A Commitment to Service| Article 1 |
Academic and K-12 Outreach Play Key Roles in Making Research and Acadmeic programs Available throughout Michigan and the World

Outreach takes many forms in the College of Education. It can be a faculty member working with an individual teacher or a group of coaches, a conference for educators, or graduate courses offered in communities throughout Michigan.

But nowhere in the college is the commitment to the land-grant imperative of service to the state, nation and world more evident than in the offices of academic and K-12 outreach. Although separate units, they both seek to make accessible the wealth of knowledge that is based at the College of Education.

"The top priority everywhere, be it at the state level or nationally, is improving K-12 education," said Barbara Markle, director of the Office of K-12 Outreach. "Given MSU's mission of teaching, research and outreach, it makes sense that the outstanding faculty and research in this college would be used to benefit people across the state and elsewhere.

"We make accessible in one way or another the important things that go on here."

There is another way they are alike: Both offices run large and diverse operations. K-12 outreach is involved in a number of grant projects working with teachers and administrators, operates a service to school districts involving technology planning and usage, and regularly offers state and national conferences on a range of K-12 issues.

The Office of Academic Outreach is responsible for administering all the programs the college offers in a variety of locations off campus in the state and around the world in far-off places such as Thailand and France.

"I think academic outreach here in the college means providing access to high quality programs to people regardless of their locations," said Susan Melnick, director of the Office of Academic Outreach. "The overall intention of academic outreach is to reach out to people in locations that make it impossible for them to come to campus to complete a master's degree program."

In this issue of New Educator, we profile K-12 and academic outreach, how they make the college's programs and research available to educators, the many programs and projects they administer, and their evolving role in the college.

The first thing you notice about the college's k-12 outreach effort is its variety.

You name the issue in K-12 education, and it's likely that Markle and her staff are involved in a project related to it.

Technology and education?

K-12 outreach is not only part of major grant projects-Civics Online, Governor's NextDay Technology Innovation Grant and the U.S. Department of Education's Technology Innovation Challenge Grant-but also has established in which academic specialists and education graduate students offer a range of services to school districts from technology evaluation and planning to help with implementation and professional development issues. (See story on page 25).

During the 1999-2000 school year, Markle's office mailed to every Michigan school district a series of six videotapes on educational technology.

Educational leadership and governance?

Markle has teamed with the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP) to put on a summer conference for would-be school leaders. Many of the participants have gone on to take administrative positions, and a new conference is scheduled for this summer. She is also working with the University of Michigan and the college's Department of Educational Administration to hold a first-of-its-kind conference for school superintendents.

In an effort to reach out to Michigan legislators, many of whom are new due to term limits, Markle developed the President's Education Forum in which professors present their research to legislators, their staffs and state educational leaders. Issues have ranged from charter schools and changing demographics to curriculum standards and teacher preparation.

The list of projects, conferences and collaborations go on and on. For Markle, the unifying theme is student learning. "That's the overall goal that we always have to keep in mind," she said. "No matter what we do we always have to keep focused on increasing achievement of Michigan students. My role is to take the research developed here and provide it through different avenues to benefit the work of K-12 educators, and therefore improve teaching and ultimately student learning."

For Markle, the effort doesn't stop with teachers or principals. Her audience also includes school board members, technology and curriculum specialists, and even parents.

The task can sometimes be a challenge because
researchers and practitioners do not always communicate well with each other. Professors may only publish in academic journals. Teachers, administrators, school board members, on the other hand, may only tap more readily available sources of information.

Markle said her mission is to make sure that the lines of communication between the college and those various educational constituencies remain open and active.

Much like K-12 outreach, the Office of Academic Outreach is a flurry of activity. It administers all off campus credit-bearing programs within the college, and in doing so takes the university to students worldwide.

The heart of the operation is the Master of Art in Curriculum and Teaching (MACT) program that the office administers in five locations in the state and internationally. Students can complete the MACT degree in Traverse City, Grand Rapids and Birmingham. It is also offered in France and Thailand as part of the Graduate Studies in Education Overseas (GSEO) program. (See story on page 24).

To Melnick, the program is essential to furthering the education of teachers and administrators in Michigan. Her relationship with academic outreach at MSU dates back to 1980, when as a new faculty member she taught her first course overseas. Since then, she has remained actively involved in teaching off campus courses.

The biggest change she has seen over the years is the growing interest in the master's degree program. It used to be that overseas offerings were school-based with individual campuses requesting a course and MSU sending a faculty member to teach it.

