"The CATDC Buzz" Issue #10

The California Teacher Development Collaborative (CATDC), is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing professional growth opportunities for teachers and administrators from independent schools. Its member schools represent the diverse range of small and large elementary, middle, and high schools from all over the greater San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles areas.

What is the mission of the organization?

The aim of the CATDC is to: 1) Promote enriching professional development opportunities.

2) Support collegiality and cooperation among teachers and schools.

3) Inspire teachers to become educational leaders.

I thought you were called the BATDC?

The BATDC started in the San Francisco Bay Area in the year 2000, and has since grown to include a network of over sixty independent schools in the region. In 2012, a group of LA area heads of school asked if the BATDC could replicate its proven model by launching a branch of its operations in Southern California. Now, following the completion of the two-year pilot program, and with a thriving group of over thirty member schools in Southern California, we have changed our name to the "California Teacher Development Collaborative."

How can I take part in the CATDC's offerings?

1) If your school isn't already a member, encourage them to join here !

2) Register for our upcoming events, and keep an eye out for our spring schedule of workshops.

3) Get in touch and let us know what kind of professional development opportunities you're looking for.

4) Let us help you leverage the power of the network by connecting you with colleagues from other schools.

5) Join our mailing list to stay up to date on all our future workshops and events.

A Message from the Executive Director,

Janet McGarvey

As the 2015-16 academic year draws to a close, I would like to thank the CATDC board members, the wonderful program leaders and facilitators, and our three staff members, Eryn Hoffman, Tracy Gallagher, and Elaine Cocuzzo, for making this a banner year. We've added new programs and events, changed our name, and upgraded our systems. And now we are preparing for a busy summer as well as planning for next year!

It has been a joy to see so many of you return to CATDC events and to meet those of you who have participated for the first time. Your dedication to students and families inspires me. Thank you for your enthusiastic collaboration with colleagues from other schools and for your endorsement of the CATDC. I hope that the year winds down smoothly for you and that your summer break includes lots of time for relaxation and reflection.

I hope you enjoy the articles in this newsletter; thank you to the contributors!

Transitions and Tiny Tweaks in this Big, Wide World

By Lori Cohen, The Bay School of San Francisco

Much is happening in the world, our nation, and our schools right now: the displaced peoples of Syria continue to seek asylum in safe places while the EU examines its policies. The U.S. is grappling with legislation related to anti-bias in public spaces. California is making a bold move in its public schools to redefine how India and the caste system are taught.

Some of the changes in the world are positive-prompting us to rethink inclusivity globally and locally. Some of the changes are more challenging-prompting us to question the complexities of the world and its response to the issues of the moment.

At the core of all these topics is an emphasis on what it means to be human, which is at the core of our teaching as well.

We are in the midst of transitions: the major ones of the world, the necessary ones in our country, the inevitable ones in our schools. And in these coming weeks, school years will be ending, classrooms will be closing down, teachers will be getting some much-needed rest, people will be coming and going at our school sites. Transitions-inevitable change-will be occurring.

Collaboration. Expertise. Growth. Reflective leadership. These are a few of the themes that characterize all CATDC programming, whether it is a one-day workshop during the school year, a multi-day summer institute, or a year-long cohort program.

This year, we are offering a new year-long program that promises to bring together all of these themes under the guidance and support of two incredible facilitators! The CATDC Leadership Fellows Program is the first of its kind for the Collaborative! It is strictly limited in size to promote collegiality, trust, and a sense of support among the participants. Enrollment stems from a competitive application process, including written statements from both the applying administrator and his/her Head of School, to foster balance and diversity within the group and to ensure that the participants have the commitment to make this first year a success. And, unlike most of the CATDC's year-long programs, the Leadership Fellows will include a balance of Southern and Northern California administrators, allowing participants to connect and network in meaningful ways with their colleagues throughout the Collaborative.

Read more...

When It's Cool to be Smart, Students and Faculty Bring Their Best to Campus

By Mel Malmberg, Flintridge Preparatory School

A Flintridge Preparatory School history teacher once said, "At Prep, it's cool to be smart." By smart he meant that everyone on campus, adults and students alike, is engaged and willing to participate in intense discussions and debates informed by facts. Smart at Flintridge Prep is constantly curious.

Prep's faculty sets the tone for this engagement. The secret is that in addition to being passionate about the subjects they teach, the faculty have an endless list of interests and the power to act on them.

One example is Jill Henry, who is the kind of teacher who exults, "Math Camp is fun!" and means it. In 2014, she evaluated her curriculum and decided it needed a shift. She recruited 34 students and two fellow faculty members to assess 2,100 problems in three weeks as she transitioned her Algebra 2 course to a problem-based curriculum. By getting her students involved in the process, she got them excited as well.

After the successful implementation of this curriculum in her class, Henry was asked to be the math curriculum coordinator, meticulously helping the rest of her department move to a similar problem-based learning teaching method. Clearly, curiosity influences more than just a single learning unit.