NHASCD continues to be central to my professional growth. I first heard about NHASCD in the early 1980s when I was a graduate student at UNH. How exciting to hear about an organization that would extend and deepen my many interests in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Soon I was involved as a board member, helping to plan and support NHASCD conferences and meeting new friends and colleagues from all over the state.
NHASCD has grown dramatically over the past five to ten years, attracting hundreds of new members. These educators want to be part of a dynamic organization that hosts conference speakers who share the latest educational research and how it applies to our crucial work in diverse New Hampshire schools. Members believe in the core mission of NHASCD—to serve as a catalyst for conversation and action that will improve the quality of leadership, teaching, and learning for all students.
Along with sponsoring vital conferences and summer institutes, NHASCD is the co-sponsor with Plymouth State University of the widely read New Hampshire Journal of Education. This journal helps me understand how the latest educational research is translated into innovative and successful practices in local schools.
The Forum newsletter keep me informed regarding the activities of NHASCD student chapters, including their students’ participation at state NHASCD and national ASCD conferences. It is vital, I believe, to support pre-service teachers who offer our profession youthful optimism and an energetic commitment to teaching excellence.
The newsletter also describes how NHASCD keeps our state legislators informed about the needs of New Hampshire students and teachers. It is ever more important for educators to offer positive and well-informed information to policy-makers at all levels and I’m proud of NHASCD’s role in this arena.
Equally important to me personally and professionally are the new friendships and colleagues that I’ve gained through NHASCD. These relationships continue to be rich and meaningful to me. For instance, conversations with other New Hampshire educators remind me to always consider many perspectives and many strands of research on any given educational issue—from effective reading and math instruction to student assessment and teacher evaluation. These discussions are robust and always interesting!
Just as physicians are constantly challenging themselves to know “the latest” on how to promote wellness and healing, so too educators (and their students) benefit from understanding the breadth and variety of effective practices around the state.
There is no one “right way” for schools to improve. Thus I believe it is essential to reach out beyond my own comfort zone and think creatively and critically about what will enhance day-to-day practices in our diverse New Hampshire schools and local districts. NHASCD continues to help me to go beyond “what I already think, know and do” and to plan specific changes that can be helpful for students, teachers, and school-wide leadership. I’m deeply grateful for these valuable opportunities!
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Susan Copley, Ph.D., is a retired New Hampshire school principal who currently serves as the NHASCD Executive Director. She is a member of the NH Dept. of Education’s Task Force on Effective Teaching, serving as the co-chair of its 2010-2011 Professional Development Committee; she also recently trained with the ETS Gates Foundation project “Measures of Effective Teaching” using Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Effective Teaching.