IPS/NUA Literacy Initiative
Indianapolis, Indiana
Director: Marilyn Zaretsky
The IPS/NUA Literacy Initiative was a collaborative effort that began in 1998 with initial district and site visits to introduce NUA and conduct a district wide audit. In its 6th year (2003/2004) The comprehensive professional development program was collaborating with the whole school district (K-12). The project's fourth and fifth year focus began the Vanguard Schools and capacity building and specialization. The focus in the third year was The Collective. The project components includes regional staff development sessions, administrator training, extensive site visits, leadership academies, summer intensive sessions, and collaboration with the district offices led by NUA consultants. Over twenty consultants worked both at the district's seventy six schools and at regional sessions. Components of the project include Boundary Sessions, Site Visits, Principal Seminars, and Leadership Academy.
 School #31 (James A. Garfield Elementary School) is one of the participants in the Vanguard Plus project between the Indianapolis Public School and the National Urban Alliance. One of the main features of Vanguard Plus is the development and implementation of student based projects for skill mastery. School #31 decided to focus on vocabulary and reading fluency. With that focus in mind, we have set a goal of having students in the fourth and fifth grade master 40 new words a month. As the NUA consultant, Andy Rothstein has been working with the school and the IPS literacy instructor to identify vocabulary according to criteria set out in a book the school adopted (Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction), as well as working with the teachers on several NUA strategies for vocabulary mastery. This video (QuickTime format) shows School #31 teacher Sue Cosper working with taxonomies and morphology to expand student vocabulary.
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Vanguard Schools
The Literacy Leaders Institute was a collaboration between twenty schools to incorporate what they have learned through the IPS/NUA project into an ongoing development of a literacy blueprint. The year long institute's goal, through professional development and school change, was to sustain the schools' capacity for growth as NUA supported moves to one of maintenance. The initial twenty participating schools included six members including one or more Leadership Academy teachers, 3-4 teachers that were year two or three NUA participants, and the school principal.
Vanguard Schools by groups include:
- Vanguard I - Schools participating include 14, 34, 37, 39, 42, 55, 69, 81, 88, 56, 59, 72, 92, 112, Howe, John Marshall, Arlington High School.
- Vanguard II - Schools participating include 11, 15, 20, 21, 31, 47, 49, 54, 64, 65, 67, 68, 78, 79, 84, 87, 93, 94, 99, 106, 107, 114, Farrington, Forest Manor, Harshmann, Crispus Attucks, Gambold, George Washington, Arsenal Tech High School.
- Vanguard III - Schools participating include 27, 43, 44, 46, 57, 58, 60, 70, 74, 82, 83, 90, 91, 96, 98, 102, 103, 105, 109, Center for Inquiry, Cold Spring, Frederick Douglass, Coleman, Longfellow, Key Learning Center, Manual High School, Northwest High School
The NUA and IPS 2004/2005
NUA/IPS Professional Development Plan 2004-2005 (pdf): The NUA/IPS Professional Development Plan for 2004-2005's main focus is the Vanguard Plus process. The Vanguard Plus process is an extension of the IPS/NUA Literacy Initiative and Vanguard process. Schools enrolled in the process will go deeper into the research-based Eight Elements of the Vanguard Process (see below) to become self-sustaining, with internal capacity to foster and maintain high intellectual performance of students and staff. The Vanguard Plus process will take the form of action research. Schools will monitor student and teacher performance in on ongoing way that is meaningful, measurable and doable.
Eight Elements Of Vanguard Process (pdf): From the outset of the Vanguard process, IPS and NUA identified Eight Elements that create instruction that results in high achievement. At various times during the year, schools will rate the level of implementation in these areas.
Student Academic Mastery Performance Projects (pdf): Student Academic Mastery Performance Projects (Mastery Projects) provide a framework that supports teams of teachers in the implementation of focused, intensified, and explicit instruction. These projects are designed to guide students who are behind in the mastery of important literacy skills. The students’ performance demonstration of mastery is the culminating activity. These student performances involve more than one class. Parents and community people are invited, just as they are when there is a classroom or grade-level talent show, dramatic play, or choir or band performance.
Vanguard Plus Participants 2004-2005 (pdf)
Vanguard Plus Schools 2004-2005 (pdf)
Instructional Coach Placements for 2004-2005 (pdf)
Leadership Academy Teachers 2004-2005 (pdf)
The NUA and IPS Team for the 2003/2004 school year
NUA consultants leading boundary sessions:
- K-2 Augusta Mann
- 3-5 Sheila Fridovich and Stewart Lyons
- 6-8 Stewart Lyons and Andy Rothstein
- 9-12 Stewart Lyons
Leadership Academy consultant
Instructional Coach Consultants
- Augusta Mann and Julia Emig
IPS Team
- Sara Silvey
- Johnnye Satterfield
NUA Certified IPS Literacy Instructors
- Harry Kremer
- Kristina Campbell
- Sonia Tuttle
- Valerie Allen
Survey - an initial survey for use at the summer portion (June 25-28, 2001) of the Literacy Leadership Institute.
Participants
Participant and school information including school homepages.
Database of participants.
Weblinks including Urban Education, Media, Education, Listen to the Children and Youth, and Data.
Facilitator's Guide for the Literacy Institute. Also available as an Acrobat PDF file.
Transition School and IPS/NUA project focus for the 2001/2002 school year.
Indiana State Department of Education Indianapolis School Data.
Leadership Academy
Leadership Academy teachers are educators who have extended their participation with the project through leadership academy sessions. They are the liaisons to the schools throughout the district.
IPS/NUA Presentations
IPS/NUA Powerpoint Presentation at the American Association of School Administrators conference held in San Francisco, February 2004.
Online Powerpoint presentation
IPS/NUA district presentation before the school board November 2002.
Online Powerpoint Presentation.
Links
Websites on urban education, state frameworks and much more.
Manual High School's homepage including the Star Academy which has a page sharing their use of Thinking Maps.
Arlington High School - NUA at IPS
Listservs
THE INTERNET contains literally thousands of special interest discussion groups, each individually managed by an Internet server known as a list server (commonly referred to as a Listserv, list processor or a list). Lists are often moderated by a list owner, but this is not always the case; some lists are simply a free-for-all discussion without a person filtering the messages. Most lists can be provided to the user either in a digest form or on a post-by-post basis - directions for choosing this setting will usually appear in the welcome message you receive once you've joined the list. Any member of a list may take part in a conversation or begin a new topic. Listservers can also distribute electronic journals (e-journals) and newsletters, which are simply online magazines that are edited and distributed as a list. More information and lists of listservs.
IPS Listservs
- Leadership Academy
- IPS/NUA Participants
If you are an NUA/IPS Literacy Initiative &/or Leadership Academy participant you should be subscribed to the listserv(s). If you are not receiving email as part of the listserv please send an email to NUA so you can be subscribed.
Online Databases
The purpose of the online databases is to share information that supports a collective improvement within and between educators, students, and schools.
