GLOBAL
Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Looming Jewish teacher shortage prompts new accelerated training in well-known Jerusalem program Instead of requiring two years in Israel with monthlong student-teaching stints along the way, Pardes is offering an accelerated program that requires just one year of intense study in Jerusalem followed by a second year of teacher training in schools in North America.
New Indian Express. IIT-Bhubaneswar to offer integrated teacher training course The four-year dual undergraduate degree offering BA BEd/BSc BEd and BCom BEd will be launched next year and IIT-Bhubaneswar is currently working out modalities for the purpose.
UNESCO. Transforming teacher education for improved foundational learning The Spotlight report reminded us that there are insufficient teachers with even the basic training on the continent: on average, there are 56 primary school pupils for every trained teacher in sub-Saharan Africa… Having a basic training qualification may not be enough. Teaching at lower grades is as complex as teaching at higher grades, if not more so. Yet, preparation to teach in early grades is largely absent from initial teacher education programmes.
UNITED STATES
AACTE.
1) Illinois State Receives $800,000 IBHE Grant to Support Teacher Education Illinois State University was awarded a grant of more than $800,000 by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) to support the ongoing education of early childhood teachers. The funds are part of the $3.37 million awarded in IBHE Early Childhood Faculty Preparation Grants.
2) IUP Receives $1.19 Million to Address Need for STEM High School Teachers The goal of the program is to recruit, prepare, and support 20 undergraduate STEM majors who opt to pursue teacher certification as part of their undergraduate degree, rather than just a science or math content degree, Travis said. Qualified students in the program can apply for funding to help them complete programs preparing them for STEM education careers.
3) NCTR’s BEI Releases Education Policy Report to Better Support Black Educators The National Center for Teacher Residencies’ (NCTR) Black Educators Initiative (BEI) recently released a report… “Doing Better for Black Educators: Six Policy Recommendations for Improving the Recruitment and Preparation of Black Educators,” provides six policy recommendations and action steps that are meant to help teacher preparation programs…
AL.com. Alabama added 32 new teachers after temporary change to Praxis score In July, the state board voted to accept lower Praxis scores in exchange for higher GPAs and passage of the EdTPA… If a teacher scores within one standard error measure of the cut score, they can get their certificate if they have at least a 2.75 GPA in their subject area and pass the edTPA.
California State University, San Bernardino. Project Impact | Minority Male Teacher Pipeline Program Project Impact aims to significantly increase diversity in the teacher pool through intentional outreach and recruitment toward the K-12 teaching profession in the Inland Empire and beyond. With a special focus on underrepresented minorities and African American males, the College of Education will recruit scholars into Project Impact and prepare these student teachers…
Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). 2023 NATIONAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR, REBECKA PETERSON Rebecka is a proud immigrant of Swedish-Iranian descent and lived in several countries… Before joining the faculty at Union High School, Rebecka taught for three years at the collegiate level. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Oklahoma Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of South Dakota.
Education Next. The Stubborn Myth of “Learning Styles” …research shows that in 29 states, government-distributed test-preparation materials on high-stakes certification exams include the debunked theory of “learning styles,” which holds that matching instruction to students’ preferred mode of learning—seeing, listening, or physically engaging in content-aligned activities, for example—is beneficial.
Education Week.
1) Parents, Teachers Agree: Math Matters, But Schools Must Make It Relevant The findings support the organization’s vision for improving math instruction, Hughes said. The Gates Foundation wants to: … *Support preservice teacher education and ongoing professional development to help teachers use those materials.
2) ‘Poor for the Rest of Your Life’: Negative Messages Can Deter Prospective Teachers …forthcoming research from the University of Maryland, which was presented at the American Educational Research Association conference here this week. The researchers analyzed the role of social messages in undergraduate prospective teachers’ intent to teach, as well as Black undergraduates’ perception of the cost and benefits of a teaching career… The researchers called for policymakers, the media, and teachers themselves to spread encouraging messages about teaching and—in the case of policymakers—combat some of the barriers in order to attract more candidates.
