The International Association of Laboratory Schools (IALS) is an organization for laboratory schools and partnerships around the world. I was invited to join its board of trustees when I served as acting director of the Illinois State University Laboratory Schools (Metcalf School and University High School).
Through this membership, I have helped to support research through their research committee, and I also serve on the committee that works on the IALS Journal. IALS provides programming for new laboratory school leaders, recruitment of members, and international tours of laboratory schools in many countries.
IALS has also given me the opportunity to co-edit a book written by authors from many laboratory schools. I authored one chapter and co-authored a second chapter with a co-editor.
On April 24, the IALS conference took place at Burris Laboratory School on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. I presented on teacher research and how teachers can be supported in the process, and spoke about clinical field experiences at University High School. Many laboratory school staff said they looked forward to using the information I shared.
The IALS research committee led a discussion on research using students’ voices. We set up a mentoring program for this research, and will have regular meetings to support the research. Conference members were from the United States and Canada as well as five other countries, with 36 laboratory schools represented.
In speaking with Dr. Anthony Jones, director of Illinois State’s Laboratory Schools, he appreciated the conference because it provided opportunity for conversations in grounding laboratory schools in theory and practice, focused on John Dewey’s philosophy of critical thinking, student engagement and inquiry, and problem-based learning.
The conference provided him with the opportunity to learn from other laboratory schools and how they fulfill the laboratory school mission of research, innovative teaching, service, and teacher preparation. It also provided him with ideas to enhance partnerships and collaborate for research and support between university, lab schools, and community. Laboratory schools have many of the same challenges, and the conference was encouraging for him and others.
Sponsored by IALS and the College of Education (COE), I traveled to Thailand to visit laboratory schools (known as Demonstration Schools), and we returned back to the U.S. with two universities and their lab schools as new members of IALS. I reunited with colleagues from past and forthcoming COE workshops who received degrees from or worked at Srinakharinwirot University in Bangkok.
