Month: June 2021

GLOBAL
BBCNews. Covid: Wales’ teacher recruitment improving ‘due to pandemic focus‘  A focus on teaching during the pandemic has lured more people to the job, the Welsh government has claimed. It comes as figures show the target for new trainee teachers was missed for the sixth year running in 2019-20… However, a Welsh government spokesman said: “Current trends suggest the pandemic has helped to highlight the vital role played by teachers and more people are choosing to start teacher training.

tes (Times Educational Supplement).
1) Covid surge in ITT applications ‘could be over’: The average number of daily applications for teacher training courses now back at pre-pandemic levels, analysis shows    The Department for Education described a “huge surge” in applications last year as the pandemic took hold, yet the average number of new applicants seeking to join ITT (initial teacher training) courses per day has been at 2018-19 levels for the past two months, according to analysis of data from Ucas (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).
2) Teacher training applications at a ’50 year high’: Numbers applying to go into teaching at a major teacher training provider in the south of England are now at their highest ever level   A major initial teacher training provider is reporting that applications this year are at their highest for more than half a century. The University of Sussex says latest figures show a 25 per cent increase in teacher training applications and a 38 per cent increase in course place acceptances compared to the same time last year.

The74. Research from Europe Points to Online Tutoring as a Potent Weapon Against Learning Loss   … recruited hundreds of volunteer tutors from undergraduate and graduate programs at three Milan universities, connecting them with online training resources designed by a team of pedagogical experts. Amid the sprint, 530 students were randomly assigned to receive free virtual tutoring sessions of between three and six hours per week, while the rest were observed as a control group…

UNITED STATES
AACTE. Lawmakers Continue to Politicize Teaching About Racism   This week Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Braun (R-IN) and Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced a resolution condemning the use of critical race theory in K-12 schools and teacher preparation programs… Dorinda Carter Andrews, professor and chairperson of the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University’s College of Education penned a response to the pushback on critical race theory, explaining what it is and why it is under attack. Andrews notes, “Teaching young people how to be antiracist should not be seen as an attack on American values. It’s actually working in support of American ideals like inclusion and valuing diverse perspectives.” 

EdWeek. I Thought I Understood Parents of Language-Learners. Then I Became One   In the classes I teach for preservice teachers on English instruction for speakers of other languages, we cover both instructional strategies to aid English-language learners and communication strategies to reach their parents… When we decided to put our 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son in public schools in Berlin, I suddenly was the one poring over notices sent home with the aid of the dictionary…

Hechinger Report. Pandemic relief money is flowing to class-size reduction but research evidence for it isn’t strong   Even if we could hire a new cadre of teachers to lead a larger number of smaller classrooms and train them well to become excellent teachers, the coronavirus relief money would be exhausted by the time the novice teachers had finished learning the ropes. We’d have to fire them just as the teachers were approaching their prime. The coronavirus money is a short-term injection and it should be used for short-term solutions. 

LPI. Students Experiencing Homelessness: The Conditions and Outcomes of Homelessness Among California Students   Findings: *Schools with high teacher turnover and large proportions of underprepared teachers are associated with lower student achievement… Recommendations *Invest in training that prepares educators and support staff to work with and reengage students experiencing homelessness.

NYTimes.
1) A Fading Coal County Bets on Schools, but There’s One Big Hitch: Hard hit by the decline of mining, a rural area in West Virginia is trying to attract teachers in a comeback effort.  After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Concord University in Athens, W.Va., the 24-year-old English teacher did something rare among her peers: She returned home to Welch to teach at Mount View High School, from which she graduated in 2014… The initiative, spearheaded by the American Federation of Teachers and now in its 10th year, proposes schools as the foundation for renewing many pockets of small-town America that, like McDowell County, have lost their economic and social underpinning.
2) Scholarly Groups Condemn Laws Limiting Teaching on Race: More than 20 states have introduced legislation restricting lessons on racism and other so-called “divisive concepts.”   … signatories include the American Historical Association, the American Association of University Professors, the American Federation of Teachers and the Association of American Colleges and Universities [American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, American Educational Research Association, National Council of Teachers of English…] “There is a general consensus among historians of the United States that racism has been central to the evolution of American institutions and American culture,” he said. “But teaching that doesn’t mean that you are teaching students to hate them. It means you are teaching students to understand them.”

