chapter 1- Faculty Associate Handbook, ISU

Thomas Metcalf School and University High School, Laboratory Schools administered by the College of Education at Illinois State University, serve as clinical experience and practice sites for pre-service teachers and experimental teaching activities. The schools provide a "living laboratory" for research and applied practices to improve teaching and other educational practice. This tradition is reflected in the four-part mission of the Illinois State University Laboratory Schools, which states:

Provide a school in which excellence in education theory and practice can be observed, studied, and practiced by teacher candidates and other pre-service school professionals.
Provide an environment in which research and development activities may be conducted.
Provide a comprehensive, high-quality academic program for Metcalf and University High School students.
Promote effective, high-quality education throughout the teaching profession and aid other educators in the process of improving the quality of education in their schools.

In support of this mission, nearly 45,000 hours of clinical experiences are provided to education majors in any given academic year. In addition to providing clinical sites for the College of Education, the Laboratory Schools also serve teacher educators in eighteen academic departments across the University who assign their students to the Laboratory Schools for the state-required clinical experiences component in teacher preparation.

The Laboratory Schools continue to contribute to the knowledge base regarding educational practice and improvement. Several research projects are conducted in the Laboratory Schools on an annual basis. These studies include research by Laboratory School faculty in their individual classrooms on particular problems of educational practice, graduate students conducting doctoral dissertations, and professors conducting grant-supported research with students, parents, and faculty on subject-based research problems, instructional strategies, and organization and administration.

The Laboratory Schools also provide a high quality academic program for students. Although not required by law, both schools have undergone external and independent evaluations by representatives of the National Association of Laboratory Schools familiar with the purposes, history, and expectations of Laboratory Schools. The Schools also engage in considerable self-evaluation in order to assure a climate of renewing reflection and improvement. The demand for enrollment in the Laboratory Schools confirms the assertion that the schools are highly prized by parents within the community.

The faculty of the Laboratory Schools are expected to aid others in improving the quality of education in their schools. Laboratory School faculty share and disseminate information with other educators by making presentations to various local, state, and national audiences. The Laboratory Schools host visitors from many Illinois locations and occasionally host visitors from other parts of the United States and the World.

Illinois State asserts its statewide leadership role in education. As the largest teacher preparation program in Illinois and the tenth largest in the nation, Illinois State graduates teachers who influence both classroom practice and research on effective teaching throughout the country. As the site of the initial experiences of virtually all teacher education majors, the Laboratory Schools play a critical role in shaping their views of effective schooling. Rigorous standards and stimulating learning environments are important values in the Laboratory Schools.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MISSION

The Laboratory Schools mission is implemented through the following administrative actions:

A. The Laboratory Schools shall be composed of Thomas Metcalf Elementary School, University High School, and all Special Education programs located in these units under an agreement with the Heart of Illinois Low Incidence Association. Further, the Laboratory Schools shall have jurisdiction over students officially in these facilities or other approved programs;

B. The Laboratory Schools shall be an administrative unit in the College of Education;

C. Recruitment and evaluation of faculty in the Laboratory Schools shall adhere to institutional appointment and affirmative action policies;

D. Recruitment of faculty shall emphasize the selection of individuals with sufficient expertise and experience to carry out the stated mission priorities of the Laboratory Schools;

E. Qualified personnel teaching in the Laboratory Schools shall maintain positions designated as "faculty associates" within the University; and

F. The program review process for the Laboratory Schools shall be based upon the stated mission statement.

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