Douglas Huntley, Superintendent
Massena Central School District
84 Nightengale Avenue
Massena, New York 13662

Dear Mr. Huntley,
        Niagara University welcomes the chance to continue with the "Learner Centered Classroom/Standards Focused Initiative" under the Targeted Instructional Staff Development grant.

 Over the past two years, Professors Paul Vermette and Chandra Foote have been directly involved in project activities and our entire deparitment has been engaged in integrating some of the program field experiences with those facilitated by the grant. Most notably, a significant number of our students have been able to participate in culminating events of the Targeted initiative and to display authentic products of their learning.

 Drs. Foote and Vermette have also been directly involved in the planning and evaluation of Targeted initiatives and wish to continue in this role.

 During the 2000-2001 school year, Niagara University will continue its direct involvement in the planning work under this grant and in the facilitation of participating teachers's change efforts. Dr. Vermette will continue to be a member of planning sessions and will make held visits to model learner-centered strategies for participating teachers.(These visits have also afforded him with the opportunity to engage in seminar-style discussions with interested parties. In turn, some of these have developed into long-term professional development activities.). In addition, the relationship would allow us to implement a specialized plan that places a number of Niagara student teachers in rural schools that are experimenting with learner-centered strategies and who have made a commitment to the change process. As part of this structure, an exchange of personnel will allow NU faculty to interact with school faculty and school faculty will be able to share with NU students.
 In order to advance the Standards, a commitment to constructivist practices is also inevitable. Vermette and Foote are currently finishing a book on High School constructivism and will share their thoughts and applications on this topic to interested parties. Several faculty will be able to conduct personalized case studies of their implementation efforts, and these will parallel similar analyses of Cooperative Learning strategies.

 The University faculty have been pleased with their past engagement, and wish to strengthen and deepen the ties that have now been built. Examples abound: (1) NU students have been e-mail partners (pen pals) with North Country students; (2) N.C. teachers have in-serviced NU students on active learning strategies; (3) NU faculty have done case studies of N.C. teachers and have linked them to pre-service NU students for mentoring-type purposes; (4) finally, both sides have engaged in reviewing each other's student work and have offered supportive feedback. As this year's activities take shape, it is clear that both the direct onsite assistance offered by NU faculty (modeling the lessons), AND the long distance help mediated by modem technology, mean that NU faculty will be closely engaged in professional development taking place 350 miles to the North. Likewise, the involvement of NU students (at this time of shortage) means that their educations are enhanced in ways that will greatly assist them as they step into their first year of teaching. Truly, this is an "everybody wins" scenario.
 I greatly appreciate your consideration of my insights on this proposal, and look forward to getting started on our work.
Dr. Paul Vermette     Niagara University, NY 14109

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