Here you may pay or renew your Membership Fee in order to initiate or continue your Member-level access with the National School Reform Faculty. A paid membership* also includes subscription to our publication, Connections, which offers you tips on using our protocols and activities effectively, facilitation tips, media reviews, and much more. With your membership, you are also helping lead the effort to fulfill our mission: empowering educators to create meaningful learning experiences for all, by collaborating effectively in reflective democratic communities that foster educational equity and social justice.
*Please note that, once purchased, an annual paid membership with NSRF is non-transferrable as well as non-refundable.-
The Resource Book was formerly used in our Critical Friends Group® Coaches' trainings, and contains a selection of the older protocols and activities from the NSRF library. -
Collaborative Cue Cards assist participants engaged in CFG work with several key skills, adding to the efficiency and effectiveness of the NSRF protocols. -
Collaborative Cue Cards assist participants engaged in CFG work with several key skills, adding to the efficiency and effectiveness of the NSRF protocols. -
Critical Friends Group® Virtual Coaches' Training:
A 26-hour training conducted within Zoom, culminating in Virtual CFG® Coaches’ Certification
February 12-15 (Mon-Thu), 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. EST* + 20-23 (Tue-Fri), 9 a.m. -12:30 p.m. EST*
*Check your equivalent time zone here.
Build trust and a sense of belonging, improve your practice, and keep your priorities at the forefront: Critical Friends Group work!
Please join us for Critical Friends Group Coaches' Training, conducted virtually, Monday-Thursday and then, the following week, Tuesday-Friday (to accommodate President's Day). We'll meet synchronously via Zoom at 9AM each day for a total of 26 hours, and you'll have about five hours of of additional work to complete outside of our virtual meetings (replacing what would be 33+ hours in a traditional on-site training). To be certified as a Virtual CFG Coach, you will need to participate in the entire training including your homework. In this hands-on and brains-on training (this is NOT a webinar!), participants will:- experience a range of proven activities to recognize and value our differences as well as our similarities,
- further build trust by learning to give and receive feedback skillfully, including learning the phrasing that converts ideas from criticism to gifts,
- remove the “teeth” of dilemmas by reframing them with new perspectives,
- increase equity by ensuring we hear from everyone in meetings and classes (rather than just those who are comfortable speaking in large groups) and demonstrate that those voices are heard,
- absorb how to use these tools by reflecting on every activity and protocol, documenting “what isn’t on the written page,”
- work to improve YOUR real-life problems brought by the participants, rather than content shared around theoretical examples.
In short, you'll experience the power of Critical Friends Group communities during our days together, and you'll learn how to improve your work environment by creating that experience with your colleagues.
Expect to collaborate and participate!
You will be on-camera and on-task! This is not a "sit-and-get" webinar format, but one that requires your attention and interaction. And all that pays off handsomely. Upon completion of this training, you become a certified CFG coach with coaches' status on the NSRF website for life! You will be certified (and prepared) to form and lead trusted Critical Friends Group learning communities, as well as to use these materials in meetings, classes, and other virtual settings. And because you'll have a Coaches' membership to the website for a full year, you will also have access to similar materials designed for use when we can all meet safely again in traditional, non-virtual settings.Time well spent!
Your investment for the full training is $999 for 26 hours of training (no taxes or hidden fees applied!) and includes PDF copies of all the new protocols and activities used in the training, a year-long coaches' membership in the NSRF® with full access to the Coaches' Protocol Library online, and ongoing support from your facilitators and the NSRF Office Team well beyond the training dates. If you bring a friend or colleague to this training, each of you will receive a $75 discount, so the price becomes $924 each (one discount per organization, please). It's extremely helpful to have support as you do this work in your own organization, so having a "training buddy" greatly enhances your chance for success. To receive the discount, please email nsrf@nsrfharmony.org.Seating is limited so act quickly!
