Month: February 2022

GLOBAL
Outlook India. National Education Policy To Be Implemented In J&K From April   “The National Education Policy is being implemented in Jammu and Kashmir from April 1,” a senior official said. Under the policy, the School Education Department was asked to immediately rollout Vidya Pravesh, a preschool preparation programme for Class 1 students… 

Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET).  ICET: 64th World Assembly (Bath Spa University), 21-23rd June 2022 – 1st announcement and Call for Papers

Victoria State Government. Next steps in Victoria’s Kindergarten Workforce Strategy   2. New workforce initiatives launched in response to key findings, including: *A new $2.2 million initiative with Jobs Victoria to deliver an Early Childhood Educator Traineeship Program, creating 150 educator traineeships in 2022. *An expansion of Innovative Initial Teacher Education to grow teacher supply…

UNITED STATES
AACTE. 74th Annual Meeting Registration (login required) [Mar. 2-4, New Orleans]

Chalkbeat.
1) Cardona: Creating environments where teachers can thrive is key to keeping good educators   …across Tennessee, the number of new educators graduating from teacher training programs has dropped by nearly one-fifth over five years, according to a new report. Chief of Human Resources Yolanda Finne Martin said this year has been the Memphis district’s hardest… implemented new strategies to attract teachers, from offering signing bonuses and increasing marketing efforts to recruiting college students studying subjects outside of education like math or history early and hosting hiring fairs year round.
2) Denver mayor teaches classes to call attention to substitute shortage   The Denver district has tried to make subbing more enticing by increasing the daily pay to $200 for those with a teaching license and $160 for those without one, said spokesperson Scott Pribble. The district also started reimbursing for state licensing costs and is offering a $400 bonus for subs who work at least 10 days per month, he said.
3) Memphis superintendent announces teacher pay boost, student internship program   Schools across the U.S. have been challenged to fill open positions for over a decade, and in Tennessee alone, the number of educators graduating from teacher training programs has dropped by nearly one-fifth over five years, according to a recent report.

EducationNC.  A teacher licensure proposal from NC Association for Colleges of Teacher Educators   …three priorities emerged (in no particular order): The most appropriate use of microcredentials; Removing unnecessary testing and barriers for EPP entry and licensure completion (By policy, removing all requirements for licensure exams would remove the requirement for edTPA/PPAT); Allowing EPP completion to serve as the only requirement for initial teacher licensure

Fort Worth Star Telegram. Texas education advocates fear new certification test could affect teacher diversity   The price of edTPA is $311 for the initial submission… “In Illinois, after edTPA was implemented, the number of new teacher hires fell by 36%, and the share of Black teachers among the new hires dropped by 3.2 percentage points. The racial disparity is reason for concern also because educational studies have documented a role-modeling effect of same-race teachers on minority students,” Robison said.

KRTV. OPI wants feedback on proposed changes to teacher licensure    Montana’s Office of Public Instruction is asking for public comments on proposed changes to teacher licensure… Some of the proposed changes include: Increased access for expired licensees to reenter the classroom, acceptance of lifetime licenses, more recognition of alternative teacher preparation paths, license reciprocity from other states for military spouses and dependents, and recognizing licenses for nationally board-certified teachers.

NEA News.
1) NEA Advocacy Leads to Key Change in PSLF   Thanks to NEA’s persistent advocacy, it is now clear: Teachers who received Teacher Loan Forgiveness will not be delayed in getting the more valuable Public Service Loan Forgiveness, too.
2) Retired Educators Step Up to Fill Staff Shortages  With schools stretched so thin, retired educators are taking un-filled teaching positions, substituting, or supporting other school services.

National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). How Does the edTPA Affect Teacher Diversity? Dig into the Research with NCTQ [10 min. YouTube video clip] “One could infer that you are very unlikely to pass the assessment if you are a Black teacher candidate or Hispanic teacher candidate, and you’re very, very likely if you are a White teacher candidate.”

New York Times.
1) Lesson of the Day: ‘The Invasion of Ukraine: How Russia Attacked and What Happens Next’
2) New Twist in Pandemic’s Impact on Schools: Substitutes in Camouflage   The Guard estimated that 50 of its members would volunteer; by this week, the state education department had issued licenses to 96. The volunteers are on state active duty, paid through the state’s budget, similar to when they help with evacuations and search-and-rescue missions. Even those with the highest security clearances were required to go through the background check process and meet the same state licensing requirements as any other substitute applicant.

