Promoting Systemic Change: Transforming “ICAN” into “WECAN”

The education literature (research and theoretical) is filled with discussions about the importance of collaborations between schools and universities. For many years there has been a large gap between the goals and values of university educators and the needs of classroom teachers. The longevity of this gap is only surpassed by the many years of failed professional development efforts. The lack of a productive working relationship or partnership between schools and universities has often been cited as one of the reasons why little has changed in schools relative to the visions of reform documents. There are numerous examples of what has not worked. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate what a university/school collaboration can be and how it can significantly impact curriculum and learning in a systemic manner. The paper will describe the structure, content, and dynamics of a close collaboration between a university and K-8 Chicago school. Project ICAN The context of the collaboration is an externally funded project and a brief description of the project and its goals will serve to provide a context for the collaboration betwee