Month: August 2023

GLOBAL
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE). Defining Global Literacies: Pathways for Engaging and Transforming Our World   We see multiple pathways for teacher educators to bring the world into their classrooms so that preservice teachers are prepared to do the same with their students. Through global literacies, the aim is that all teachers are prepared to (a) engage the world with the rich ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity it holds for each of us, as well as to (b) initiate social transformation both locally and globally.  

Cultmtl.com. Quebec teacher shortage: ‘One adult per classroom’ is a tragedy, not a game plan   “Our first priority is to have a legally qualified teacher in the class. If we can’t have a legally qualified teacher, then we have to accept an unqualified teacher. And in some cases, we hope to have one adult.” The minister added the teacher would ideally have a bachelor’s degree, but it wouldn’t be a requirement… It’s not enough to say you intend to train more teachers, it’s imperative the government also tackle the reasons why they’re leaving the profession. 

National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE).  Webinar.  EDUCATION AT A GLANCE 2023: Future-Ready Career & Technical Education   The annual Education at a Glance report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is the go-to source on the state of education around the world. [Sep 12, 2023 11:00 AM in Eastern Time]

UNITED STATES
Chalkbeat.
1) Bills to let Tennessee teachers and citizens carry guns in schools advance in legislature  One measure would let a teacher or school staff member carry a concealed handgun after completing 40 hours of certified training in school policing at their own expense, as well as passing a mental health evaluation and FBI background check… A second bill would allow a person with an enhanced permit, which requires eight hours of training, to carry a handgun openly or concealed in any K-12 public school building, campus, or bus.
2) First day of school: Chicago Public Schools reopens under a new era of leadership   While 6,900 teachers have earned bilingual education endorsements — more than ever before, according to the district — it’s unclear how many are actually assigned to teach bilingual education… Chicago has one of the largest bilingual and dual language programs in the nation. About one-fifth of the city’s students are English language learners. 
3) Meet Giovanny Navarro, one of Chicago Public Schools’ newest teachers   … Chicago Public Schools’ Teacher Residency program. Launched in 2017, the program is tailored toward career-changers and district staff working in non-teaching positions, like Navarro. More than 150 teachers — the district’s largest group of residents since its launch — are in Navarro’s cohort.  The vast majority are eligible to teach special education, early childhood education, or bilingual education, according to a CPS press release.
4) Philadelphia school district welcomes more than 700 new teachers and counselors   The new recruits vary in age and backgrounds, with many still working on their full certification as they embark on a new career in teaching. Some are seasoned teachers who have worked in other districts or charter schools, while others are fresh out of college. 
5) The science that’s missing from science of reading laws   But there has been much less attention paid to another critical component of reading: background knowledge…  Some educators have said the answer is adopting a curriculum that integrates important texts in science, history, and other topics into reading instruction. That way, students will start to build their knowledge on issues that they will likely encounter in what they read.

Forbes. The New K-12 School Year Has A Lot Of Issues—Here Is What To Keep In Sight   Top concerns for the new school year revolve around student academic progress, increased school days and instructional hours, teacher vacancies, and altered state-level expectations for teacher qualifications… Just released Learning Policy Institute data estimates more than 300,000 positions “were either unfilled or filled by teachers not fully certified for their assignments, representing about 1 in 10 of all teaching positions nationally.” 

InsideHigherEd. Reverse the Transfer Slide: Three ways we can reimagine community college transfer.    National University, for instance, has developed a teacher education pathway in partnership with both a local high school and a local community college. Aspiring teachers complete up to eight general education courses that count toward an associate degree while they are still in high school. National then provides guidance to those students on which courses they need to take in order to transfer to National University and earn their bachelor’s degree and teaching credential.

KSTP (Minneapolis).   University of St. Thomas to recruit and train hundreds of new elementary, special education teachers   Neilsen Gatti said. “What we know is there are lots of individuals who are working in these school districts, not as licensed staff but working as teaching assistants or in other roles, and we want to provide opportunities for those individuals to become licensed teachers because they’ve already shown a commitment to their communities.”