The74. Pandemic Learning Loss Is Rooted in the Racial Chasm Between Educators and Students of Color. Only Teacher Diversity and a Strong Black Teacher Pipeline Can Fix It   Who better than Black educators to help their white allies whose teacher-prep programs did not train them in how to teach Black and brown children? They weren’t taught Black pedagogy or anti-racism teaching skills. White educators should learn from their Black colleagues.

U.S. Dept. of Education.
1) Public Service Loan Forgiveness Data   In April 2021, the PSLF report was redesigned to support the new combined form that was implemented in November 2020. Borrowers now certify their employment, request an updated qualifying payment count, and apply for forgiveness under the PSLF or TEPSLF programs through a single, combined form.
2) Statement by Miguel Cardona Secretary of Education on the U.S. Department of Education Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request  …include $412 million… for Teacher Quality Partnerships to address teaching shortages, improve training and supports for teachers, and boost teacher diversity, particularly through investment in teacher residencies and Grow Your Own programs; $340 million… for Special Education Personnel Preparation to ensure that there are adequate numbers of personnel with the skills and knowledge necessary to help children with disabilities succeed educationally…the American Families Plan would make a one-time mandatory investment of $1.6 billion to support additional certifications at no cost for more than 100,000 educators in high-demand areas like special education, bilingual education, career and technical education, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 

Washington Post. Professor: Why I teach the much-debated 1619 Project — despite its flaws   Among the findings of a study by the Southern Poverty Law Center was that high school seniors struggle with even basic questions about slavery; that teachers are often underprepared to teach the topic; that textbooks provide inadequate information; that slavery is rarely connected to the ideology of White supremacy; and that teaching slavery often focuses on the experience of White people rather than enslaved Africans.

NEW YORK STATE
New York State Legislature. Senate Bill S6600A: Relates to SUNY admission requirements for graduate-level teacher and educational leader programs.  Bill has now passed both chambers, awaiting delivery to Governor

NEW YORK CITY
Center for Innovation in Teacher Education & Development (CITED). 2021 CITED Conversations. [Wed. June 23 4-5pm]

City College of New York. 168th Commencement Ceremony Of The City College Of New York   Matthew Romano, an honors student who’s overcome the stigma of autism to excel academically, is The City College of New York’s Class of 2021 Valedictorian… Romano has been a student teacher since last fall at the Bronx High School of Science, one of the nine specialized high schools in the state. There he co-teaches ninth and 10th grade English classes designed for remote instruction… Previously, Romano served as a teaching fellow in some of the highest-need schools across the Bronx. There, he developed his teaching philosophy centered around curriculum that is rigorous, culturally and socially relevant, and promotes risk-taking. 

Washington Post. At 100 years old, Edmund Gordon thinks the key to schooling starts at home   This month, Teachers College celebrated his legacy with a conference that explored, in particular, the use — and misuse — of educational assessments… “And the second charge to the industry would be to learn how to build assessments into the teaching and learning transactions in ways that make the assessments more informative of learning behavior and teaching behavior.”

GLOBAL
Education International.
1) Education International Manifesto on Quality Climate Change Education for All   This Manifesto outlines the profession’s vision for quality climate change education and the policy framework necessary to implement it… 4. Teachers are trained and supported to provide quality climate change education. A. Governments ensure that teacher training institutions have the funding and resources necessary to deliver quality initial teacher education, and that student teachers are prepared to teach CCE.
2) Education research in the spotlight: COVID-19 recovery and the status of teachers in 2021   According to the initial findings, the status of teachers remains a concern in many jurisdictions. Teachers are aware that holding the same qualifications or levels of training as other professions does not always mean the same status, despite the fact that teaching and facilitating learning is complex and requires expertise.

