Month: June 2020

GLOBAL
Forbes. The School That Tried To End Racism: New Documentary Looks At Classrooms’ Role In Ending Bias    Dr. Nicola Rollock, Reader in Equity and Education at Goldsmiths, University of London, part of the team of experts observing the “Segregation Experiment,” thinks that it needs to go beyond the curriculum. “This has to be embedded in Teacher Training, and not just in terms of the delivery of the curriculum, but in terms of who is teaching that curriculum, the identity and the lens that they bring to their understanding of their profession…” 

GhanaWeb. Degree education: A case for in-service teachers   One particular dazzling reform to overhaul Pre-service Teacher Training is the Teacher Education reforms, specifically the upgrading of the College of Education to Universities affiliated to the five main public universities.

Globe and Mail. Ontario unveils updated elementary math curriculum   The government said last fall that it was investing $200-million over four years on a math strategy that included professional development for teachers … It also initiated a math proficiency test for future teachers and promised to roll out a new curriculum.

Sydney Morning Herald. Cost of priority degrees to be slashed, some fees to soar in funding overhaul   Teaching, nursing, clinical psychology, English, languages, maths and agriculture courses will cost $3700 a year, down by 46 to 62 per cent.

UNESCO. 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report: Inclusion and Education
*teachers need to be prepared to teach students with varied backgrounds and abilities
*Training on inclusion tends to focus on teaching skills for specialists.
*Mainstream and special school teachers tend to be trained separately and the latter are more likely to be negative about inclusion as the best way to educate all students.
* To be of good quality, teacher education must be relevant to teachers’ needs, cover multiple aspects of inclusive teaching for all learners and include follow-up support to help teachers integrate new skills into classroom practices…

UNITED STATES
Chronicle of Higher Education. Jenna Shim, a professor in the School of Teacher Education at the University of Wyoming, will become associate dean for graduate programs in the college on July 1.

Education Week.
1) Can Teachers Really Do Their Jobs in Masks?   …particularly concerned about phonics and phonemic awareness instruction. She recently went through two weeks of professional development with the Orton-Gillingham approach, which is a multisensory way to teach early reading. A major focus in the training centered around having children watch her mouth.
2) Why These Teachers and Students Want Juneteenth in the Curriculum   …news stories from other places in the country about attempts to teach black history gone wrong, like teachers who ask black students to reenact slavery. “A lot of teachers aren’t really qualified 100 percent to teach this material, because they weren’t trained in how to teach this material,” Mondesir said.

Hechinger Report. Education companies see an “upside to the pandemic” for business   K12 Inc. has faced frequent criticism about poor student performance and been subject to legal scrutiny… Davis defended the company’s teacher prep, which he said ensures that students receive the necessary support. “K12 has two decades of honing the skills and training teachers need to be effective in the online classroom,” 

Learning Policy Institute. Raising Demands and Reducing Capacity: COVID-19 and the Educator Workforce   National data on teacher preparation enrollments for next fall are not available. An informal survey of the 15 educator preparation programs in the Educator Preparation Laboratory—a mix of public and private programs from across 10 states—suggests that, while enrollment is relatively stable now, deferments are on the rise. 

Nevada Today. LGBTQ+ teaching mentorships need growth in diversity in education   Student teachers who identify as LGBTQ+ face a number of challenges while navigating their education- both in the university and public schools where they student teach…Deciding when to come out, and where, is perhaps one of the most trying decisions a student-teacher faces, especially if it can get you fired.

Santa Maria Sun. Cunningham bill expands qualification options for teacher credential candidates   …Assembly Bill 1982, would allow teacher credential candidates to satisfy the state’s Basic Skills Requirement with an A or B grade in accredited courses approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing… Currently, teacher credential candidates can satisfy the state’s requirements through various standardized testing options. Among these options are passing the California Basic Education Skills Test (CBEST); passing the California Subject Examinations for Teachers; using qualifying scores from past AP, SAT, or ACT tests; and other test-based options. 

