Month: September 2021

GLOBAL
Association for Teacher Education in Europe (ATEE). Conference Proceedings 2020 ATEE Winter Conference: Teacher Education For Promoting Well-Being In School

Inside Higher Ed. Simple Rhetoric, Complicated Realities: What may be surprising is that the occupied regions of the West Bank and Gaza have become home to a vibrant, albeit struggling, network of postsecondary institutions   It may come as a surprise that from 1948 to 1967, when Jordan controlled the West Bank and Egypt controlled Gaza, no new universities were established in those territories. (One agricultural school became a technical institute offering associate degrees during that period, one primary school became a teacher preparation institute and another teachers’ institute was established)… Al Aqsa University, founded in 1955 as a teachers’ college, became a university in 2001. 

NSW Government [AUS]. Training program to upskill assistant principals   The largest professional learning program in Australia for assistant principals and head teachers will begin next year to build leadership excellence and help lift student outcomes across public schools.

OECD. Education at a Glance 2021: Indicator D5. Who are the teachers?   With large proportions of teachers in many OECD countries set to reach retirement age in the next decade and the size of the school-age population projected to increase in some countries, governments will be under pressure to recruit and train new teachers. There is compelling evidence that the calibre of teachers is the most significant in-school determinant of student achievement, so concerted efforts are needed to attract top talent to the teaching profession and provide them with high-quality training

UNITED STATES
Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE). Calling All edTPA participants: Share Your Experiences with the Texas EdTPA Pilot and Receive an Amazon Gift Card

Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity.
1) Fall Workshop: Infographics as Assessment for Teacher Educators [Oct. 8, 2021]
2) Four Minority-Serving Institutions Across the Country Selected to Participate in Rigorous 3-year Program to Enhance Teacher Prep   Through BranchED’s one-of-a-kind Quality Preparation Framework, Azusa Pacific University, Pacific Oaks College, Texas A&M University–San Antonio and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke will spend the next three years strengthening their educator preparation programs (EPPs) to better prepare highly effective and diverse future educators.

Chalkbeat. The state or districts? Indiana lawmakers weigh who should have the authority to license teachers   Indiana lawmakers on Tuesday debated giving school districts the authority to license their own educators as a solution to ongoing teacher shortages… Indiana has several alternative paths to licensure, including a career specialists permit available to people with a certain amount of occupational experience plus a bachelor’s degree or licensure exam.

Cision. National University Taps Expert in Teacher Preparation to Lead College of Education   National University, a nonprofit university with a 50-year history of serving working adult learners, educators, and veterans, today announced the appointment of Dr. Robert Lee as dean of the Sanford College of Education, one of the largest colleges of education in the United States and the largest provider of teaching credentials in California. 

EdWeek. The Classroom-Management Field Can’t Stop Chasing the Wrong Goal   When we’re led to look for “effective” strategies without asking what exactly that word means, the default objective is less likely to be about promoting students’ social, ethical, and intellectual development than simply getting them to do whatever they’re told. That was true in 1996, when teachers were advised to train students as if they were pets by dropping marbles into a jar, a step to receiving a reward for following directions. And it’s true in 2021, when teachers are told to monitor students on an app and award points for obedience.

Laredo Morning Times. TAMIU selected to consortium addressing barriers to a diversified teaching workforce   Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) has been selected as a lead institution representing Texas in the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)’s Consortium for Research-Based and Equitable Assessments (CREA)… TAMIU Dean of the College of Education, Dr. James O’Meara, said TAMIU is in a uniquely qualified position to be part of the Consortium. “The impact of TAMIU teacher preparation is undeniable in South Texas. We prepare 100% of the traditionally trained teachers working in the schools within our 100-mile zone of influence (ZOI). ..”

Pearson Education. 2021-22 edTPA submission/reporting dates

Washington Post. ‘The pay is absolute crap’: Child-care workers are quitting rapidly, a red flag for the economy: Child care employment is still down more than 126,000 positions as workers leave for higher-paying positions as bank tellers, administrative assistants and ret.   Still, the top concern in the industry is how to raise pay. Among college graduates, those who major in early-childhood education earn the least out of 137 majors, according to a report from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.

NEW YORK STATE
Spectrum News NY 1. Emergency certification program for educators extended   An emergency certification program for New York educators was extended for a year by state education officials, two state lawmakers announced Wednesday. The extension will affect a wide variety of people in the education field, including teachers, librarians, school administrators, teaching assistants, school athletics coaches, GED instructors and jobs skills training instructors who are seeking certification or recertification.

NEW YORK CITY
Chalkbeat. NYC schools brace for staffing shortages as vaccine mandate takes effect next week   Schools can hire certified teachers as “regular substitutes” for the remainder of the year, the letter stated. Additionally, staffers from the education department’s central offices — those with and without teaching licenses — were told this week that they might be redeployed to campuses for various school-based jobs.