Learning Policy Institute (LPI). The Federal Role in Ending Teacher Shortages   Because fully prepared novices are less than half as likely to leave teaching after the first year compared to those who lack student teaching and other key elements of training, shortages caused by annual churn could be reduced if districts could hire better-prepared teachers… The United States needs a nationwide Marshall Plan for teaching, similar to that enacted after World War II to rebuild Europe, but for rebuilding the teaching profession. A Marshall Plan for teaching should focus the powers of the federal government on supporting recruitment, preparation, support, and retention in teaching in seven key areas:…

Pearson. edTPA® Community Newsletter August 2023

The74. Exclusive Data: Fueled by Teacher Shortages, ‘Zoom-in-a-Room’ Makes a Comeback   …Wilsey Hamilton, the district’s human resources director, told members that with more than 60 open positions, her team is trying to lure back retired teachers and is advertising job openings on social media and digital billboards.

Univ. of Arkansas. WE CARE+Wellness Program to Support Arkansas Teacher Corps Fellows   WE CARE, an acronym for Wellness and Education Commitment to Arkansas Excellence… Arkansas Teacher Corps is a partnership between the College of Education and Health Professions, the Walton Family Foundation, the Arkansas Department of Education and participating Arkansas public school districts to recruit, train, license and support teachers across the state. 

U.S. Dept. of Labor. We look forward to the 9th Annual NAW: November 13-19, 2023!   This year NAW’s theme is “Registered Apprenticeship: Superhighway to Good Jobs,” to reflect the prominence that Registered Apprenticeship has received… It addresses some of our nation’s pressing workforce shortages in teaching, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, cybersecurity, and other high-priority sectors.

Washington Post. Teacher shortages have gotten worse. Here’s how schools are coping: In an analysis of 37 states, researchers found teacher vacancies grew 35 percent   Long-term subs don’t need teacher training or a college degree… Those without teacher training often lack good classroom management skills, such as the ability to refocus a class after a disruption… “When you have a shortage of certified teachers who have been trained combined with an increase in student misbehavior,” Green said, “that drives a lot of people away from the position.”

WTXL. HELP WANTED: What’s being done to fill the teaching gap in Wakulla County and beyond   The Wakulla County superintendent Robert Pearce says they plan to fix the issue that allows an experienced classroom teacher to supervise larger classes in partnership with a student-teacher who is currently working to finish their teaching degree. FSU is among the universities that is working with Wakulla County schools to help with the shortage adding they plan to place practicum students in the county.

NEW YORK STATE
NYSED Office of Teaching Initiatives. Time extension, Reissuance, and Renewal regulation changes as of August 2, 2023  Several changes which were approved by the Board of Regents around the requirements for time extensions, reissuances and renewals went into effect on August 2nd. Please see our quick reference guide to learn more about the new requirements and to help you determine your eligibility.

Times Union. Albany schools taught hundreds of newcomers long before migrant surge: Since 2017, Albany has been doing what Mohonasen and North Colonie districts are figuring out now: how to teach an influx of students who don’t speak English   At the Albany International Center, students are urged to continue using their native language while also learning English… It starts with teaching them that they have the opportunity to become truly bilingual.

NEW YORK CITY
NYPost. NYC public schools don’t know DOE’s plan to handle nearly 20K migrant kids   The school system says it will rely on Project Open Arms, a program created last year with more than 3,000 English as a New Language licensed teachers and nearly 2,000 bilingual instructors to help the migrant kids get up to speed.

