Purpose and Background: The following is a summary of the outcomes of the sustainability meetings conducted by the Community Discovered Project during the Summer and Fall of 1997. The meetings were to identify and agree upon a set of common beliefs about the guiding principles and desired outcomes of the project &endash; and to identify strategies for ensuring sustainability and scaleability. The overarching goal for this process was to gain a reaffirmation, among all project partners, to continue collaboration and support for this important initiative based on a shared set of beliefs and strategies for the future.

The Desired Outcomes: In identifying the desired outcomes of the participation in the project by key partners, the following impact statements were developed within the sustainability meetings.

Students will:

• feel successful in executing a higher level of thinking skills and will have the ability to construct knowledge
• more actively engage in and more responsible for learning
• use appropriate language and vocabulary to communicate about their learning

Teachers will:

• incorporate a constructivist approach to their own learning and teaching that serves as an effective "model" of learning for their students
• develop a greater knowledge and understanding of the arts and their integration with other disciplines
• participate as full partners within the Community Discovered project that results in a sense of belonging and empowerment necessary to engage in effective mentoring and collaboration with their peers

Cultural Institutions will:

• expand and/or refocus their education programming to develop teaching tools and resources that are of greater relevance to the constructivist teaching and learning process
• work more closely with teachers in the development of educational opportunities and resources
• refocus and expand their outreach activities to more effectively engage all members of the community in arts and cultural programs and services

Higher Education Institutions will:

• develop strategies for providing resources and services to K-12 teachers and students that enhance the constructivist approach as well as other project cornerstones
• collaborate with cultural institutions and school districts to provide professional development opportunities for teachers as well as distance learning opportunities and on-line resources for students
• increase interactive planning and communications with K-12 schools through technology and other avenues
• identify and link teacher preparation, content areas and instruction with K-12 subject area content taught by Community Discovered project participants

Business Partners will:

• focus resources and strategies to help teachers and students meet project objectives in conjunction with the four cornerstones
• assist with promoting the goals and outcomes of the project as a successful model for strengthening partnerships between the business community and schools
• share human resources by empowering employees to participate in the project where appropriate
• actively collaborate with the project when opportunities are available
• provide feedback to schools when invited to do so
• take part in open communication with the project
• develop Web sites containing relevant information of community interest
• sponsor a Community Discovered statewide awards program

Parents and the Larger Community will:

• better understand and support the goals and beliefs underlying the project's four cornerstones
• increase their participation in and support for project activities
• increase their participation (and the participation of their children) in the community's arts and cultural events and opportunities

The Nebraska Department of Education will:

• assist all project partners to understand how the Community Discovered project is consonant with new approaches to teaching and learning in the state and nationally

The Belief Statements:

In identifying the shared beliefs of partners in the project, the following belief statements were developed within the meetings. These belief statements will be used to help guide the project in all project developed activities and general planning.

a) We believe that to teach and learn through the visual and performing arts:

• promotes greater understanding of the human experience
• integrates and transcends subjects and disciplines
• is an essential part of the core education program for all students
• fosters creative and critical thinking, self-discipline, and lifelong learning
• helps people understand and celebrate themselves and others in a community without boundaries
• provides a powerful means for self-expression and communication among individuals, generations, and cultures
• includes dance, music, theater, and the visual arts
• encompasses process, performance/production, criticism and aesthetics, including historical and culturally diverse populations

b) We believe that to teach and learn from an interdisciplinary approach, educators should be encouraged to:

• make the world relevant by interconnecting and interrelating a variety of disciplines and learning
• offer multiple lenses from which to view the world of knowledge
• construct a complex but meaningful knowledge base that accommodates diverse viewpoints for managing life's problems and issues
• preserve the integrity of the disciplines

c) We believe that to teach and learn from a constructivist framework means:

• through inquiry, exploration, and discovery, students will acquire basic skills and higher-order thinking skills, construct meaning, and open corridors to new fields of inquiry and knowledge
• teachers and students will develop an active partnership and collaboration that is dedicated to learning in and beyond the classroom

d) We believe that teaching and learning through the application and integration of technology:

