, EdD,

Executive Director and Program Faculty

Kristen Downey, MEd, Associate Director for SecondaryEducation and Program Faculty

Andrea Feid, Office Manager

Beverly Marshall, Associate Director for

Institutional AdvancementMarie McCormick, Program AssociateTina Muncy, MEd,

Principal Internship Program FacultyNan Parsons, MEd,

Associate Director for SchoolLeadership and Program Faculty

Aimee Toth, MEd, Associate Director for ElementaryEducation and Program Faculty

FACULTY COACHESGregory Renner, MST

Catherine CantyCheryl Simard, MEd

Keep in Touch –

Like us on

Facebook

You can find us at this

Facebook URL address:

facebook.com/UVEIconnect

__________

Phone:(603) 678-4888

__________

Web:www.uvei.edu

__________

Email:staff@uvei.edu

Marie McCormick

Nan Parsons

UVEI and KingArthur Flour:

Collaborating for aBetter Community

aving coffee at the King Arthur Flour café can lead to an experi-

ence that is more than just a delicioustreat, especially when a UVEI graduateand our Executive Director strike upa conversation. When that happened

last summer, what developed was anexchange of talents that went like this:UVEI faculty provided professionaldevelopment training on teaching prac-tices to King Arthur’s baking instruc-tors, later followed by a team build-ing exercise for the entire UVEI staff,led by an instructor at the King ArthurFlour Baking Education Center.

Although both institutions nor-mally charge a fee for these services,this exchange bore no cost. King ArthurFlour’s motto summarizes the spiritbest: “Envision a world made betterby the big impacts we can have whenwe all do a little something good.”Thanks, KAF, for a great experience...and we loved our pizza!

UVGSE Partners withWindsor Central SU

his past fall, our Upper Valley Graduate School of Education

(UVGSE) and the Windsor Central Super-visory Union (WCSU) launched a part-nership to support Windsor Central’s K-8teachers in their literacy professionaldevelopment. A total of 65 teachers par-

ticipated in the program, which includedboth training and on-site coaching ses-sions. UVEI Associate Director forElementary Education, Aimee Toth,together with WCSU’s Superintendent,Alice Worth, developed the project.

“Across the district, teachers who par-ticipated in the program reported thatthey have a better view of what theirchildren know and a clearer idea on howto meet their needs as readers,” Aimeecommented. “Over and over, I heard fromteachers saying, ‘Loved today’s session.Great collaboration!’ From my perspec-tive, a well-trained teacher, supported bya network of colleagues, cannot help butimprove student learning. I’m proud ofthe ways UVGSE and WCSU made read-ing meaningful to students through thisinitiative!”

Cool Things in Schools

by Kristen Downey

t was 8:45 on a quintessential New England fall morning, and I looked

around our seminar room at the faces ofour twenty newly-inducted teacher interns.Some were sipping coffee, others were tap-ping on their laptops, while many otherswere visiting and catching up with col-leagues they hadn’t seen in a week. It wasonly late September, but their faces andbody language were not as sunny as theweather outside.

Aimee (my elementary education coun-terpart) and I could tell that already, someof the expected anxiety and uncertaintyhad started to bubble up. After all, ourinterns had been thrust into an unfamil-iar school, a new classroom, and manyhad started teaching lessons even thoughthey were still figuring out just exactlywhat it means to be a teacher. We weresure we’d be having a few empatheticconversations later on that day.

To ease people into the seminar dayand bridge the distance between theirplacements and the UVEI classroom, wehave a weekly routine Aimee imple-mented last year called “Cool Things inSchools.” It’s our Tuesday morning ritualwhich encourages interns to share coolthings they notice in their placement

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schools. Cool Things in Schools helps usall to ease into the day and reminds usthat there is great joy in teaching.

A young elementary intern namedAmanda raised her hand. “I have a coolthing in school,” she said with a shysmile. “This is kind of a small thing, butone of my students called me ‘mom’.”We chuckle because, really, what couldbe cooler than a child mistaking you fora maternal figure, forgetting that you’rean anxious intern, an outsider, a strangerdropped into this child’s classroom,sometimes feeling like a mouse droppedinto a maze?

Cool Things in Schools helps internsfocus on what is important: that thereare great things happening in educationevery day! Sure, interns may feel uncer-tain about classroom management, abouthow they’ll demonstrate competence byJune, about Praxis Core scores. When theyshare what’s cool about their schools andclassrooms, it helps make finding ourway a little easier; it helps us forget ourapprehension for a moment, as Amandaexperienced with her student.

As another intern recounted an appleselling project at her school and anoth-er described an amazing natural playstructure which incorporates a real boatinto the climbing apparatus, I felt theroom begin to relax, the tension dissipate,and we settled in for the day.

Kristen Downey is UVEI’s AssociateDirector for Secondary Education and amember of the Program Faculty. You canfollow her on Twitter @UVEIDowney

UVEI staff with KAF instructor Robin in the KingArthur Flour Baking Center.

Intern Russ Patton engaging a student with his scienceproject.

194 Dartmouth College HighwayLebanon, New Hampshire 03766

UVEI Annual FundYOUR DONATION SUPPORTS GREAT TEACHERS AND GREAT SCHOOLS AND CHANGES KIDS’ LIVES

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For those who have not yet responded (or do not usually receive a letter), you can play a part in helping us enhance UVEI’s mis-sion. Please consider supporting our commitment to enriching the lives of children through the work we do in preparing teach-ers and school leaders.

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