Only 20 people will benefit from this training! If you're interested, please register soon to hold your seat! We need at least ten participants for this training to happen. We will confirm this training for you and send some preparatory materials the week before training begins. If you need to cancel, we strongly urge you to find someone else to transfer your registration and can only offer refunds if requested one week before this confirmation date.Paying with a Purchase Order or check?
If you are registering and need to pay with a check or a purchase order, please email nsrf@nsrfharmony.org right away to make arrangements. Be sure to note that this training requires payment in full BEFORE the training begins.Refund policy
NSRF works hard to keep the costs of our trainings low and only accepts a limited number of participants per cohort, which makes it an especially high-value training opportunity. Because of the limited number of seats and the low margin, refunds are only available with cancellations at least two weeks before this event. If you find you cannot attend, please try to find a colleague who can take your seat and contact us with the information so we can be sure to make proper adjustments and connections moving forward. If we should cancel this training due to lack of participation or other circumstance, you will be notified immediately via email and fully refunded. By submitting your registration you are agreeing to these terms.A few invitations regarding technology
For the best experience for you and everyone else, we ask that you review and consider these requests around the technologies we're using.
Click here to review these.
- Days in advance, connect to your virtual classroom to complete a bit of advance homework. You will receive an email from your facilitator welcoming you and sharing a direct link. You’ll also receive an email from the virtual classroom to notify you of your enrollment.
- Join Zoom using a computer (desktop or laptop) rather than a mobile device. Otherwise you will miss key experiences.
- Use the Zoom application rather than connecting in a browser window. Visit Zoom.us to ensure you have the latest download. Using the application helps ensure you can access all the abilities of Zoom.
- Bring a headset with a microphone rather than using the microphone and speaker on your device. This ensures that we’ll all be able to hear one another well, that you will not inadvertently interrupt others, that background noise will not disturb the group, nor the group disturb others in your local environment.
- Keep your camera on, especially in breakouts, unless you experience bandwidth/connectivity issues. Being able to see one another, read facial expressions, and feel “seen” are all vital parts of this work. We respect your privacy if you need to use a virtual background or throw a sheet over your background, but it’s important to see your face as much as we can. However, if your Internet or WiFi connectivity causes disruption for you, you may turn off your camera while in the large group space. We hope you’ll be able to participate with camera on in breakouts.
- There are a few more tech agreements, which we'll introduce on Day 1.
show less
Questions?
If you have any questions about CFG trainings in general, or about purchasing and registering for this NSRF® Open Coaches Training, please email us at nsrf@nsrfharmony.org. We are here to help!We look forward to working with you in 2024!
Your registration form:
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Critical Friends Group® Virtual Coaches' Training:
A 26-hour training conducted within Zoom, culminating in Virtual CFG® Coaches’ Certification
July 8-11th, 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. EDT* + 15-18th, 9 a.m. -12:30 p.m. EDT*
*Check your equivalent time zone here.
Build trust and a sense of belonging, improve your practice, and keep your priorities at the forefront: Critical Friends Group work!
Please join us for Critical Friends Group Coaches' Training, conducted virtually. We'll meet synchronously via Zoom for about 26 hours, and you'll have about five hours of homework (replacing what would be 33+ hours in a traditional classroom). To be certified as a Virtual CFG Coach, you will need to participate in the entire training including your homework. In this hands-on and brains-on training (this is NOT a webinar!), participants will:- experience a range of proven activities to recognize and value our differences as well as our similarities,
- further build trust by learning to give and receive feedback skillfully, including learning the phrasing that converts ideas from criticism to gifts,
- remove the "teeth" of dilemmas by reframing them with new perspectives,
- increase equity by ensuring we hear from everyone in meetings and classes (rather than just those who are comfortable speaking in large groups) and demonstrate that those voices are heard,
- absorb how to use these tools by reflecting on every activity and protocol, documenting "what isn't on the written page,"
- work to improve YOUR real-life problems brought by the participants, rather than content shared around theoretical examples.