Tampa Bay Times. Jeff Vinik invests $3 million on early learning research in Hillsborough County: The investment is part of a growing business recognition that improving education for preschoolers helps build a more talented and prepared workforce.   Teachers and directors also receive $250 for each term they are enrolled in courses at Hillsborough Community College in pursuit of an associate’s degree. And the program covers the costs of submitting portfolios for the national certification.

USNews. DeSantis Signs Bill for $500 Million in Teacher Raises   He said his hope is that it will help the state recruit teachers. “Obviously, you’re not going to get rich doing it, just like police officers don’t get rich,” DeSantis said. “You do it because you have a servant’s heart, but it sure makes it easier if you have a good minimum salary and are able to make ends meet.”

Washington Post. 13 books on the history of black America for those who really want to learn    The national uprising for racial justice and social change sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis has prompted new calls for changes in school curriculum that reflect the broad reality of black America…

NEW YORK STATE
NYSATE/NYACTE. Award Nominations due July 1

NYSED. COVID-19 Update: First Aid and CPR/AED Certification Flexibility for Coaches   All coaches of extracurricular sports must hold valid first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)/automatic external defibrillator (AED) certification… Given the lack of in-person certification courses, the Department is providing the following flexibility regarding the first aid and CPR/AED certification…

NEW YORK CITY
Chalkbeat. NYC preschools are calling for a bailout, saying $65 million in state grants fall woefully short   Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday announced that the state would tap money from the federal CAREs act to offer $20 million to child care centers to help pay for social distancing measures, such as partitions or cleaning supplies, or training and hiring more teachers.

LoHud. Music teacher: I was laid off, but it’s my students who will suffer  [by C. Hebert TC EdM ‘19] …consider that there are more than 26,000 students in Yonkers Public Schools, but now just 23 music teachers districtwide after cuts. That means there is one teacher for every 1,130 students — roughly 400 more students than the 707 I taught this year in pre-K through eighth grade.

GLOBAL
Market Watch. Global Special Education Teacher Training Market expected to reach CAGR of 4%, Future prospect & Industry growth   About Special Education Teacher Training: Special education teacher training includes various graduate, post-graduate, and certification courses offered by educational institutions and training organizations to personnel willing to teach students with special needs such as developmental disabilities and Autism.

NL Times. Pandemic Aggravating Existing Teacher Shortage, Inequality In Education: Education Council   Schools with many vulnerable students also need sufficient and well-trained teachers – another reason to tackle the teacher shortage.

Phnom Penh Post. Kingdom’s teachers receive ICT training  He said teacher training institutions play an important role in promoting teachers’ quality and digital skills. Soveacha said the recruitment and training of effective teachers is essential to reforming the training system and also a mechanism to secure teachers’ status as noble members of society.

South China Morning Post. Hong Kong teachers to get mandatory training on professional conduct, national development   The notice on training rules issued to more than 1,000 public schools and those under the direct subsidy scheme said all newly recruited teachers would have to complete 30 hours of core training within the first three years of service to “better understand and demonstrate their professional roles, values and conduct”.

UNITED STATES
AACTE/SCALE. edTPA® Announcements and Resources 
*2020-21 edTPA® Assessment Materials Now Available for Preview
*edTPA® 2020–21 Submission and Reporting Schedule Now Available

Chalkbeat. New program will train more Black men to become Indianapolis preschool teachers   Early Learning Indiana is providing funding for Educate ME to give fellows up to $1,000 in stipends throughout the two-year commitment. Once the fellows complete training and begin working, they’ll be paid $10-14 per hour. Educate ME will place fellows at Early Learning Indiana’s nine child care centers before staffing other sites.

EdWeek.
1) Coronavirus Reveals How Math Instruction Must Change, Math Groups Say   Two professional math-education organizations are urging them to put equity front and center as they plan what their math classrooms will look like in the fall… Both organizations have been sounding the alarm about equity issues for years. And both released recent reports calling for closer attention to changing structures and practices that perpetuate inequitable math instruction, including eliminating tracking and ability grouping in math.
2) Georgia Eliminates the edTPA Requirement for Teacher Candidates  Studies have shown that candidates of color are less likely to pass the edTPA than their white peers, prompting concerns that the licensing test is contributing to an already overwhelmingly white profession. 
3) Merriam-Webster is Rewriting Its Definition of Racism. Should Teachers Change Theirs, Too?   The upcoming change holds significance for classroom teachers, said Keisha Rembert, an assistant professor of education at National Louis University in Chicago, and a member of the National Council of Teachers of English’s Committee Against Racism and Bias in the Teaching of English… “This idea of power and the systemic nature of racism is important when students are understanding a concept unfamiliar to them.”… Humanities teachers, she said, should always seek to create a “three-dimensional” understanding of how race functions in U.S. society.

