GLOBAL
Guernsey Press. On-island teacher training to be available to more people The one-year on-island teacher training course will now be open to anyone who is an undergraduate or has a degree, where previous schemes were restricted to graduates already working in education… Education president Andrea Dudley-Owen said the new course, which will be offered from September, would train a new generation of local teachers.
India Today. Importance of action research in teacher education programs Evidence seems to indicate that if aspiring teachers are not introduced to research projects during their initial teacher training, it gets difficult for them to acquire research skills during their role as classroom teachers.
Irish Examiner. Girls being pushed into taking ‘softer’ subjects in schools Girls are still being pushed into ‘softer’ subjects as some post-primary schools still find it challenging to provide them with a wide choice of STEM subjects. Schools are also experiencing “real issues” when it comes to recruiting qualified teachers to teach critical STEM subjects, including Junior Cert science, and Leaving Cert physics, chemistry, and computer science.
Irish Times. Narrowing number of teacher training providers will add to staff crisis – Labour Shadow education minister Stephen Morgan questioned why the Government had removed a quarter of teacher training providers from its accredited list as the country faces a “teacher recruitment and retention crisis”.
UNITED STATES
AACTE. Monika Williams Shealey of Rowan University Becomes AACTE Board Chair During her one-year term, Shealey will support AACTE and President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone, Ed.D., in implementing the Association’s strategic goals, elevating education and education preparation; prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); and advancing the educator profession—during a year in which AACTE will celebrate its 75th anniversary.
Chalkbeat.
1) Bill to clarify Tennessee school library law would exempt classroom book collections from scrutiny Teachers who are trained to teach children to read should be trusted to provide high-quality, age-appropriate books in their classrooms, Yarbro said. That’s the way that Alice Irvin sees it, too… “As a highly trained teacher, I find this law insulting,” said Irvin, who has 1,300 titles in her classroom collection.
2) Newark schools would get nearly $1.2 billion in state aid under Murphy’s 2024 budget plan The administration also aims to help districts address the staffing shortage crisis seen statewide by committing $10 million in stipends for student teachers, $5 million to waive teacher certification fees, $1 million to develop local partnerships for paraprofessional training, and other initiatives.
Dallas Morning News. Texas must pay teachers more, train them like doctors, task force finds Teacher residency programs – similar to those for doctors – could bolster training for educators and stem turnover.
Education Week.
1) A Conservative Teacher’s Take on ‘What Is Wrong With Our Schools’ The reading lists in university preparation programs need an overhaul. Progressives like John Dewey and critical pedagogues like Paulo Freire or Henry Giroux dominate education school curricula. They’re the equivalent of homeopathy or chakra enthusiasts on medical school websites. If any educational conservatives like E.D. Hirsch gets mentioned in these programs, it’s usually with derision. Getting more cognitive science or even a single conservative into the hands of prospective teachers would be a major win.
2) Supreme Court Will Decide Fate of Student Loan Relief: What Teachers Need to Know “Student debt relief will help remediate the crushing impact of COVID-19 on teachers, who must amass substantial debt to enter their profession and who often work at low wages,” the AFT brief said. “The prerequisites to become a teacher, which include both higher education and licensing requirements, leave the average teacher with an outstanding student loan debt balance of $58,500, with 1 in 8 owing more than $105,000.”
3) Teacher Pay Raise Proposals Are Gaining Bipartisan Support. What’s in Them? Districts need to be strategic in how they allocate pay increases, Goldhaber said. He favors policies that raise starting teacher salaries rather than salary increases across the board. That’s because that kind of policy is more likely to prevent young teachers from leaving in their first three to five years and motivate more college students to enter teaching.
4) The ‘Science of Reading’ Will Be a Big Topic at SXSWedu. Get Prepped With 3 Things to Know: It’s a timely topic after several years of state legislation that’s reshaped how reading is taught across the country. Since 2019, at least 25 states and the District of Columbia have mandated that schools follow evidence-based practices for teaching young children how to read…
5) Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff Meet 85+ Employers in a Single Day [March 30, 2:00 – 6:00 PM EDT]
Hechinger Report. Taking stock of tutoring: What we know about tutoring research, how many schools are providing tutoring and how it’s going so far …tutoring produces outsized gains in reading and math when it takes place daily, using paid, well-trained tutors who are following a proven curriculum or lesson plans that are linked to what the student is learning in class… It’s expensive to hire and train tutors and this type of tutoring can cost schools $4,000 or more per student annually.
LPI. Strengthening Pathways Into the Teaching Profession in Texas: Challenges and Opportunities Research has found that teachers who are not fully prepared when they enter the profession—now a majority of newly hired Texas teachers—are, on average, both less effective and more likely to leave…the districts that have the most difficulty hiring fully prepared teachers are those that serve the most students of color and students from low-income families.