In short, you'll experience the power of Critical Friends Group communities during our days together, and you'll learn how to improve your work environment by creating that experience with your colleagues.
Expect to collaborate and participate!
You will be on-camera and on-task! This is not a "sit-and-get" webinar format, but one that requires your attention and interaction. And all that pays off handsomely. Upon completion of this training, you become a certified CFG coach with coaches' status on the NSRF website for life! You will be certified (and prepared) to form and lead trusted Critical Friends Group learning communities, as well as to use these materials in meetings, classes, and other virtual settings. And because you'll have a Coaches' membership to the website for a full year, you will also have access to similar materials designed for use when we can all meet safely again in traditional, non-virtual settings.Time well spent!
Your investment for the full training is $999 for 26 hours of training and includes PDF copies of all the new protocols and activities used in the training, a year-long coaches' membership in the NSRF® with full access to the Coaches' Protocol Library online, and ongoing support from your facilitators and the NSRF Office Team well beyond the training dates. If you bring a friend or colleague to this training, each of you will receive a $75 discount, so the price becomes $924 each (one discount per organization, please). It's extremely helpful to have support as you do this work in your own organization, so having a "training buddy" greatly enhances your chance for success. To receive the discount, please email nsrf@nsrfharmony.org.Seating is limited so act quickly!
Only 20 people will benefit from this training! If you're interested, please register soon to hold your seat! We need at least ten participants for this training to happen. We will confirm this training for you and send some preparatory materials the week before training begins. If you need to cancel, we strongly urge you to find someone else to transfer your registration, and can only offer refunds before this confirmation date.Paying with a Purchase Order or check?
If you are registering and need to pay with a check or a purchase order, please email nsrf@nsrfharmony.org right away to make arrangements. Be sure to note that this training requires payment in full BEFORE the training begins.Refund policy
NSRF works hard to keep the costs of our trainings low and only accepts a limited number of participants per cohort, which makes it an especially high-value training opportunity. Because of the limited number of seats and the low margin, refunds are only available with cancellations at least two weeks before this event. If you find you cannot attend, please try to find a colleague who can take your seat and contact us with the information so we can be sure to make proper adjustments and connections moving forward. If we should cancel this training due to lack of participation or other circumstance, you will be notified immediately via email and fully refunded. By submitting your registration you are agreeing to these terms.A few invitations regarding technology
For the best experience for you and everyone else, we ask that you review and consider these requests around the technologies we're using.
Click here to review these.
- Days in advance, connect to your virtual classroom to complete a bit of advance homework. You will receive an email from your facilitator welcoming you and sharing a direct link. You’ll also receive an email from the virtual classroom to notify you of your enrollment.
- Join Zoom using a computer (desktop or laptop) rather than a mobile device. Otherwise you will miss key experiences.
- Use the Zoom application rather than connecting in a browser window. Visit Zoom.us to ensure you have the latest download. Using the application helps ensure you can access all the abilities of Zoom.
- Bring a headset with a microphone rather than using the microphone and speaker on your device. This ensures that we’ll all be able to hear one another well, that you will not inadvertently interrupt others, that background noise will not disturb the group, nor the group disturb others in your local environment.
- Keep your camera on, especially in breakouts, unless you experience bandwidth/connectivity issues. Being able to see one another, read facial expressions, and feel “seen” are all vital parts of this work. We respect your privacy if you need to use a virtual background or throw a sheet over your background, but it’s important to see your face as much as we can. However, if your Internet or WiFi connectivity causes disruption for you, you may turn off your camera while in the large group space. We hope you’ll be able to participate with camera on in breakouts.
- There are a few more tech agreements, which we'll introduce on Day 1.
show less
Questions?
If you have any questions about CFG trainings in general, or about purchasing and registering for this NSRF® Open Coaches Training, please email us at nsrf@nsrfharmony.org. We are here to help!We look forward to working with you in 2024!
