The CES-NJ SUMMER TREK is an intensive annual 3-4 day opportunity for teams of key stakeholders from CES-NJ schools to deepen understanding of CES principles and practices as well as engage in action planning, with guidance and support from CES-NJ coaches, to identify and address school priorities for the ensuing academic year.

At TREKS, participants work in a concentrated manner on developing strategies to advance the reform agenda in schools, learning valuable new skills and collaborating with colleagues from the CES community.

CES-NJ offers three types of TREKS.

"Introductory" TREK is designed for schools which have affiliated with CES within the last year. Components of this TREK include:

• Building familiarity with the CES Principles and Benchmarks
• Understanding the complexity and challenges of organizational change
• Understanding action planning and the cycle of inquiry
• Introduction to Collaborative Friends Group protocols
• Planning for building school wide understanding of CES

"Advanced" TREK is designed for schools which have been affiliated with CES-NJ for one or more years. This TREK concentrates on:

• Using Data Driven Inquiry to guide focused action planning for the upcoming year
• Broadening understanding of specific CES practices
• Clarifying and exploring the leadership roles of principals, facilitators, teachers and SMT members

The "CES in the Classroom" TREK is designed for veteran CES-NJ schools which would like to further "build CES capacity" via exposing a team of classroom practitioners to specific CES and CES related practices. This TREK concentrates on:

• Action Research in the classroom
• CES Principles/Benchmarks and classroom practice
• Understanding and developing rubrics
• Multiple Intelligences and differentiated instruction
• Literature Circles
• Essential Questions
• Project Based Learning

During summer 2002 CES-NJ is offering six Advanced TREKS as well as one Introductory TREK and one CES in the Classroom TREK.