WACTL Mission
The Washington Center for Teaching & Learning
brings together educators from P-12 schools
and the University of Washington as equal
partners in revitalizing the quality of teaching
and learning through a process of collaborative
inquiry, innovation, and renewal.
Goals
Our goal is to promote partnerships among schools, communities, and the University that are grounded in mutual respect and commitments to institutional, programmatic, and individual inquiry and renewal, for the purpose of:
- Provoking and nurturing inquiry-based innovations in teaching and learning
- Preparing and supporting teacher development
- Provoking critical citizenship capacities in the young
- Supporting the development of exceptional educators capable of and committed to equitable access to high-quality learning experiences for all students, the realization of democratic values, and the learning and development of all students in schools, especially those in the most challenging circumstances.
- To provide a gathering place within the University for faculty engaged in inquiry and service projects in schools and an easy point of access to the University for P-12 teachers and community educators.
- Providing a forum for researching and fostering conversations about alternative ways to envision education.
Principles
The historical failure of the educational system to serve those who find themselves in the most challenging circumstances demands that we make these students and their schools our highest priority.
Preparing and supporting exceptional teachers across their careers requires the collaboration of University and school educators as well as members of the community. The knowledge, expertise, and commitments that each partner brings are equally essential to the enterprise of preparing and supporting teachers and to the simultaneous renewal of schools and the University. Simultaneous renewal of teacher preparation and P-12 partner schools requires that each partner commit to sharing in the process of inquiring into its policies and practices and their effects; and renewing programs and opportunities to learn at their sites using collective and individual resources.