Month: February 2017

INTERNATIONAL
BBCNews. Teacher shortage getting worse, say MPs …recruitment targets for teacher training have been consistently missed

Education International. UK: workloads spark a crisis in teacher recruitment and retention

IEN. Building Hope In South African Education …they have to find ways to attract students, recruit teachers, tutors…

The Hill. The Japanese education system may solve the problems of US public education Elizabeth Green, author of Building a Better Teacher: How Teaching Works (and how to Teach it to Everyone) found a similar pattern when she interviewed Akahiko Takashi, once one of Japan’s leading teachers…

UNITED STATES
115th US Congress.
1) H.R.610 Choices in Education Act of 2017 This bill repeals the No Hungry Kids Act and Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and limits the authority of the Department of Education (ED) such that ED …is authorized only to award block grants to qualified states.
2) H.R.899 – To terminate the Department of Education.

AACTE.
1) Ask Congress to Rescind the Teacher Preparation Regulations!
2) February Federal Update Webinar archive

Boston Univ. The Daily Free Press. Study finds statewide lack of diversity in teacher prep programs

The Chronicle. Betsy DeVos Criticizes Professors in Remarks to Conservative Conference. “The faculty, from adjunct professors to deans, tell you what to do, what to say, and more ominously, what to think. They say that if you voted for Donald Trump, you’re a threat to the university community” …

EdWeek.
1) ‘Education Establishment’ Has Blocked Efforts to Fix Schools Now let me ask you: How many of you are college students? The fight against the education establishment extends to you too … –USED Secretary DeVos
2) Colo. District Considers Building Tiny Homes for Teachers Eagle County School District in Colo. is considering tiny home construction as a strategy to recruit and retain teachers…
3) Drawing a Line Between Civics Education and Activism … there’s a connection between college students being educated for civic engagement but not being educated for civic literacy.
4) Eight Steps to Improve the Ed-Tech Industry: Education technology is worryingly disconnected from education research [by TC President Susan Fuhrman]
5) Home Visits With a STEM Twist …It’s unusual for a school of education to provide home-visit training for its candidates
6) More South Dakota teachers retiring, fewer recruited   “The bottom line is we can’t hire good, new teachers if there aren’t good, new people going into the profession,” …
7) Should Job Shadowing Be a Requirement for Teacher License Renewal?
8) Video: A Teacher Explains Formative Assessments

NYTimes.
1) Beyond ‘Hidden Figures’: Nurturing New Black and Latino Math Whizzes …four hours of math a day taught by 10 experienced math teachers, several of them Ph.D.’s.
2) For-Profit Schools, an Obama Target, See New Day Under Trump So it is in higher education that the new administration’s power is likely to be felt most keenly and quickly.
3) Rough First Week Gives Betsy DeVos a Glimpse of the Fight Ahead …accused some of the school’s teachers of passively awaiting instruction and said she would be pleased if the department she currently runs did not exist in the future.
4) Three Teaching Ideas for Making Presidents’ Day Great Again
5) Trump Rescinds Rules on Bathrooms for Transgender Students And Ms. DeVos, faced with the alternative of resigning or defying the president, agreed to go along.

Washington Post.
1) Ohio Gov. Kasich is trying to impose this misguided mandate on teachers   …all new teachers applying for a license … will be required to get some “on-site work experience with a local business or chamber of commerce.”
2) Senate Democrats seek answers about a Trump higher ed task force We are also very troubled that there has been no public explanation by the President or the Administration about what will be under the formal purview of this task force.

NEW YORK STATE
Chalkbeat.
1) Gov. Cuomo is proposing free college tuition, but are his plan’s rules too strict?
2) New York state charges forward with its ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ initiative   the state has split the $20 million into grants that encourage the recruitment of a diverse pool of high-quality teachers, along with family and community engagement, and programs focused on college and career success.

