National Community of Practice on Transition

Expanding Effective Practices

What is a Community of Practice?

“Communities of practice are groups of people who share a passion for something that they know how to do and who interact regularly to learn how to do it better” (Wenger & Snyder, 2000)

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The Spirit of Community: We Are All In This Together!

A way of working o Involving those who do shared worko Involving those that share issueso Always asking “who isn’t here?”

A way of learningo Create new knowledge grounded in ‘doing the

work’o Involve those who can advocate for and make

change 3

The IDEA Partnership: OSEP’s Investment in Stakeholder Expertise• The Unified Partnership• NASDSE as the Partnership sponsor• National organizations as members• SEAs and partners that create ‘laboratories

for change’• Federal investments as resources• A new vision: states and stakeholders as

allies in tackling persistent problems and achieving outcomes 4

National Community of Practice on Transition

• Stateso Pennsylvania o New Hampshireo Californiao Alabamao Arizonao Virginiao Delawareo Wisconsino North Dakotao D.C.o Minnesotao New York

• Federal Agencies• National Organizations

(e.g., VECAP, DCDT, CSAVR, AOTA, NASSP, NEA)

• RCEP Consortium• National Technical

Assistance Centers

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We Need A New Way of Working

• We have a ‘knowing’ and ‘doing’ gap.

• We need to move promising strategies ‘to scale’.

• Problems are complex and interrelated. There are no simple solutions.

• Practitioner and consumers have a need for security during change. Top down change will not get us where we need to go.

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Absolute and rigid constraints

Substantialconstraints

Flexibleconstraints

Illusory constraints

Source: CA Office of Special Education 7

Two-Way Learning Communicating to Learn What Works

LOCALTO

STATE

STATETO

LOCAL

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Communities of Practice: The Evolution of Knowledge Management

• Knowledge resides with those that do the work

• To achieve results, leaders need to partner with and support those that are closest to the work.

• Real change requires that leaders and workers build a shared sense of purpose around the change

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What Do Communities Do?

– Seek and invite others doing shared work

– Share learnings within organizations, agencies and roles

– Share learnings across organizations, agencies and roles

– Decide to go things together that will address a shared concern

– Create new knowledge grounded in ‘doing’ the work 10

Why Are Communities of Value?

• Provide the support that individuals need

• Respect the ‘expertise’ that individuals bring

• Recognize the differences in the settings where people do their work

• Seek commonality within differing viewpoints

• Unite individuals in action

• Focus on ‘learning’

• Use ‘learning’ to transform practice

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How Do Communities Make a Difference?

• Use the natural bonds between people that do common work

• Maintain communication that strengthen natural bonds

• Keep community members focused on outcomes

• Use the ‘community status’ to bring attention to issues

• Use the ‘community status’ to engage the people that can help move the issues

• Move change to the ‘Tipping Point’

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How Can Separate Work Become Shared Work?

• Be intentional about collaboration• Invite others into core work• Invest in collaborative strategies• Plan together• Share training•Make it ‘the way you work’, not an ‘add

on’

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How Can Separate Work Become Shared Work?

Invent new ways to connect• Forums• Routine Learning Calls• Issue Focused Practice

Groups/Learning Communities• Involve Practice Groups in advising

and decision making• Build a vehicle for building ‘the

community’. Consider whether www.sharedwork.org meets your needs?

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A New Way of Sharing our Knowledge, Resources and Tools

Building a Year-Round Strategy through www.sharedwork.org

How do we Grow Innovative and Effective Assessment and Transition Practices?

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Knowledge Management (KM): The New Focus on Information and Experience

“Knowledge is an asset to be managed like other assets”

Etienne Wenger

“In Special Education, managing knowledge means finding out what all the stakeholders know and are willing to do.”

NASDSE, 2003 17

www.sharedwork.org

• The SharedWork.org website is designed to support and facilitate the shared work that occurs among individuals, organizations and agencies at the local, district, state, and national levels. For each community of practice, state, or practice group, you will find the following sections: What’s New, Repository, and Discussion.

• Let’s take a tour of the website!

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Connect to the National Community of Practice on Transition

To connect to this work, participate in the www.sharedwork.org interactive website.

Visit www.sharedwork.org. Register to use the site (answer a few questions). Click on the National Community of Practice on

Transition. In the left column, click on the state to connect to

their work. Visit the national page regularly!

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Virginia: Excellent Example of a State’s Work in the Community

• The Virginia Departments of Education and Rehabilitative Services announces ASK AN EXPERT! round tables on Transition

• Let’s visit the site!

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There is No Need to Start Over

• Build on previous knowledge.

• Definitions for the field.

• Certification standards & credentials (CVE).

• Underlying values and principles (Interdisciplinary Council on Vocational Assessment and Evaluation).

• Cost effective (responsible) service structure.

• Facilitate on-going transition planning.

Career and Transition Assessment Practice Group

• Go to www.sharedwork.org.• Log in with your email and password.• Scroll down to Community of Practice on Transition.• On left hand side bar, click Pennsylvania.• Next, click on Career and Transition Assessment.• Use the resources. Add to the resources!• Join in the Dialogue.• In the near future, the page will be located on the

National CoP page.

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Transition & Career Assessment Practice Group: Let’s Visit the Site!

ORGANIZATION OF THE PAGE:1. Fundamentals of Career Assessment 2. Functional Assessments: Informal3. Functional Assessments: Formal4. Community Based Assessments5. Job Analysis as the First Step of Community Based

Assessments6. Developing and Utilizing Portfolios in Planning7. Occupational and Labor Market Resources

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Feel Free to Contact UsPamela J. Leconte, Ed.D.George Washington UniversityDepartment of Teacher Preparation and Special Education Collaborative Vocational

Evaluation Training2134 G Street, N.W.Washington, D.C. 20052202-994-1534pleconte@gwu.edu

Joan E. Kester, M.A., CRCHuman Resource Development SpecialistMid-Atlantic Rehabilitation Continuing Education ProgramThe George Washington University2011 Eye Street, NW, Suite 300Washington, DC 20052202-489-7112jkester@gwu.edu 24