March 16, 1997

Mr. Larry Austin

Oregon Department of Education

255 Capitol St. NE

Salem, OR

Dear Larry,

I am writing in support of Molly Kellar and Andrew Goldstein's application for the Christa McAuliffe Fellowship. I am writing this letter from two perspectives. First, as a parent of a high school student who participated in the course taught by Molly and Andy, and second as Dean of the School of Education at Western Oregon State College, where we have worked with these two exceptional teachers.

My daughter, Kate, was enrolled in the Environmental Issues class during her sophomore year. Although she has had many good teachers, these two teachers have had the greatest influence on her. In this class she was challenged academically, she found great joy in the learning process and she continues to be proud of the work she did for this course. Because of her experiences with these teachers, she sought an internship in the Governor's Office in the area of Natural Resources. Although the person she was assigned to in that office was initially reluctant to have a high school intern, he quickly discovered that she was very well prepared to take on meaningful assignments and significant responsibilities. Kate is currently working in the Secretary of the Senate's office at the legislature and will enter college in the fall with plans to major in environmental studies and political science.

As a member of South Salem High School's Site Council for two years, I was particularly interested in the work Molly and Andy were doing. What has impressed me the most is their ability to instruct to a wide range of students. For students who are academically gifted, they provide a challenging and invigorating curriculum, but they teach just as effectively to the middle range and to students with disabilities. I know of students who only attend their class. Molly and Andy manage to maintain a tie to school for students who are at risk of dropping out entirely.

I have observed students present their work with great pride, with a thorough understanding of both the science aspects and the American government processes, and in ways that clearly document the possibilities for implementation of Oregon's school reform efforts. The students in this class do research and produce effective oral, written and visual presentations. They work in teams, they integrate technology, music, art, math, literature and other areas into their projects. Most of all, they are reflective, passionate and articulate about the learning experience they have with these two inspiring teachers.

As Dean of the School of Education, I invited Molly and Andy and their students to train our faculty in a one-day inservice. Faculty members who were skeptical about this approach to teaching and certainly to the notion that 17 high school students had much to teach them came away from that day with no reservations about integrated coursework, problem-based learning and new approaches to attain high academic standards.

During the day as students presented they were quizzed by faculty on basic concepts of biology and American government. The students, who had taken the course the previous year, were able to answer difficult questions about both subjects. The faculty were particularly impressed that in addition to being able to demonstrate their abilities to apply what they were learning, the students retained the core concepts of the content knowledge.

At Western we continue to invite Molly and Andy to work with our students and our faculty. They have give generously of their time and their talents. For me they have also been a source of encouragement and inspiration as we go through significant changes in the School of Education that are needed to prepare teachers for 21st Century Schools. I would welcome an opportunity to work with them to disseminate this model in other schools.

In summary, Molly and Andy are the model of 21st Century teachers. They are excellent teachers of students and of teachers who are striving to implement new approaches to teaching and earning. They are a valuable resource to Oregon's current vision of meaningful education with high academic standards.

Sincerely,

Dr. Meredith Brodsky