Membership Benefits
The National Network for Educational Renewal provides professional development for those interested in advancing the social and political democracy. Our growing membership of higher education institutions and local education agencies in partnership with communities support one another through shared learning, idea exchange, and advancing policy and quality practices that support our mission. Our overarching strategy to advance the AED is through the simultaneous renewal of P- 12 education and institutions that prepare educators for our schools. Members enjoy strong partnerships across institutions and true networking opportunities.
The network comprises university faculty in the arts, sciences and education, public school educators, and community members. This broad spectrum of voices, each committed to the same mission and vision, has the capacity to make significant changes in schools, institutions that prepare teachers, and communities.. Simultaneous renewal, as outlined in Dr. John Goodlad's Teachers for Our Nation's Schools and in his Educational 
Renewal: Better Teachers, Better Schools, requires collaboration. Central to the NNER work is developing collaborative leadership skills and supporting efforts to work across institutional boundaries to ensure that all students have access to a quality education supported by their school and university partners.
Members are part of a large and vibrant network that has been operating for more than 20 years. We work collaboratively across the United States and Canada to advance a shared mission and vision founded on developing an informed public that works to improve our social and political democracy.
Fast facts
| Purpose: | To actively advance the Agenda for Education in a Democracy. Distinct from school reform initiatives, the Agenda is committed to the simultaneous renewal of our nation’s schools and teacher preparation institutions — an ongoing process of improvement. |
| Members: | 24 school/university partner settings in 20 states and one Canadian province, as well as ongoing development of community member partnerships including more than 42 universities and colleges, over 200 school districts and 1000 partner schools. |
| Joining the NNER: | Members are school/university partners that agree to work together to advance the public purposes of education and work collaboratively. The network supports new and potential members in the membership process with mentoring, setting visits, information, and conference sessions. |
| Brief history: | The Agenda for Education in a Democracy is advanced by the National Network for Educational Renewal, envisioned and established by Dr. Goodlad and his colleagues more than 20 years ago. Created in 1986, the National Network for Educational Renewal supports the institutional and social infrastructure necessary to the advancement of the simultaneous renewal agenda over time. |
The network’s activity is characterized by sharing successes and challenges, ongoing dialogue that examines the conditions necessary to implement the Agenda, shared approaches to problem solving, and systems of mutual support and assistance among members. Central to the network’s mission is a commitment to advancing opportunities for everyone to fully participate in quality education and therefore fully participate in this democracy.
Here are some specific examples of membership benefits from the settings:
Pershing Elementary School has become the center of numerous activities to engage the members of this small rural community in democracy. Lexington, Nebraska, underwent dramatic demographic changes about 15 years ago when its primary employer, a combine manufacturer, closed down and was replaced with a beef packing plant—bringing a huge influx of immigrant workers. The population grew from around 7,000 to more than 10,000 and is now 57% Hispanic from Central an South America, with a growing African refugee population.
“Immigrants often are on the outside looking in and don’t feel they can be included in the community,” said Jerry Bergstrom, principal at Pershing Elementary School. “That disparity hurts everyone.”
With its National Network for Educational Renewal partner, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Pershing Elementary received a grant funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation through the Institute for Educational Inquiry. The goal was to create ways to increase democratic participation, with the understanding that many participants are not citizens.
Successes include student-led boundary breaking activities; “Together for Children,” bringing together teachers, bilingual specialists and parents to better support children’s school work in and out of the classroom; an informal, technology-based opportunity for parents to practice English at their children’s school.
“This grant was a catalyst for discovering each other,” explained Bergstrom. “Members of the community have gotten to know each other—people who probably never would have crossed paths—and sat down to discuss the things that matter most to them in life. We’ve built lasting relationships by finding out we have more in common than we thought.”
Located on the border of Mexico, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) serves as the primary source of certified teachers in the region. Since the typical UTEP student has been taught by teachers it has prepared, the university has a special stake in teacher preparation. It has become a model institution for helping to prepare students to make a difference in their communities.
“We can’t do a good job if we think of teacher education as separate from the schools and communities we serve. NNER has been critical in transforming our communities and empowering our members to live better lives,” said Dr. Howard Daudistel, dean of the College of Liberal Arts at UTEP.
The University of Texas at El Paso is engaged in the renewal of teacher preparation through the Teachers for a New Era (TNE) initiative, funded primarily by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The initiative builds on UTEP’s long-standing partnership with area school districts and the El Paso Community College toward improving educational opportunities for students.
In addition, through The Center for Civic Engagement, UTEP students interact with the community daily through countless efforts, including mentoring youth, encouraging people to vote, aiding the elderly and teaching English to immigrants and refugees.
UTEP also partners with The El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence, a quietly powerful force in schools throughout the El Paso community. The El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence is directed by Dr. Susana Navarro, who, along with a number of UTEP deans and vice-provosts, has long been engaged with NNER.
“Concretely, NNER has contributed to a community effort that has focused on education in its entirety and helped the UTEP faculty see their role in the larger perspective,” explained Dr. Daudistel.
National Network for Educational Renewal
2125 First Ave. #2305 -
Seattle, WA 98121
Tel: 206 850 2017 -
Fax: 206 441 5697
You can email our executive director, Ann Foster, directly at annfoster@nnerpartnerships.org