A Place for Teacher Renewal (PB) by Anthony G. Rudd, Paperback | Indigo Chapters

Are teachers ever given the credit and respect they deserve? Is there aplace where they can go to be treated as intelligent professionalsrather than as underpaid tools of school administrations or the government?For some teachers the answer to these questions is, finally, yes! The focus of A Place for Teacher Renewal is the North Carolina Center forthe Advancement of Teaching, a state-funded university-based program, locatedin the Western North Carolina mountains, and designed to renew and retainteachers of all kinds. As an exemplary teacher renewal and staff developmentprogram, NCCAT strengthens teachers' commitment to their practice by offeringoutstanding teachers the opportunity for intensive personal investigationinto topics inside or outside of their specialties. This hands-on study-extensive, concrete, and engaging-is just what many teachers need. After thetediousness and hectic pace of classroom life, they need a chance to use theirintellect just for themselves. Teachers given a chance to express their full adultselves, a chance to be renewed by intellectual challenge, a chance to be valuedas competent professionals, are more likely to stay in the profession. Chapters provide the reader with an historical perspective on the Center, arguments for the rationale of the Center, an overview of the programsoffered, the roles of administration and evaluation in the creation and continuedsuccess of the Center, and NCCAT's future role in teacher renewal. Many chapters are written by NCCAT staff members, all of whom are alsoexperienced educators. A foreword by Maxine Greene and a chapter by GaryGriffin, as respected educators not affiliated with NCCAT, offer objective andvery supportive comments on an idea, and a program, that is long overdue. Staff developers and anyone interested in teacher retention and renewal willfind this case study of the finest teacher renewal program in the nation to bean invaluable resource. Anthony G. Rud Jr. is a senior fellow at NCCAT. Walter P. Oldendorf is associatedean of the college and chair of programs in education at WesternMontana College of the University of Montana. He served as interim associatedirector for programming at NCCAT from 1987 to 1990. | A Place for Teacher Renewal (PB) by Anthony G. Rudd, Paperback | Indigo Chapters