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Seven Santa
Barbara County teachers were chosen as MetLife Fellows in the Teachers
Network Policy Institute (TNPI), an honor shared by 100 exemplary public
school teachers from across the nation.
Santa Barbara’s MetLife Fellows for the 2002-03 school year are:
Sandra Bravo, Guadalupe; Leslie Gravitz, Carpinteria; Mike Jackson,
Santa Maria-Bonita; Harriet Levine, Goleta; Chris Mullin and Connie
Rohde-Stanchfield, Santa Ynez High; and Linda Wiezorek, Lompoc. Administrator
Jerry Swanitz, of Santa Ynez High School, acts as Advisory Fellow.
This select group of elementary, middle, and high school teachers represents
ten TNPI affiliates nationwide — Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Fairfax
County, VA; Fayette County, KY; Los Angeles; Miami, FL; New York City,
NY; Santa Barbara County; Santa Clara County; and the state of Wyoming.
“TNPI was established in 1996 to connect education policy with
actual classroom practice to improve student achievement,” explained
County Superintendent Bill Cirone, whose office coordinates the program
in this county. “Fellows read relevant literature, participate
in online dialogues, and meet regularly with policymakers. As a major
part of their work, TNPI MetLife Fellows, teachers with full-time classroom
responsibilities, also conduct action research studies in their classrooms
and schools — addressing the direct link between policymaking and
its effect on student achievement.”
This past spring, TNPI MetLife Fellows co-authored the groundbreaking
Ensuring Teacher Quality. Highlighting the ways in which
policy plays out in the real world of schools and classrooms, this book
demonstrates how TNPI MetLife Fellows have been researching their own
practice to realize change far beyond the classroom — bringing
the voice of teachers, for the first time, to the fore in education
policymaking.
Ensuring Teacher Quality documents fellows' action research
studies and distills these findings to four education reform recommendations:
• Engage teachers in designing and implementing effective professional
development;
• Provide time in the school schedule for teacher collaboration
to improve instruction and student learning;
• Re-envision the teaching profession as a continuum beginning
in pre-service and persisting through a lifetime of growth; and
• Include teachers in the decision-making process about school
resources, specifically time and money.
Ellen Meyers, director of the Teachers Network Policy Institute, said
that "this kind of teacher action research serves as the catalyst
to forge meaningful conversations among parents, communities, and policymakers
about what really works in education." Summary versions of TNPI
action research and more information about TNPI is available online
at: www.teachersnetwork.org/TNPI.
TNPI works in partnership with the National Commission on Teaching &
America's Future (NCTAF), the Education Commission of the States (ECS),
and New York University Steinhardt School of Education. Major funding
for TNPI is provided by MetLife Foundation. Additional support is also
provided by the Booth Ferris Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight
Foundation, and the Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation.
TNPI is a major initiative of the Teachers Network, a non-profit organization
that identifies and connects teachers who exemplify professionalism,
independence, and creativity within the public schools.
Further information is available by contacting Carol Gregor, director
of teacher programs and support, at 964-4711, ext. 5281.
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