Level II Narrative

Professional Development

2.0 Professional Development

The goal of the Urban Dreams professional development program is to provide high school teachers of Language Arts and Social Studies and support staff with new strategies and techniques necessary to help high school students improve expository writing and historical thinking skills in the context of human and civil rights.

Teachers will be trained in project based learning methodologies, Internet research strategies, expository writing teaching skills and how to integrate technology in the context of the curriculum.

Project partners such as the Interactive University at UC-Berkeley, the Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project at Stanford University, and the World Affairs Council will provide enriched content and technological access to original source materials as well as technological expertise and tools to make the success of this project possible.

Building capacity and sustainability are additional goals of the professional development component and to that end a number of Teacher Leaders will be designated to work with each project partner. Teacher Leaders will work in partnership with project personnel to design materials suitable for inner city high school students and that address district, state and national content standards. Teacher Leaders will be asked to participate in the major Urban Dreams Summer Institutes and to provide coaching for other teachers who participate in the grant.

The overall design of the UD professional development will be to establish the Teacher Leader group to work closely with the project partners, the conducting of an 8 day Summer Institute for each year's cohort of teachers, provision for ongoing technology training throughout the school year and coaching, both on site and on line. The construction of an electronic community and of on line resources to support the teachers will be accomplished by the establishment of web pages, live and electronic access to staff development, and teacher access to electronic community tools. KDOL, the district cable television station and distance learning will be to deliver content as well provide professional development options.