Today, GSEO and the Traverse City program operate much differently. Students in those locations are grouped into cohorts who take classes over three consecutive summers to complete the master's degree. In Grand Rapids and Birmingham, courses are offered all year and students can pick and chose from the various offerings to complete their degrees.

"So we're meeting the needs expressed to us by people who would like to complete a master's degree in different ways," Melnick said. "People have the option of completing the degree a course at a time, or during the school year, or during the summer as part of a cohort. And all of these are, of course, in addition to our offerings on campus.

"We've made an attempt to reach out to all corners of the state by our distribution."

In recent years, the number of programs has been on the increase. Last year, the college began offering a master's degree in educational technology in Switzerland and Thailand. That is in addition to the three-course educational technology certificate program that is offered statewide and at individual school districts as well as internationally in Switzerland and Thailand. There is also a master's program in educational technology offered in Traverse City, and a master's in educational administration in Grand Rapids.

Melnick also said the program has added a certificate program in educational leadership in France, and a teacher certification service for international school teachers in France and Thailand.

For Melnick, it is an exciting time for external programs and the need has never been greater. The international programs offer access to an important group of educators from U.S. and throughout the world. In the state, the programs make it possible for hundreds of teachers annually to further their education.

"There is a real diversity of programs and it's a response to what teachers and administrators say they need and what coincides with the high quality offerings we have within the college," she said.

Both Melnick and Markle say the future will see even more demand for the services and programs they offer.

For Melnick, the issue is demographics. As a generation of teachers begins to retire, the need for continuing education for what will be a younger cadre of teachers may well reach an all-time high. "The need for off campus programs is simply going to continue to grow because of the demographics of the teaching corps."

Melnick believes that the World Wide Web will play an increasingly larger role, and expects the college to begin offering online instruction as early as the fall.

Markle believes that in terms of K-12 outreach, the important issues in the future will be such things as technology integration, leadership development, and standards-based education.

"It's much more difficult to sustain a long-term view," Markle said. "I think the role of higher education becomes more critical in terms of raising the big questions and helping educators and policymakers work through those issues This is why all of this is so important.

"We have to work together to make sure we are making good policy decisions. And that's why we are so committed to making good research-based information available to decision-makers at the classroom, boardroom, or state levels."

Off-Campus Credit Programs

The College of Education offers a number of degree and certificate programs to students throughout Michigan and the world.

Master of Arts in Curriculum and Teaching
This degree program is offered at all three Michigan locations-Birmingham, Grand Rapids, and Traverse City. The program is also offered in France and Thailand.

Master of Arts in Educational Technology
This program is offered in Traverse City and Leysin, Switzerland. Students take courses toward the degree as cohort during summer months.

Educational Technology Certificate
This certificate program requires students to take a three-course sequence designed specifically for the needs of educators. The program has been offered at various locations throughout the state, including Grand Rapids, Ludington and Marshall, and in Switzerland and Thailand.

Educational Leadership Certificate
This certificate is for teachers interested in pursuing administrative positions in international schools. It is offered in France.

K-12 Outreach on the Move

The college's outreach efforts include a wide variety of projects. The following are just a few of the many projects that the Office of K-12 Outreach has organized to serve Michigan educators.

Educational Technology Leadership Institutes
At these institutes, school district teams composed of instructional and technological leaders explored their role in the technology planning process and the creation of an integrated curriculum technology plan.

Emerging Leaders Program
In this summer program, potential administrative candidates have the opportunity to develop leadership skills and an awareness of the knowledge necessary to be a secondary school principal. The program was developed in collaboration with the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals.

Improving Technology Literacy of Michigan's School Board Members
In collaboration with the Michigan Association of School Boards, the pro-ject provides assessment tools to help board members understand policy issues, sample hiring requirements for school leaders in a digital age, an online course for school board training, and other material.

New Legislator Orientation
The orientation for state legislators serves as a foundation knowledge for the state's top policymakers on a range of K-12 educational policy issues facing the state.

National Standards Conference/National Conference on School Choice and Educational Choice
The conferences have brought to Michigan leading researchers and experts to discuss issues such as national standards, charter schools and vouchers.

Project Time
This collaborative technology pro-ject based in the Battle Creek Public Schools is funded by a $5.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The consortium is developing such things as instructional units that incorporate technology as an integral part of teaching and learning, high-level software for students that aligns with state and national standards, and a "community computer lab" for parents.