• adds a dimension to learning, with its own unique skill set
• empowers teachers and students to move forward creatively
• provides equality and freedom of discovery
• fosters the responsibility to stay on course
• enables wide-ranging inquiry-based educational travels
• promotes global interactive relationships for research, sharing, creating and assessing
• requires continuing maintenance, fine-tuning, and investment
• supports the mission of education reform for transforming teaching and learning to prepare students for the 21st century

The Tools and Resources for Sustainability:

The meetings also identified five different categories of tools and resources to aid in the sustainability process, which were acknowledged by the participants:

1. Mixes of Community-based Partners

2. Well-defined Roles and Responsibilities of Partners

3. Teacher and Administrator Empowerments

4. Professional Development for All Partners

5. Interactive Communications Opportunities

For additional information:

For additional information related to this report, or the Community Discovered Project itself and the Office of Internet Studies, related to the evaluation process, the following two web sites will be useful.

The Community Discovered: http://communitydisc.wst.esu3.k12.ne.us

The Office of Internet Studies: http://ois.unomaha.edu

At the conclusion of the Community Discovered project's advisory board meeting (April, 1997), it became evident that further opportunities to reflect upon and evaluate project accomplishments, strengths, obstacles, and critical success factors for the future would be beneficial. The project director then worked with the evaluation team and an external facilitator to plan a series of invited meetings for representatives from among each participant/partner group (e.g. teachers, arts and cultural institutions, site coordinators, K-12 and higher education administrators, business representatives, etc.) to meet this expressed need.

The meetings were approached from a constructivist context - to identify and agree upon a set of common beliefs about the guiding principles and desired outcomes of the project - and to identify strategies for ensuring sustainability and scaleability befitting a national challenge grant program. The overarching goal for this process was to gain a reaffirmation, among all project partners, to continue collaboration and support for this important initiative based on a shared set of beliefs and strategies for the future.

Developing Specifications for Success

In preparation for the meeting, project administrators, evaluation team members and the external facilitator reviewed and assessed feedback regarding Year One activities from among advisory team members, other project partners, and school-based participants. In addition to input collected during the spring advisory meeting, this also included online comments and belief statements which teachers were requested to contribute to the Community Discovered Web site.

As a result of this assessment, three needs and attendant goals were identified for the series of meetings. First, it was affirmed that all project partners and participants need to reach consensus on a common set of beliefs regarding the four major components of the Community Discovered initiative (i.e. the visual and performing arts as a core subject area, the integration of the arts within interdisciplinary curricular approaches, the constructivist framework for teaching and learning, and the integration of technology with arts-based content and practice). A goal was thus established for participants to develop and agree upon a set of belief statements for each of the above-mentioned components.

Second, there appeared to be a need to clarify and provide some guidance regarding the expectations, role and responsibilities of key project partners and participants (i.e. museums, other arts centers, businesses, school administrators, teachers). This would again require consensus about anticipated outcomes among the above players as well as students, parents, and the community at large. Once outcomes were defined, the participants would need to address strategies for working together to achieve this.

Finally, in response to a key project goal, the challenge of sustainability and scaleability needed to be addressed. Participants would be asked to develop strategies for documenting and sharing project accomplishments and processes that would be helpful to colleagues in Nebraska and nationally. In addition, further strategies should be defined for ensuring long-term growth and support for the Community Discovered initiative.

Constructing the Plan

Meeting #1

The initial meeting (July 24) was limited to a small group of individuals representing a cross-section of partners as well as issues addressed by the project. In addition to Community Discovered staff and evaluation team members, the group included representatives from a museum partner, school district, the state department of education, and a scholar on constructivist learning. The external facilitator developed the agenda and managed the meeting with the assistance of the project director and a member of the evaluation team (who also served as a co-facilitator for key discussion period during both meetings).

