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 FROM THE DIRECTOR:
Professional
Communities and Professional Knowledge The CAREI Link
Karen Seashore Louis, Director, CAREI
CAREI turned 10 this summer. As a new faculty member at the University in
1987, I participated in early planning sessions for the fledgling Center.
The high levels of interest among many participants from schools and the
faculty surprised me and served as a wonderful introduction to the potential
in Minnesota for building relationships between "The U" and "The Field."
The notion of professional community involving genuine partnerships
between educational practitioners and university staff has always been at
the heart of CAREI’s mission. Our activities shift responsively from year to
year as the CAREI Assembly and the CAREI Policy Board help us to focus on
real needs.
Between 1988 and 1995, much of the emphasis was on collaborative grants,
which involved 47 University faculty and 150 classroom teachers. More
recently, CAREI began to include more state and national policy and
evaluation studies. CAREI also jumped into the world of web-based
professional networking. CAREI is home for the award winning "Web66" site
for schools and classroom teachers, and maintains university-wide databases
that inventory programs and projects directed toward school-age children.
Some of the ways in which we and our colleagues work on our goal of
creating community include:
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Promoting networks of collaboration around
specific topics of interest such as Graduation Standards, integrated
services, and effective teaching. We promote networks by sponsoring the
space and time for people to come together around issues of common
interest.
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Research and evaluation that expand
discussion around reform within the state and districts. Our aim is to
provide a "neutral voice" on topics of concern to Minnesota educators,
ranging from school start time proposals to the effects of using
technology in science classrooms.
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Dissemination which focuses on creating and
managing web servers. Our intent is to provide information regarding
CAREI projects, including report findings and evaluation resources as
well as links to other valuable sites for practitioners.
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Technical assistance and support to member
school districts in program evaluation design. We hope to create strong
communities between the College of Education and Human Development and
the many schools and districts around the state that are working to
create their own professional communities around knowledge and
improvement.
This is an exciting time to be part of the educational enterprise in
Minnesota. As this issue illustrates, we are paying attention to
professionalism among educators in ways that emphasize both caring and
standards for student learning. We hope that the articles included here will
promote further discussions—in teachers lounges and in the legislature—as
they address the importance of professional community in education.
-- Karen Seashore Louis
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