Last night, the K-16 CFG met at Johnston Middle School. Present were Sharon, Mary, Janet, Lance, Madelyn, and Donna. After re-connecting and enjoying sandwiches from Murphy's Deli, we revisited the discussion we started last time and focused on our desire to spread our work.

Of course, that begs the questions--What is the work of the K-16 CFG? Why do we come to these meetings? What do we hope to accomplish?

Here are the ideas that I scribed:
·This is a place to think about what we do and why we do it.
·This group offers mutual support--a safe, open, respectful environment.
·We share authentic work.
·Participating in this group keeps us in tune with best practices and instruction. It keeps CFG practices fresh so we can use them more often.
·This group increases networking opportunities (in a good way). We offer each other different perspectives across districts, grade levels, and job descriptions.
·This group figures out ways CFG can be used in our varied work settings.

So does that last idea, submitted by Lance, sum up our work? Could a focusing question for the K-16 CFG be "How can our CFG training and experience be used to its maximum potential in our work?" What do you think? Please comment.

Yesterday, I worked on a report that summarizes my activities as Consultant for CFG Support for the Houston A+ Challenge. Here it is.

Report on CFG Support Activity
April 2004

1. Coaches Clinics
· Six clinics for new and experienced CFG coaches were held during the 2003-2004 academic year.
· October 18, 2003--Beginning a Group and Keeping It Going. 26 participants (participant numbers include facilitators)
· October 28, 2003--Using and Designing Protocols. Approximately 25 participants
· October 30, 2003--Using and Designing Protocols. 26 participants
· February 21, 2004--Action Research and Dealing with Difficult People. 18 participants
· March 23, 2004-- Renewal. 16 participants
· March 25, 2004--Leadership. 8 participants

2. Teacher As Researcher Grant
· Teacher as Researcher Grant RFP was extensively revised during the winter and released on March 4.
· The Houston A+ Challenge received eight proposals.
· Proposals will be scored on May 6.
· Winners will be notified at the end of May.

3. K-16 CFG
· Diverse group of seventeen experienced facilitators from across the city meets monthly.
· Developed the inquiry focus "How can our CFG training and experience be used to its maximum potential in our work?"
· This group serves as the main pool of facilitators for CFG seminars and clinics in the Houston area.
· Individual coaches in the K-16 CFG are currently working on proposals to present CFG related work at regional and national conferences.

4. Communications
· Weblog at http://donna.robreid.com/weblog/ is used for sharing reflections of Coaches Clinics and K-16 CFG meetings. Readers can post comments to share own insights and reflections.
· Have identified many errors and holes in CFG Trained Coaches Database. Will make concerted effort to update database in August 2004 after various transfers take place.
· "CFG Coach Quarterly" will debut in August 2004 with the theme of "Renewal." This four-page newsletter will be mailed to every CFG coach trained in Houston.

5. Miscellaneous
· Designed new application for regional facilitators.
· Updated application for New Coach Seminars.
· Locally produced "Using Observation Protocols" video made available for national CFG facilitators.

Respectfully submitted by Donna Reid, Consultant for CFG Support, April 29, 2004