All participants were sent a packet of articles which they were asked to read in advance of the meeting. The readings included journal articles and other writings that pertained to one or more of key project components and issues.

The agenda included a warm-up exercise during which each participant was randomly provided the name of an arts modality (e.g. modern dance, symphony, opera, theater, etc.) and asked to use it as a metaphor to describe his/her role in the Community Discovered project. Following a presentation of meeting goals and objectives by the facilitator, the project director and lead evaluator provided a brief status report regarding project accomplishments and evaluation activities.

Pre-assigned groups then worked together to draft an initial set of belief statements about one of the four key project cornerstones (i.e. the arts as core, interdisciplinary approach, constructivist framework, integration of arts and technology). The groups were asked to draw upon the readings, as well as their own knowledge and experience with the project. Each group then presented their draft statements and received further suggestions from the larger group - the results of which were typed and distributed to all participants over the lunch break.

The afternoon was devoted to the identification of issues and challenges in ensuring that project activities would embrace the aforementioned beliefs - and to the development of strategies for partners and participants to meet such challenges. Participants were divided into two groups for the afternoon session and were asked to report back using a graphical representation to summarize their discussion.

At the conclusion of the July 24 meeting, participants indicated that the meeting had been productive and met its goals. They recommended that a similar agenda be constructed for a second meeting to include representatives from all key partner groups.

Meeting #2

The second meeting (September 5) included teachers, administrators and site coordinators from participating schools, as well as museum and other cultural partners, business partners, university administrators, and project staff and evaluators. As a warm-up activity for this meeting, participants were asked to divide themselves into groups (about six persons in each) and create a multi-media mural representing the meaning of "community" as related to the "Community Discovered" project. Each group then presented its work to the larger group. The murals emphasized diversity, interconnectedness, and the capabilities of communities to build upon their unique strengths and resources.

The ArtsEdTech videotape was shown prior to small group break-out sessions to further develop and refine the belief statements drafted from the July 24 meeting. The videotape, developed in conjunction with a national conference for leaders and resource people involved with the arts, education and technology, provides examples of the integration of technology for learning and teaching in, through, and about the arts.

Four groups were pre-assigned to ensure that each included representation from the key partners and participating schools. Each group was asked to further develop and/or refine the draft belief statements for one of the four cornerstones. Following the report-backs to the larger groups, the revised belief statements were typed and distributed to participants following the lunch break. Prior to lunch, the project director and lead evaluator provided a brief project status report as well as issues and challenges for the group to address during the afternoon sessions. They indicated that after 18 months, there is greater insight among all partners and participants about the project's four cornerstones, and a solid foundation for expanding partnerships and developing new resources. A primary concern is sustainability of the project beyond the current grant cycle, which will be completed in the year 2000.

The evaluator discussed a survey to be distributed to all partners in September that would seek input regarding project sustainability and scaleability. The evaluation team will be evaluating curriculum units and the teachers who created them regarding their consistency with the belief statements and objectives under the project's cornerstones.

Each of the four groups were asked to devote the afternoon break-out session to defining strategies that would respond to the following questions: 1) What should be the results of the participation of the key partners in this project in terms of impact on: students, teachers, cultural institutions, higher education, business partners; 2) What kinds of strategies should be in place to accomplish the outcomes and expectations of all partners (i.e. opportunities for professional development, collaborative planning, interactive communications, reflection and evaluation); 3) How can we best document and share the project accomplishments and lessons learned (locally and nationally). This was followed by a large group report-back session, during which the co-facilitators helped to identify key conclusions and recommendations.

Finally, participants were asked to group themselves according to similar job responsibility (e.g. teachers, museum staff, other arts staff, school administrators, business professionals, etc.) and to develop specific strategies that would comprise an action plan for their future participation in the project (based upon the information and recommendations presented earlier in this meeting).

