GLOBAL
European Conference on Educational Research (ECER). CFP [Sep. 3-6, Hamburg]
Hechinger Report (Kakuma, Kenya). Refugee Girls Want to Change the World. Will We Let Them? About 85 percent of teachers are refugees themselves, most of whom have gone to school at the camp and many of whom begin teaching without any formal training. The only qualification necessary is a high school degree… Teachers for Teachers… The program, which has now reached an estimated 90 percent of primary school teachers in Kakuma…
New York Times. France Debates Where to Teach Arabic: Public School or Local Mosque? …the public school classes would be of higher quality than religious ones. The Quran-based courses at the mosque, he said, can rely too heavily on memorization rather than allowing students to express themselves. “Our professors have a lot of passion and good will, but they are not trained teachers,” Mr. Benjemaa said. “They didn’t pass national exams.”
Sydney Morning Herald. More Low-performing Australian Students Enter Teaching Programs A report from the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) finds that far more students with Australian Tertiary Admission Rankings (ATAR) in the lowest bands are being admitted into teaching degrees than other fields. Nearly 40 percent of teaching undergraduates scored below 70 on the ATAR, compared to just 25 percent of undergraduates across all university degrees in 2016.
World Association of Lesson Studies (WALS). CFP [Sep. 3-6, Amsterdam]
UNITED STATES
AACTE.
1) AACTE at the Table for Higher Education Negotiated Rulemaking The full committee will cover issues around accreditation and innovation, and the subcommittees will advise the full committee on the following issues: faith-based entities, distance learning, and TEACH grants.
2) AACTE Response to the Federal School Safety Commission Report … AACTE is deeply concerned about the Commission’s recommendation that states should reduce barriers to certification for becoming teachers. While the profession develops competency-based preparation programs to support career changers to enter the classroom, there is a necessity to ensure that expeditious programs maintain a high level of quality preparation for its candidates.
Chalkbeat. I’m a Chicago teacher who has watched many Javions fall through the cracks. Here’s what would help. When I started teaching, I experienced the benefits of a reading specialist myself. I was not prepared to teach reading, as much of my teacher education taught me to become a teacher like the ones I had in high school — ones that assigned texts, held discussions, and gave feedback on essays.
Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). A Vision and Guidance for a Diverse and Learner-Ready Teacher Workforce This report is a call to action by state chiefs, and leaders from educator preparation providers (EPPs), local education agencies (LEAs), legislatures, unions, and civic and community groups.
Education Week.
1) 10 Big Ideas: Special Education is Broken States need to support teacher-preparation colleges that offer dual-licensure, that are taught by faculty who have successfully worked in inclusive classrooms, and offer meaningful clinical programs. Future educators should learn principles of universal design for learning, differentiated instruction, and co-teaching.
2) A Conversation With U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, an Award-Winning Teacher “This is a profession and it needs to be treated as such… You have people who have multiple degrees who have gone to college and really prepared and trained to enter teaching as a profession and can’t even afford to take care of their families. And I think that’s unreasonable…”
3) Gates Giving Millions to Train Teachers on ‘High Quality’ Curricula All grantees, for instance, would have to orient their teacher training around a curriculum with a high rating from EdReports.org, a nonprofit that issues Consumer Reports-style reviews, or on similar tools developed by nonprofit groups like Student Achievement Partners and Achieve.
4) Here’s a look at the first education bills to hit the floor in Colorado Among the first five bills filed by Senate Democrats, this bill from state Sen. Zenzinger would provide up to $5,000 in loan forgiveness for teachers who take hard-to-fill positions, defined by either geography or content area. As many as 100 teachers a year could benefit from the program.
5) The 2019 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings … ranking the university-based scholars in the U.S. who did the most last year to shape educational practice and policy. [Incl. 10 TC Profs. H. Levin, J. Henig, C. Emdin, J. Brooks-Gunn, T. Bailey, M. Rebell, A. S. Wells, A. Pallas, J. Scott-Clayton, S. Cohodes]
Inside Higher Ed.
1) ‘Neuromyth’ or Helpful Model? UVA’s Willingham said more needs to be done to “inoculate future teachers against this idea when they are in teacher preparation programs.” While education psychology textbooks don’t propagate the idea of learning styles, he said, “I would also argue that they’re not doing enough to say, ‘There’s nothing to support this idea.’
2) Overhauling Rules for Higher Ed The upcoming rule-making process is so expansive that the department has added multiple subcommittees addressing distance learning, TEACH Grants and the role of faith-based institutions. Negotiated rule-making rarely includes more than one subcommittee requiring that kind of narrow expertise.
Mother Jones. This Deep-Red State Decided to Make a Serious Investment in Preschools. It’s Paying Off Big-Time. And while many states don’t require preschool teachers to have a degree and don’t pay them as much as elementary school teachers get, Alabama hires only credentialed preschool teachers and gives them elementary school salaries.
New York Times. Deconstructing the Wall: Teaching About the Symbolism, Politics and Reality of the U.S.-Mexico Border
WVNews. Superintendent backs possible bonus to boost teacher skills Paine says there’s an immediate need for certified math teachers. A state Department of Education report found that “non-fully certified” teachers taught 38 percent of public school math courses for grades seven through 11.
NEW YORK STATE
New York State Education Department. Public comment periods:
1) proposed regulatory amendments to student teaching requirements in teacher preparation programs will be open through February 25.
2) proposed regulations to implement New York State’s ESSA plan will run through January 25
NEW YORK CITY
Inside Higher Ed. Candidate Withdraws, but CUNY Chancellor Search ‘Nearly Concluded’
New York Times. The Community School Comes of Age [OpEd by D. Kirp] In a 2018 survey of 3,000 adults, conducted by Columbia University Teachers College, two-thirds agreed that “students cannot develop basic academic skills without community resources, health and community services to students and families.” This isn’t a partisan issue — more than half of self-described conservatives concurred.
Teaching Residents at Teachers College. TR@TC Induction | January, 2019 | New Year Edition