Columbia University, Institute of Latin American Studies. Teaching Early Grade Literacy to Migrant Children from Central America and the Dominican Republic. A culturally relevant pedagogy-based guide  5pm Oct. 8, 2021

Teachers College.
1) Cowin Financial Literacy Program – Online Course  October 4 – November 20, 2021   Those who complete the 6-week course will receive 30 Clock Hours and 30 CTLE credits*
2) US News & World Report. 2022 Best Education Schools   Overall, TC ranks #9 (tie with Univ. of Michigan); #2 in Curriculum & Instruction; #6 in Educational Administration and Supervision Programs; #4 in Education Policy Programs

GLOBAL
BBC News. Teachers trained in Great Britain face NI work registration delay   Last week, it was reported that as many as 500 new teachers had not yet had their registrations fully processed by the GTCNI, an arm’s-length body of the Department of Education.

ERR News. Young people looking at teacher profession but would prefer to work abroad   On Thursday, the Riigikogu discussed the future of teachers in Estonia and how to value the role in society. While young people are considering studying to become a teacher, they would rather work abroad.

The Straits Times [Singapore]. Need for more teacher training and less stigma as demand for inclusive pre-schools grows   …need to adequately train teachers so they are able to effectively cater to children with special needs, as well as addressing the misgivings of parents who are wary of children with special needs learning alongside their typically developing children.

UNITED STATES
AACTE. Call for Manuscripts: The Teacher Educators’ Journal   The Teacher Educators’ Journal, is the journal of the newly formed Virginia Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators (from the merging of ATE-Virginia and the Virginia Association of Colleges for Teacher Education). The journal is published once per year, in electronic form. 

Chalkbeat.
1) Just 32% of Philadelphia third graders read on grade level. Freedom Schools Literacy Academy could be a model to change that.   El-Mekki, founder of the Center for Black Educator Development, told Chalkbeat that using a community-based approach, one that involves an intergenerational model, adds capacity and strength in teaching youth how to read. It’s also linked to recruiting more Black teachers through the Black Teacher Pipeline.
2) Shelby County Schools reports over 200 teacher vacancies at the start of the school year   As schools across the country enter the third consecutive pandemic school year, there is an intensifying teacher shortage nationwide, fueled by pandemic-related burnout and retirements, as well as the dwindling number of students interested in pursuing a teaching career.
3) Michigan’s free preschool program is expanding. Will community providers benefit?   Researchers consistently praise the program for its use of research-based best practices, such as its requirement that teachers hold at least a bachelor’s degree. In 2018, a study of rising kindergartners showed that GSRP had produced larger gains in math than the six other states in the study.
4) Teacher shortage leaves Newark schools with 120 unfilled positions as classes start   In addition, the district hired more than 30 former student teachers as full-time educators; brought on some members of Teach For America, a program that offers abbreviated teacher training; and partnered with Montclair State University to funnel recent graduates into open classroom positions.

Cincinnati Enquirer. 94% of Ohio’s teachers are white. Could that change any time soon?   A statewide task force assembled in 2018 by the Ohio departments of education and higher education has recommended a range of actions for Ohio to better recruit and retain teachers of color…This year, the state doled out grants to 20 different school districts to help them diversify their ranks over the next 2 ½ years. Most of the grants will support what’s known as “grow your own” programs that recruit teacher candidates from nontraditional areas…

Education Week.  First-Year Teachers Need Support This Year. Here Are 5 Ways Prep Programs Can Help Educator-preparation programs have a role in stemming teacher attrition: 1. Build and support school learning communities. 2. Design “contact chains” so newer teachers can reach out rapidly. 3. Hold interviews and focus groups frequently. 4. Adjust curricula or courses to recognize the social-emotional needs of educators. 5. Include more teachers, school nurses, counselors, and school psychologists on educator-preparation college advisory councils. 

Fox News. Pandemic prompts changes in how future teachers are trained: The pandemic is already leaving its fingerprints on the education of future teachers   Officials at Columbia University’s Teachers College say its students will continue to get practice in skills that became increasingly important during the pandemic, such as designing digital curricula or engaging kids in virtual or hybrid learning.

Hechinger Report. OPINION: Let’s work together to solve a growing demand for skilled teachers: We can start by making the profession more attractive and removing barriers [by L. Gangone, AACTE CEO & TC EdD ‘99]  To develop and maintain a diverse and professional teacher workforce, increased financial aid for teacher candidates is essential. American Rescue Plan funding can be used to build on the work of many educator-preparation programs and school districts that have successfully developed residency models and other innovative approaches that streamline the pathways to teaching.

Inside Higher Education.
1) Books or Bombs?: Now is the time for every college in the country to fight hard for the next massive investment in higher education[by M. Camp TC Director of Gov’t Relations & TC PhD ‘21]  There are no federal statutory limits on advocacy, so colleges may — and should — speak up on vital issues like scientific research funding, student aid, infrastructure, immigrant rights, teacher education and undoing systemic racism.
2) Confronting Whiteness in the Teacher Education Classroom   Across the United States, schools of education prepare a predominantly White, female, Christian, and English-speaking population to become public school teachers. This portrait of preservice teachers reveals a mismatch between the teachers and students in our increasingly diverse public-school system. 
3) Pulling Out All the Stops: Community colleges are employing various strategies to attract students this fall and recover from enrollment losses related to the pandemic.  Thomas Stith III, president of the North Carolina Community College System, said community colleges are also trying to expand their student pool ..the system signed an agreement Monday with the University of North Carolina system creating a new pathway to the university’s teacher education programs to address a teacher shortage in the state.