-
Sequel to the 2006 Courageous Conversations About Race book (also available via this website), this 2013 edition expands the discussion of equity and social justice in schools. -
Anxiety, depression, and their dangerous manifestations-substance abuse, eating disorders, self-injury and suicide- are increasing student conditions at many competitive high schools. Paradoxically, most of these schools promote themselves as being committed to students' holistic development in academics, athletics and the arts, and in their personal, social, and emotional growth. So why are so many students struggling? Dr. Gleason has investigated these concerns in competitive high schools throughout the United States and around the world, and has found almost complete unanimity in how educators and parents have responded to his interviews. In sum, these caring and dedicated adults fully admit to overscheduling, overworking and, at times, overwhelming their students and teenaged children. This conflict - adults wanting to educate and parent adolescents in healthy and balanced ways, but simultaneously, overscheduling, overworking and, at times, overwhelming them - is at the heart of this book. In At What Cost?, Dr. David Gleason recruits educators and parents to more empathic ways of operating that not only respect adolescent's true developmental capacities but also don't interfere with their growth trajectories or threaten their mental health. -
Out of stock
This companion volume to the Courageous Conversations About Race provides chapter summaries and activities, writing prompts, and artwork for overheads and handouts. Positively reviewed in the November 2014 issue of Connections. -
Out of stock
This companion volume to the Courageous Conversations About Race provides chapter summaries and activities, writing prompts, and artwork for overheads and handouts. Positively reviewed in the November 2014 issue of Connections. -
Out of stock
Critical Friends Group® On-Site Coaches' Training:
A 5-day, experiential training held at Wildwood School in Los Angeles, CA culminating in CFG® Coaches’ Certification from NSRF®
July 22-26th, 2024
This five-day, on-site training provides educators with proven tools for developing a collaborative culture that fosters professional learning and raises student achievement. New CFG Coaches Training offers an opportunity to master the fundamentals of CFG coaching by experiencing them firsthand, as part of a cohort of like-minded professionals from a variety of environments.Five full days of intensive, collaborative learning!
By the end of the training, participants will:- Embrace adult learning in service of equitable student outcomes
- Develop and deepen facilitation skills
- Know how to “mine” texts for deeper learning
- Understand how to match protocols to particular examples of student and adult work
- Know how to give and receive productive feedback on professional practice
- Have a plan for launching CFG communities at their school or district
- Receive certification as CFG coaches by The National School Reform Faculty
___
Regarding COVID and cancellation policies:
Do not book non-refundable travel arrangements until Wildwood confirms this training will occur. Confirmation should be announced at least 30 days prior to the first day of training. If you need to cancel before this confirmation date, you can receive a full refund of the cost of registration and a 50% refund after that, up to two weeks out from the scheduled start date. No refund or credit for cancellations made within two weeks of the training start date, and no refunds for your travel expenses. COVID provisions: Exceptions may be made for illness and other unexpected circumstances. Be sure to note that this is an on-site group training and does not cover the protocols and activities redesigned for use within virtual meetings! If this training should be cancelled due to changes in the pandemic, it will NOT be converted into a virtual training experience. Per Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Guidelines, mask-wearing is encouraged (but not required) indoors throughout the training.Refund policy note
NSRF works hard to keep the costs of our trainings low and only accepts a limited number of participants per cohort, which makes it an especially high-value training opportunity. Please confirm the refund policies listed on Wildwood's site. By submitting your registration you are agreeing to these terms.
This on-site training is arranged through both NSRF and Wildwood Outreach Center. Payment and information must be supplied to Wildwood Outreach Center through their website.
Are you interested in a VIRTUAL coaches' training instead?
Questions?
If you have any questions about this specific On-Site CFG Coaches' training at Wildwood School in Los Angeles, California, please contact NSRF facilitator, Steve Barrett at sbarrett@wildwood.org. If you have questions about CFG trainings in general or becoming a member on our site, please email us at nsrf@nsrfharmony.org. We are happy to help!
