Thanks to everyone who took a look at the draft of the 2012-13 NWP Network Continuing Association form. The purpose of this form is to signal an "intent to continue" as part of the NWP network. Site directors and Principal Investigators received an email message with the form (available here) and information about submitting it. The form is due by March 1, 2012.
To learn more please listen to the short podcast available here. The podcast features Elyse Eidman-Aadahl and Tom Fox discussing the thinking behind the new Continuing Assocation process. Hopefully the recording will answer some of the questions you may have.
Check out the conversation so far and add your thinking or questions in this forum discussion. This is a great opportunity to hear and share good thinking in this online space.
Responses
The Capital Area Writing Project in Raleigh, NC (NCSU) had a continuing site for 27 years. However, in 2010, we could only raise $39,000 of the required $46,000 match, so we could not apply to continue as a site in 2011. We did conduct inservice activities throughout the year and held a shorter (2 1/2 wk) summer institute, partly supported by a private funder, but we did not call ourselves the CAWP nor did we identiy ourselves as a NWP, since we had not (could not) apply in 2010.
So, since we are not currently a NWP site, is it still possible to continue our association?
And what, exactly, does that entail? I assume we will pay institutional dues. But what other requirements would we have? Would we still be expected to offer summer institutes each summer, even though we would not expect funding?
I would appreciate learning more.
Hi Ruie,
We intend to work later this year on the process for former sites that do not currently have an NWP grant to re-connect to the network. We have several others who have asked this same question. Once we have a chance to flesh out a plan and know more about future funding opportunities, we will send you information. Right now please feel free to use all the resources here in Connect and on the NWP website as part of the work you are doing locally. It is wonderful that you have raised private funding to help support your efforts!
Dear Joyce,
This form looks fine to me. It's a bit difficult to respond to since it's so unclear at the moment just what benefits and responsibilities would be involved in making this committment, but I suspect I share with many other site directors the sense that it's extremely difficult to think of ourselves as NOT connected to a national network. By this time it's in our blood and it part of the way we think about ourselves.
So at this point I guess it's best to just wait and see what comes of the Title II funding application, as well as the results of other initiatives the NWP is persuing.
My best,
Jonathan Lovell
Hi Jonathan,
Thank you for taking a look and checking in about the process. As you point out, until we hear more about the outcome of the Title II set aside competition, the details just aren't avaiable to be known. For all current sites, we hope that this continuing association process is straightforward and even perfunctory in a way. We will know so much more as the results of the competition are announced and we watch the reauthorization of ESEA unfold. I certainly know what you mean when you say that being part of the network is "in our blood and part of the way we think about ourselves." Thanks for capturing the sentiment.
Dear Joye,
The Upper Cumberland Writing Project thinks the form looks fine. It is our intent to keep our highest level administrators involved and continue our University's match committment. We have found that by simply having the ties to a national network and by having the financial support of our universtiy, applications the UCWP makes to state grant funds (specifically Improving Teacher Quality) do very well--i.e. the UCWP continues to receive funding.
Again, we think the form is simple enough and is necessary to keep all of the writing sites connected.
Thank you for your efforts,
Shannon Collins
Nice to hear from you, Shannon. And thanks for sharing the information about Teacher Quality funding through the state. This funding is turning out to be a a good source, we are hearing, from sites in other states as well. Keep us posted on how UCWP accesses these funds.
Hi Shannon. I want to applaud your site's focus on its university sponsors and sponsorship. My sense of things, at this stage of the NWP network's development, is that nothing could be more important to sustaining and extending a site's potential for having a long-term impact on the eductional landscape that surrounds it. It's great to know that your site's connection to a well-known and respected national network is playing an important role in sustaining that sponsorship. Other sites have attested to that as well, and the more we can build on that strength that we all share, the better will be the prospects for all of us!
Joye--
The form looks good. I suggest you add some options, or perhaps an "Other" to the list of possible activities for funding to support. For example, we're finding that schools, districts and FUNDERS are very excited about kids writing camps, so we're expanding in that area. Then there is community outreach and advocacy for effective educational practices -- which you and I discussed on the phone. Lil Brannon and Adrea Zellner provide great examples of this, and I plan to contact at least one foundation that focuses on ed policy rather direct programs. We're receiving registrations now for our Mar. 2nd all-day conference, which was totally self-supporting last year. And as I told you, we're going ahead with a 2012 summer institute. So we're ready to apply for funds NOW!
--Steve Zemelman
Hi Steve,
All suggestions are most welcome. Just a reminder that we will collect valuable information from the NWP Site Reports that are coming in next month about how sites are accessing school and district funds, state funds, as well as private funds. We will make sure that all of the good thinking in the reports is accessble to everyone in the network, and we will continue to share resources and ideas about diversifying funding streams here in Connect, on NWP Radio, at the Spring Meeting and any other channels that emerge. Just the beginning of the back and forth here is already creating a great forum for sharing. Thanks, Steve, and to all of you who are chiming in!
Thanks Joye. Form looks good and the podcast was just right. I have a couple of questions. How did the network stay together prior to Federal Funding without a form like this? The relative painlessness of this process does leave open the question of the ways we maintain the quality of what it means to be an NWP site going forward? In other words is filling out a form enough? One of our site leaders asked me a question at our last board meeting that I will pass along to you when I was talking about this voluntary affiliation process: Will the NWP require us to pay dues? I assured them that this would never hapen and that we would not become a franchise operation "the Servpro or Subway of Education". Is that right?
Here at the NVWP we're really making a lot of progress this year on a lot of fronts, we feel very solid in our purpose and our internal cohesion as a site. We all recognize the value in our colleagues at other sites and look forward to finding ways to "connect" in the days ahead.
Paul