On October 9, Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education co-hosted an Early College High School Information session. Laurel Dukehart and Nick Mathern from the National Network may have traveled the furthest to attend the event, but there were participants from across the state, including staff and students from all three Massachusetts Gateway to College programs as well as college and school district leaders who are interested in alternative paths to college for young people in their communities.  

GtC students and graduates share their experiences

The agenda featured presentations about Gateway to College and the Early College High School Initiative, as well as breakout sessions featuring program directors and staff from MWCC, Holyoke Community College (HCC), and Massasoit Community College. As always, it was the Gateway students themselves that provided the most compelling argument for the value of the program. MWCC Gateway Director Deb Bibeau facilitated a powerful discussion with students and graduates from MWCC and HCC who spoke from the heart about their personal growth while in the program.

Superintendent Mike Baldassarre of the Ralph C. Mahar School District made a passionate case for why he supports Gateway to College. "If you came to this conference for the right reasons, because you believe in education at your core, then you believe each individual student is more important than any four year graduation rate. If this is you, if this is your school - then you know why Gateway to College is so important for our kids."        

Pati Gregson (of MWCC), Superintendent Mike Baldassarre (of Ralph C. Mahar School District), and Laurel Dukehart and Nick Mathern (of GtC National Network)  

The entire meeting was very productive and big thanks are due to Deb Bibeau and MWCC Vice President Pati Gregson for hosting the event and putting so much effort into creating more opportunities for Gateway to College to serve students in Massachusetts.  

Prentice Davis' sons enjoying the new office environment 

Sung Kokko (Nick Mathern's partner) and their daughter, Yujin  

GtC National Network offers ongoing professional development opportunities through the monthly virtual "Brown Bag" sessions.

The first session in September, titled Project-Based Learning for 21^st Century Students, was led by John Larmer of the Buck Institute. 

Project-based learning (PBL) is an instructional approach that engages students in authentic learning activities structured around answering a complex question or solving a real-world problem, and culminates in carefully designed products.  

Project-based learning:

• is organized around a driving question or problem
• creates a need to know essential content and skills
• requires inquiry to learn and/or create something new
• results in a publicly presented product or performance
• requires critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration
• allows for student voice and choice

During this session, participants discussed pathways to project ideas such as community needs, current events, and student interests. Activities like field trips, guest speakers, films, websites, readings, and discussions can help engage students and prompt the inquiry process.

For those interested in initiating PBL, John Larmer suggests that you start small, design the project around a presenting question or problem, and establish well-defined performance criteria and expectations that can be assessed by using rubrics.

In early October, a Brown Bag session titled Strategies for Helping Students Find Part-Time Work was presented by Portland Community College Career Services Specialist, Becky Washington. Some of her tips include:

• Target entry-level jobs in your field of interest
• Develop a resume based on accomplishments, even if you have no paid work experience
• Clean up inappropriate online content, since employers are starting to recruit and do background research on applicants via social networking platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter
• Target potential employers in your area and visit them regularly until hired

In November, the National Network will host a Brown Bag session titled Engaging Math Students to Discover Success. We'll be joined by Deb Poese, Director of the School of Education at Montgomery College. She will address how math instructors can engage and challenge their students while teaching them strategies for success. This session is a follow up to Professor Poese's workshop during the 2009 Peer Learning Conference, and will allow those who attended her workshop to share strategies they've implemented since July. The session is also targeted to math faculty and directors who wish to learn about engaging strategies and share current successful practices.

For our final fall Brown Bag session in December, we'll host a session titled Using Formative Assessments to Improve Instruction and Students' Ability to Learn. We'll be joined by Mary McDonough, an educational consultant and coach with the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). During this session, participants will learn what formative assessments are and how they can be used to provide instructors with feedback about their teaching methods, and students with feedback about their learning progression.