Month: January 2021

GLOBAL
The Citizens Foundation. For Children to Learn, We Must Teach them in Languages they Understand.  But because the majority teachers in Pakistan are not proficient in English, it is only textbooks that are in English while teachers and students speak local languages in the classroom…countries like Pakistan should give thought to developing a cadre of teachers who are able to provide language instruction, in the mother tongue as well as second, third, and fourth languages.

The Conversation. Scholarships alone are not enough to get more qualified female teachers into Nigeria’s schools.  We found that there were both academic and other obstacles to the trainees’ success, including financial worries. This was because the scholarship stipend was too small and payments were often delayed. Based on these findings, we suggest that improving the quality of teacher education is more important than just increasing teacher numbers. We also recommend that such programmes pay attention to non-academic difficulties.

The Hindu. All schools in State to turn disabled-friendly   The libraries would also have audio books and video teaching aids. Playgrounds too would be changed accordingly. Teachers would be trained and awareness would be created among students pursuing Bachelor of Education course, S.Y. Shooja, State programme officer, SSK, said.

UNICEF. COVID-19: Trends, Promising Practices and Gaps in Remote Learning for Pre-Primary Education  Going forward, most countries have reported that remote-learning modalities will continue to be provided as schools reopen and many will utilise a hybrid model combining in-person and distant learning (UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank, 2020). Therefore, through incorporating ICT competence (UNESCO, 2018) in pre- and in-service teacher training will have both short- and long-term benefits.

Washington Post. Report: Witness implicates Mexico’s army in abduction of 43   The accusation is one of a series of conflicting testimonies that have offered differing versions of what happened to the students from a rural teachers’ college who were hijacking buses when they were rounded up by police and turned over to a drug gang.

UNITED STATES
AACTE. National Office moves to Washington, D.C.

Chalkbeat.
1) The Detroit district’s new way to recruit teachers: Train its own support staff   On Wednesday, the state’s education department announced its approval of the program, called On the Rise Academy, an alternative, teacher certification program. Current district employees, such as support staff, can begin teaching while working toward an interim certification if they meet program qualifications. Current district teachers can also earn certifications in math, science, and elementary education. 
2) Will holding back struggling third-grade readers improve literacy? Tennessee’s governor thinks so, but others aren’t sure.   The state plans this year to start retraining teachers on phonics-based reading instruction and change how prospective teachers are taught in college to teach reading.

Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE). Education In Uncertain Times: A Research-Backed Guide   The guide, created by a team of teachers, counselors, school leaders, psychologists, teacher educators and university faculty, advocates for the development of an “uncertainty mindset,” and offers strategies for educators to recognize challenges, make plans and care for the wellness needs of themselves and their students.

Education Week. How to Talk About Social Media and the Capitol Insurrection: A Guide for Teachers   Students can also consider whether “the CEO of a private tech company” should have the “power to decide whether Trump keeps his account or not,” said Ioana Literat, an assistant professor of communication, media, and learning technologies design at Columbia University’s Teachers College. “How do we feel that [Facebook founder] Mark Zuckerberg has this power? And if we don’t like it, what’s a better process?”

Forbes. The Biden Administration Could Usher In A New Era Of Teaching American History  The executive order required all federal agencies to immediately stop funding any training that “teaches or suggests” that the US is racist and condemned critical race theory as “anti-American” propaganda. The new administration will almost certainly quickly reverse that executive order that sought to outlaw the teaching of history based on “critical race theory.” Critical race theory acknowledges the existence of white supremacy and its impact on our legal and cultural systems. 

LPI. The Importance of Getting Tutoring Right   The literature is clear about the characteristics of effective tutoring programs that lead to success in the classroom. Effective tutoring: 1) Employs certified classroom teachers when available (whether currently teaching or not), or paraprofessional staff, such as existing paraprofessionals, teacher candidates enrolled in preparation programs, or well-trained tutors who earn a stipend, such as AmeriCorps members;…

NYTimes. Pandemic Teacher Shortages Imperil In-Person Schooling: The nation’s schools need thousands of more teachers, full-time and substitute, to keep classrooms open during coronavirus outbreaks.  Some states and districts have also suspended college course requirements, or permitted abbreviated online training, for emergency substitute teachers… One potentially beneficial consequence of the teacher shortage crisis is that loosened substitute rules are enabling college students to gain hands-on classroom experience more quickly, potentially fast-tracking them into educational careers. 

