Steering Committee Members Virginia Ahart, Hampshire Regional High School Joyce Berkman, History Professor, University of Massachusetts J. Carey, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Neil E. Davidson, Mass. State of Department of Education Sylvia M. Galvan, German Gerena Middle School, Springfield Donna Guerin, Palmer High School Dean Bailey Jackson, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Sandra Lawrence, Psychology/Education Department, South Hadley Madelaine S. Marquez, Center for Innovative Education, Hampshire College Steven Murray, Lawrence Elementary School, Holyoke Barry O'Connell, Professor of English, Amherst College Lorna Peterson, Executive Director, Five Colleges, Incorporated Philip Reid, Biological Sciences, Smith College Neal Salisbury, Department of History, Smith College Rose Sarti, Sunderland Elementary School Donna Scanlon, Hampden-Wilbraham Schools Michael Schwartz, Education, University of Massachusetts Sue Thrasher, Coordinator, Five College Public School Partnership The Five College Public School Partnership was established in 1984 to link faculty in the Five College Consortium with faculty and administrators of school districts in the Connecticut River Valley. Since that time, the Partnership has worked with districts in all four of the Western Massachusetts counties, but due to geographic constraints works primarily in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin Counties, the three counties contiguous to the Connecticut River. In addition, the Partnership works with staff and faculty at other area colleges and museums, as well as community organizations and members of the business community. The Partnership is led by a Steering Committee made up of school and college faculty and representatives from the State Department of Education and the Massachusetts Teachers Association. The Partnership publishes a seasonal newsletter that is distributed to more than 7,000 college and school faculty and administrators. The Partnership is a certified Massachusetts Professional Development Provider. Partnership Guiding Principles Over the years, the Partnership has developed a set of guiding principles which we believe help account for our success. Collaborative Planning: Programs are planned, led and evaluated collaboratively by committees made up of school and college faculty and representatives from other appropriate institutions (museums, business, cultural organizations) Content: Topics focus on substantive issues and be taught in ways that incorporate recent research on teaching and learning - including time to be reflective about the learning experience. Project Support: Projects are long-term. Participants are supported by the development of both school-based teams and cross-district networks of colleagues, and by the Partnership's frequent interactions with school administrators. Post-project Expectations: After a project, participants have the opportunity to continue to strengthen their skills by becoming teacher-leaders (writing for professional publication, giving presentations, taking leadership responsibility within the school system, serving as staff on new projects). The Role of the Partnership in Professional Development The Five College Public School Partnership offers a variety of professional development opportunities for teachers in the four Western Massachusetts counties. These include a long-running series on the Native American Experience in New England and the Teachers as Scholars Program, which offers content-based seminars in Mathematics, Science, and Humanities. The Partnership also works closely with faculty involved in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Teacher Education Collaborative (STEMTEC) at the four private higher education institutions in the Consortium.