Location
Willamette Curriculum Coalition (WCC)
Willamette Education Service District
3400 Portland Road N.E.
Salem, OR 97303

Contact
Glen Fielding, WCC Program Director
Phone: 503/399-9088
Fax: 503/588-5681
E-mail: fielding@willamesd.k12.or.us

Description
The Willamette Curriculum Coalition (WCC), established in 1993, is a consortium for professional development and school improvement. It is comprised of the Willamette Education Service District (ESD) and 13 school districts, which include 70 schools, approximately 1,200 teachers, and 21,000 students. Membership in the coalition is voluntary. WCC is supported by the Willamette ESD, annual membership dues, and grants and contracts. A leadership team of teachers, principals, curriculum directors, and superintendents representing each member district guides the coalition’s work.

WCC brings together ideas, people, and resources across its member districts to enhance standards-based school improvement. Professional development is at the core of this collaborative venture. The coalition’s work is based upon two key premises:

1. By working together on a regional basis, school districts can more effectively help students reach high standards
2. Teachers need to play a central role in designing and leading professional development programs to assure that the programs have quality, authenticity, and relevance

WCC has recruited and supported a cadre of accomplished teacher leaders from the region to provide collegial, interactive professional development programs related to Oregon’s standards-based learning and assessment system. In any given year, between 300 and 500 teachers participate in the coalition’s regional professional development programs, in which teachers come together at central locations for institutes, courses, workshops, or informal colleague-exchange networks. An equal number of teachers participate in onsite local professional development programs, led by members of the teacher training cadre, that typically involve one-day workshops and follow-up training.

The teacher leader cadre consists of two levels of trainers. Senior trainers, who constitute the first level, are the most seasoned and distinguished teacher leaders from the region. They not only lead professional development programs, but also serve as mentors for new teacher trainers in the cadre. Senior trainers must go through a formal application process. Currently, there are only four senior trainers in the coalition. In addition to the senior trainers are the regular trainers. These are skilled teacher leaders nominated by their district, or by other teachers in WCC schools, based upon their success as trainers or their potential for success. There are currently eight regular trainers in the coalition.

All trainers have indepth knowledge of standards-based teaching, learning, and assessment practices, and are continually extending their knowledge through service on statewide committees, participation in professional development conferences and associations, and collegial planning, problem solving, and product development work sponsored by the coalition. All teacher leaders are paid for their services at rates set by the coalition’s Leadership Team.

Observed Outcomes

• WCC-conducted studies and surveys indicate that most participating teachers have applied significant concepts and tools from coalition training programs to their teaching
• Action research studies have documented gains in student learning that appear to be systematically related to new or refined practices that stem from professional development activities

Keys to Success

• Tie professional development to broader school improvement themes and goals related to student learning
• Identify goals that all member districts hold in common and can collectively embrace; keep them front and center in planning, reviewing, and evaluating professional development programs
• Recruit, value, and conscientiously support teachers as designers and leaders of professional development programs
• Develop a broadly representative planning and decisionmaking team to ensure that the overall design and implementation of professional development programs match what schools and teachers need