The Irish Times. Primary schools face oversupply of 13,000 teachers by end of decade   The projected surplus of teachers will spark calls for a major reduction in class sizes at primary level, which are among the most overcrowded in Europe. However, another option being examined by the department involves retraining primary teachers as special education teachers at second level

UNITED STATES
Chalkbeat.
1) Before becoming a teacher, I was a YA author. My books normalized whiteness: Rereading my old novels, I realized I was part of the problem. [by E. Becker, TC doctoral student]  I grew up talking about race and class and equity at my dinner table with my activist parents. During my two decades in the classroom, I taught a culturally sustaining curriculum, helping a diverse group of adolescents develop a positive identity through reading and writing. But in my first career, I normalized whiteness for a generation of young people.
2) Colorado may shift to more in-depth reading exam for some new teachers   The State Board of Education will decide Wednesday whether to adopt the new exam, called the Praxis 5205, for elementary, early childhood, and special education candidates seeking teaching licenses. If approved, the requirement would take effect Sept. 1, though teacher candidates will still be allowed to take the existing licensure exam for another year. 
3) Philadelphia chief of charter schools leaves to become D.C. state superintendent   Grant, a first generation college student, started her career in education in Teach for America before going to work for the New York City Department of Education… Grant earned her doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 and also has degrees from Hofstra, Columbia…. [TC EdM ‘08]

Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Partnership Aims to Address Teaching Shortages Within South Carolina   By partnering with 14 school districts across the state, CarolinaCAP allows bachelor’s degree graduates in education to start a position in the classroom while earning certification training. In addition to completing micro-credentials, candidates also earn six hours of graduate credits from UofSC.

EdWeek.
1) One Big Reason Schools Are Ditching Remote Learning: The Cost   Luis Huerta, associate professor of education and public policy at Teachers College, Columbia University, advocates for an approach to funding online programs that starts from the ground up, rather than simply using an in-person program as the baseline. Teachers are more likely to need extensive—and costly—training because many teacher-preparation programs don’t cover online instruction. 
2) Popular ‘Wonders’ Curriculum Shows Gaps in Alignment to Reading Research    And survey results from the Education Week Research Center have found that, in general, only about 1 in 10 teachers feel that their preservice training “completely prepared” them to teach reading.
3) Who’s Teaching the Children Crossing the U.S. Border? Answers to 6 Questions   A qualified teacher may not always be available to complete the initial educational assessment, according to the publication Forced Migration Review, meaning that a lesser-trained staff member would complete it. Another challenge is that candidates who do not meet all the ideal criteria, such as being bilingual, certified to teach English-language learners, and knowledgeable about unaccompanied children, may be offered positions to prevent a gap in educational services to children…

InsideHigherEd. National Association of Standalone Graduate Schools Launches   Eleven independent graduate schools have launched a new organization, the National Association of Standalone Graduate Schools, to advocate for their collective interests. Those members are Appalachian School of Law, Bank Street Graduate School of Education, Brooklyn Law School, California Western School of Law, Erikson Institute, New England Law | Boston, New York Law School, Relay Graduate School of Education… [incl. 3 GSEs]

NBC News. Biden wants to fix the nation’s teacher shortage. Educators say the problem is worsening: President Joe Biden’s American Families Plan includes $9 billion to address the shortage, providing funding to train, equip and diversify the nation’s teachers.  The proposed money seeks to increase the number of people who study education and want to enter the field, keep existing teachers from leaving the field and allow existing teachers and professionals from other fields easier and less expensive opportunities to obtain certification for particularly in-demand specialties within teaching.

New York Times.
1) This Michigan school just landed a record gift for a public university: $550 million   Founded in 1903 with the mission of preparing schoolteachers, Western Michigan became a university in 1957 and is classified among doctoral institutions with a high level of research activity. 
2) Tom Hanks: You Should Learn the Truth About the Tulsa Race Massacre.  Today, I find the omission tragic, an opportunity missed, a teachable moment squandered…Should our schools now teach the truth about Tulsa? Yes, and they should also stop the battle to whitewash curriculums to avoid discomfort for students. America’s history is messy but knowing that makes us a wiser and stronger people. 

U.S. Department of Education. Equity Summit Series. [June 22nd launch] This summit will feature panel discussions focused on best practices for building an equitable environment in our schools, and remarks from individuals who are working to make those equitable schools a reality.

NEW YORK STATE
NYSED. State Education Department Submits New York’s American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Plan to U.S. Department of Education  Comments regarding supports for students, smaller class sizes, additional supports for teachers and the need for student enrichment opportunities were the most frequent comments on ThoughtExchange. 

