1. education
2. graduate school
3. college

2015 Professional Development Series
Public School-University
Research Collaboration:
First Steps
Facilitated by:
Dr. Catherine Horn, Executive Director
Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
University of Houston
Regional Hosts and Workshop Dates:
The University of Texas at Arlington on Monday, May 18
St. Edward’s University on Tuesday, May 19 - CANCELLED
University of Houston on Wednesday, May 20
Center for Research, Evaluation and Advancement of
Teacher Education
www.createtx.org
CREATE
2015 Professional Development Series
As a unique consortium of 56 universities, CREATE promotes the concept of responsive research as a way to bridge the gap between educational theory, research, and practice. Universities cannot produce effective teachers in isolation from public schools. Teachers must be
able to meet the needs of schools; research in schools must lead to better educational outcomes. Responsive research is both intentional and collaborative. Intentional in the sense that
issues that are important and critical for school districts are addressed, and problems of practice become subjects worthy of research. Collaborative in the sense that schools and university
teacher preparation programs come together to determine what questions are worthy of exploration, co-design methods, interpret results and establish dissemination mechanisms. School
district/university engagement built on problem-centered research can lead to shared vision,
mutual benefit, and ultimately education improvement for Texas children.
Toward this end, CREATE is offering regional, one-day workshops in Houston, Austin, and the
Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex to university/school district research teams who would like to explore
common research interests. Work for the day will center on building a shared vision as the foundation for collaboration and co-developing compelling and mutually beneficial research questions
around problems of teacher preparation and teacher practice. Facilitators will use guided group
dialogue, a technique effective for identifying problems, synthesizing answers, prioritizing next
steps, and making an action plan.
Participation will allow teams to:

Engage in extensive collaboration with colleagues to develop a shared vision that drives research;

Identify and develop timely research questions and problems of practice; and

Identify relevant data sources.
CREATE is focused on the impact of university-based teacher preparation and development
on teaching quality, retention rates, and student achievement. For these workshops we provide:

Expertise in creating and sustaining university/school district research partnerships;

Knowledge about available state data and the potential to connect those data to district and university data as the project unfolds;

Specific help with research design;