A Blueprint for the Future

The meetings helped Community Discovered staff and evaluators gain a clearer sense of accomplishment, needs, and steps to be taken in order to ensure long-term success for the project. Core project partners and participants have a clearer sense of respective role and responsibilities and have reaffirmed their commitment to the initiative. The conclusions and recommendations from the meetings are presented below and should guide project planning for the future.

The Results

Response to question #1: What should be the results of the participation of the key partners in this project in terms of impact on -- students, teachers, cultural institutions, higher education, business partners?

Students will:

• feel successful in executing a higher level of thinking skills and will have the ability to construct knowledge
• more actively engage in and more responsible for learning
• use appropriate language and vocabulary to communicate about their learning

Teachers will:

• incorporate a constructivist approach to their own learning and teaching that serves as an effective "model" of learning for their students
• develop a greater knowledge and understanding of the arts and their integration with other disciplines
• participate as full partners within the Community Discovered project that results in a sense of belonging and empowerment necessary to engage in effective mentoring and collaboration with their peers

Cultural Institutions will:

• expand and/or refocus their education programming to develop teaching tools and resources that are of greater relevance to the constructivist teaching and learning process
• work more closely with teachers in the development of educational opportunities and resources
• refocus and expand their outreach activities to more effectively engage all members of the community in arts and cultural programs and services

Higher Education Institutions will:

• develop strategies for providing resources and services to K-12 teachers and students that enhance the constructivist approach as well as other project cornerstones
• collaborate with cultural institutions and school districts to provide professional development opportunities for teachers as well as distance learning opportunities and online resources for students
• increase interactive planning and communications with K-12 schools through technology and other avenues
• identify and link teacher preparation, content areas and instruction with K-12 subject area content taught by Community Discovered project participants

Business Partners will:

• focus resources and strategies to help teachers and students meet project objectives in conjunction with the four cornerstones
• assist with promoting the goals and outcomes of the project as a successful model for strengthening partnerships between the business community and schools
• share human resources by empowering employees to participate in the project where appropriate
• actively collaborate with the project when opportunities are available
• provide feedback to schools when invited to do so
• take part in open communication with the project
• develop Web sites containing relevant information of community interest
• sponsor a Community Discovered statewide awards program

Parents and the Larger Community will:

• better understand and support the goals and beliefs underlying the project's four cornerstones
• increase their participation in and support for project activities
• increase their participation (and the participation of their children) in the community's arts and cultural events and opportunities

The Nebraska Department of Education will:

• assist all project partners to understand how the Community Discovered project is consonant with new approaches to teaching and learning in the state and nationally

Constructing the Model

Response to question #2: What kinds of strategies should be in place to accomplish the outcomes and expectations of all partners (i.e. opportunities for professional development, collaborative planning, interactive communications, reflection and evaluation)?

DESIGN

This project represents a unique and challenging initiative that focuses on innovation and specific approaches for transforming teaching and learning that involves key stakeholders throughout the community. It is important that all participants understand and agree upon the following guiding principles and expectations of The Community Discovered project.

1. Well-defined Core Components (the "four cornerstones")

The Community Discovered project was designed to transform K-12 education by

integrating the arts, technology, and community resources within a constructivist

framework

1. the visual and performing arts comprise a core subject area in the K-12 curriculum
2. the arts should be included as part of interdisciplinary curricular approaches
3. teaching and learning is best accomplished through a constructivist approach
4. technology can be effectively integrated with arts-based content and practice

1. Consensus on Expected Outcomes (Belief Statements)

A set of belief statements was developed to further define each of the (above) project

cornerstones, as follows:

1. We believe that to teach and learn through the visual and performing arts:

• promotes greater understanding of the human experience
• integrates and transcends subjects and disciplines
• is an essential part of the core education program for all students
• fosters creative and critical thinking, self-discipline, and lifelong learning
• helps people understand and celebrate themselves and others in a community without boundaries
• provides a powerful means for self-expression and communication among individuals, generations, and cultures
• includes dance, music, theater, and the visual arts
• encompasses process, performance/production, criticism and aesthetics, including historical and culturally diverse populations