NYSED Board of Regents June Meeting
* Proposed Amendment to Sections 52.21, 60.6, 61.19, 80-1.2, 80-3.7, 100.1, 100.2, 100.4, 100.5, 100.6, 100.7, 100.19 and 151-1.3 and the addition of Section 80-5.27 to the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education Relating to Addressing the COVID-19 Cri   Section 80-5.27 is added to create an Emergency COVID-19 certificate for candidates seeking certain certificates, extensions, and annotations 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… Section 80-1.2(b) is amended to extend the expiration date of the Initial certificate, Initial Reissuance, Provisional certificate, Provisional Renewal, and Initial and Provisional certificate extensions 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, which requires working with students…
* Proposed Amendment to Section 80-1.5 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education Relating to Extending the edTPA Safety Net in Response to the COVID-19 Crisis   To provide additional flexibility related to the teacher performance assessment requirement, the Department is proposing to extend the edTPA safety net to candidates who complete a student teaching or similar clinical experience during the 2021-2022 academic year while enrolled in a New York State registered teacher preparation program or a comparable out-of-state teacher preparation program
* Proposed Amendment to Sections 52.21, 57-4.5, and 80-1.13 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education Relating to Permitting the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) Training to Be Provided Entirely Online Due to the COVID-19 Crisis   This amendment ensures that DASA training can be completed entirely online until December 31, 2021, even if the executive order declaring the State of emergency expires prior to such date.
* Proposed Amendment to Sections 52.21, 80-3.14, and 80-3.7 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education and Section 30-1.2 of the Rules of the Board of Regents Relating to Providing Flexibility Relating to Student Teaching, Individual Evaluation Pat…   The Department proposes to amend section 52.21 to provide a one-year extension for registered teacher preparation programs to revise their field experience and student teaching requirements in accordance with the Commissioner’s regulations, establish memoranda of understanding or similar collaborative agreements related to clinical experiences, and ensure clinical experiences during community college programs, where applicable. With the extension, the required program changes would apply to candidates who first enroll in a registered program in the fall 2023 semester, instead of the fall 2022 semester and thereafter, to provide programs with additional time to make the required changes, if needed, because they have not been able to focus on making significant program changes during the COVID-19 pandemic
* Appointments and Reappointments to the State Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching incl. Dr. Sheilah Paul [TC alumna]
* Appointment of Jim Baldwin to the Senior Deputy Commissioner for Education Policy  Jim began his career as Counsel for the New York State Assembly and went on to serve as Executive Deputy Secretary of State and Deputy Corporation Counsel for the City of Troy, New York. Jim holds a Juris Doctor from Albany Law School, a Doctor of Education Administration from Columbia University, Teachers College… [TC EdD ‘07]

NYS Legislature. S06600A Relates to SUNY admission requirements for graduate-level teacher and educational leader programs; removes the requirement for a minimum score on the graduate record examination or similar examination.  Bill passed the Senate and was returned to the Assembly June 9, 2021; bill will be sent to Governor Cuomo.

NEW YORK CITY
Center for Innovation in Teacher Education & Development (CITED).  CITED Conversations 2021 Reflecting on Teacher Through Pandemic(s): Lessons for Teacher Educators [with TC grad students G. Diaz, K. Malik, J. Martell, 4pm June 23]

Chalkbeat. NYC mayoral race: Where do candidates stand on major education issues? Here’s your essential guide.   … allocate $250 million to hire 2,500 new teachers… mobilize 10,000 recent college graduates to serve as tutors… program would help create jobs as well as an NYC teacher pipeline…  seeks to deepen teacher diversity pipelines by creating a summer program for high school students interested in teaching and offering applicable CUNY college credits to pursue a career in teaching… would address chronic shortages in special education for ELLs through a teacher residency program to recruit and train educators to work in areas of the most significant need, including teaching English as a New Language…

Teachers College.
1) Office of Teacher Education. New Student Profiles: Ashley Ayeni;  Teah Watson
2) Teaching Reading to Struggling Students [July 5 – 25, 2021]  This is a 3-module online professional development course on how to improve the reading skills of struggling students…Participants receive 20 Clock Hours and 20 CTLEs (CTLEs applicable only to NYS residents).
3) Teaching Residents at Teachers College (TR@TC). June 2021, End of Year Newsletter.

GLOBAL
Independent [UK]. If children don’t learn about the achievements of Black people, what hope is there for future racial equality?   The inter-generational transmission of incomplete narratives is a problem that we must address in teacher preparation – and as ongoing professional development for in-service teachers. The good news is that resources are available for educators to expand their knowledge base and that of their students. 

