State legislature planning web dialogue on higher education

I am writing on behalf of the Washington House of Representatives, Higher Education Committee to invite you to participate in an upcoming discussion about educating and supporting world class teachers. The discussion will take place on Thursday, May 1 via the World Wide Web. Policy makers, content experts, students, teachers, and the general public will all be provided an opportunity to have a frank and open discussion about emerging issues in teacher preparation.

The goal of the web dialogue is to explore new approaches and promising practices in teacher preparation programs to ensure that Washington institutions of higher education are educating world class-teachers in the right numbers and areas. A panel of experts will help frame the conversation and bring relevant information and perspectives to the discussion. Ultimately, policy makers expect to create better understanding of key issues related to teacher prep that will inform the committee's efforts during the 2009 legislative session.

The discussion does not take place in real time. Rather, the dialogue facilitator will launch the day's topic by posing a number of "Focus Point Discussions" in the morning.

Participants can log on to the web site several times during the course of the day, read the discussion, and contribute if you choose;

http://www.webdialogues.net/wahousehe/teacherprep

In order to participate in the discussion, the only thing you must do is register on the web dialogue web site, included below. You do not need to log in to view the agenda, panel topics, and the types of questions that will be addressed. Specific information about the panelists will be added in the coming weeks. On the day of the dialogue, be sure to log-in to join the discussion. As a dialogue participant, a summary of the day's discussion will be sent to you within a couple of days of the dialogue.

If you are not familiar with a web dialogue, following is a link to the last one that the House Higher Education Committee sponsored last year: http://www.webdialogues.net/wahousehe/access

The format of the web dialogue is designed to facilitate broad participation. Therefore, the committee asks that you forward this email to any of your contacts who might be interested in the topic. Board members, administrators, faculty, teachers (including pre-service teachers), as well as your colleagues in other states or nations are welcome to join.


The committee is sincerely looking forward to a rich and rewarding discussion. If you have any questions, concerns, or would like more information please don't hesitate to contact me.

Best regards-

Andi Smith Research Analyst
Committee on Higher Education
House of Representatives
360.786.7304
Smith.Andi {at} leg.wa.gov