3) Should Cybersecurity Be a Graduation Requirement? This State Thinks So Now, North Dakota is requiring all students master either cybersecurity or computer science content to graduate. … the state assembly allowed for a certification in computer science or cybersecurity to be added to teachers’ licenses. That will help North Dakota tackle one of the biggest barriers to expanding computer science and cybersecurity education nationally: a dearth of trained educators in those fields.
4) When It Comes to SEL, Administrators and Teachers See Things Differently … temporary teaching licenses has also gone up over that time… now about 20 percent of teachers have provisional licenses. That means they haven’t had the same amount of training or completed the same kind of coursework that fully licensed teachers have.
Fox News. Nevada school district implements training program that certifies certain teachers as ‘safe staff’ A school district in Nevada implemented a training program that certifies certain teachers as “safe staff member[s] to discuss matters pertaining to sensitive topics,” who upon completion of a specific training receive a placard to display in their classroom indicating they are an “ally,” according to district documents…
Hechinger Report.
1) Inside a growing federal effort to prepare students for cybersecurity careers “We need to educate the teachers on how to educate the students … on how to secure their devices, their information.”… “As we build awareness, we can also then fuel the pipeline of talent, fuel the pipeline of teachers who are going to bring that talent to work readiness.”
2) Black male teachers were my father figures. They changed my life, and we need more of them …we partner with nearby universities to hire qualified Black and Latino college students as substitute teachers and pair them with experienced school staff for mentoring. Once they earn their bachelor’s degrees, these substitutes can earn full teaching certificates through the state’s alternate teacher pathway and return to College Achieve.
3) PROOF POINTS: No-limits borrowing for graduate school pushed prices up for all … a team of economists has found evidence that subsidized loans have been a major reason why tuition has soared in one sector of higher education: graduate school… in 2006, the Republican-controlled Congress effectively eliminated all limits on loans for graduate school with the creation of the Graduate PLUS loan program. Students could borrow as much as their graduate programs cost, including fees, books, supplies and living expenses. The idea was to help more middle- and low-income Americans afford graduate programs, ranging from master’s degrees in education and social work to professional degrees…
Illinois Newsroom. Bill calls for review of teacher licensing standards Bennett is the lead sponsor of Senate Bill 1488, which passed unanimously out of the Senate March 30 and now awaits action in the House. It would continue the suspension of the edTPA through Aug. 31, 2025. It would also establish a task force to evaluate teacher performance assessment systems and make recommendations to the State Board of Education and the General Assembly by Aug. 1, 2024.
Muddy River News. Bill calls for review of teacher licensing standards in Illinois; task force would look at use of edTPA exam Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel, D-Shorewood, a cosponsor of the bill, said she has concerns that edTPA is so rigorous and intensive that it could deter some people from ever trying to become a teacher.
NEA News. Gen Z: The Most Pro-Union Generation On college campuses across the country, Aspiring Educators are increasing union membership to ensure future teachers the network and support they need now.
New York Times.
1) Kids Can’t Read’: The Revolt That Is Taking On the Education Establishment The movement, under the banner of “the science of reading,” is targeting the education establishment: school districts, literacy gurus, publishers and colleges of education, which critics say have failed to embrace the cognitive science of how children learn to read.
2) There Are Better Ways to Study That Will Last You a Lifetime You would think that comprehensive knowledge of how children learn would be part of teacher education, and most programs do require a course in educational psychology or child development, but the impact seems limited. Teachers in training don’t know the best study strategies, either. State lawmakers can help by reviewing teacher licensing examinations. Most require knowledge of principles of learning, but the expectations are low and many even refer to scientifically discredited ideas like so-called learning styles.
Racquet Press. “They haven’t done anything”: Student leaders speak on the UWL School of Education I want to reiterate how much we appreciate our professors and how much we love our professors. When people say that La Crosse has a really good education program, they are referring to the professors… We love our professors; we hate the administration. The administration has been so incredibly disappointing, letting everyone down, and screwing everyone over. They are making everyone’s life so much more difficult…
The74. ‘U.S. Education Is a Challenged Space’: In Exclusive 74 Interview, Bill Gates Talks Learning Recovery, AI and His Big Bet on Math Powered by $1.1 billion in new investments, the philanthropic giant will work with its partners to devise better curricular materials, improve teacher training and professional development…
Washington Post.
