The Mission
The Vision
Who are We?

Mission
Since Colorado Critical Friends is a National School Reform Faculty Center of Activity, we share the mission of NSRF (www.nsrfharmony.org ):

The mission of the National School Reform Faculty is to foster educational and social equity by empowering all people involved with schools to work collaboratively in reflective democratic communities that create and support powerful learning experiences for everyone.
adopted June 2001

Colorado CFG
The vision behind Colorado Critical Friends Group is quite simple: Schools that are learning communities work best for all. Collaboration contributes to the development of effective learning communities, particularly when educators work closely together to focus on student work. To accomplish this vision, Colorado Critical Friends Group offers summer institutes for coaches, administrators, and school teams; workshops during the school year; and ongoing consulting for a variety of educational groups.

History
In the late 1990’s, a small group of NSRF coaches met at Eagle Rock, a professional development center and school in Estes Park, Colorado. There we dreamed about creating a Colorado center of activity. Now, housed at the University of Colorado at Denver, Colorado CFG is an active center that works with Colorado school districts, professional development efforts, universities, and groups of educators. Stevi Quate along with Marjorie Larner co-directs CCFG. A new Colorado center of activity in Colorado Springs has spun off our work.

CFG Coaches Training
Each summer, CCFG offers a variety of coaches’ seminars: one for new coaches, another for those with more experience with CFG work, and a third for administrators or teacher leaders. This summer we will also host a seminar for school teams. The heart of the work in all seminars is done in home groups with about one facilitator per ten to fifteen participants. Approximately 350 educators have been involved in our New Coaches Summer Seminars, and approximately 200 principals have joined us in this work.

Support for Coaches
We have a website that lists resources and upcoming events. Most years, we sponsor Winter Colloquium with a keynoter, home groups, and skill-building sessions. We partner with several state organizations, including CCIRA (Colorado Council of International Reading Association) and offer sessions for trained NSRF coaches at the conference. Another resource is a recent DVD that we produced that provides a glimpse into CFGs in several settings and illustrates how CFG practices can be incorporated into in-services and other professional development activities.

School/District Coaching
CCFG has worked on a long-term basis with several school districts including Grand Junction, Boulder, and Denver. We have also worked on a short-term basis with other districts on mentoring, establishing and sustaining professional learning communities, and other initiatives around school culture, facilitation, coaching and collaboration.

Equity
Colorado CFG believes strongly that our work is about equity of opportunity for every adult and child. Our vision statement stresses our aim of making a difference for all students. In our seminars, we raise questions about whether or not the “all” is a reality or mere rhetoric. We lead participants to surface their own experiences and question their own assumptions. In each of our seminars, we continually add content that will provoke and move all of us forward. Within the context of our focus on collaborative cultures, we have been developing ways to help participants access new instructional strategies, knowledge and skills to strengthen their capacity to bring equitable opportunities to their schools and classrooms.

Connections to Statewide Local Assessment Work
CCFG has established working partnerships as well as offering facilitation and design support for other educational groups. Most recently, we have collaborated with the Front Range BOCES on Professional Learning Communities. Since a major component of DuFour’s work is the common assessment, we have helped design and co-facilitated sessions on embedded assessments with an emphasis on looking at student work. In the past, CCFG facilitators have worked with the Colorado Department of Education on several initiatives that look at assessments and ways that teachers can be thoughtful about “regular” school work as a means of understanding what students know and are able to do.

The Future
Our current plans as an NSRF Center of Activity for the future include:

 

The Vision for Colorado Critical Friends Group
When educators work closely together to focus on student learning and achievement, with a commitment to equity and continual professional growth, they can create powerful learning communities for all adults and children. The work of CCFG is to support the capacity of educators to lead and participate in this work for the benefit of every student. As a result of collaboration with colleagues, instruction improves just as student learning does.

WHO ARE WE?

Co-directors

Stevi Quate, co-director
Stevi.quate@ucdenver.edu
Stevi Quate has been involved in education for over three decades. During those years, she was a language arts teacher at both the middle and high school, taught literacy courses at several universities, and co- directed Colorado Writing Project and Colorado Critical Friends. For over four years, she was the state literacy coordinator at Colorado Department of Education. She has served as president of both Colorado Language Arts Society and Colorado Council of International Reading Association and was a member of the advisory board for National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. She works with schools and districts throughout the states and internationally.

She has been involved with Colorado Critical Friends since its inception. As a coach of a CFG at Horizon High, she experienced firsthand how collaborating deeply with her colleagues made a difference for her students. While working at the University of Colorado at Denver, she was able to develop a Center of Activity along with the support of many colleagues. For over ten years she has co-directed Colorado CFG with Marjorie Larner and regularly facilitates summer seminars for new coaches.

Currently, she is the co- editor of Colorado Reading Journal. Her other publications includes a chapter on Critical Friends in Powerful Designs in Professional Learning and several articles in Connections. Her book, written with John McDermott, Clock Watchers: Six Strategies for Motivating and Engaging the Disengaged Student, will be published in September by Heinemann.

 

Marjorie Larner
marjorielarner@gmail.com
Marjorie Larner, a former teacher, administrator, and adjunct professor, is a facilitator for the National School Reform Faculty, co-director of Colorado Critical Friends Group, coach for Asia Society’s International Studies Schools Network, and former staff developer for Denver-based Public Education and Business Coalition. She has worked with educators in all grade levels across the country exploring best practices for effective teaching and served as a program design consultant for publishers and school reform initiatives. She is a leader in Colorado on addressing issues of equity in education.

As a leader of the Colorado Critical Friends Group, Marjorie has facilitated trainings and workshops for teachers, coaches and administrators on CFGs and equity. She has supported schools, non-profits, universities and districts across the nation developing skills in leadership, collaborative cultures, and equitable practices.