Rogersville Review. Latest Educator Preparation Report Card Shows Long Term Improvement in Tennessee   …the percentage of teacher candidates from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds increased from 13.8 percent to 15.9 percent… In 2018, the State Board of Education approved a rule allowing local education agencies (LEAs) to become EPPs, expanding the district-level teacher pipeline. The Tennessee Department of Education also launched a statewide “Grow Your Own” initiative in 2019, which also expands local educator pipelines through tuition incentives and compensation for future educators.

The Chattanoogan. Sounding The Alarm On Need For Teachers   We need to examine how we prepare students in Colleges of Education. We know researchers have raised questions about edTPA. They have stated they have “serious concerns about scoring design, the reliability of the assessments, and the consequential impact on decisions about edTPA candidates.”… Some people are launching second careers such as ex-military or people returning to the workforce like stay-at-home mothers with college degrees. Wemust remove barriers to entry for teaching. We need to make it easier for teachers in other states to come and teach in Tennessee.

The Conversation. How teachers enter the profession affects how long they stay on the job   We looked at teachers who were prepared in one of two ways: They either went to a college of education, which is the traditional route to becoming a teacher, or they got certified through an alternative certification program, which can mean they had less time in the classroom before becoming certified… We found that a traditionally certified teacher in a traditional public school has a 67.5% chance of staying in education, while a teacher who went through an alternative certification program and started out at a charter school has a 48.4% chance.

University of Washington. Climate Teacher Education Webinar [11am March 11]

Washington Post.
1) African Americans say the teaching of Black history is under threat   Angela Burley, a history teacher in Dallas, said that the mood is “solemn” for Black history and social studies teachers in Texas… “I’m not going to chance and gamble my certification to teach somewhere where I have to be worried about every single word that comes out of my mouth,” Burley said.
2) Education, traditionally a strength, has Democrats on their heels   Key for Evers will be reminding voters what they don’t like about Republicans when it comes to education, said Ben Nuckels, a media consultant who is working for Evers’s campaign. Aides also tout spending increases for schools and new programs to recruit and train teachers.
3) Omicron slammed essential workers. So the National Guard became teachers, janitors and more.   New Mexico made headlines for calling the Guard into less conventional positions this winter. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) last month announced a first-in-the-nation program encouraging them to get licensed quickly as substitute teachers and child care employees. More than 80 Guard members were doing education support in the state last week, officials say.

NEW YORK STATE
New York State Education Department. Office of Higher Education, February Educator Preparation Newsletter
BOARD OF REGENTS FEBRUARY ITEMS
*Additional Science Certificate. … a regulatory amendment to revise the content core requirement in registered teacher preparation programs such that candidates who hold a science certificate, or are simultaneously preparing for two or more science certificates, would need to complete 18 semester hours, instead of 30 semester hours, in the subject area(s) of the additional science certificate(s).
*New Literacy (All Grades) Certificate. …a regulatory amendment to establish the Literacy (All Grades) certificate. The proposal includes the registration requirements for programs leading to the Initial and/or Professional Literacy (All Grades) certificates, including the college-supervised practica.
NEW YORK STATE TEACHER CERTIFICATION EXAMINATIONS (NYSTCE) TEST DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
*Draft Computer Science Content Specialty Test (CST) Framework. The draft framework for the new Computer Science CST is available on the NYSTCE website

Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching (PSPB). December meeting minutes

NEW YORK CITY
Chalkbeat. Here’s how Adams’ proposed budget could affect schools   Adams has proposed cutting over 3,600 vacant positions at the education department, 95% of which are for “pedagogical” positions, or ones that require some sort of teaching or administrator license.

Columbia Spectator. Contemporary Curriculum: Changing the Way We Learn Black history [podcast with TC profs. D. Friedrich & Y. Sealey-Ruiz]  “…a lot of times teachers go to teach Black history during Black History Month without really understanding their connection to it without really understanding what they really think you know about Black people, about their conditions, about the way that they’re treated in schools. So it’s very surface level. So I would suggest that teachers have to do a bit of deep self work. And then find something that they connect with, from a Black person from Black culture from Black history…” -Sealey-Ruiz

New York Amsterdam News. OUTNUMBERED: The story of NYC’s Black and Brown public school teachers   Councilmember Alexa Aviles said it’s important to promote career pathways and recruitment programs that invite, invest in, and support diversity in schools, like NYC Teaching Fellows and the Leaders in Education Apprenticeship Program (LEAP). The fellowship helps prepare college graduates and career changers to become teachers, and LEAP is a graduate program that prepares teachers to become assistant principals and principals. The DOE said that in 2019 and 2020, 20% of participants in these kinds of teaching training programs identified as men of color and 70% as people of color.