Teachers College.
1) 2023 Alumni Award Recipients   The Early Career Award recipients are: Drew Stephen Fagan (Ed.D. ’13) A twenty-year teacher, teacher educator, and researcher, Dr. Fagan’s work through the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) field fosters inclusivity in the classroom and beyond…
2) The Educational Neuroscience of Reading  This free symposium will convene a multidisciplinary group of researchers, educators, and policymakers to discuss the neural bases of reading and its implications for teaching and learning.  [Open to the TC Community: Saturday, September 23, 2023 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM]

GLOBAL
British Educational Research Association (BERA). British international schools: Are teachers and school leaders qualified?  …the findings from a recent Council of British International Schools (COBIS) large-scale research project, based on 1,600 surveys from senior leaders and teacher participants in British International Schools, found that 43 per cent of senior leaders believed there was a need for Initial Teacher Training qualifications to train local and international staff (such as international qualified teacher status, iQTS)

Katmandu Post. Licensed teachers in private schools: It will provide quality services by deterring the entry of low-skilled human resources.  Currently, Nepal has no separate act for private schools alone enacted by the government. However, the National Centre for Education Development (NCED) has been conducting in-service teacher training programmes nationwide for those who aspire to become teachers. This training is conducted by Private Primary Teacher Training Centers (PPTTCs) affiliated with NCED. Such training and programmes will help in the refinement of their abilities and ready educators to emerge in pedagogical relations with young students.

Washington Post. Investigators recall surreal moments during years-long investigation in Mexico’s missing students   Independent investigators leaving Mexico after eight years searching for answers to the 2014 disappearance of 43 students from a teachers’ college say they experienced a “double reality” unlike anything they ever encountered in other international missions.

UNITED STATES
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. AACTE Joins Education, Labor Departments in Release of National Guideline Standards for Teaching Apprenticeships   Federal, state, and local workforce and education leaders gathered to set a benchmark for high-quality teaching apprenticeship programs in August 2022. This initiative, launched by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden at the White House in collaboration with the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor, tasked leaders to develop comprehensive guidelines for high-quality educator apprenticeships.

Chalkbeat.
1) Colorado offers free community college for prospective early childhood teachers   Besides early childhood education, the program will cover tuition, course materials, and fees for up to two years of training for students studying education, construction, law enforcement, nursing, and fire and forestry. 
2) Newark’s teaching force doesn’t always match its diverse student body — especially among Latinos   The district partnered with Montclair State University’s College for Education and Engaged Learning to create the Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy, a dual enrollment program at East Side and University high schools where students earn college credits at no cost as they prepare for a career in teaching.
3) Teacher loan forgiveness, one national strategy for solving educator shortages, isn’t working   What’s clear is that relatively few teachers take advantage of Teacher Loan Forgiveness each year. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Education reported that 32,000 teachers received forgiveness through the program. This is a small fraction of teachers who have student loan debt, although it’s not clear how many would have been eligible for Teacher Loan Forgiveness.
4) Will Chicago meet an Aug. 21 deadline to train staff on how and when they can restrain students?   During the pandemic in the 2020-21 school year, Carlsen said certifications lapsed because teachers and school-based staff could not receive training in school buildings. 

Clemson News. College of Education to use grant award to offer free tuition for career changers pursuing teaching degrees   The College of Education will use a grant award from the South Carolina Department of Education to cover all tuition and associated costs for 36 career changers pursuing a master’s degree in teaching from Clemson University. The College’s “Grow Your Own” program works with partner school districts to secure paid employment for students as educational assistants while they complete their degree entirely online.