1. We believe that to teach and learn from an interdisciplinary approach, educators should be encouraged to:

• make the world relevant by interconnecting and interrelating a variety of disciplines and learning
• offer multiple lenses from which to view the world of knowledge
• construct a complex but meaningful knowledge base that accommodates diverse viewpoints for managing life's problems and issues
• preserve the integrity of the disciplines

1. We believe that to teach and learn from a constructivist framework means:

• through inquiry, exploration, and discovery, students will acquire basic skills and higher-order thinking skills, construct meaning, and open corridors to new fields of inquiry and knowledge
• teachers and students will develop an active partnership and collaboration that is dedicated to learning in and beyond the classroom

1. We believe that teaching and learning through the application and integration of

technology:

• adds a dimension to learning, with its own unique skill set
• empowers teachers and students to move forward creatively
• provides equality and freedom of discovery
• fosters the responsibility to stay on course
• enables wide-ranging inquiry-based educational travels
• promotes global interactive relationships for research, sharing, creating and assessing
• requires continuing maintenance, fine-tuning, and investment
• supports the mission of education reform for transforming teaching and learning to prepare students for the 21^st century

1. Collaborative Planning

Collaboration is achieved only when participants:

• share common beliefs and mutual goals
• develop and exemplify mutual trust
• pool resources
• differentiate responsibilities according to participants' varied expertise
• demonstrate commitment to the ongoing communication and time needed to plan jointly and continually monitor progress as well as participants' perceptions
• build upon data-informed decision making and continuous evaluation
• relinquish personal control in order to share in the ownership of the process and outcomes

TOOLS and RESOURCES

The success of the Community Discovered project depends upon the active participation of a wide range of community-based partners and their contribution of resources in support of project goals and objectives. Human resources and particularly the empowerment of individuals and organizations to fully participate in this type of initiative are as important as equipment, supplies and other physical resources.

1. Mix of Community-based Partners

• every effort should be made to be inclusive of community members who have a stake in the education of young people (e.g. parents, businesses, other organizations providing human services)
• higher education faculty and students should be encouraged to participate in project planning and activities, and particularly in direct partnerships with K-12 teachers and students
• businesses should be encouraged to actively participate in identifying unique and effective ways to use their products, services, and/or expertise to best meet project goals and objectives

2. Well-defined Role and Responsibilities of Partners

• each partner should understand (as an individual or as an organization) what resources (human and otherwise) are best-suited for the project within the context of the project design
• each partner should plan closely with project administrators and project partners to select and/or tailor resources that best meet project needs
• project staff should develop and maintain clear communications between and among staff and partners
• project staff should ensure that project planning activities are inclusive (i.e. all partners are invited and enabled to participate) whenever possible
• project staff should be able to explicate the role and responsibilities of each partner and should provide public recognition for accomplishments and contributions of partners when appropriate

3. Empowerment

• teachers should have greater access to user-friendly technology-based tools and resources, as well as adequate time for planning and professional development, and the support of administrators to empower them as full partners in this initiative
• administrators should be encouraged to work more directly with teachers and other project partners as facilitators and human resources (i.e. beyond traditional managerial roles)

4. Professional Development for All Partners

• all project partners should have adequate professional development experiences to ensure basic knowledge and understanding of each of the four cornerstones as framed by the belief statements
• all project partners should have ongoing opportunities to learn the process of constructivist and interdisciplinary teaching and learning, as well as strategies for working together (e.g. modeling, peer coaching, etc.)
• higher education faculty and facilities should play a major role in providing professional development opportunities (including the use of technology for virtual in-service opportunities)
• virtual institutes and classes should be made available to Community Discovered teachers and other partners