Teachers College.
1) Center for Educational Equity. Can We Find Common Ground on Civic Education in Turbulent Times? [Webinar: 1 PM March 24]
2) Cowin Financial Literacy Program – Free Online Course  [March 1 to April 15]  Join us for the no-cost, online Cowin Financial Literacy Program, beginning 3/1, which teaches educators instructional strategies for teaching financial concepts to high school students. Those who complete the 6-week course will receive 30 Clock Hours and 30 CTLE credits
3) Teaching for Writing Improvement  [March 31 to April 24]   This is a 2-module, 20 clock-hour, online professional development course that provides teachers and other educators with information about how to teach writing to elementary, middle and high school students who do not have full proficiency in writing. NYS teachers receive 20 CTLEs 

GLOBAL
India Blooms. U.S. Consulate General Kolkata partners with Bengal govt, School Education Department to train teachers   Upon graduation, they will be better equipped to guide fellow teachers in creating student-centred, critical thinking classrooms that provide students with the English language proficiency and 21st-century skills envisioned by India’s National Education Policy.

The Conversation. When teachers in comic books get more than a thought bubble, watch out for an identity crisis [by D. Lewkowich Univ. of Alberta]  In my own work with those who are learning to teach, I have explored making comics with students to allow them to represent and read their own dreams of life in the classroom. Doing this is one means of side-stepping what could otherwise entail imposing a predictable and prescriptive script of expected outcomes and methods in teacher education.

The Educator. New partnership tackles teacher shortage across Australia   Teacher education students, who have already undertaken substantial in-school professional experience, will be directly involved in supporting teachers in the classroom and those working remotely. 

The Phnom Penh Post.  Teacher training facilities upgraded in Phnom Penh   Cambodia and Japan are set to inaugurate four new buildings at the Phnom Penh Teacher Education College, thanks to Japanese grant aid. The four new buildings – to be inaugurated on February 9 – include a library and administrative, academic and multi-purpose buildings.

UNITED STATES
Argus Leader. Education committee votes to limit critical race theory instruction in South Dakota’s public schools   State agencies and districts also can’t accept or spend private funding for curriculum development, curricular materials, teacher training, professional development or continuing teacher education pertaining to courses on history, civics, U.S. government and politics, social studies, or similar subject areas.

Chalkbeat. Why a small private Christian college in Michigan is having an outsize influence in Tennessee   USA Classical Academy’s application to open a school in Williamson County, south of Nashville, outlines plans to use Hillsdale curriculum, teacher training, and expertise.

CW 39 Houston. Texas teacher advocates push back against additional certification requirements   This month, the State Board of Educator Certification is expected to weigh whether to move forward with a new testing requirement for new teachers in Texas…” what I’ve seen from my students who have completed edTPA is just a cycle of frustration,” Wagnon explained… But the Texas Education Agency said in a statement, “The edTPA focuses on improving educator preparation in Texas to ensure that beginning teachers have demonstrated their proficiency and readiness to positively affect student learning… Data also shows that the edTPA has leveled the playing field for prospective educators, eliminating the 19% gap in the pass rate between White and Black candidates found on the current pedagogy exam. This diversifies the educator talent pool and makes it easier for school systems to recruit and retain prepared, high-quality first-year teachers, to the direct benefit of students.”

EdWeek.
1) Districts Are Raising Wages to Fix Shortages. Is It Sustainable?   In Oklahoma City, substitute teachers this year are getting a $70 daily stipend on top of their regular daily pay: $80 for certified teachers, $65 for bachelor’s degree holders, and $55 for substitutes with just a high school diploma.
2) Teachers of Color Are Linked to Social-Emotional, Academic Gains for All Students   The new study reaffirms that teachers of color are linked to positive academic, social-emotional, and behavioral student outcomes and finds that these effects are driven, at least in part, by mindsets and practices aligned to what’s known as culturally responsive teaching… Blazar said his study shows the need for professional development that focuses specifically on culturally responsive teaching. That could help train the mostly white teacher workforce to engage in these practices that benefit students, he said.