InsideHigherEd. DACA Lives: Supreme Court rules that the Trump administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was “arbitrary and capricious.”   The decision returns the issue to the Department of Homeland Security and means the Trump administration cannot immediately end the DACA program, which provides protection against deportation and work authorization for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. 

MySanAntonio. Laredo father, daughter graduate together   Ricardo Quijano was a history major with a teaching certification as he plans to teach, and his daughter could go a similar route. She had a history major and a dance minor, and she is considering going either for her teaching certification or a master’s degree.

Washington Post.
1) A descendant of slaves explains why it’s indefensible to keep Confederate names on public schools. She taught in one.   In teacher preparation, we were introduced to the concepts of implicit bias, unconscious racism and the hidden curriculums they produce. We are encouraged to confront it in ourselves, our students and our colleagues. Still, an often overlooked environmental aspect is the school name…
2) For “dreamers,” elation and relief at Supreme Court decision extending DACA   … allowed them to apply for work permits, driver’s licenses, and pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. Now mostly in their 20s, and working as teachers, doctors and laborers, DACA beneficiaries say the program has helped catapult their families into the middle class.
3) Netflix chief, wife pledge historic $120 million gift to Morehouse, Spelman and the United Negro College Fund   “This is a liberation gift,” Thomas said, because students who graduate without debt can pursue their dreams, not chasing jobs with high salaries but becoming teachers, if they want, or going to graduate school…

NEW YORK STATE
NYSED Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching. April 2020 meeting minutes.

NEW YORK CITY
Chalkbeat.   Ideas to power next school year in NYC: How to confront trauma and foster healing   Christopher Emdin — Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology, Teachers College, and Founder, #HipHopEd   And as the nation engages in protest about the value of Black lives, educators must work to elevate Black voices, stories, and experiences across subject areas. The chief form of protest for educators is their teaching. 

Teachers College.
1) A Call for New York State to Dramatically Improve Media Literacy Education: Students must be media literate to be democracy ready, asserts a new report from a coalition of civic and education organizations convened by a TC center   Noting that many well-regarded media literacy lessons and curricula already are available (often at no charge), the report recommends a five-part media literacy education framework oriented toward equity:… Qualified personnel for teaching media literacy, and professional development for all teachers in teaching media literacy…
2) Graduate Gallery. On a Quest Against Illiteracy: From Colombia to the South Bronx, Victoria Henry Cervantes is giving young people access to the written word   She spent much of her 20s working in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Honduras and Peru as a Fulbright Fellow literacy teacher… last year brought Cervantes to Teachers College as a master’s degree student in the Literacy Specialist program…

GLOBAL
Brookings. The case for more international cooperation in education  In sub-Saharan Africa, only 62 percent of primary school teachers and 45 percent of secondary school teachers are trained to teach. In some countries, the need for teachers represents half of the entire projected number of graduates from university. A challenge of this scale—including expanding teacher training programs, supporting public policies to build a skilled and motivated teaching force, and equipping educators with technologies to improve teaching and reach more students—is ripe for greater international cooperation.

International Education News.   A view from Nairobi, Kenya: Deborah Kimithi on school closures and the pandemic   Dignitas uses an innovative training and coaching approach to empower schools and educators in marginalized communities to transform students’ opportunities…. trained over 1,000 educators, and have another 450 educators enrolled for 2020. 

The Irish Times. Irish schools and racism: Do we have a problem?   After arriving in Ireland as a 14-year-old, she went to secondary school in Tallaght and trained as a teacher at Trinity College Dublin. She has been teaching at Le Chéile for the past three years. “Yes, I think there is a racism problem in Irish schools but not just Ireland, it’s everywhere. It’s across all of society,” she says.

