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.