Fox News. Human rights org applies Middle East anti-radicalism strategy to combat critical race theory in US   Hardwired Global, a human rights organization based in Richmond, Virginia, that has crafted curricula to promote peace and pluralism in the Middle East and North Africa, is launching a new effort to combat “divisive curriculums and teacher training programs” based on critical race theory (CRT)…” The initiative will train teachers across the Commonwealth of Virginia “to counter divisive curriculum with a pedagogy grounded in America’s founding values – inalienable rights, human dignity, freedom of conscience, speech and expression.”

InsideHigherEd. How K-12 Book Bans Affect Higher Education   Todd Huston, the Republican speaker of Indiana’s House of Representatives, recently resigned as senior vice president for state and district partnerships at the College Board amid a Twitter campaign that called out his role in pushing Indiana legislation that would bar teachers from promoting “divisive concepts” and possibly cost educators their teaching license for doing so.

Learning Policy Institute (LPI). Teacher Shortages Take Center Stage.  Underprepared teachers leave their schools at 2 to 3 times the rate of those who enter with comprehensive preparation. High turnover rates, in turn, can contribute to staff instability that disrupts relationships with students and other teachers, undermines professional learning, and impedes collaboration, all of which are critical to creating the supportive environments students need after nearly two years of disrupted learning.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)  Preparing a Profession: Perspectives of Higher Education Leaders on the Future of the Early Childhood Education Workforce  … higher education is the primary pipeline for preparing effective early childhood educators. There are more than 2,000 ECE professional preparation programs located in institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the United States… Fifty-two percent of center-based early childhood educators hold a postsecondary degree, with 35 percent holding a bachelor’s degree. Comparatively, 31 percent of licensed home-based providers hold a postsecondary degree, with 17 percent holding a bachelor’s degree. Given that a bachelor’s degree is required for a K—12 teaching license in all states, all K—3 educators hold a bachelor’s degree.

NEA News. 5 Ways Strong Educator Unions Help Public Schools   #3 RETAIN THE HIGHEST QUALITY EMPLOYEES IN THE PROFESSION. The Learning Policy Institute notes that five major elements that affect a teacher’s decision to enter and remain in the classroom, particularly under-resourced schools: compensation; teacher preparation; hiring and other personnel systems; mentoring and induction support for new teachers; and working conditions. 

The Conversation. Students are suspended less when their teacher has the same race or ethnicity   Learning about the practices of these teachers will help educators design training for teachers that can help all teachers – regardless of their backgrounds – approach student discipline in ways that do not harm students of color.

The Daily Telegram. Adrian College offering tuition discount for Michigan teachers, admins in Master’s program   Teachers can enroll in the program if they are a part of AC’s Master’s in Teacher Education Program. The discount program offers Michigan K-12 teachers and administrators the opportunity to pay only 50% of the college’s tuition rate and up to 18 graduate credits with the discount, with no additional fees. 

WFSU News. Florida grapples with 4,500 teacher vacancies   The state board on Wednesday approved new bachelor degree programs in teaching at Seminole State College of Florida that would provide graduates with teaching certificates in exceptional-student education and elementary education.

NEW YORK STATE
Times Union. UAlbany students call for ex-SUNY chancellor to be stripped of severance pay   Malatras, who officially stepped down on Jan. 14, is set to receive a year of paid leave at a salary of $450,000 followed by a tenured faculty appointment at Empire State College with a starting annual salary of $186,600, according to the finalized separation agreement.

NEW YORK CITY
Chalkbeat. We asked, you answered: Chalkbeat readers share priorities for NYC schools Chancellor David Banks   Build the teacher pipeline to ensure a much better teacher-child ratio. I don’t see how Brilliant NYC can be rolled out without smaller classes… Money has to be spent for building space and hiring highly qualified teachers and staff to make this possible…

Gothamist. Comptroller: Teachers leaving NYC schools amid pandemic burnout   Sarah Casasnovas, a spokesperson for the city’s education department, said …approximately 5,600 new teachers were hired for the 2021-2 academic year…According to the city’s teacher’s union, the United Federation of Teachers, the school system had to replace more than 5,000 teachers every year even before COVID-19. 

SILive. NYC teacher workforce declined during coronavirus pandemic, comptroller report shows   In addition to the over 5,600 new teachers hired this school year, the DOE said… It’s also working to bolster the city’s education pipeline by: restoring its alternative certification program to a pre-pandemic scale; creating new programs to support paras and substitutes to enter teacher education programs; and working closely with schools of education to attract candidates through outreach from NYC Men Teach and other recruitment efforts.