National Network for Educational Renewal
(http://depts.washington.edu/cedren/NNER.htm)

In 1986, shortly after publications of his landmark work, A Place Called School, John I. Goodlad and his colleagues created the National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER) to begin work on the simultaneous renewal of schools and the education of those who work in them. Fourteen school-university partnerships in as many states were included in this first version of the NNER.

Following publication of Goodlad's Teachers for Our Nation's Schools in late 1990, the NNER was reconstituted. This new version of the NNER emphasizes attention to the Agenda for Education in a Democracy.

In 1998 the Network became self-governing with representatives from each setting serving as a Governing Council. The Council adopted a mission statement and established a process for selecting new members. As of 2003, the network has grown to comprise 21 settings involving 44 institutions of higher education, some 150 school districts, and roughly 1000 partner K-12 schools in 19 states.

NNER Mission Statement
The National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER) leads by example in its commitment to improve simultaneously the quality of education for citizens of our democracy and the quality of preparation of educators for our schools through IHE/LEA partnerships.

Members of the Network agree on four moral dimensions for teaching in a democracy, which are as follows:

• provide access to knowledge for all children ("equity and excellence");
• educate the young for citizenship in a social and political democracy ("enculturation");
• base teaching on knowledge of the subjects taught, established principles of learning,and sensitivity to the unique potential of learners ("nurturing pedagogy");
• and take responsibility for improving the conditions for learning in the entire school and university community ("stewardship").

Members of the Network assert that quality schooling for a democracy and quality preparation of educators can best be accomplished by sharing responsibility for the following actions:

• pursuing the Agenda for Education in a Democracy;
• engaging university faculty in the arts and sciences with faculty members in education and university faculty in the and public schools as equal partners collectively responsible for the Agenda;
• including partnership settings across the nation that together represent urban, suburban, and rural communities, ethnically and socio-economically diverse public school and university students, and a broad range of public and private teacher education institutions of varying sizes and missions;
• inquiring into and conducting research pertinent to educational practices and the renewal of public schools and the education of educators.