Greetings from the Southeast Coalition of Essential Schools Center

By Sharon Tritschler and Kathleen Harris

This fall the Southeast Coalition of Essential Schools Center (SCESC) has been host to three networking and critical conversation events for our districts and schools. The SCESC was found as a partnership among the school districts of Manatee, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota and Palm Beach Counties as well as Nova Southeastern University’s Fischler School of Education to create a professional network of practitioners involved in secondary school reform through smaller learning communities and career academies. The National Career Academy Coalition (NCAC), SERVE Center and the Small Schools Workshop are partners.

The mission of the center is to create, promote, develop and sustain small, diverse, high performing secondary school programs incorporating the ten principles of the coalition of essential schools. SCESC provides networking, coaching and technical assistance, professional developmeng closely with our member districts and the National Coalition of Essential Schools (CES) office, we strive to identify needs and provide cost effective events and services that share proven promising practices. In the summer of 2007, we co-hosted the Small Schools Summer Institute with CES national. Schools participating in CES Small School Program came from all over the nation to network and share strategies and resources. The SCESC provided facilitators and Nova Southeastern University’s Fischler School of Education hosted a reception.
 
 
Left to right : Lewis Cohen, Executive Director of CES National ;Pamela Hatton, Secretary of the Board for SCESC; Kathleen Harris, President of the SCESC Board; Peter Oberg, Treasurer of the SCESC Board and Sharon Tritschler, Executive Director of SCESC

On December 13-15, 2007, the SCESC co-hosted the Professional Learning Communities Conference in Tampa, Florida presented by the National School Reform Faculty. This highly successful event centered on developing Critical Friends techniques and skills. Sharon Tritschler is a certified trainer for Critical Friends and can be reached through the SCESC website: www.southeastces.org

We are pleased to announce that the SCESC has formed a grant subcommittee to draft a proposal and explore funding possibilities to create a virtual model high school with multiple small schools and/or smaller learning communities. These programs will represent some of the best freshman transition programs, career academies, magnet programs and student support services. This virtual model will become part of a professional development program for educators transforming their high school programs. Partnerships with NCAC, CASN, ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career, the George Lucas Education Foundation, University of South Florida Polytechnic, and others are being explored. Stay tuned for updates.