Statewide Research & Development School

 

What are the guiding principles for the R&D school?

• To raise and sustain the level of all Iowa Pre-K through 12 students' educational attainment and personal development through innovative and promising practices.
• To enhance the preparation and professional competence of Iowa educators through collaborative inquiry and exchange of professional knowledge in teaching and learning.
• To focus on research which transforms practice to meet the changing needs of Iowa's educational system.

How many students can a new R&D school serve?

The committees recommended a two-section school, and the legislation places a cap of 650 students on the R&D school.

 

Will the R&D school's student population look like other schools across the state of Iowa?

Since the R&D school's student population is to mirror the state's student population as much as possible, it will be important to develop a broad student population including a range of minority students, special education students, low-income students and English Language Learners.

 

Why locate the R&D school at UNI?

UNI's mission speaks directly to preparing quality teachers; therefore UNI has a sharp focus on, and commitment to, having a high quality teacher preparation program.  This will be strengthened with the R&D school.

 

UNI has the largest teacher education program in the state and produces the most teachers of the state's public universities, and has the capacity and commitment to pursue additional educational research.

 

How does such a school enhance UNI's teacher education program?

The R&D school will integrate applied research, develop best practices and demonstrate effective teaching. It is the optimal place for UNI teacher education students to develop the skills and dispositions they need, as well as an ideal setting for research conducted by College of Education (COE) faculty. Such a school is also ideal for developing innovative practices and resources in mentoring teacher education students, which can be disseminated to mentor teachers in other schools.

 

 

How will research be disseminated to all parts of the state when the school is located in the northeast part of the state?

UNI in collaboration with the Department of Education (DE), Area Education Agencies (AEA), University of Iowa and Iowa State University will have the capacity to share innovative and promising practices from the R&D school with educators statewide using existing communication systems and emerging technologies.

 

Will clinical research occur at the R&D school?

The Standing Institutional Research Committee (SIRC) is charged with setting and evaluating the research focus for the R&D school to meet the changing needs of Iowa’s educational system. This may include a range of research activities from the developing and testing of new instructional strategies to evaluating applications of research-based practices in typical classroom settings, or developing curriculum and professional development resources.

 

How will the R&D school be funded?

The legislation allows the R&D school to receive state per-pupil funding to pay for its Pre-K through 12 operations through open enrollment provisions. Resident school districts will receive all the categorical funding for R&D school students. This includes teacher salary supplement, professional development and early intervention funds.

UNI is also committed to this project, and as a professional partner, will remain a partial funding source for the school. However, funds UNI provides will support the research component of the new R&D school.

 

When will funding begin for the R&D school?

The facility study will be funded in fiscal 2010. Partial operational funding begins in fiscal 2011. Full operational funding begins in fiscal 2012.

 

What will the financial impact be on Cedar Valley school districts and school districts across the state?

The financial impact on the Cedar Valley school districts, or any other school district, is projected to be very minimal as the legislation offers means for resident districts to keep categorical funding for students within their own school districts.

 

Will this affect Cedar Falls and Waterloo school enrollments?  What about outlying districts?

The legislation places growth caps on the new R&D school to minimize significant shifts in enrollment from any district. The transition team will work collaboratively with surrounding districts to recommend enrollment procedures for attendance at the school.

 

What is the projected economic impact to the Cedar Valley and the state?

The R&D School will be an important economic development tool for the Cedar Valley and the entire state of Iowa. Innovation in educator preparation, teaching methods and facilities will drive the creation of intellectual properties, ideas and inventions, products and processes. The R&D school could create new businesses and new jobs while strengthening the state's economic base.

 

Who is the R&D school ultimately responsible to?

The R&D school is responsible to both UNI and the DE. The Board of Regents, State of Iowa is the governing entity for the school and the DE is the accreditation agency for the school.

 

What will be the responsibilities of the transition team?

The transition team, determined by UNI President Allen and DE Director Jeffrey, will be responsible for developing and implementing specific transition plans over the course of the three-year transition phase (fiscal 2010 through fiscal 2012).

 

What will be the responsibilities of the advisory council?

The 17-member advisory council, determined by UNI President Allen and DE Director Jeffrey, reviews and evaluates the school’s performance to provide statewide accountability for statewide funding and services.