Abstract:

Objective of presentation:
The objective of this presentation is two-fold: (1) to discuss the Sender-Receiver Model applied to effective multiagency collaborative efforts and its impact on revisions in teacher education programming at TAMU-SA; and (2) to share lived experiences and personal perspectives of faculty, leadership, and students from key stakeholders during this process.

Relationship to conference theme:
The effective implementation of the Sender-Receiver Model for Education in an EC-20 system provides participants opportunity to analyze cross institution and cross university-school partnerships impact on significant modifications on teacher preparation curriculum, design, and implementation models for undergraduate teacher education programming.

Contents:
Since 2009, TAMU-SA Model for Success Initiative (MSI) has provided multiagency collaboration between community, local education agencies, community colleges, and Texas A&M University-San Antonio to address THECB closing the gaps for participation/success in higher education and teacher preparation. Utilizing a Sender-Receiver Model applied to Education, administration and faculty from an upper level university successfully reached out to local education agencies, community colleges, and city organizations to create a comprehensive EC-20 multiagency collaborative effort including 12 school districts, 5 community colleges, and the city wide Head Start program within the greater San Antonio Area. Through scheduled ½ day work sessions and subcommittee activities, higher education stakeholders dramatically refined teacher education curriculum, programming, and implementation models to address community needs in order to produce undergraduate and alternative certification teachers ready to meet the every changing demands of an effective teacher in today’s schools.

This presentation focuses specifically on the successes and challenges of inter-agency and cross agency curriculum alignment for 2 and 4 year institutions as well as dramatically modified teacher preparation curriculum and service delivery models taking the classroom to the school setting for immediate application of learned concepts through experiential learning. As a group, each of these faculty members reflectively analyzed personal perceptions and beliefs of the multiagency collaborative effort facilitated a significant change in how higher education faculty design, implement, and deliver teacher preparation coursework and program supervision. In fall 2010 TAMU-SA and five local education agencies entered Memorandum of Understandings for teaching undergraduate preparation courses in the field with select faculty who taught the course, worked as mentors for the students & teacher mentors while providing field supervision an 18 month commitment. Success of the program encouraged additional school districts to request the model and has transformed delivery of field residency and student teaching expectations. Data regarding “lessons learned” from the first 18 month cohort of students and beginning of 2nd cohort will be presented. The relevance of this presentation is to offer dialogue and reflective perspectives of how to effectively implement multiagency collaboration providing strong foundations for dramatic modification and refinement of teacher education programs in the Greater San Antonio Area.

Keywords:

Mutiagency collaboration, teacher preparation, higher education transformation, curriculum transformation.