GLOBAL
Brisbane Times. Education Minister blames ‘dud teachers’ for declining education results. Mr Robert said the federal government would seek to lift teacher quality by exercising control over the content of university teaching courses, which he said would be linked to government funding. He told the forum he wanted to see the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education students (LANTITE) moved forward to the first week of the first year of education degrees.
Education International. Senegal: Unions win pay rise At a high-level meeting with several ministers, the leaders of Senegal’s principal education unions reached agreement on several positive measures, namely a pay rise for education and training staff…
UNESCO. Supporting teachers in emergencies through crisis-sensitive policies Teacher policies that consider the implications of crisis on the profession can contribute to a motivated, quality workforce. Such policies are key to ensure that teachers are not just supported and protected but are also prepared to provide vulnerable children with safe learning spaces and quality education, and thus protecting this fundamental right for all.
UNITED STATES
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
1) AACTE’s National Portrait Sounds the Alarm on Declining Interest in Education Careers …second edition of Colleges of Education: A National Portrait. In addition to updating information on colleges of education and their leaders, faculty, and students, this edition features a special analysis on the contributions of community colleges to educator preparation.
2) Webinar to Highlight Key Findings from AACTE’s Signature Report This year, in addition to describing the work of colleges of education, the people who do that work, and the students they serve, the National Portrait includes a special analysis on the important contributions that community colleges make to educator preparation. [Monday, March 28 at 1:00 p.m. ET]
Chalkbeat. Philly superintendent finalist Watlington: Success begins with great teachers To encourage future teachers, “we should be identifying kids as early as middle school” as strong candidates for the profession, he said. And he suggested using public and private funds to pay for these students to go to college, then have them return to teach in the Philadelphia school district for four years once they graduate.
EdWeek. Emerging Strategies In Teaching And Learning This report looks at key teaching strategies that educators think have staying power, including: instructional acceleration; flexible or expanded learning time; and new approaches to building student leadership and academic habits….
Illinois State Univ. Illinois State University coordinates the Illinois Tutoring Initiative in partnership with state agencies All tutors across the state are trained via modules created by ISU faculty and staff… The College of Education at ISU is the largest preparer of teachers in the Midwest and the 4th largest preparer of teachers in the nation. One in six Illinois teachers graduated from ISU.
NJ.com. ‘On hold for an hour.’ Aspiring N.J. teachers say getting certified can be frustrating. Earlier this month, the NJEA joined eight other organizations asking the state to remove the edTPA. The state Senate is currently considering a bill to no longer require passing the assessment to get certified… The Senate Education Committee last week voted unanimously to advance the bill (S896) — which supporters say will help districts hire more teachers.
Washington Post.
1) High school Socratic program helped turn former student into district leader: Superintendent Lamont Jackson in San Diego understands how disadvantaged students can succeed by asking many questions One sign of its successes is the selection of veteran administrator Lamont Jackson to be the new superintendent of the 135,000-student San Diego Unified School District. Thirty-eight years ago Jackson was a student in Swanson’s AVID class… Jackson earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and social studies from San Diego State University, and a master’s and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of San Diego…
2) Teachers to culture warriors: Stop treating us as enemies The statement was issued by four professional organizations for teachers — the National Council for the Social Studies, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the National Science Teaching Association — as well as the National Coalition Against Censorship… The truth is that teachers are uniquely important leaders who, in educating current and new generations of students, bear responsibility for this country’s future. They are trained professionals with one of the hardest and most demanding jobs, a job that requires deep commitment, but brings little financial reward.
NEW YORK STATE
InsideHigherEd. Looking for a New Accreditor: Five New York colleges are seeking accreditation from an agency outside their region—among the first to do so since the Trump administration changed the rules to allow it. Others will likely follow. Rockefeller University, Gerstner Sloan-Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Richard Gilder Graduate School of the American Museum of Natural History [MAT Earth Science Residency] need to find a new accreditor soon, because their former accreditor, the New York State Department of Education, is leaving the business.
Newsday. LI’s teachers are overwhelmingly white and mostly female — but resignations, retirements could change that Solages is the sponsor of state legislation that would require transparent job postings of openings in all districts. And, she and other members of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus have called on Long Island-based institutions of higher education “to apply for and implement the Teacher Opportunity Corps II program at the soonest possible opportunity in order to expand diversity in teaching careers.” The Teacher Opportunity Corps is a state grant program meant to support a diverse enrollment for aspiring teachers…
New York State My Brother’s Keeper. TOC II Spotlight: Nazareth College Another initiative underway is a newly formed collaborative of more than 20 students, alumni, faculty, and staff participating in the Zinn Education Project’s national Teaching for Black Lives Teacher Study Group. A prime focus of the initiative is to translate concepts to action and education in a specific, local context… this project is designed to provide students with knowledge and support as they embark upon careers in teaching as agents of change.
New York Times. Child Care: New York’s Next Big-Ticket Budget Priority Part of the reason for the three-year phase-in period, proponents say, is that there are not enough providers to meet the demand the new law would create. Lawmakers hope that with training programs and drastically increased reimbursement rates, the industry will begin to recover and attract new labor.
Spectrum News/NY1.
1) Expansion of Tuition Assistance Program could help CUNY and SUNY students As budget negotiations continue ahead of the April 1 deadline, Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing expanding the Tuition Assistance Program to include part-time CUNY and SUNY students. That could be a game changer for New York residents who aren’t taking classes full-time.
2) State Education Department aims to ease teacher certification requirements, as shortages continue NYSED says the proposed amendment is expected to be presented to the Board of Regents for adoption at their April 2022 meeting. If the board adopts the proposal, New York State-registered teacher preparation programs would have until September 1, 2023 to integrate a teacher performance assessment into teacher candidates’ student teaching or similar clinical experience.
NEW YORK CITY
New York Post. Schools of Rock: Punk-rock Councilman demands music classes for all Brooklyn punk-turned-pol Justin Brannan, a member of two world-touring bands and a former special assistant to the schools chancellor, introduced a resolution earlier this month calling on DOE to guarantee kindergarten- to fifth-graders are adequately educated in art and music… notes that only 46% of city public elementary schools have a full-time certified music teacher, and only 43% have a full-time certified arts teacher.
Teachers College.
1) 2022 Training: September 26-October 31 A Sex Education Initiative: Providing Teachers and Youth Educators With Essential Training, Materials, And Community. [Applications Now Open] This fully-funded professional development program from Teachers College, Columbia University trains teachers to update and innovate their current approach to Sexual & Reproductive Health (SRH) education
2) Teachers College Names Professor of Education Celia Oyler Vice Dean for Teacher Education Oyler will provide strategic leadership and advocacy for teacher education practice, policy, and research at the College and oversee activities and initiatives of the Office of Teacher Education and other centers and offices which support teacher education. The appointment presents an opportunity for Oyler to expand on established partnerships that advance inquiry, research, curriculum-making, inclusive instruction and culturally-sustainable learning to support education equity in schools across New York City and, indeed, the nation.