5. Interactive Communications Opportunities

• project staff should ensure that adequate, easily accessible, and user friendly online communications facilities are available to participants and enriched through frequent input by participating cultural institutions, business partners, and other resources of interest to teachers and students -- such opportunities are critical to empowering the contributions of all project participants and to ensuring collaborative planning
• interactive communications opportunities should include video conferencing, as well as virtual and real-time focus groups surrounding instructional problems/issues and theme-oriented curriculum development
• interactive communications opportunities should also include online facilities for showcasing the accomplishments of Community Discovered teachers and students, as well as highlighting the successes of programs in other parts of the nation that also embrace some or all of the project's cornerstones
• project staff should develop a quarterly newsletter that enables project participants to share ideas, events, and accomplishment
• an online interactive gallery should be established for purposes of showcasing the work of students and teachers participating in the Community Discovered project

MAINTENANCE

Sustainability and scaleability of The Community Discovered project will depend upon ongoing and effective evaluation of accomplishments and impact, as well as successful strategies for using this evidence to ensure long-term funding support.

Reflection and Evaluation

• teachers' and other participants' online requests for help are as important as online sharing of information and accomplishments - an online help-desk should be staffed and available for all project participants to ensure ongoing interactive communications
• teachers want to have input from other teachers (i.e. peer review) as well as project partners regarding unit plans, activities, and resources which they developed as part of the Community Discovered project
• similar meetings (as those described herein) to facilitate evaluative feedback and problem-solving should be held for project participants on a regular basis - activities should be evaluated in terms of whether they meet project goals
• project partners should have an ongoing dialogue regarding the definition and expectations for "meaning" in the project's mission: "The Community Discovered: The Search for Meaning"

Funding Support

• Encourage additional business partners as well as cultural organizations and other community organizations to participate in the project
• Seek the long-term commitment of support and resources from participating school districts

Showcasing the Model

Response to question #3: How can we best document and share the project accomplishments and lessons learned (locally and nationally)?

Participants suggested the following strategies:

• Use mentors from local communities as well as nationally to lend their voice of support via print and online professional articles, television news clips, and personal appearances at project events
• Videotape project activities in the schools and community and make available to project staff to be used as part of project documentation and promotion (including the development of CD-ROM, videotapes, presentations at state and national conferences) - also invite local media contacts to videotape or write about local project activities
• Showcase the accomplishments of students and teachers participating in the project whenever possible (i.e. through scheduled open houses and events in schools and community centers, as well as through special events and exhibitions developed for this purpose)
• Plan and implement a statewide arts-technology (Community Discovered) day

Additional time should be spent (i.e. should be a major agenda item for the next partners meeting) on how the project accomplishments could best be documented and shared.

SUMMARY

There were many commonalties from among the meeting participants regarding the above recommendations. The need for ongoing collaboration and interactive communications was a predominant focus of discussion and identified as critical success factors for the project. All partners were grateful to be part of the dialogue and willingly set aside the time to participate in the day-long meeting. Partners indicated they would welcome additional opportunities to collaborate and be part of problem solving sessions.

All agreed that everyone participating in The Community Discovered project benefits from the visual and performing arts. The arts are at the core of the project and should continue to be the driving force in the "search for meaning" part of The Community Discovered initiative.

Participants also identified the need to expand and enhance wide ranging professional development opportunities for teachers and partners, as well as distance learning opportunities and online resources for students. Such opportunities should focus on making connections through the constructivist approach; learning new vocabulary, knowledge, and understanding related to the visual and performing arts; and, becoming adept in accessing and using technology-based tools and resources.

Participants emphasized the need to identify and pursue public relations opportunities that exist within the project, including opportunities to share project accomplishments locally and nationally. Project staff and participants should document and showcase innovative instructional strategies, tools and resources, as well as the work of their students, not only to validate their participation in the project, but as a means of celebrating their achievement.

The overall benefits of the project will be reinforced through ongoing evaluation and reflection that includes the identification of areas where improvement is needed.

Finally, it is clearly evident that all partners want to continue to develop a sense of identify and empowerment through continued dialogue and interaction. It is in this way that the broader sense of community and the search for meaning can be realized.