Newsday. SUNY chancellor endorses gov’s tuition plan, addresses criticisms

NY Daily News. Cuomo’s very good college investment

NYSED.
1) ESSA Winter Regional meetings. Participants must RSVP to ensure that they will be able to participate in the meetings.
2) A.G. Schneiderman And State Education Commissioner Elia Issue Reminder That New York State Protects Transgender Students

NEW YORK CITY
Chalkbeat.
1) New York City is touting grad rates at its lowest-performing high schools, but far fewer students are graduating from them   “In one sense, it can almost be framed as a marketing problem,” said Aaron Pallas, a professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College.
2) Prayers, precision and push-ups: A special ed teacher puts his unusual background to work in the classroom Asomugha made his way to the classroom through New York City Teaching Fellows, an alternative certification pathway for new graduates and career-changers, and has been mentored through NYC Men Teach…

Teachers College.
1) Celebration of Teaching 2017: Scaffolding Content And Language In The Multilingual Classroom. Sat. March 4, Zankel 408
2) TC Mourns Shakespeare Teacher John Henry Browne, a “True Keeper of the Flame”

 

INTERNATIONAL
IEN.
1) A “Right to Play” in Daily Education …and through a cooperative inquiry approach developing a yearlong process of training.
2) Poland: Reforming an improving school system

UNITED STATES
AACTE.
1) AASCU Report Maps Challenges, Priorities for Teacher Preparation
2) New AACTE Action Group to Focus on Rural Education

EdWeek.
1) Betsy DeVos to State Chiefs: Full Speed Ahead on the Every Student Succeeds Act …the following programs may be included in a consolidated State plan: …Title II, part A: Supporting Effective Instruction;
2) Scientists Take on New Roles in K-12 Classrooms
3) Fostering a Long-Lasting Love of Teaching
4) Teachers at Low-Income Schools Deserve Respect  A casual review of teacher-training courses in my home state of Oregon revealed that none specifically addresses the teaching techniques and special needs of underresourced learners.
5) Teachers in Wisconsin Could Get Lifetime Teaching Licenses Under Budget Proposal
6) Uncertainties as Congress Takes Aim at ESSA Regulations Another resolution, also approved last week by the GOP-controlled House, would overturn final rules issued in October on teacher-preparation programs.
7) Undocumented Teachers Shielded by DACA in Legal and Emotional Limbo

Network for Public Education. The Trump/DeVos Privatization Agenda Begins to Take Shape

NYTimes.
1) Chicago Public Schools Sue Over ‘Discriminatory’ State Funding Michael Rebell, a professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College, who tracks school funding litigation, said plaintiffs have prevailed in 23 states since 1989
2) Teaching and Learning About Governmental Checks and Balances and the Trump Administration

TheAtlantic. Are Teachers Becoming Obsolete?

TheChronicle. In First Higher-Ed Address as Education Secretary, DeVos Praises Community Colleges

The74. The Certification Maze: Why Teachers Who Cross State Lines Can’t Find Their Way Back to the Classroom

TusconWeekly. Jerry Falwell Jr. to Head Trump’s Higher Ed Deregulation Task Force. Expect a Big Boost for Liberty—Falwell’s Liberty University, That Is.

NEW YORK STATE
Chalkbeat. Much-criticized teacher literacy test could be on the chopping block next month

EdWeek. Which States Pay Teachers the Most (and Least)? Alaska and New York pay teachers nearly double the salaries of those working in Mississippi and Oklahoma

NYS Assembly. Interviews for NYS Board of Regents Vacancies

NYSED Regents. February meeting cancelled; agenda likely to be taken up in March including:
1) Proposed Amendments to Part 80 of the Commissioner’s Regulations Related to the Elimination of the Academic Literacy Skills Test (ALST) for Teacher Certification and to Remove Unnecessary References to the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test: http://www.regents.nysed.gov/common/regents/files/217hea1.pdf
2) Proposed Amendment to Section 80-1.5 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education Relating to the Establishment of a Multiple Measures Review Process for the edTPA: http://www.regents.nysed.gov/common/regents/files/217hed1.pdf

NEW YORK CITY
Chalkbeat. Little mention of education in de Blasio’s ‘State of the City’ address  “…we’re probably seeing the winding down of Carmen Fariña at the helm,” said Aaron Pallas, an education professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College