Subsequent technical assistance or project management.
ENROLLMENT INFORMATION
Enrollment is open to all who are interested in designing collaborative university/school district research. We suggest enrolling a team made up of both university and school district
members. The team might include university deans, university faculty, P-12 administrators
and professional staff including teachers. Enrollment fee includes lunch. Each workshop
is limited to 30 participants.
Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex
Co-Sponsor: The University of Texas at Arlington
Date: May 18, 2015
Time: 9:30 A.M.-3:30 P.M.
CANCELLED - Austin
Co-Sponsor: St Edward’s University
Date: May 19, 2015
Time: 9:30 A.M.-3:30 P.M.
Houston
Co-Sponsor: University of Houston
Date: May 20, 2015
Time: 9:30 A.M.-4:30 P.M.
Tentative Agenda
Morning
9:30
Welcome and Introductions
9:45
Introduction to the Process and Guiding Questions for Today’s Work
10:00
Guided group dialogues phase 1: Identifying a shared vision
11:00
Guided group dialogues phase 2: Synthesizing answers for common ground
12:00
Lunch
Afternoon
12:45
Summary of morning
1:00
Guided group dialogues phase 3: Using shared vision to ask important questions
2:00
Guided group dialogues phase 4: Prioritizing questions, collecting data, and identifying
barriers
2:45
Guided group dialogues phase 5: Taking action
3:15
Summary, next steps and closing
CREATE STAFF
Dr. Catherine Horn is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Executive Director of the Institute for Educational Policy Research and Evaluation at the University of
Houston, and Director of CREATE. Dr. Horn, who received her PhD from Boston College, focuses
on the systemic influences of secondary and postsecondary testing and related policies on the
learning trajectories of students. Prior to joining the University of Houston, she worked as Research
Associate for The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University; Senior Research Associate for the
Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation and Educational Policy’s National Board on Educational
Testing and Public Policy at Boston College; and a teacher at Jefferson Davis High School in the
Houston Independent School District. Dr. Horn has been honored with numerous awards including, most recently, a Fulbright Fellowship to Chile.
Jeanette G. Narvaez is Director of Operations and Research Dissemination of the Center for Research, Evaluation and Advancement of Teacher Education (CREATE), a collaborative research
and development center focused on improving teacher education programs involving the five largest university systems in Texas. She previously held administrative positions in The Texas A&M
University System and Texas Education Agency’s collaborative initiative, Partnership for Texas
Public Schools, and the Institute for School-University Partnerships. Ms. Narvaez received her
Bachelors from The University of Texas at Austin and her Masters in Business Administration from
Texas A&M University.
Sherri Lowrey currently serves as Associate Director of Research at the Center for Research,
Evaluation and Advancement of Teacher Education (CREATE). In that role she manages CREATE’s research agenda, develops and manages professional development for university faculty
and school district personnel, and manages CREATE’s data warehouse and production of the Performance Analysis for Colleges of Education and the Data Reporting Tool for Schools (DaRTS) data books. She began her professional career as a science teacher. Prior to joining CREATE, she
worked in Institutional Effectiveness at the University of Houston and as an evaluator for the Nebraska Math and Science Initiative. She is a graduate of Kansas State University and holds a
Master’s Degree in Social Psychology from the University of Nebraska.
Registration Form
CREATE 2015 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
Public School-University Research Collaboration:
First Steps
Name:_________________________________________________________________________________________
Title: _________________________________________________________________________________________
Organization: ___________________________________________________________________________________
Mailing Address: ________________________________________________________________________________
City: ____________________________________________________State: ________Zip:_____________________
Telephone #: (
) ___________________________ Fax #: (
)_____________________________________
Email: _________________________________________________________________________________________
Each workshop is limited to 30 people.
Enrollment Fee
(Includes lunch)
□ Dallas/Ft Worth—May 18, 2015
$125.00
Co-Sponsor: The University of Texas at Arlington
□ Austin/San Antonio—May 19, 2015 - CANCELLED
$125.00
Co-Sponsor: St. Edward’s University
□ Houston —May 20, 2015
$125.00
Co-Sponsor: University of Houston
Registration Deadline: May 11, 2015
METHOD OF PAYMENT
□ Check or Money Order (made payable to CREATE)
Check #____________
TOTAL ______________ (All checks will be subject to a $25 returned check fee.)
□ Purchase Order #_________________________ (Copy of PO must accompany the registration form.)
Please mail of FAX completed registration form to:
CREATE
3232 College Park Drive, Suite 303
The Woodlands, TX 77384
936.273.7661 (Direct) 936.273.7592 (Fax)
Important: Cancellations must be received in writing no later than 5 business days prior to the event.
Please submit cancellations to [email protected] or via fax 936.273.7592.
CREATE MEMBER SYSTEMS AND INSTITUTIONS
OPERATING PARTNERS
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM
Prairie View A&M University
The University of Texas at Arlington
Tarleton State University
The University of Texas at Austin
Texas A&M International University
The University of Texas at Brownsville
Texas A&M University
The University of Texas at Dallas
Texas A&M University-Central Texas
The University of Texas at El Paso
Texas A&M University-Commerce
The University of Texas-Pan American
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Texas A&M University-San Antonio
The University of Texas at Tyler
Texas A&M University-Texarkana
West Texas A&M University
TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
Lamar State College-Orange
Lamar University
Sam Houston State University
Sul Ross State University
Sul Ross State University-Rio Grande
Texas State University
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM
University of Houston
University of Houston-Clear Lake
University of Houston-Downtown
University of Houston-Victoria
PROGRAM PARTNERS
Abilene Christian University
Angelo State University
Austin College
Baylor University
East Texas Baptist University
Hardin-Simmons University
Houston Baptist University
Howard Payne University
McMurry University
Midwestern State University
Our Lady of the Lake University
Schreiner University
Southwestern University
St. Edward’s University
St. Mary’s University
Stephen F. Austin State University
Texas Christian University
Texas Lutheran University
Texas Southern University
Texas Tech University
Texas Wesleyan University
Texas Woman’s University
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
University of North Texas
University of St. Thomas
University of the Incarnate Word