PRIME Teacher & Leader Retreat
Sunday, June 8 through Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Biosphere2

The goal of this residential retreat is to provide a format for teams of mathematics educators to review current practices, embrace equitable opportunities for all students, and to establish a community of educators to define, ensure, and advocate best practices for mathematics education.

Four primary domains or principles of leadership responsibility anchor an improved future for mathematics education.
      Leadership Principle 1 - Equity: ensuring high quality mathematics learning for every student.
      Leadership Principle 2 - Teaching and Learning: ensuring high expectations and access to meaningful mathematics every day.
      Leadership Principle 3 - Curriculum: ensuring meaningful and relevant mathematics in every lesson.
      Leadership Principle 4 - Assessment: ensuring high levels of learning for every student.

This workshop will provide a framework to enable teachers to design a program which encompasses these leadership principles. Teachers will earn 25 professional development hours.

This year's PRIME Retreat is being sponsored by generous donors to The University of Arizona's Center for Recruitment and Retention of Mathematics Teachers.

The Biosphere2 is the site for the retreat. It has had an interesting and varied history. For more information about Biosphere2 look at these websites:
Click here for an interesting account and some good photos.
Click here for some added information from wikipedia.
Click here for a the current University of Arizona description.

Participants will stay in casitas (dorm-like bedrooms with commons-area kitchen & living area) with three to five single and double bedrooms.

Panoramic view of the Biosphere grounds.	The Biosphere is on the left, casitas on the right.	A walkway through the casitas.
The commons area includes a lounge area, a dining area, and a galley kitchen.	The bedrooms reminded me of my old dorm room.	Rooms either have their own bath, or share a bath with a double sink.

A foundation for working teams was initiated in last year's Professional Learning Communities workshop. It was held at the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch with teams of teachers and administrators from fifteen Tucson Unified schools. The workshop was funded by a Federal Magnet Assistance Grant awarded to five schools in Tucson Unified School District.

Our goal this year is to focus on mathematics education and delve deeper into methods of improvement.

Dr. Tim Kanold presented strategies for creating PLCs in schools.	A team of Tucson High teachers discussed common expectations for their students.	Safford teachers developed intervention strategies.

To improve mathematics education for all students, teachers must be the leaders in aligning curriculum, expectations, teaching, learning, and assessments.
Mathematics educators are the experts and the facilitators. By coming together to purposefully create the lessons that ensure equity at a high level of expectation for all students, teachers can transform our schools.

Colleen Sand and Leon Harris from Howenstine discussed the school's needs.	Utterback's team discussed their presentation for the rest of the faculty at their site.	Pueblo's team discussed relevance and high expectations.