The Times of India. Goa: Education department mulls home visits by teachers to start academic year   “…the methods taught in the teacher training by DoE should be used for synchronous and asynchronous learning,” Rao has said. As the third phase of online training is still on for teachers, Rao has asked schools to relieve computer teachers and others involved, early from school so they can attend training sessions.

UNITED STATES
AACTE.
1) Survey Shows Widening Gap in Supply of Teachers Coming in the Fall  “Our survey examines the critical demands in teacher preparation as we continue to navigate the global health pandemic and prepare for the academic year beginning in the fall,” said Lynn M. Gangone, AACTE president and CEO.
2) Updates to AACTE’s COVID-19 Educator Preparation Policy Tracker Map

Chalkbeat. Fired KIPP founder Mike Feinberg should keep teaching license, Texas admin judges say   The judges’ ruling is only a recommendation to Texas’ State Board for Educator Certification, which will ultimately decide whether Feinberg can maintain his teaching license. Its next regular meeting will take place in July.

Chronicle of Social Change. Black Male Teachers a Rare and More Precious Resource in Wake of George Floyd Killing   CSU is the largest four-year college system in the U.S., and the five campuses in the Los Angeles-area (Los Angeles, Long Beach, Dominguez Hills, Fullerton, and Northridge) collectively had just 85 black male students enrolled in their teacher and educator preparation programs during the 2019-20 school year, according to a CSU spokesperson.

EdWeek. Attention School Leaders: Students Are Demanding Anti-Racist Curriculum and Instruction   As massive social-justice demonstrations continue after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, students in cities around the country are organizing to demand that their school and district leaders provide them with anti-racist curricula and instruction.

InsideHigherEd. Colleges Must Take a New Approach to Systemic Racism   …especially in recent years, programs such as criminal justice, education/teacher preparation and public administration have been increasingly updated to include courses on multiculturalism, race relations, privilege, and diverse identity experiences.

McDonough County Voice. ISBE updates teacher licensure requirements amid COVID-19   Illinois institutions that have teacher education programs can file for the COVID-19 teacher education completion exemption on behalf of their students. They can also apply for the edTPA waiver through the ISBE educational licensure information system.

Mursion. How can simulations be integrated productively within mathematics and science teacher education courses? [June 9 Webinar recording]

NEAToday. Welcome to the Education Profession, Class of 2020!   The NEA Aspiring Educators program and its leaders recently held a Zoom celebration to honor and welcome college graduates who are entering the education profession, and it was a star-studded event, with special guests Erin Gruwell, a teacher, an education activist, and the founder and original teacher of the Freedom Writers Foundation; Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.); and U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.).

NYTimes.
1) Teaching Ideas and Resources to Help Students Make Sense of the George Floyd Protests
2) The Only Way to Save Higher Education Is to Make It Free   The United States also once financed education as a public good. In 1888, the College of William & Mary, in Williamsburg, Va., began to forgive tuition in exchange for two years of teaching in Virginia’s public schools. Federal land grant universities established after the Civil War were free for decades, and remained low cost until the 1980s. The City University of New York was free until 1976.

Washington Post.
1) From Zoom to the streets, students and schools find teachable moments in protests of police violence   But John B. King Jr., [TC Ed.D. ’08, M.A.’97] secretary of education under President Barack Obama, says more change should follow. He points to a raft of structural changes that districts should consider, including the recruitment and retention of teachers of color and equal access to advanced classes and extracurriculars that serve as a bridge to success later in life.
2) Resources to teach the history of policing in America that you won’t find in textbooks

Westport News. Schools still need to hire dozens of teachers amid pandemic   Jean Filetti, director of the teacher preparation program at Christopher Newport University, said that they normally hold an in-person career fair. This spring, the Center for Career Planning set up a virtual fair. They had 15 district participate and coordinated 30 interviews.

