Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 6, 2000 Page: 41
60 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
The ESP Planning Workshop:
"What Is It All About?"
BY BILL LARMER, TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY
What is public education all about? A partnership venture
between Tarleton and ESP schools provides local educators
with time and a collaborative atmosphere to help partici-
pants clarify their mission and goals."What is it all about?" So goes the
plaintive query in the soulful lyrics of
a song by Jimmy Buffett.
Every so often we, in education, need
to raise the same question: "What is
it all about?" Is it about improving our
pass rate on the state-mandated ex-
aminations? Is it about maintaining
our accreditation status? Is it about
getting our accomplishments pub-
lished in the community newspaper?
Or is it about outscoring our neigh-
boring district on the playing field and
in interscholastic league competi-
tions?
Each of the above is an important con-
sideration in assessing the status of a
school. Collectively, answers to the
questions raised above will tell us a
great deal about the quality of educa-
tion in any given school. But none of
the above will really help us answer
the question, "What is it all about?"
Pondering the answers to philosophi-
cal questions requires time, but the
rapid, relentless pace of schools sel-
dom permits time for reflection. Time
will be the gift given to the teachers
and administrators who attend the ESP
Planning Workshop usually con-ducted in March in Kerrville, Texas.
For two and one-half days, Tarleton
State University will serve as host to
the schools participating in the ESP
Planning Workshop, and, among other
things, participants will be stimulated
to think and reflect on what we're all
about in public education and in
teacher preparation. The collaborative
atmosphere of the Planning Workshop
has proven to be especially effective
in helping participants clarify their
mission and goals.
When seeking possible answers to
broad questions that do not have a
single, definitive answer, Planning
Workshop participants will be encour-
aged to draw on two distinctly differ-
ent sources. One source of insight will
be the inspiration provided by heroes.
The other source is study - study of
what has proven to be effective in ex-
emplary schools. Heroes are our ulti-
mate mentors and role models. They
illuminate the pathways of life and
provide direction for our efforts. Study
of effective practices enables us to
draw on the accumulated wisdom of
others who have faced challenges
similar to ours, and study enables us
to chart a realistic course for goal at-
tainment....participants will be
stimulated to think
and reflect on what
we're all about in
public education and
in teacher preparation.
The collaborative
atmosphere of the
Planning Workshop
has proven to be
especially effective in
helping participants
clarify their mission
and goals.41
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Tarleton State University. Effective Schools Project. Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 6, 2000, periodical, 2000; Stephenville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201683/m1/42/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.