Powys Local Authority and Powys Primary Schools partnership with Pennsylvania, USA
Led by International Links Global, a successful partnership between the local authority and primary schools in Powys, and a number of school districts in Pennsylvania, USA has led to a co-produced research inquiry into the education systems in both countries.
In February 2024, nine staff from Powys Local Authority and Powys primary schools visited schools in Pennsylvania to research how similar elements of Wales’ national priorities are addressed.
The visit has already had an impact on education in Wales. Observations made on the induction process for Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) in Pennsylvania were put forward as recommendations by Powys Local Authority to the regional NQT induction team. The regional induction team are responsible for inductions across Wales and these recommendations are now featured in the reform of NQT support nationally.
In June 2024, seven senior administrators and educators from Pennsylvania visited schools in Powys and Cardiff as part of the Taith project’s inward mobility funding, to learn about the education system here in Wales.
Whilst in Wales they shared their experience, their reasons for taking part in the project, plans for continuing the partnership in the future and the impact it will have on education in America.
Becky Gibboney, Director of Educational Planning, formed the partnership three years ago with International Links Global through the Start Sole project in Pennsylvania:
“My role is to support innovative designs and professional learning and supporting teachers in our districts. The partnership started with a student project, and it grew from there. We have hosted three tiers so far and it’s been really exciting. In Pennsylvania, we don’t have any exchange programmes like you have here in Wales. We live in a very rural region and our counties, that are very small, don’t always get as many opportunities. For me, it’s the power of opening your eyes and for our teachers, and our administrators, to think maybe I could try something like this. It even went all the way down to our students. It truly created a ripple effect in our region culturally which was really awesome to see and which I did not anticipate.”
Christina Steinbacher-Reed, Executive Director supported Becky Gibboney with creating systems to enable the partnership to take place:
“Our intermediate units support 19 school districts, and we have connections to 28 other intermediate units, so our impact can be pretty wide. To be able to provide opportunities for our school leaders and teachers to get outside of the region is powerful. Four of our group had never been outside of the United States. For me, the impact is truly getting outside of ourselves because when we study other systems, we better understand our own. We’re opening ourselves up to those relationships and eliminating some of the inherent biases that we might have. Seeing the bilingual nature of the system in Wales has also been eye opening.”
Craig Stage, Superintendent in the Athens area school district:
“My goal was to understand the connection between the education system and the local communities, because that’s a big thing for me moving forward. I definitely feel like I understand that a lot better. It’s an amazing connection that you have between your local community and your schools.”
Cora Leid, fifth and sixth grade Elementary school teacher in Southern Tioga school district:
“Overall, I was looking for a refreshing way to deliver education to my students, and just to gather and share ideas and it’s exceeded my expectations.”
Cora Leid:
“We’ve been able to experience rural, urban and suburban school systems within Powys and Cardiff. Just being able to speak with students and staff and see how they deliver their instruction, how it varies from school to school, population wise, things like that. We’ve learnt about their core values and the way that they assess their students’ learning and their achievement.”
Jill Daloisio, Superintendent, Sayre Area school district:
“For me I’d say the collaboration and the ability to be immersed right here into your system. I’m hopeful that we’ll go right back into that collaborative process and connecting on Teams to maintain this, so we can ask questions and follow up, reflect on our learning, and to continue that relationship and really see what can happen for our students and the progress that they can make for themselves as learners.”
Craig Stage:
“It’s been a remarkable experience. It’s reaffirmed some of the things we do and it’s really helped open my eyes to some innovative things that maybe we don’t do as well. During this visit we are seeing the practice. You can’t do that unless you’re immersed in it and I think that is invaluable.
The other unintended outcome was understanding how much you focus on intentional play as part of the learning process for your primary students.”
Cora Leid:
“I had no idea of the impact of outdoor education and Forest Schools and the freedom and the autonomy that children have to learn through play. It’s not at all common in the states, to give students that opportunity. In Wales you have done such an amazing job of incorporating structured play into the education system and I have just been blown away by it, it’s amazing.
I just think that this is hugely impactful. And I think that it’s amazing that I’ve been given this chance. To be immersed in a different culture and different setting has also helped me to better understand the relationships that I can have with my students. Most of them are probably similar in ways to students within these schools. They don’t travel, they have never been outside of their hometown. In having these experiences and these opportunities, I get to impact them through encouraging them to think outside of their bubble. Giving them that inspiration and helping them to understand that, there’s more outside of their little sphere of their world and to get them to start thinking more openly. And I think that this project has helped me to be able to expose those students to these kind of opportunities.”
Elizabeth Myers, Elementary School Assistant Principal:
“I think the biggest takeaway that I’d like to bring back and see started in my school is the Forest School concept. For the elementary students, I loved the freedom and the time that they get to spend outside and learning through structured play. I feel like a lot of that has been lost with our primary children and I’d like to see them return to the basics of nature and play and tactile experiences.”
Tara Battaglia, Middle School Assistant Principal:
“I want to continue the relationships that we’ve built with the educators that we’ve worked with here. I’d like to get a new set of students and teachers involved and just share the experiences and allow more teachers, more people, to have the experiences that we’ve had over the last week.”
Cora Leid:
“I hope that it’s something that can continue into the future and grow, amongst other countries. It would be amazing to see a whole new cohort being able to travel to different places and gain this experience because then we can take the best from each and help mould our education system to what it truly could be.”
This Taith exchange has given educators from Wales and Pennsylvania the time and opportunity to reflect and to collaborate, to take the best parts from each others’ systems to ensure that they’re giving the best possible education to their pupils and ultimately improving the lives of children in Wales and America.