NEW YORK STATE
NYSED.
1) Board of Regents and State Education Department Announce Regional Reopening Task Force Meetings   Each regional task force will have individuals representing teachers, parents, administrators, school board members, non-instructional school personnel, experts and stakeholders from the fields of health and education.
2) Board of Regents Acts on Third Series of Emergency Regulations to Ease Burdens on Educators, Students and Professionals in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic
     Higher Education
*Teaching Assistant Certificate Extension.
*Teaching Assistant Experience
*Certificate Extensions

NYSED Board of Regents June meeting
1) Proposed Amendments to Sections 60.10, 80-1.2, 80-4.3, 80-4.4, 80-5.6…
     Higher Education
0 Teaching Assistant Certificate Extension.
0 Teaching Assistant Experience
0 Certificate Extensions
2) Proposed Amendments to Sections 52.3, 52.21, 57-4.5, 70.4, 74.6, 75.2, 75.5, 76.2…
     Higher Education
o Sections 52.21, 57-4.5 and 80-1.13 are amended to permit the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) training to be conducted entirely online …
o Section 80-1.5(1)(c) is amended to create an edTPA safety net for candidates in registered educator preparation programs (EPPs) who complete a student teaching or similar clinical experience during the Spring or Summer of 2020 terms and cannot complete their edTPA as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, holding them harmless. These candidates would be able to take and pass either the ATS-W or edTPA. Eligible candidates who choose to take the edTPA but do not pass it, could take and pass the ATS- W, or pursue the edTPA Multiple Measures Review Process (MMRP), if they qualify (Attachment A #52).
o Section 80-3.15 is amended to extend the SOCE application deadline from June 30, 2020 to June 30, 2021 so that school districts have time to identify staff who are eligible for the SOCE…
o For the SOCE and limited extension, special education teachers must complete their satisfactory full-time teaching experience, while being considered Highly Qualified through passing a HOUSSE rubric in the subject area, prior to June 30, 2020….
3) Proposed Amendments to Sections 52.21, 60.6, 61.19, 80- 1.2, 80-3.7…
     Higher Education
o Section 80-3.7 is amended to allow any undergraduate or graduate level course completed during the spring, summer, or fall 2020 terms with a passing grade, or its equivalent, to count toward the content core or pedagogical core semester hour requirements for certification through the Individual Evaluation pathway.
o Section 80-1.2(b) is amended to extend the expiration date of the Initial certificate, Initial Reissuance, Provisional certificate, and Provisional Renewal from August 31, 2020 to January 31, 2021 to provide candidates with the time needed to work in schools and complete the requirements for the Professional or Permanent certificate. Additionally, such section is amended to extend the expiration date of the Conditional Initial certificate from August 31, 2020 to August 31, 2021 to provide candidates with the time needed to complete the edTPA…
o Section 80-5.27 is added to create an Emergency COVID-19 certificate for candidates seeking certain certificates and extensions because there is limited test center availability and schools have been closed pursuant to Executive Order(s) of the Governor due to the COVID-19 crisis….
4) Amendments to the Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching (PSPB) Bylaws Adopted by the PSPB Members at Their May 2020 PSPB Meeting
5) Proposed Amendments to Section 3.14 of the Rules of the Board of Regents Relating to the Composition of the Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching
6)  Proposed Appointments and Reappointments to the State Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching [incl. TC Assoc. Dir. D. Manning 2020-2024]

NEW YORK CITY
Chalkbeat. How to do anti-racist work with NYC school communities: 5 experts weigh in   Amy Stuart Wells, director of The Public Good Project and the Center for Understanding Race and Education at Teachers College, and Diana Cordova-Cobo, a research associate for the Public Good Project and former middle school teacher… As we’re in one of the most vexing periods in our nation’s history, students need support in finding answers through a curriculum that provides vivid examples of structural racism and its impact on housing, employment, and education. 

Teachers College.
Graduate Gallery. “An Ordinary Person, Doing Something Extraordinary”: In charting his education career, Eddie Ortiz has channeled a courageous teacher who risked all   When Christa McAuliffe perished in the Challenger space shuttle explosion, Eddie Ortiz decided to become a teacher. McAuliffe’s dictum to take risks inspired him to earn a master’s degree — and now, to pursue a Ph.D.