Communities of practice provide opportunities for people with common issues to come together to solve problems by sharing information among members and collaboratively creating new knowledge, processes, and strategies that can be replicated.  Communities of practice give participants the opportunity to communicate frequently with each other and can also provide access to a wide range of resources to assist them in their practice.
 

Edvance employs a community of practice team of highly capable educational leaders and researchers and technology experts to build and manage engaging, relevant communities of practice through convened meetings and the use of web technologies.  Edvance incorporates best practices and proven methodologies to define the development phases for any community of practice project. The Edvance team is currently engaged in managing multiple communities of practice including: 

 

State Consortia: The Texas Consortium on School Research (TCSR) community of practice provides an online forum for research partners and over 20 participating school districts to share valid research and information. Participants discuss challenges, ideas for solutions, and interact with one another in an ongoing basis. Through the community of practice, participants leverage and share research efforts, analyses, findings, and best practices focused on the group’s common goal of increasing the college readiness of high school graduates.

 

Consortia in Arkansas and Louisiana are currently in development and these consortia will be built on the principles of TCSR to replicate the program’s success.  The Arkansas Consortium will have a rural focus, while the Louisiana Consortium will examine specific education needs in the region.

 

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My TexasACE.com: The Afterschool Centers on Education (ACE) community of practice, was developed for the Texas 21st Century Community Learning Centers program administered by the Texas Education Agency and funded by the US Department of Education.  This online venue is used by Texas ACE grantees to collaborate and communicate with other grantees, the agency, and Edvance on a daily basis.  Participants have access to a wide range of content, including online courses, video tutorials, and podcasts, to assist them in their practice.

 

Statewide Tools for Teaching Excellence (STTE): A community of practice has been developed through STTE convened meetings, as well as through PM Village, an innovative online community. STTE is funded by the Michael &d Susan Dell Foundation.  Participating school districts receive grants from the foundation and the Texas Education Agency, along with technical assistance from Edvance, to implement performance management systems that use data analysis and intervention planning as a part of the everyday culture of school administration and teaching.  PM Village brings together school leaders, district administrators, teachers, and education researchers to learn from each other, share experiences, and find new ways to approach old problems from evidence-based practice.  PM Village also provides online training modules and web conferencing for presentations and discussion.