Reach institute for school leadership
“A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader, a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.”
-Unknown
Master’s of Education (M.Ed.) in Teacher Leadership & Administrative Services Credential Program:
The Reach Master’s of Education (M.Ed.) in Teacher Leadership will be a radical reinvention of graduate school preparation for teachers. With the support of the Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund, Reach will launch this innovative program with a small cohort of founding participating teacher leaders who will co-create the program while learning. The program is designed to:
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•Support teacher leaders to develop the habits of mind, heart and hand necessary to be a powerful teacher leader, while they develop knowledge and skills in the areas of authentic leadership, teacher learning, coaching, facilitating professional collaboration, curriculum & instruction, and conducting action research (see seminar sequence below)
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•Reinvent graduate level preparation based on Reach’s innovative and job-embedded methods
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•Foster professional community in Reach partner schools, which simultaneously improves student achievement, increases instructional quality throughout schools, creates a more supportive learning environment for new teachers, and increases teacher retention
Too often, experienced teachers’ skills and experience are not fully developed or utilized in their schools. A significant body of research indicates that teacher leaders can serve a variety of critical roles including curriculum experts, resource provider, mentor, classroom supporter, data coach and many others. At the same time, graduate level preparation is frequently seen as overly theoretical and disconnected with real-world problems and situations.
By contrast, the Reach Teacher Master’s of Education program will support teacher leaders to become high-quality mentor teachers, new teacher educators, team facilitators, and models of classroom leadership and collegiality. Reach M.Ed. graduates will combine current educational research with practical, job-embedded application to increase and sustain school cultures of high achievement in Reach partner schools.
The project is based on a year of demonstration programs and has already generated excitement in many Reach partner schools. Reach will seek eligibility for of the M. Ed. from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in 2010 and expects to earn accreditation in 2013. Reach expects the Administrative Services Credential to be fully accredited in 2010
Tuition:
Until the Reach Master’s of Education program receives regional accreditation, the program will be subsidized by grant funds and will cost the participating teacher and/or their school $2400 per year ($200 per month). Reach recommends that the tuition be split between the employing school or school district and the participating teacher leader. The total cost of the program is $10,500 per annum and breaks down as follows:
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•Partner School: $1200 (recommended)
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•Participating Teacher Tuition: $1200 (recommended)
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•Reach Institute (grants & donations): $8,100
Admission Requirements:
In order to be admitted to the Reach Teacher Leadership Academy M.Ed/ASC program, candidates must meet the following requirements (which are verified by the items on the application checklist below):
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•Employment: Be employed by a Reach member agency school (if you are not employed by a Reach member agency school and you are interested in the Reach M.Ed/ASC program, contact program personnel to inquiry about establishing an Memorandum of Understanding between your school and Reach).
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•Credential: Hold a California Clear Teaching Credential (if your clear credential is pending, you may be provisionally enrolled in the program. Degrees or credentials will not be conferred without a valid California Clear Teaching Credential)
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•Academic Readiness: Demonstrate academic readiness by ONE of the following:
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•Completion of a Teacher Credential program from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.
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•Completion of an undergraduate program (Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science) from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.
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•Arrange with Reach personnel to demonstrate academic capacity through a reading, writing, and discussion assessment.
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•Prerequisites: Demonstrate prerequisites: The Reach Teacher Leadership Academy program is designed to articulate with the Reach Teacher Credential programs. Applicants must verify prerequisites by:
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•Successfully earning a PRELIMINARY credential through the Reach Institute
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•Successfully earning a clear credential through the Reach Institute’s ENHANCED Teacher Induction Program (this is the for credit version of the Reach Institute’s Teacher Induction Program)
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•Demonstrate equivalency the areas of Teaching for Social Justice & Equity, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Teaching for Universal Access and Inclusive Classrooms, and Educational Psychology – usually through credentialing coursework at a regionally accredited college or university.
Sample seminar sequence:
All sequences are a combination of regular after school meetings, online collaboration, applied fieldwork, reading, and written reflections.
Summer Institute (5 day residential retreat):
410 Teacher Leadership & Administrative Fieldwork (continues through out the year) ~ 8 units
470 Action Research Methods & Project (continues through out the year) ~ 6 units
Fall:
420 Instructional Coaching ~ 3 units
430 How Teachers' Learn ~ 3 units
Spring:
440 Coaching for Universal Access ~ 3 units
450 Designing & Evaluating Curriculum, Instruction & Assessments ~ 3 units
460 Fostering Communities of Practice ~ 3 units
Summer Institute (4 day residential retreat):
480 Principles of Educational Leadership ~ 2 units
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO COMMUNICATE YOUR INTEREST IN THE REACH M.ED. PROGRAM, PLEASE EMAIL PAGE TOMPKINS, REACH DIRECTOR, AND INCLUDE YOUR NAME, SCHOOL, AND LEADERSHIP ROLE OR INTENTION.
