POINTS of PRIDE: TLC in Cedar Rapids

Meeting with some of CR's outstanding leaders

When considering Teacher Leadership, one need only to travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to see this phrase come to life as manifested in a culture of collaboration and teamwork.  Closely examining the specifics of how a TLC program works was my focus while visiting Cedar Rapids.

My visit to the Cedar Rapids School District included time at Johnson Elementary School for the Arts, meeting with district leaders at the Educational Leadership and Support Center, and discussing key details of the TLC with Instructional Design Strategists at Jefferson High School where Dr. Brad Buck, Director of Education in Iowa, spoke to the National Honor Society members.

Cedar Rapid School District Demographics
21 Elementary Schools
6 Middle Schools
3 High Schools and 1 Alternative High School
Free and Reduced Lunch:  50%
Total enrollment: 16,800 students

Johnson School for the Arts Demographics
Enrollment:  380
Free and Reduced Lunch:  85-90%


From the minute you walk into Johnson, a welcoming atmosphere greets those who enter with a reminder "Oh the Places You Will Go" especially through education.  At Johnson Elementary, one focus for the school year is attendance - both being in school and arriving on time.  Data is tracked on the wall and performance rewarded. Reading is valued and books are proudly displayed in the entryway of the school.

I spent time with Instructional Design Strategist Jennifer Nurre who explained her well-articulated coaching process.  She and Principal Candace Lynch observe each core teacher in the building once a week looking at the individual goal provided by the teacher as well as the inclusion of the building goal within the classroom.  Observations are recorded using One Note and follow-up conferences are held for each observation.  Building foci include the articulation of SLE (Student Learning Expectations) and designing and using formative assessments.  Teacher goals are focused around the Characteristics of Effective Instruction.  Coaches and administrators have received training on the Six Steps of Effective Feedback.  When talking with the leaders, they emphasized the importance of seeing the coach and the principal as a team for success.  The School Improvement Plan is at the forefront of instructional decisions and drives professional development.

When talking with Induction Coaches with the district, they explained they spend from 60-90 minutes weekly with beginning teachers.  They use district goals, building goals, and assist the teacher with setting individual goals taking into consideration his/her instructional needs.  The induction coaches perform a variety of duties including modeling lessons, co-planning, co-teaching, and helping their inductees to analyze student work.  Confidentiality is key for this process to be successful and for trust to be built.  The summative goal of induction is to improve instructional practice to drive student achievement.

Leaders in staff development

The next stop was a visit at the Educational Leadership & Support Center where the leaders of building leaders came together to share their perspectives on the Teacher Leadership and Compensation Grant implementation.  I presented to them on my journey in education and challenged them to "never give up," seek "continuous improvement," work at helping others and themselves to "find their voice," and begin re-imagining "where we go from here" in education.  This is an exciting time to be in education, made that much more exciting by the defined career pathways for teacher leadership as found in Cedar Rapids.

Dr. Buck presenting to Jefferson's NHS

Dr. Buck offers advise

My final stop was Jefferson High School.  After a peek at Dr. Buck speaking with the National Honor Society, I visited with the Instructional Design Strategists who include Darius Ballard, Melissa Courtney, Theresa Fettketter, and Merry Peteresen.
in their room affectionately referred to as the Treehouse. These instructional coaches are transforming Professional Development at Jefferson with the belief that PD should be differentiated, and "every person should walk away with something they can do tomorrow."  The key to the success of the Cedar Rapids TLC is the trust given to teachers to lead.  It will be exciting to keep an eye on Cedar Rapids as they work towards defining teacher leadership for our state.