With all the technology available, the Graduate Counseling program is hoping to start ‘blended’ classes in January 2019. The intention is to have courses meet at the Mequon campus and have online students join the class through ZOOM technology.
We are currently exploring this exciting experience so online students can actually meet their instructors and interact with other students in the same class. We are hoping this delivery system will encourage networking among the students for help with practicum / internship sites, as well as providing an opportunity for ‘study buddies’ and additional dialogue.
Watch for exciting news as we plan to roll out this program with COUN 543/843 January 2019.
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Special Education Degree Program
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We are excited to share a new opportunity with you! As you work with your staff on professional development, we ask that you consider sharing the opportunity for initial licensing in Special Education that will be held in an accelerated format at our CUW Kenosha center January 2019. This program is designed with the working professional in mind, and may be a great fit for a para-professional in your building who holds a bachelor’s degree, but not a teaching license. Please click
here
for more information, and click
here
for the schedule.
We are offering a new Academic Community Scholarship to the employees of our Preferred Educational Partners (PEP). Employees will receive $450 discount per eligible graduate course. Please go to
https://www.cuw.edu/uncommon-scholarships
for more information.
P
lease contact Tanisha Kirkwood, Kenosha Center Site Director for Teacher Certification at
Tanisha.kirkwood@cuw.edu
or 262.243.1813 with any questions.
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Informing Our Professional Practice
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What informs school leadership practice: experience, gut feelings, research and best practice, anything that works? All of these? Often, in our daily lives as school leaders, we are not taking time to reflect upon what, exactly, is informing our work with kids and those who serve them. Over the past 20 years in reading hundreds of interviews of leaders on the topic of change leadership, I have found that most interview subjects rarely reference a theory, an author, or a recent book read that is informing what is happening in their work. This may suggest several things: doing things the way they have always been done; a closed, unreflective mindset; a lack of curiosity. It does not have to be this way.
Currently, our entire School of Education leadership, faculty and staff is reading
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups
by Daniel Coyle. Taking time out personally and in small groups to both read and discuss topics connected to building organizational safety, sharing vulnerability, and establishing purpose allows one to both reflect and share about ways that help to inform commitments to current and future practices. It allows for what change leading author,
Dr. Lew Smith
, describes as improving the context, conversation and capacity connected to catalytic variables of leadership, internal dissonance and external forces. The point with this is that having Smith and Coyle’s concepts at a conscious level helps one to take time to ponder the current reality about our organizations and where they are headed. It allows us to vision our preferred future and to make better informed decisions.
As we move further into the school year, we all can take time to reflect upon what is informing our practice and about who can help. Knowing that there are now over 90 PEP schools and districts, as well as over 20 CAGC members, suggests that we can build a more powerful network for sharing practices, information, and experiences for mutual benefit. Please take time to more seriously reflect on how to leverage partnership with Concordia in ways that can add value, address continuous improvement and make a difference.
Dr. Mike Dietz, Dir. Innovation and Global Outreach
Notes:
Collins, J. (2001) Good to great. Harper Business.
Smith, Lew (2007) Schools that change. Corwin
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We Want YOU To Inform Our Professional Practice
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Have you implemented a new practice that is working well? Please share your experience with us, so that we can use this newsletter to share information with others.
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Carol Burns receives Outstanding Service Award
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On October 20, 2018, CUW Special Education Adjunct Instructor Carol Burns received the Outstanding Service Award from Jackie Blumberg, President of the Wisconsin Division for Learning Disabilities, a division of the Council for Exceptional Children, an international professional association for special education. Mrs. Burns received the award at the Fall 2018 WDLD State Conference at Waukesha County Technical College. Dr. Wanda Routier, Director of Graduate Special Education Programs introduced Mrs. Burns during the award presentation.
Part of the award introduction stated “…Mrs. Burns has a lifetime of service to students with learning and other disabilities. She is dedicated to people with learning disabilities on a personal and professional level both of which influenced her approach to students and their educational needs with the care of the individual paramount. She has years of experience teaching the whole person which gives students the skills to succeed academically, social/emotionally, in their work and personal life. Mrs. Burns values their personal stories and uses these stories to encourage teachers to challenge them and set high expectations.”
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Closing the Achievement Gap
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On Thursday, October 11, 2018. Assistant Professor Eugene Pitchford and Associate Professor Dr. Elliott Moeser made a presentation at the Concordia Faculty Lecture Series on “Closing the Achievement Gap: A Programmatic Project/Research That Has Community Funding Support.” This one hour presentation was requested by the Concordia Office of Research & Sponsored Programs(ORSP) to emphasize the role that Concordia plays in the Closing the Achievement Gap Consortium effort and the success that Concordia has had in writing and receiving 8 grants for the Closing the Achievement Gap Consortium.
The Closing the Achievement Gap Consortium is a cooperative effort by 34 Southeast Wisconsin school districts to address the issues of equity and closing the achievement gap. Concordia University Wisconsin has been selected by the Consortium to be the University partner for the Consortium. Dr. Moeser is the Executive Director of the Consortium and Professor Pitchford is the Assistant Director. Professor Pitchford and Dr. Moeser emphasized that there are as least 6 factors in receiving the grants for the Closing the Achievement Gap Consortium. The six factors include: have a topic that has community interest, gain help from the Concordia Advancement Department, network in the community, meet face to face with potential donors, involve donors in project(s) and conduct events such as donor breakfasts.
Elliott Moeser, Ph.D.
Director of Graduate Educational Administration
Concordia University Wisconsin
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Concordia University Wisconsin Graduate Education 262-243-2708
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