Her publications include Pathways: Charting a Course for Professional Learning, Tools for Leaders, “Access and Power Right Now: From School to World” in Plaut’s (ed.) The Right to Literacy in Secondary Schools, along with numerous articles for NSRF’s publication Connections.

Linda Fiorella

ljfiorella@comcast.net
Linda Fiorella's 34 years as an educator include experience as a middle school and high school teacher, staff developer, district content specialist, and university instructor. While teaching at Horizon High School, she was a teacher leader and staff developer in a school focusing on the Nine Common Principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools and Critical Friends Group Protocols to guide professional development and improve student learning. She also developed and implemented an adolescent literacy program that was ultimately extended to all high schools in the district.

During her tenure as the District Secondary Language Arts Specialist, Linda facilitated a process to revise the Secondary Language Arts Curriculum Framework, develop common assessments, and implement a district wide literacy program. She also trained staff throughout the district in Critical Friends Group Protocols. Linda currently teaches for the University of Colorado Denver in the Adolescent Literacy Certificate Program for teachers, has created language arts curriculum for an online high school, and works as a literacy consultant.

As a member of the Colorado Critical Friends Group, Linda has facilitated trainings and workshops for teachers and administrators, and she has been on committees to develop and bookmark the Colorado State Assessment Program. She has also presented at numerous state and national conferences including the International Reading Association, Colorado Language Arts Society, and Coalition of Essential Schools on topics of literacy and high school education.

Her publications include “Protocols in Practice – The Power of the Circle in Community Conversations about Equity.” Connections, The National School Reform Faculty Journal. Winter, 2008. "The Marriage of Literacy and Libraries through Collaboration." Colorado Libraries. Spring, 2002; reprinted in Whole School Library Handbook by Blanche Woolls and David V. Loertscher (ALA, 2004).

 

Scott Murphy
smurphy@jeffco.k12.co.us
For the nearly two decades that Scott Murphy has been in education, his experiences have been diverse: an English teacher, district staff developer, elementary principal, and Director for Language Arts and Social Studies. He has returned to the classroom recently as an English teacher and instructional coach.

Scott has been a local and national facilitator with Critical Friends Groups since 1999. He facilitates Colorado CFGs’ summer Facilitative Leadership trainings for administrators and has been involved with the national and state training in work around equity, leadership, and collaboration.

Scott is a lover of all things outdoors and might be seen climbing a rock, kayaking a river or riding in the mountains when he isn't involved with his educational work.

His publications include the development of the Futures Protocol, a visioning protocol published by NSRF and CCFG; “Sustaining Leadership- A Principal’s Reflection,” Connections, The National School Reform Faculty, Winter 2006; and “It’s not Magic, It’s the Future,” Connections, The National School Reform Faculty, Fall 2003.

 

Theress Pidick
Theress_Pidick@dpsk12.org
Theress Pidick is the Director of the Teacher Quality Enhancement grant and University Partnerships for the Denver Public Schools (DPS). In partnership with Metropolitan State College of Denver, Theress works to create a seamless pipeline for new teachers entering DPS. She oversees the work of eight Site Coordinators located at designated Urban Apprentice Schools designed to support and prepare pre-service teachers committed to urban education. Theress is also responsible for overseeing and coordinating the overall partnerships with local institutions of higher education. Efforts are focused on the collaboration of recruitment/field work, induction, professional development, and principal leadership.

Additionally, Theress is a consultant for the National School Reform Faculty and provides local and national training for teachers interested in creating professional communities in their schools. She has been a member of the Colorado Critical Friends Group (CCFG) professional development team since its inception and provides training for educators interested in becoming trained Critical Friends Coaches and those committed to equity issues within their schools. Prior to her work as a Director, Theress was a Literacy Coordinator for DPS, high school English teacher, and coordinator for School-to-Career and small-school reform efforts. She also worked as an instructional coach supporting her colleagues and facilitating professional conversations using protocols and other collaborative structures.

Theress’ husband is also an educator in Denver and together they have three children and enjoy staying active in the great state of Colorado.

 

Dave Schmid
dschmid@springsips.com
David Schmid worked as a high school principal for 13 years and was a teacher for 18 years. He has worked as a facilitator helping schools across the country, including schools in Colorado, Ohio, Washington, Alaska, and California. He facilitates seminars for the National School Reform Faculty, Colorado Critical Friends Group, All Kinds of Minds, and McRel's Balanced Leadership Program.

During his tenure as a principal at Horizon High School and Steamboat Springs High School, Dave gained a great deal of experience working with high school redesign and improvement. He worked with the Coalition of Essential Schools, was selected as an Annenberg Principal, and was instrumental in utilizing Critical Friends' ideas to create a more thoughtful and collaborative school culture. He was trained to facilitate large and small groups, and went through an extensive conflict resolution process developed by Bob Chadwick to help groups come to consensus on some very difficult issues. Dave was also trained in the Breaking Ranks II Program for leading high school reform.

In 2007, Dave and other Colorado Critical Friends Facilitators, spent a year in Juneau, Alaska facilitating a community process to create to a new educational plan for the high schools in the Juneau School District. He was selected as Principal of the Year for the State of Colorado in 2003. Dave is currently serving as a principal at Walnut High School in California.

His publications include “Protocols in Practice – The Power of the Circle in Community Conversations about Equity.” Connections, The National School Reform Faculty Journal. Winter 2008. " A Different Kind of Classroom: Using Protocols to Increase Student Understanding." Connections, Journal for the National School Reform Faculty, Spring 2005 and "Creating a Culture of Conversation." Connections, Journal for the National School Reform Faculty, Winter 2003.