NYTimes. De Blasio’s State of the City Has Critics Asking: What About Schools?   Aaron Pallas, a professor of sociology and education at Columbia University Teachers College, said …it could also reflect that the mayor doesn’t have a distinct vision for the schools heading into a possible second term

Teachers College. Feb. 16 Teacher Pop-up Discussion with Prof. Celia Oyler. #TeachActivism

UNITED STATES
AACTE.
1) Advocacy on Teacher Prep Regs Yields House Resolution to Rescind; More Outreach Needed
2) Black & Hispanic/Latino Male Teachers Initiative Networked Improvement Community

AASCU. Preparing teachers in today’s challenging Context: Key Issues, Policy Directions and Implications for Leaders of AASCU Universities

Chalkbeat.
1) Cory Booker vs. Cory Booker: Two videos to understand how the politics of education are being reshaped in the Trump era  In the wake of Trump’s election, other issues …are driving a wedge between Democrats and Republicans who previously could find common ground on education issues.
2) Worried Betsy DeVos could ‘destroy’ public education? Here’s what you should know   “There isn’t that much money that is fungible from the federal education budget,” points out Samuel Abrams, an expert in education policy at Teachers College

DeansForImpact. Special education and the role of teacher-preparation programs

EdWeek.
1) California Teacher Shortages Have Led to ‘Severe Consequences,’ Report Says LPI recommends that California offer scholarships or loan forgiveness to pre-service teachers who commit to teaching in high-needs fields and locations, utilize teacher residency models to help with retention rates…
2) House Votes to Overturn ESSA Accountability, Teacher-Prep Rules
3) Reactions to Betsy DeVos’ Confirmation as Ed. Secretary Range From Joy to Anger
4) ‘Uber for Substitutes’ Promises to Enrich Learning When the Teacher Is Away  Parachute finds prospective substitutes… and offers about three hours of basic training on common issues like classroom management and lesson planning.
5) Will Push to Improve Schools of Ed Continue Without Teacher-Prep Regs?

Hechinger Report. Senate committee approves Betsy DeVos, “Thoughtless proponent of the privatization of American education” [OpEd by TC Prof. Pallas, featured in Tweet by Senator Schumer]

NYTimes.
1) American Universities Must Take a Stand [OpEd by Bard College President L. Botstein]  American colleges and universities, public and private, are … committed to research and teaching in a manner that transcends ordinary politics.
2) Immigrant Students Seek Access to State Financial Aid   …said Lopez, who wants to become a high school math teacher. “I have been worried about paying for college since I was 10…”
3) Preparing Young Americans for a Complex World  For now, teacher education that is focused on this area remains at a nascent stage, says William Gaudelli, an associate professor at Teachers College
4) What to Watch in Congress: Confirmation Votes, Regulation Rollbacks   …and another Education Department rule that sets the parameters for gathering and sharing data on teacher training programs.

PBSNewshour. Column: How I learned my own value as a black male teacher

The Atlantic. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Has Already Affected Public Education   DeVos’s confirmation as secretary could prove itself an unexpected boon for advocates, teachers, and parents exasperated with the state of school reform…

The74. House Blocks Obama-Era ESSA Accountability, Teacher Prep Rules Over Democrats’ Objections  The teacher preparation regulations proposed to rate teacher training programs based, in part, on how well students taught by the programs’ graduates performed on tests…

NEW YORK STATE
NY Daily News. Breakaway Senate Dems want undocumented immigrants to receive college financial aid in N.Y.