EdWeek.
1) See Which States Have Teacher Apprenticeship Programs, and How the Model Plans to Expand   The U.S. Departments of Education and Labor announced July 27 that they have invested tens of millions of dollars into expanding registered apprenticeship programs for teachers. For the first time, they also highlighted quality control: The labor department issued a set of nonbinding guidelines meant to ensure quality as more states adopt the approach.
2) Some States Plan to Give Teachers-in-Training Their Own Classrooms, Prompting Concerns   The rapidly growing teacher apprenticeship model was designed to give candidates on-the-job training under the close supervision of an experienced mentor. But in at least three states, policymakers are designing apprenticeship programs that open the door to teachers without college degrees… That practice, critics say, goes against the very idea of an apprenticeship: Those learning the craft should be supervised and only assume full teaching responsibilities after completing their preparation.
3) Teaching About Data Can Mean Leading Challenging Discussions  …teachers don’t get enough training, either in their preservice programs or in ongoing professional development on how to lead rigorous statistics conversations. For the most part, teachers have been finding and vetting learning resources themselves through an informal, nationwide network of web sites, YouTube videos, and Reddit discussion groups. 
4) What Is an IEP? Individualized Education Programs, Explained   The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, is the federal law that mandates special education teachers be appropriately trained and have the knowledge and skills to serve children with disabilities, and that all special education students receive a “free appropriate public education.”

HEA Group. Some Graduate Schools Never Pay Off  This analysis uses U. S. Department of Education data to assess whether students have been successful in paying down their educational loans after pursuing an advanced degree.   Teachers College: Graduate 5-year dollar-based repayment rate 102%; Difference in Loan balance after five years $3M…

Hechinger Report. Want teachers to teach climate change? You’ve got to train them   …Pizmony-Levy, associate professor of International and Comparative Education at Teachers College, Columbia University… “We’ve been doing research with New York City Public Schools for the past 6-7 years. About a third of teachers say they teach about climate change in a meaningful way. Those who don’t, give the following reasons: 1) It has nothing to do with my subject; 2) I don’t know enough about it; 3) I don’t feel comfortable talking about it; and 4) I don’t have the right materials,” he said.

LPI. The State of the Teacher Workforce: A State-by-State Analysis of the Factors Influencing Teacher Shortages, Supply, Demand, and Equity   This map highlights key factors available from national data that reflect and influence the supply and demand for teachers in each state, including conditions of teachers’ work and equitable access to qualified teachers.

NBC News. Conservatives are changing K-12 education, and one Christian college is at the center  Republican officials are turning to Hillsdale College in Michigan for teacher training, textbook reviews and a curriculum that celebrates American patriotism… “What’s appealing about Hillsdale is that there’s an off-the-shelf answer,” said Jeffrey Henig, a political scientist at Columbia University’s Teachers College. “So legislators can express their outrage at what they think has been going on, and say, ‘Look here, we have the answer, and it’s a low-cost thing.’”

News & Record. While succeeding in the classroom, some NC teachers can’t pass their licensure tests   Some teachers have proven themselves as effective teachers with how their students score on state exams, they but can’t pass their own required licensure tests, even with multiple attempts. One of the biggest tripwires has been the math test for elementary classroom teachers.

One Million Teachers of Color (1MToC). Welcome to the July edition of our newsletter!  We are thrilled to share the latest updates on the engagement and progress happening within the One Million Teachers of Color Campaign. Together, we are driving change and advancing educator diversity across the nation. 

The 74.
1) New Employment Data: 5 Things to Know About the State of the Education Workforce   New federal data shows fewer people work in schools, but job openings are filled quickly and most positions lost were part-time.
2) This Texas School is Training its Own Teachers. The Program Might Become a Model   The small district’s apprenticeship program lets aspiring teachers earn a bachelor’s degree and teacher certification at no cost.

The American Prospect. The Nightmare of American Public School Teaching: Moral injury is driving teachers out of the profession. Here’s how to help them stay.   Attrition (retirement and resignations) is soaring, and there are too few new recruits in the training pipeline… Universal public school is one of the best institutions America has ever built, and if teachers get the working conditions they need (both monetary and psychologically), the supply of teachers could start to grow.

Univ of Pittsburgh. New Summer Academy Will Nurture the “Genius, Joy, and Love” of Future Black Educators   “The importance of Black educators cannot be overstated,” says Valerie Kinloch, Professor and Renée and Richard Goldman Endowed Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Education… Kinloch hopes many choose to pursue a career in education. Some may enroll in Pitt Education’s new Bachelor of Science in Teacher Education program, which begins in fall 2023. 

