NSRF San Antonio Center of Activity
CRITICal FRIeNDs GROUps
The seeds of the National School Reform Fac- professional learning community. Toward that end,
ulty (NSRF) San Antonio Center were sown nearly we structure our cohorts of 10-12 M.A.T. students
10 years ago when a small contingent of educators as though they are a Critical Friends Group.
from the International School of the Americas (ISA) Beyond teachers’ formal preparation, our Center
and Lee High School in the North East ISD at- supports novices completing their first years in the
tended a New Coaches Seminar. They learned about classroom. The CEL offers scholarships to M.A.T.
Critical Friends Groups, a powerful form of teacher graduates to attend the annual New Coaches’ Semi-
development where groups of teachers meet regularly nars so that they are equipped with tools to support
and use protocols to examine student work, discuss their students’ learning and to help establish/sustain
dilemmas of practice, and share craft knowledge. professional learning community at their campuses.
Upon their enthusiastic return, the team intro- In addition, six M.A.T. graduates also participate
duced all 24 ISA faculty members to Critical Friends in a local CFG that Dr. Norman facilitates.
Groups, and as a staff they voluntarily elected to Finally, we offer sustained support to experi-
participate in school-based CFGs. enced educators. For the past four years, we have
Nine years later, CFGs remain offered new coaches seminars,
a core component of the high facilitative leadership seminars,
school teachers’ continuing and continuing CFG coaches’
professional development. training. In May 2008, 22
Of the 26 teachers at ISA, educators attended the New
24 are members of a CFG, Coaches Seminar, and in August
which are coached by teach- 38 area educators participated in
ers (administrators participate a day-long retreat for continu-
but do not coach). Associate ing coaches. In October, 18
professor of education Dr. educators discussed an article by
Angela Breidenstein provides Deborah Meier entitled “Un-
ongoing support to the coaches dermining Democracy.” This
through monthly meetings. At Lee High School we past fall, national facilitators from San Antonio
have experienced several iterations of CFG work, and Houston conducted a day-long professional
depending in part on administrative expectations and development retreat for teachers at Roosevelt High
mandates as well as teacher initiative and advocacy. School in NEISD. A number of Roosevelt educa-
tors subsequently attended the NSRF National
Summary of Annual Activity
Winter Meeting in January. This spring 43 teach-
ers and administrators attended a session to explore
One of NSRF SA’s unique features is our com- the possibility of establishing a cross-city CFG for
mitment to helping educators at every stage in their elementary teachers and administrators. Twelve
professional career, including their formal prepara- members have since met monthly at Trinity.
tion, induction years, and continuing professional Our network now consists of 114 educators,
development. National facilitators Drs. Norman, with at least 44 who have attended more than one
Breidenstein, and Ileana Liberatore introduce Trinity’s continuing coach institute or meeting following their
teacher candidates to protocols as undergraduates. initial training. The network comprises 81 teachers,
As our candidates complete the M.A.T. program, 20 school administrators, three university-based edu-
they often participate in school-based CFGs held at cators, and 10 educators who hold other school and
our Professional Development School campuses. In district roles. These educators represent 36 schools in
addition, as teacher educators we believe strongly in 11 districts and five states, although primarily Texas.
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