Japan Times. New reforms aimed at improving elementary school education in Japan.  In order to realize the plan, Japan needs to find a way to secure enough teachers. The discussions were mostly held behind closed doors… Participants also discussed the current situation in teacher placements and ways to secure high-quality teachers.

UNITED STATES
AAACTE/SCALE. edTPA April – May 2020-21 Newsletter

Chalkbeat.
1) Charter schools turn 30 this year. Here’s what I learned when I asked alumni about their experiences.   … less than half of charter alums believe discipline practices at their school were fair. Many raised concerns about the lack of diversity among their teachers… Alums also pointed out that charters could do more to recruit educators who reflect the diversity of the students they teach and invest in cultural competence training for all teachers regardless of their race or ethnicity.
2) Philadelphia chief of charter schools leaves to become D.C. state superintendent.  Grant, a first generation college student, started her career in education in Teach for America before going to work for the New York City Department of Education… Grant earned her doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 and also has degrees from Hofstra, Columbia [Teachers College, EdM ‘08], and Fordham universities.

EdSource. Budget proposal would ease testing requirements for California teachers   The state’s Assembly and Senate budget subcommittees on education are recommending that legislators approve a proposal in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2021-22 state budget that would allow candidates to earn a teaching credential without taking two tests currently required.

EdSurge. The Unintended Consequences of Universal Preschool.  For universal preschool to be done well, it can’t be done halfway or half-heartedly, experts say. That’s because a variety of factors contribute to program quality, including appropriate staffing, fair teacher compensation, curriculum, credentialing requirements, staff professional development and child assessments. 

EdWeek. 5 Essential Questions Teachers Should Ask During Job Interviews   “You don’t want to jump into a position that you don’t feel capable of navigating,” said Jacqueline Rodriguez, the vice president for research, policy, and advocacy at the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

NEA News. Aspiring Educators: Protect Your Mental Health   In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, the NEA Aspiring Educators program set up a series of activities and events to help future educators find the time to address and take care of their mental health.

New York Times. Disputing Racism’s Reach, Republicans Rattle American Schools: In a culture-war brawl that has spilled into the country’s educational system, Republicans at the local, state and national levels are trying to block curriculums that emphasize systemic racis.   In Loudoun County, Va… The district’s interim superintendent, Scott A. Ziegler, denied that critical race theory was part of the curriculum or teacher training… “We are not teaching critical race theory. We are not indoctrinating students or staff into critical race theory.”

Rodel. Teacher Residencies Get A Legislative Push   HB178, introduced by Rep. Kim Williams (chair of the House Education Committee), codifies Delaware’s yearlong teacher residencies and ensures that funds are provided for sustained investment. The bill also provides guidelines on how and when funds are awarded and the parameters for the allowable use of funds

The74. Tulsa Commits to Teaching ‘Hard History’ After State Restricts Antiracist Instruction

NEW YORK STATE
NYS Legislature. S5666 passed Assembly, returned to Senate on June 2^nd. “Relates to the maximum percentage of students that can be exempted from the admission requirements for graduate-level teacher and educational leader programs”

NYSED Office of Higher Education. Educator Preparation Newsletter: May 2021.
1) Board of Regents May items
*Emergency COVID-19 Certificate. The Board of Regents adopted an emergency measure to extend the validity period of the Emergency COVID-19 certificate from one year to two years in response to limited test center availability for certification exams during the pandemic. The Emergency COVID-19 certificate application deadline is September 1, 2021.
* edTPA Passing Scores. At its January 2020 meeting, the Board of Regents decided to freeze the edTPA passing scores recommended by a standard setting panel at the 2018-2019 levels and extend them from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021.
* School Counselor Bilingual Education Extension. At its May 2017 meeting, the Board of Regents established new Initial and Professional School Counselor certificates and the registration requirements for school counselor programs that lead to the new Initial and Professional School Counselor certificates.
2) Request for Information: Special Education Teacher and Bilingual Special Education Teacher/Bilingual Pupil Personnel Professional Shortages
3) Teaching In Remote/Hybrid Learning Environments

NEW YORK CITY
Teaching Residents @ Teachers College (TR@TC).  June 2021 End of Year Newsletter