1) AI can’t teach children to learn. What’s missing? In public school systems like the one where my children are taught and I teach, there are chronic staffing shortages. Many parents don’t have the resources — in time, money or energy — to teach their kids at home. If a bot could fill the gaps … how great, right? Yet the atomized nature of AI “teaching” as it currently exists means that students merely level up without learning. When it comes to cultivating intelligence, nothing can beat what we humans have been doing, face to face, for centuries.
2) Climate deniers ejected from teachers conference for deceptive comic book When coalition members requested a booth at the convention, they signed a contract certifying that their materials were consistent with the association’s position statement on the teaching of climate science, NSTA executive director Erika Shugart said in an email. But then they violated the contract…
3) Florida bans teaching about gender identity in all public schools Teachers who violate the ban could see their teaching licenses suspended or revoked, per the rule… “This is the kind of [thing] that drives teachers from classrooms,” said Heather Hill, a professor of teacher learning and practice at Harvard.
4) Okla. church denied in bid for first publicly funded U.S. religious school Some have also raised concerns that such a school, which explicitly plans to hire Catholic teachers, would be free to break civil rights law, including possibly discriminating against religious minorities and LGBTQ people. (Other Catholic schools in the nation can admit only Catholic families and only hire Catholic employees because they are privately funded.)
NEW YORK STATE
NYSED Board of Regents April Meetings
Higher Education
Proposed Amendment …Relating to the Initial Reissuance, Provisional Renewal, and Time Extension Requirements The Department is proposing to revise the Initial Reissuance, Provisional Renewal, and Time Extension requirements to ensure that educators have an opportunity to extend the validity period of their certificates during extenuating circumstances that may prevent them from completing the requirements for the Professional or Permanent certificate. Since the Time Extension is only an option for three years after a certificate expires, the proposed amendment removes this limited option for Initial and Provisional certificate holders, and instead, allows these certificate holders to obtain up to two reissuances/renewals with more flexible eligibility requirements. This flexibility should increase the pool of qualified educators during this time of educator shortages… Following the 60-day public comment period required under the State Administrative Procedure Act, it is anticipated that the proposed amendment will be presented to the Board of Regents for adoption at its July 2023 meeting
Proposed Amendment… Relating to the Deadline to Apply and Qualify for the Provisional School Counselor Certificate The proposed amendment would provide appropriate flexibility for qualified candidates who completed a registered program leading to Provisional School Counselor certification, as well as candidates who may still be matriculating in this type of program but will complete it by February 2, 2024. This will ensure that these candidates can seamlessly obtain Provisional certification so that there will be a larger pool of candidates to provide school counselor services… the emergency rule will become effective April 18, 2023.
NEW YORK CITY
Chalkbeat. Meet the principal of NYC’s first district school exclusively for students who struggle to read Bethany Poolman… taught in District 9 in the Bronx for 10 years at a middle school [as a] special education teacher. I had a lot of students who really struggled to read who were really behind grade level. I was Wilson trained [a more structured approach to literacy instruction],.. It’s a new school, so everyone needs to apply. It has yet to be posted, so when it’s officially posted, any licensed teacher can apply.
Gothamist. Council pushes to restore arts programs at NYC public schools Council members said the proposal aims to reverse reductions to arts programs at “many schools,” and would increase the per-student arts allocation from $80 to $100. The funding would also support arts teacher training and certification, according to the proposal.
Teachers College. Convocation 2023: Meet This Year’s Honored Speakers Dr. Miguel Cardona, United States Secretary of Education. appointment to the Department of Education under President Biden in March 2021…informed by his background as a public school teacher and principal. Cardona will receive the TC honor and address graduates, families and guests on Wednesday, May 17 during the College’s ceremony for the departments of Mathematics, Science & Technology, and Organization & Leadership.