Philadelphia Inquirer. Prompted by complaints, Temple taps law firm to probe education college leadership   Anderson… earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto in 1989 and a doctorate in sociology from the City University of New York. He has taught at Columbia University and worked as a program officer at the Ford Foundation. At the University of Denver, he led the education college for about four years until leaving in 2013 for Temple.

The74. Meet 2 Aspiring D.C. Public School Teachers in This College’s Inaugural Class of ‘Ready-to-Go’ Post-COVID Educators   AU’s inaugural class of Teaching Fellows — three D.C. public school graduates who received full four-year scholarships and are likely to teach in a DCPS school post-graduation — has overlapped with a pandemic that’s forced nationwide transitions to virtual learning, redefining teachers’ roles and skills.

Washington Post.
1) After Biden request, Education Department extends pause on federal student loan payments through September   With the extension, all borrowers with student loans from the Education Department will see their payments automatically suspended until Sept. 30 without penalty or accrual of interest. Each month until then will still count toward loan forgiveness for borrowers in public-service jobs.
2) This teacher was called to protect the U.S. Capitol as a National Guard member. He now holds class from a Humvee.   Music has always been a driving force in Kohut’s life. He was an avid saxophone player throughout high school, studied music in college and ultimately earned his doctorate in music composition at George Mason University. “What I really wanted was to teach,” explained Kohut, who grew up in Saginaw, Mich. “My mom, who is a single mother, was a music teacher. That’s why I do what I do, because she was such a good role model.”
3) Trump’s ‘patriotic education’ report excuses Founding Fathers for owning slaves and likens progressives to Mussolini   They contend that educators who teach students full histories of the country, including about the evils of slavery and endemic racism in America, are ignoring the country’s virtues and indoctrinating young people into hating their country.

NEW YORK STATE
NYSED. State Finalists Selected for 2020 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching   Leslie earned an Honors Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Delaware, majoring in Elementary Education with a concentration in Middle School Mathematics. Leslie has also earned a Master of Education degree from SUNY New Paltz, choosing Childhood Special Education as her major… Lynda earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Marketing and Management. She went on to Fordham University in Massachusetts to earn a Master of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education. 

WIBX. Utica College Offering Certification Program For Future Teachers Amid Looming Teacher Shortage   Utica College officials say in the Summer 2021 they hope to prepare for a potential educator shortage by offering the Transitional B Apprentice Teacher Certification Program which will begin in May… Officials say “During the summer session of the program, students must complete 10 graduate credit hours, 40 hours of fieldwork, and pass the content specialty teacher certification test (CST) and the Educating All Students teacher certification test (EAS) given through the NYS Department of Education.”

New York City
New York Times. Grace Knowlton, Sculptor Who Worked ‘in the Round,’ Dies at 88: A rare female modernist who broke into the masculine culture of outdoor sculpting, she exhibited her spheres at top museums and galleries.   Ms. Knowlton eventually went back to school, earning her master’s in art education from Teachers College at Columbia University in 1981 and expanding her interests in photography, drawing and painting. She taught at the Art Students League of New York from 1998 to 2012.

GLOBAL
European Conference on Educational Research Online. Sept. 6-10 [submission deadline 31 Jan.]

Hindustan Times. Delhi govt restructures SCERT, DIET for better teacher training opportunities   The Delhi government on Thursday announced the restructure of the State Council of Educational Research And Training (SCERT) and District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) in order to further improve the facilities for teacher training in the national capital

India Education Diary. Berlin Senate Approves Establishing a “Chinese Language and Society” Teacher-Training Degree Program   Berlin’s Senate Chancellery – Higher Education and Research has given its seal of approval to the development of a new teacher-training degree program, “Chinese Language and Society” at Freie Universität Berlin. Students will be able to enroll in the degree program starting winter semester 2021/2022.