NYPost. Critics blast Cuomo’s free-college-tuition plan as a ‘sham’

NYSED Regents Meeting Higher Ed Committee, Feb. 13
1) Amendment… to Automatically Extend the Time Validity of Certain Expired Provisional, Initial or Transitional Certificates for Three Years
2) Emergency Regulation to Eliminate the Requirement That Candidates Must Take and Pass the Academic Literacy Skills Test (ALST) for Teacher Certification
3) Staff Recommendations Related to the edTPA Task Force Report

PoliticNY. Cuomo defends tuition-free college plan on statewide tour

NEW YORK CITY
Chalkbeat. An exit interview with Sophia Pappas, who led New York City’s historic expansion of universal pre-K   …the 35-year-old Georgetown and Harvard grad — who also led early childhood efforts with Teach For America…

TCRecord Book Review. STEM Learning with Young Children: Inquiry Teaching with Ramps and Pathways  Should early grades teachers focus on literacy and mathematics instruction?

 

INTERNATIONAL
BBCNews. Should all countries use the Shanghai maths method? These specialist teachers are given at least five years of training targeted at specific age groups,

EduInternational. UK: Brexit outs EU academics

UNITED STATES
115th US Congress. Contact Senators

AACTE.
1) Ask Congress to Rescind the Teacher Preparation Regulations!
2) Nancy L. Zimpher to Receive AACTE’s Imig Award Distinguished Achievement in Teacher Education
3) Ohio Teacher Educators, PK-12 Partners Collaborate at Teach to Lead Equity Summit

Chronicle of Higher Ed. Jerry Falwell’s New Higher-Ed Task Force Could Take Cues From a Private-College Association’s Playbook …NAICU, highlights several areas “ripest for deregulation in higher education,” including new rules on teacher education,

EdWeek.
1) Here Are Key GOP Senators Who Have Yet to Support or Oppose Betsy DeVos
2) House Republicans Move to Scrap Rules on ESSA, Teacher Preparation
3) How to Pick a Better Ed. Secretary Than Betsy DeVos [OpEd by K Kumashiro, former dean, USF School of Education]
4) New Orleans Spending More on Admins, Less on Teachers Since Charter Takeover   Administrators have largely relied on alternative certification programs like Teach for America since the storm to staff classrooms.

Inside Higher Ed.
1) Data Fears and Downloads Some education researchers have begun downloading federal data amid questions about the new administration’s commitment…
2) Republicans Seek to Block Teacher-Prep Rules

NYTimes.
1) Betsy DeVos, Pick for Secretary of Education, Is the Most Jeered …some Senate offices reported receiving more calls opposing Ms. DeVos than any other Trump nominee.
2) Senate Sets Fight Over Education Secretary for Next Week Voting margins are so thin that Pence, as head of the Senate, may have to cast a tie-breaking vote.

Politico. Former Education Secretary King speaks out against DeVos, Trump “People who care about public education, who care about equity, who care about civil rights should speak out loudly,” King said.

The Education Trust. John B. King Jr. to Serve as President and CEO of the Education Trust

USAToday. Decades after civil rights gains, black teachers a rarity in public schools

Washington Post.
1) Two Republican senators say they will vote against DeVos for education secretary
2) U-Va. education dean: Betsy DeVos’s Senate hearing performance was ‘disqualifying’

NEW YORK STATE
Chalkbeat.
1) Changing education is like ‘moving a battleship on the ocean’: Departing NY Regent reflects on his tenure
2) Famed researcher Linda Darling-Hammond on the future of New York education — and what she makes of Betsy DeVos

EducationNext. As Cuomo Proposal Rekindles Free College Movement, New Research Provides Ammunition for Skeptics [OpEd by TC Assoc. Prof. J. Scott-Clayton]

edTPA Task Force. TAKE ACTION on Proposed Certification Exam Changes, Support the NYS edTPA Task Force Proposals

NEW YORK CITY
Chalkbeat. More men of color are teaching in New York City classrooms as city works to boost overall retention and recruitment

NYDaily News. Private colleges need state help too: A local university president urges Gov. Cuomo to help students at more schools

New York City Council, Education Committee Oversight – Teacher Recruitment and Retention Jan. 24, 2017

Teachers College. Edmund Gordon Lecture by Erica Walker. Hidden in Plain Sight: Lessons for Mathematics Education Seen Through a Storytelling Lens Feb. 16

TCRecord Book Review. Hinkel, E. (Ed.) 2016. Teaching English Grammar to Speakers of Other Languages