Educator Endorsements
The Hiatt Center Program has made an extraordinary accomplishment in creating an M.A.T. program where students not only get tremendous experience under the tutelage of a variety of people (professors, mentors, curriculum leaders, clinical faculty, teacher liaisons, other students), but where the schools themselves show by their norms of openness, norms of inquiry, collaboration and continuous inquiry into their practice that they are members of a serious and deep partnership with Clark.
The partnership is literally a gold mine of knowledge about how to organize an authentic partnership with a group of schools; how to grow up a number of roles that allow for a more seamless connection between schools and their university partner; and how to socialize novice teachers into a partnership where practice and theory are much more closely integrated.
—Ann Lieberman
Senior Scholar, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching:
Professor Emeritus, Teachers' College, Columbia University
My selection as a Milken educator affirms my belief that the Hiatt Center has contributed immensely to my success. I am truly grateful, not only for the many professional development opportunities which the Center has afforded to me, but also for its unshakable commitment to urban educators.
—June Eressy
Current UPCS and Claremont Academy principal;
Worcester Teacher of the Year and Milken Teacher Award;
National Board Certified teacher
In a community rich with partnership activity, the Hiatt Center has established a nationally recognized model for university collaboration with an urban school system. The Hiatt Center and its staff have have proven exceptionally adept at sensitively crafting effective partnership relationships between the university and the surrounding community. The Center has earned widespread respect and trust from the school system, its teachers, Worcester's political and neighborhood leaders, activists, students and parents. The staff exemplify the capacity to articulate a compelling vision for Worcester's students and to work closely with other professionals to modify and enhance that vision so that it becomes an enduring reality, one that serves the community well. The Hiatt Center has become an indispensable partner in the futureof public education in Worcester. Our children's prospects have been inestimably enriched because of the vision, dedication and professionalism of the Hiatt Center.
—S. Paul Reville
Executive Director, Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy;
Director, Education Policy and Management Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education;
President, Rennie Center for Educational Research & Policy;
Chair, Worcester Education Partnership Steering Committee
The Hiatt Center for Urban Education at Clark University is setting an example and standard as a partner in education reform that is worthy of emulation in other urban centers in the country. I am grateful in particular for the central role that the Center has played over the past year in forming the Worcester Education Partnership, guiding the development of the high school restructuring plan in Worcester, and earning the endorsement of the Carnegie Corporation. The Center is helping to build a bright future for education in the city. Its efforts are vital and needed and have my full support.
—The Honorable Jim McGovern
Congressman
The Hiatt Center is recognized not only throughout New England but nationally as a superlative powerhouse for top quality school reform. As Director of the Massachusetts Coalition for Teacher Quality and Student Achievement, I am pleased to recognize the Hiatt Center and especially its Director, Tom Del Prete, for visionary and transformative leadership. Whether the concern is hands-on science learning at the elementary level, innovative literacy practices in middle schools, or inventive teacher induction programs in high schools, educators from all quarters will continue to benefit and learn from the Hiatt Center.
—Dennis Shirley
Professor, Department of Teacher Education, Special Education, and Curriculum and Instruction;
Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch School of Education, Boston College
The activities that have changed teacher education and professional development…have contributed to and been supported by a culture of inquiry and mutual exploration involving pre-service, in-service, and college teachers…Overall, the [Hiatt Center teacher preparation program] seems to support the development of…committed, reflective, proactive and multidimensional practitioner[s]….
—Lee Teitel
"An Assessment Framework for Professional Development Schools: Going Beyond the Leap of Faith," Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 52, No. 1, January/February 2001.
The Hiatt Center is an outstanding example in the nation of the critical role higher education can play in stimulating and supporting school reform. In particular, the strategic coordination of high quality professional development with school change efforts is a promising model.
—Michele Cahill
Vice-President, National Program Coordination and Director of Urban Education, Carnegie Corporation
Over the last seven years, Jacob Hiatt Magnet School and the Hiatt Center have developed and nurtured a vibrant professional development relationship. Our teachers have benefited from this relationship by participating in graduate courses, curriculum study groups, summer institutes and curriculum committees. Together, we have addressed changes in teacher education that have resulted in a Clark University/Worcester Public Schools' nationally acclaimed model.Though many experts claim that it is difficult to link professional development efforts with student success, in this relationship the link is obvious. In the 1999/2000 school year, the Hiatt School was one of only four schools in the nation to be designated as a Model Professional Development School by the U.S. Department of Education. This award was based largely on our relationship with the Hiatt Center and Clark University. In the 2000/2001 school year, the Jacob Hiatt School was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, the highest award a school can receive.
—Anthony Caputo
Principal, Jacob Hiatt Magnet School, Worcester, Massachusetts