Japan Times. Info on school jobs in Japan to be opened to companies   Both public and private educational institutions, ranging from kindergartens to universities, are allowed to release information on a wide range of jobs on the website, such as teachers, assistants for English education, information and communications technology assistants and business etiquette lecturers, officials of the ministry said. Many such jobs will not require a teaching license, according to the officials.

 

UNITED STATES
AACTE.  AACTE 2021 Annual Meeting Online February 24-26 [early bird discount available until Tuesday, January 19]

Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). 2021 AAQEP Quality Assurance Symposium [Feb. 23-25]

Black on Black Education. Conference February 23rd – 27th, 2021 Daily Topics incl. Student Voice & Choice, Family Night:  It Takes a Village, Education Policy and Equity, The Future of Education is in Our Hands

EdSource. Stipends, jobs for student teachers needed to diversify California’s teaching force   California requires 600 hours of student teaching, nearly double the requirement of other states. Student teachers are not paid and student teaching typically lasts for an entire academic year. Thus, most teacher candidates cannot work and student teach at the same time (or it is very difficult to do so).

Education Week. How to Teach the U.S. Capitol Attack: Dozens of Resources to Get You Started

Inside Higher Ed.
1) Biden to Extend Pause on Student Loan Payments   …Biden also plans to expand income-based repayment plans and reform the currently little-used debt forgiveness program for borrowers working in public service.
2) Higher Ed Workers Get in the COVID Vaccine Line   A spokeswoman for the CDC, Kristen Nordlund, confirmed that “college, university and professional school teachers, support staff, and daycare workers are included in 1B.”

LPI. The Importance of Teaching and Learning Conditions: Influences on Teacher Retention and School Performance in North Carolina   Underprepared teachers teaching in high-poverty schools rarely have the knowledge and skills to adequately support student learning and address the social-emotional learning needs of their students. And without significant training in teaching high-need students, teachers struggle to contribute to consistent and equitable school discipline policies and practices. 

NEA News. Five Reasons Educators Are Excited About Miguel Cardona   He also announced programs to entice more students of color to become teachers and to get Connecticut college students already planning a teaching career into the classroom quicker.

NYTimes. The New York Times Teaching Project, 2021-22  Apply now to join our second cohort of distinguished educators who teach with The Times. The deadline is Feb. 2, 2021.

Politico. First professor: Jill Biden to make history as a first lady with a day job   Biden took a leave of absence from the Northern Virginia Community College in January because of the campaign, but she kept an eye on returning next year, completing online-teaching training and certification.

 

NEW YORK STATE
Chalkbeat.
1) Lester Young Jr. makes history as NY’s first Black chancellor for Board of Regents
2) NY teachers can get coronavirus vaccines as soon as Monday, but it could take months to reach all of them   Gov. Andrew Cuomo approved the next phase of vaccine distribution, also known as 1b, which includes education workers…

New York State Education Department Board of Regents, January meeting.
1) Appointment of Sharon Cates-Williams as Executive Deputy Commissioner
2) Board of Regents Elects Dr. Lester W. Young, Jr. as Chancellor
3) Proposed Amendments to Sections 52.3, 52.21, 57-4.5, 70.4, 74.6, 75.2, 75.5, 76.2, 79-9.3, 79-10.3, 79-11.3, 79-12.3, 80- 1.13, 80-1.5, 80-3.15, 80-4.3, 83.5, 87.2, 87.5, 100.2, 100.4, 100.5, 100.6, 100.10, 100.21, 119.1, 119.5, 125.1, 151-1.4, 154- 2.3, The proposed amendment provides regulatory flexibility related to the following:
*Required Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) training;
*Teacher performance assessments (edTPA)… It is anticipated that the proposed rule will be presented for adoption as a permanent rule at the February 2021 Regents meeting, which is the first scheduled meeting after the 45-day public comment period prescribed in SAPA for State agency rule makings.

Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching. Nov. 2020 meeting minutes

 

NEW YORK CITY
Teachers College. Reimagining Education: Teaching, Learning and Leading for a Racially Just Society [July 12 – 15, 2021]