Study Groups

Overview

The Consortium convenes study groups to explore topics of mutual interest, such as school leadership, 21st Century Skills, student learning, and assessment. Below is a list of the Consortium’s study groups:

Superintendents Study Group

This study group usually meets three times annually to discuss selected readings and case studies presented by members of the group. Topics include systemic leadership, trends in education, innovative practices, and relationships with various constituencies. 

The group is facilitated by:

Click HERE to register. 


Curriculum Leaders Study Group

This study group is composed of deputy and assistant superintendents and district level directors of curriculum.  The group pursues questions about what constitutes 21st Century skills, and district leadership's role and responsibility to collaborate with staff by managing changes required in curriculum, instruction and administration to ensure that students graduate in possession of these skills. 

The group meets periodically with part of each meeting devoted to a discussion of a reading selected for the group and part devoted to consulting on a case study presented by one of the group's members. 

The group is facilitated by:

Click HERE to register.


Special Education Directors Study Group

The Special Education Directors Study Group is designed to support the study of topics relevant to the challenging work of Special Education Administrators. The group meets four times each during the school year. The study group uses protocols and/or a Socratic approach to engage the thinking of each member.  A typical study group question is :  How can we use current brain research to support students with disabilities with Common Core Standards?   

This group is facilitated by:

Click HERE to register.


High School Principals Study Group

This group meets several times annually. Centered on the power of leadership study, the group has analyzed texts (Thomas Friedman's Hot, Flat and Crowded; Leadership on the Line by Heifetz and Linsky; Creative Innovators by Tony Wagner, for example) and also focuses on case studies presented by members of the study group. 

The group is facilitated by:

Click HERE to register.


Middle School Principals Study Group

This group meets four times annually. In recent years, the group has been reading texts (e.g., Instructional Rounds in Education by City, Elmore, Fiarman and Teitel) and discussing case studies presented by members of the group. 

Recent topics have been reflective practice, standards for higher-order thinking, the use of data to inform instruction, and creating authentic bench-marking processes are essential to sustain growth.

This study group is self-facilitated by:

Click HERE to register.


Elementary School Principals Study Group

This study group meets four times each year. Topics relate to leadership, assessment of student learning, evaluation of teachers, instructional practice, and innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Meetings typically begin with a discussion of a relevant reading and often end with discussion of a case study presented by a member of the group. 

The group is facilitated by:

Click HERE to register.


Assistant Principals Study Group

This study group is open to all Assistant Principals in our member districts. Assistant principals typically do not have opportunities to discuss their roles with each other, so the topics for discussion are based on the role of the assistant principal at all levels of the system and are often linked to relevant concerns and professional articles.

This study group is facilitated by:

Click HERE to register.


Indicator Review Working Group

The language of the Tri-State benchmarking rubric is reviewed by a group of experienced visit team co-leaders. The goal is to clarify and refine the indicator definitions, study questions, and scoring rubrics based on the experience of having used them in the visit setting. The group's recommendations are submitted for review and approval by the Steering Committee. This group meets biannually. 

Problems of Democracy: Teaching Civic Engagement in Challenging Times

This study group is facilitated by:

Click HERE to register.


Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

This study group is facilitated by:

Click HERE to register.


Topic-Based Study Groups

The Consortium responds to requests from members to conduct study groups based on specific topics of mutual interest. In previous years, two such study groups were convened, each for one session - one focused on programs for gifted students, and one focused on alternatives to Advanced Placement courses. 

These study groups usually are facilitated by the people initiating the requests to meet.