Approximately 2,500 educators ­ a record number ­ fanned out across the region to participate in the 2007 edition of Mon Valley Learns, the Consortium’s professional education experience for the “people who make the public schools works. And next year, many of them will hit the road again for 10th annual Mon Valley Learns, scheduled for Oct. 24, 2008.

Sixteen of the school districts in which the Consortium works participated this year: Belle Vernon Area, Bentworth, Brownsville Area, Charleroi Area, Clairton City, Duquesne City, East Allegheny, Frazier, McKeesport Area, Monessen City, Ringgold, South Allegheny, Steel Valley, Trinity Area, West Mifflin Area and Yough.

Mon Valley Learns is an activity that’s been designed by public school employees, for public school employees, at a series of planning meetings at the end of the last school term. “We have an abundant array of talent in our schools,” said Consortium Executive Director Linda L. Croushore, Ed.D. “They’re committed and dedicated. Mon Valley Learns gives them a chance to share their best practices and programs with their colleagues across the region.”

McKeesport Area S.D.
Facilitator Rocky Beech led a session on McKeesport Area’s tobacco awareness/Tobacco-Free Allegheny program.

Guest facilitator Patti Zapp, who works with the Consortium on the Middle-High Forum initiative, led a workshop on the use of the Socratic discussion method of group discussion and how it can be used in all disciplines to encourage meaningful student discussion.


McKeesport Area music teacher Karl Faulk led this session on sharing favorite classroom lessons at Cornell Intermediate School.

“What You THINK You Know About Latin America!” at McKeesport Area High School introduced middle and high school instructors to the cultural and geographical diversity represented by the 17 countries included in this region.

Click here for directions to participating schools.

The schedule for the day called for participants to fan out to 51 schools to attend one of  the sessions and workshops from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. They’ve been encouraged to choose a session in a school they’ve never visited. After the program and a break for lunch, all “travelers” made their way back to their home school districts for a debriefing session and/or other in-service activities.

Mon Valley Learns is an interactive experience that calls on all participants to arrive at their sessions prepared to contribute. Registration for most sessions has been kept small to encourage more give-and-take. There are 142 offerings on the program this year, up from 104 last year.

While some sessions have specific topics, others are more general, organized around such common educational concerns as disruptive behavior, PSSA math and writing assessment, conflict resolution and classroom management and special education inclusion. There are a number of sessions for those seeking a better understanding of technology and its use in the classroom.

Among the more unusual subjects were a repeat of the consistently popular “inside look” at USX Clairton Works; a session on dealing with the homeless child; a program on integrating GPS technology into the curriculum; a support group for newly hired teachers (New “Bees) to share their concerns; and imaginative ways to teach history (“This is Not Your Grandmother’s History Class”).

Dr. Croushore said planning for 2007 was done by a steering committee drawn from the participating districts and working in partnership with Consortium staff members. District and building coordinators recruited the program presenters who then contributed topics for the sessions. Mon Valley Learns is open to all public school employees, both professional and support staff, although not every district is participating at those levels.

 “For years,” Dr. Croushore said, “the need we’ve heard articulated most often and most consistently has been, ‘We don’t have time to talk or share with our colleagues’. People feel isolated within their own school systems, sometimes within their own buildings or classrooms. The goal of the Consortium always has been to break down those barriers, both within schools and between schools and their many communities. Mon Valley Learns is one way to accomplish this....

 “We view this activity not as an end in itself but as part of an ongoing process to identify what is working best for our children. We hope that participants will take back to their own schools some new ideas or strategies that will allow all kids to succeed.”

Mon Valley Learns is one of two annual region-wide activities of The Consortium for Public Education. Each April, it also organizes and coordinates “Reading Rocks,” a weeklong celebration of literacy which involved some 27,500 students in 55 schools in 21 Consortium school districts last year.

McKeesport Area S.D. cont'd.

Middle and high school science teachers had a hands-on experience with activities to engage their students in the “Fun With Biology” session at McKeesport Area High School.


Puppets can be an effective classroom learning tool across the elementary curriculum and in managing behavior, according to Jodi Murray, the facilitator for this session at Centennial Elementary School.

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