NYTimes. Teaching About a Year of War in Ukraine A collection of ideas grounded in Times resources to help students reflect on a year of war, consider its causes and effects, and ponder what’s next.
United Press International. Education Department announces $18M in grants to boost teacher diversity the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers For Excellence Program…supports comprehensive, high-quality teacher preparation programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and Minority Serving Institutions, according to the Department of Education.
USA Today. What happens to diversity when many teachers of color are new hires and layoffs come Thanks to recent efforts to diversify the teaching force, a relatively high percentage of rookie educators are people of color – meaning these “last in, first out” (LIFO) practices could derail some of that work
NEW YORK STATE
NYDailyNews
1) Another way for charter schools to expand Legislation: Albany should pass the Public Education Racial Equity And Diversity Act — or “READ Act” — … would also expand the number of minority teachers by exempting them from paying state and local income taxes, providing them college loan forgiveness, and permitting charters to offer alternative teacher licensing.
2) Improving teacher diversity in New York State We can start by eliminating barriers to recruitment and retention for teachers of color. Inadequate preparation when pursuing alternative routes to the profession, lack of ongoing support, racially biased or exclusionary content in teacher licensure exams, and unnecessary hurdles all contribute to an inequitable landscape, according to LPI. It’s imperative that schools and educator preparation programs in colleges and universities work together to reimagine professional preparation possibilities in an inclusive, accessible way that removes unnecessary barriers of time and location.
NYSED.
1) Announcement of Funding Opportunity 2023-28: New York State My Brother’s Keeper Teacher Opportunity Corps (TOC) II The purpose of TOC II is to increase the participation rate of historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged individuals in teaching careers… The allocation for 2023-2028 is expected to be $3,000,000 annually. [deadline: March 13, 2023]
2) The Office of Higher Education (OHE) February newsletter
A. BOARD OF REGENTS FEBRUARY ITEMS *Indigenous Culture and Language Studies Certificate *Student Teaching
B. NYSTCE MULTI-SUBJECT: TEACHERS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD (BIRTH-GRADE 2) – PART TWO: MATHEMATICS TEST *Revised Framework *Redeveloped Test
3) Written Testimony of Commissioner Dr. Betty A. Rosa New York State Education Department Joint Legislative Higher Education Budget Hearing February 27, 2023 A critical initiative aimed at modernizing the systems and supports for more effective and responsive teacher certification has begun. The 2022-23 enacted budget provided $1.35 million in appropriation authority for the first year of TEACH2 system modernization… Several programs that are also designed to address teacher shortages and help diversify the pipeline include: Teacher Opportunity Corps II (TOC II)… Teacher Diversity Pipeline Pilots… Teachers of Tomorrow…
New York State Register Vol. XLV/Issue 9 March 1, 2023. Student Teaching Requirements for Registered Teacher Preparation Programs and Through the Individual Evaluation Pathway (p. 30ff.) The new student teaching requirements include a “limited exemption” for experienced teachers who are enrolled in a graduate program leading to certification for one or more certificates. Teachers who qualify for the limited exemption are exempt from the clinical experience clock-hour requirement and the full-semester student teaching requirement. To qualify, teachers must have either: (1) completed a New York State registered teacher preparation program prior to enrollment in the graduate program and hold an Initial and/or Professional teacher certificate, (2) hold National Board certification, or (3) have at least one year of effective teaching experience under a valid New York State or out-of-state teaching certificate. With the limited exemption, candidates complete at least 50 clock hours of student teaching or practica (unless otherwise prescribed in the specific program requirements) that includes a focus on the applicable program specific pedagogical core requirements for the certificate title. The student teaching or practica must occur with actual students in educational settings appropriate to the certificate title sought. [Data, views or arguments may be submitted to: William P. Murphy, Deputy Commissioner, NYS Education Department, Office of Higher Education, 89 Washington Avenue, Room 975 EBA, Albany, NY 12234, (518) 473-3781, email: [email protected] Public comment will be received until: 45 days after publication of this notice]
NEW YORK CITY
Bank Street College.
1) Webinar: Cultivating Powerful Mentorship in Educator Credential Programs [Mar 7, 4:00 PM]
2) Online Pre-Service Co-Teaching Workshop [Wed, Mar 29 1:00 PM EDT]
City and State. New York City schools to create working group on phasing in smaller class sizes: Parents, school leaders and advocates are being asked about their interest in joining the effort in a new survey released today. New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Banks meanwhile attest that the measure will cost the city hundreds of millions of additional dollars to hire more teachers and add more classrooms to meet requirements… according to Banks…the education department believes the city will need to hire 7,000 new teachers to follow the law.
