Metropolitan St. Louis Consortium for Educational Renewal

A collaborative partnership for the simultaneous renewal of educators and the public schools


The Metropolitan St. Louis Consortium for Educational Renewal is a collaborative effort involving two universities and public schools within the Metropolitan St. Louis area. These partners are listed to the right.

The Mission

The institutions which are members of the Metropolitan St. Louis Consortium have joined together to “simultaneously” improve the education of educators and P-12 schooling. We believe that in order for American schools to renew and improve, the preparation of the educators in those schools must improve as well, and the only way real renewal can come about is for both university-based educators and school-based educators to work together. Thus our mission is:

In order to sustain our democratic society and advocate for our public schools, the members of the Metropolitan St. Louis Consortium for Educational Renewal have joined together to simultaneously improve the preparation of public school educators and the schooling of children in the P-12 schools.

The work of the Metropolitan St. Louis Consortium for Educational Renewal is based upon the philosophy of “simultaneous renewal” which was formalized by Dr. John Goodlad. This renewal work is grounded in “an agenda for education in a democracy” which focuses upon four moral dimensions:

  • Access to knowledge for all youth
  • The stewardship of the American public schools
  • A pedagogy of caring
  • The enculturation of the young into a social and political democracy

The Consortium is a member of the National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER), a network of similar partnerships in the United States and Canada. The network was established by Goodlad to actively address the agenda of simultaneous renewal and education in a democracy, using this philosophy as a basic framework for educational change.

Goals

Our work is sustained by the following five goals:

Goal I

To advocate for public education by articulating in a variety of forums that public education is the strongest foundation for an effective democracy, the protection of our common good, and our best hope for a compassionate and just society.

Goal II

To establish, create and sustain educator preparation programs and partnership schools which engage participants in reflective practice and inquiry, focused upon the four moral dimensions which guide our work.

Goal III

To establish, create and sustain educator programs and partnership schools which model a deep commitment to the moral and to the belief that all children can and will learn to the best of their ability.

Goal IV

To establish, create and sustain educator preparation programs and partnership schools which challenge candidates to move out of their “comfort zone;” develop and implement curricula which require candidates to think deeply and broadly about aspects of schooling which inhibit student learning; and share the above widely within our community and seek feedback on ways to improve the experiences within both the higher education programs and the experiences candidates have within our partner schools.

Goal V

To create and sustain educator partnership programs and partnership schools which model such conditions as active student engagement, challenging curriculum, participatory decision-making and a safe, nurturing environment.

The Benefits

Involvement with and attendance at conferences and meetings designed to:

  • Improve student achievement
  • Improve teacher performance (reflection upon performance; reading and discussion about the teaching/learning process)
  • Initiate scholarly activity supported by university educators and school-based faculty

Cross-site visits with other schools and universities in the NNER to share and learn

Participation in partnership activities

  • Placement of preservice students in partner schools
  • Ability to use preservice students as substitutes and interns
  • Specially-designed coursework and seminars for building and district needs
  • Participation on externally-funded graduate level programs designed to help educators gain new skills, knowledge and certifications

Opportunity to attend state and national meetings and meet with NNER participants to renew and learn

Opportunities to participate in numerous grant-funded programs

Opportunity to submit to the Dr. Sam Hausfather Mini-Grants Program

For more information

Carol Hall-Whittier, Executive Director
consortium@maryville.edu