U.S. Dept of Education.
1) Education, Labor Departments Announce New Efforts to Advance Teacher Preparation Programs and Expand Registered Apprenticeships for Educators   The U.S. Departments of Education and Labor today announced a series of new efforts to expand Registered Apprenticeships for educators and invest in teacher preparation programs… The Department of Education also announced new awards totaling more than $27 million to support these efforts, including: *$14.5 million in Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grants. These awards are intended to improve the quality of prospective and new teachers by improving educator preparation programs and supports for new teachers.  *$12.7 million in Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) funds to support the implementation of evidence-based practices that prepare, develop, or enhance the skills of educators. 
2) Raise the Bar Policy Brief: Eliminating Educator Shortages through Increased Compensation, High-Quality and Affordable Educator Preparation and Teacher Leadership

NEW YORK STATE
Daily Sentinel. Utica University Educator Preparation Program receives national accreditation   The Utica University Educator Preparation Program has recently earned national accreditation from The Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) for all undergraduate and graduate programs.

NY Daily News. Yeshivas under local review may use religious programs to show compliance: State Education Department   Core subjects such as reading and writing or math must be taught in English, or help students make progress toward English fluency. Such courses require a “competent” teacher, which can be demonstrated through optional certifications, professional development or during observations by reviewers, among other ways.

New York State Education Department.  Office of Higher Education Educator Preparation Newsletter July 2023
1) Board of Regents July Items:  Initial Reissuance, Provisional Renewal, and Time Extension. School Counselor.
2) Educator Guide to the 2024 Elementary- And Intermediate-Level Science Tests Available
3) Internship Certificate Webpage Update

NYTimes. As States Confront a Reading Crisis in Schools, New York Lags Behind   Nearly every state in the nation has passed laws on reading and literacy, a recent analysis found…But at the state level, New York, once a national leader in education reform, is behind, according to a growing chorus of experts, families and educators… In Albany, lawmakers are expected to reintroduce several reading-related bills that were not brought to full votes this year. They include legislation to … mandate that state teacher education programs offer instruction in the science of reading.

Spectrum News 1. It’s more difficult to retain N.Y.’s teachers of color, according to new analysis   New York state has already invested in teacher support, including financial incentives, student loan relief and programs like “Grow Your Own.” Smink wants greater investments in these programs as well as teacher residency programs, including the “Teacher Opportunity Corps.”

NEW YORK CITY
Gothamist. NYC served up a flawed teachers test decades ago. It’s cost us $850M and counting.   At issue were a series of tests for acquiring and retaining teaching licenses in the city, including the National Teacher Examination Core Battery, or NTE, and its successor, the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test, or LAST… “In practice then, the city and state used the LAST not to determine whether teachers should be allowed to teach, but rather to determine their level of compensation and benefits,” the plaintiffs argued in legal papers.

NY Daily News. Longstanding CUNY program helps keep students enrolled: NYC comptroller audit   “The Discovery Program shows that a little bit of support goes a long way in enabling CUNY students to become the next generation of teachers, nurses, building operators and technologists,” said Comptroller Brad Lander in a statement, “who will teach, heal and build the future of our city.”

NYPost. Black, Hispanic NYers who failed teacher’s test strike $1.8B in NYC settlement   It’s the largest legal payout in city history.
As of Friday, 225 people who failed the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test used for teacher licensing from 1994 to 2014 had already been notified they’re getting settlements of at least $1 million, according to an analysis of Manhattan federal court records.

Patch. Harlem Teacher Wins $25K Award For Excellence: Secures $10K For School  William “Billy” Green is a chemistry teacher at the A. Phillip Randolph Campus High School at West 135th Street [and a PhD student in Science Education at Teachers College].