This conference is part of a three year grant awarded to TERC by the National Science Foundation entitiled "Supporting and Understanding Sustainability in Local Systemic Change (ESI 0088027)." The purpose of this virtual conference is to bring together leaders of the Local Systemic Change (LSC) Initiatives in an interactive dialogue about the key issues involved in sustaining systemic reform.
Representatives of twenty LSCs are participating as presenters. They have each developed posters that reflect on the issues that they have faced when thinking about sustainability within their projects. These presenters have agreed to be part of a continuing research effort to understand the nature of sustainability through the eyes of those who are in the field. The experiences that they share will be invaluable to newer LSCs who are still grappling with what sustainability means and searching for the most productive way of achieving it.
In addition, LSC leaders will be presenting panels on key themes such as: uses of data in professional development, the case for creating a continuous school improvement infrastructure, public engagement, addressing competing reforms, transitioning from an LSC to fee-for-service.
The conference also brings together leaders in the field with researchers who have studied the history of systemic reforms. This interchange between researchers and practitioners will enrich the conversation and expand our understanding of this complex subject.