National Catholic Register. Jesuit High School in California Accused of Teaching Critical Race Theory   Morrison reported that materials from the University of Michigan had been adopted for teacher training, despite the fact that other documents produced by the same university program attacked “Christianity, ‘ableness,’ cisgenderism, and United States citizenship as being indicators of ‘privilege’ and therefore ‘oppressive.’”

NEA News. As Teacher Shortage Grows, Schools Opening Without Key Educators: The teacher shortage has been a growing for years, but the pandemic has worsened it. Many schools are opening this year with vacancies.   All of these factors, plus a perceived lack of respect for teachers, have contributed to declining enrollment in teacher-preparation programs. Indeed, since 2010, across the U.S., the number of students enrolled in teacher-prep programs has fallen by a third. 

Washington Post. Data shows only 20 percent of applicants for a student loan forgiveness program will receive relief by 2026   “These revelations make clear that without sweeping action by the Biden administration, the promises that Washington made to teachers, nurses and so many other dedicated public service workers will remain broken,” said Seth Frotman, founder of the Student Borrower Protection Center.

NEW YORK STATE
New York State Education Department.
1) Board of Regents Meeting, September. Higher Education Sub-committee
Proposed Amendments
a) Proposed Amendment to Sections 3.29 and 13.10 of the Rules of the Board of Regents… Relating to Removing References to Regional Accreditation In February 2020, USDE issued new regulations which eliminated the distinction between “regional” or “national” to refer to an accrediting agency… Therefore, it is necessary to amend the Rules of the Board of Regents and the Commissioner’s regulations to remove references to regional accrediting institutions of higher education as there is no longer such a distinction.
b) Proposed Amendment to Sections 52.21 and 80-2.9 ..Relating to the Creation of the Bilingual Education Extension, Supplementary Bilingual Education Extension, and Registration Requirements for Programs Leading to the Bilingual Education Extension for Initi The Department is proposing to create the Bilingual Education extension and Supplementary Bilingual Education extension for the new Initial and Professional School Counselor certificates, continuing these extension options for school counselors in the future.
Action Items
a) Proposed Amendment to Sections 80-2.1 and 80-3.1 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education Relating to Permanent School Counselor Certificate Requirements …the Department proposes to clarify that candidates who hold a valid Provisional School Counselor certificate and apply for a Permanent School Counselor certificate must meet the requirements for the Permanent School Counselor certificate prior to February 2, 2023 or while under a Provisional School Counselor certificate that was in effect after such date…VOTED: That sections 80-2.1 and 80-3.1 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education be amended, as submitted, effective September 29, 2021.
b) 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…
* 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.
* 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.
* 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. This certificate would be valid for two years.
* Section 52.21(c) is amended to exempt school district leader (SDL) and school district business leader (SDBL) candidates from taking and passing the SDL and SDBL assessment, respectively, for program completion and for the institutional recommendation for the Professional certificate if they completed all program requirements except the assessment requirement in the 2019-2020 or 2020- 2021 academic year.
2) Office of Higher Education Educator Preparation Newsletter: August 2021
* New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE) Test Fees and Refund Policy
* Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Initiative
* Seeking Applicants for the Commissioner’s Advisory Panel (Cap) For Special Education Services
3) Office of Teaching initiatives
a) Emergency COVID-19 Certificate Candidates who are seeking certain certificates and extensions may be eligible for the Emergency COVID-19 certificate, allowing them to work in New York State public schools or districts for two years while taking and passing the required exam(s) for the certificate or extension sought.Update (September 14, 2021): The certification requirement deadlines for the Emergency COVID-19 certificate have been extended from September 1, 2021 to September 1, 2022. For example, the application deadline for this two-year emergency certificate is now September 1, 2022. Individuals who applied for the Emergency COVID-19 certificate prior to September 14, 2022 will automatically have their certificate requirement deadlines extended to September 1, 2022. Public comment begins 9/29/21.
b) edTPA Safety Net for Certain Candidates Who Are Impacted by the COVID-19 Crisis During the Spring 2020 through Summer 2022 Terms Candidates who meet the eligibility requirements below for the edTPA safety net may pass the Assessment of Teaching Skills – Written (ATS-W) exam in lieu of passing the edTPA. Either version of the ATS-W exam (Elementary or Secondary) is acceptable; it is the candidate’s choice which version they want to take. To qualify, the candidate must take the ATS-W exam by September 1, 2024…

NEW YORK CITY
Teachers College.
1) edTPA score reports to date: TOTAL tests takers: 32 (100%) | PASS  28 (87.5%) | FAIL 3 (9.5%) | INCOMPLETE  1 (3%)
2) Teachers College Awarded AAQEP Accreditation   Recognition for TC’s educator preparation programs reflects documented results for graduates, and includes a special commendation [only 14% to date] for standout pedagogy, community engagement and a commitment to reducing educational disparities