GLOBAL
AACTE. Cross-Cultural Collaboration: How EPPs Can Foster Relationships with International Partners [Webinar: Wednesday, September 20 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. E.T.]
Financial Express (India). Nurturing Educators for a Transformed Tomorrow: Reflections on Teacher Education and Empowerment The 2023-24 budget finally focuses on revitalizing teacher education, particularly District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs).
International Council on Education for Teaching (ICET). Teacher Voice Webinars: For 2023 we will be hosting the second Teacher Voice Webinars focusing on Future proofing education: learning from COVID-19 [Wednesday, 15 Nov. 11 am GMT AND Thursday 16 Nov. 3 am GMT]
UNITED STATES
AACTE. In the States: A Virginia High School Uses Online Teaching Program Due to Shortage …local news media outlets reported that more than 600 students at Chancellor High School in Spotsylvania County, Virginia are taking math and English courses using the online platform, Edgenuity, as the district grapples with vacant teaching positions… Currently, all of the Chancellor’s Algebra II courses are being taught using the online platform with substitute supervision.
Chalkbeat. More early childhood workers are attending colleges and university, report says The Illinois Early Childhood Access Consortium for eEquity’s first annual report, released on Wednesday, found that since 2020 about 500 additional students who already work in early childhood education have enrolled in bachelor’s degree and applied associate programs, an increase of about 18%.
EdSource. Nearly 100 parents in LA County are on the verge of becoming teachers through a new collaborative program The program is a new collaboration between the Los Angeles County Office of Education, UCLA, West LA College, Teachstone, Waldorf University and several local nonprofit organizations and school districts. Students can decide to complete their coursework at a campus of their choosing, depending on their individual needs.
EdWeek. U.S. Teachers Lag Behind Global Peers in Teaching About Sustainability. Here’s Why Another major barrier for teachers is a lack of training or expertise on these topics. While some districts and teacher-preparation programs have focused on climate change instruction, most do not.
Hechinger Report.
1) In an era of teacher shortages, we must embrace and develop new ways to unleash educator talent: Innovators are providing inspiration that could energize the teaching profession and transform our nation’s public schools Fortunately, some innovators are providing inspiration. In addition to the rise of “grow your own” teacher preparation programs, organizations like Arizona State University and Public Impact are creating new pathways and more collaborative, team-based staffing models, including paid residencies; the Alder Graduate School of Education is partnering with school systems to upskill diverse teacher candidates through a year-long residency model.
2) Teachers conquering their math anxiety: Early childhood educators can build a strong math foundation for students when they build their own confidence It isn’t a coincidence that a lot of early elementary teachers lack confidence in their own math abilities, said McCray of Erikson. Sometimes, their lack of confidence is why they go into early ed in the first place. When college students go to their advisors and tell them they want to be a teacher, but aren’t good at math, McCray said they are often encouraged to teach the early grades.
InsideHigherEd. WVU Faculty Overwhelmingly Votes No Confidence in Gee, Calls for Freeze in Cuts Wednesday’s votes came despite WVU’s walking back several of the preliminary recommendations after national outcry and an official academic unit appeals process. For example, WVU officials rescinded an earlier proposal to ditch the university’s master’s degrees in creative writing, acting and special education.
NJ.com. ‘It isn’t pretty at all.’ N.J. school districts scramble to fill vacancies. In June, the Legislature passed the 2023-24 state budget, which includes $20 million for addressing the school staffing shortage. … $1 million to develop local partnerships for paraprofessional training, $800,000 for a teacher apprenticeship program, and $500,000 to expand a program to train teachers to be leaders.
USA Today. American classrooms need more educators. Can virtual teachers step in to bridge the gap? …there is, at a minimum, one teacher in the room… These adults are often paraprofessionals or aides or teachers-in-training who don’t have the requisite training to lead a physics class. Students with virtual teachers often say they like the classes but would prefer the instruction to be in-person… Some critics describe the trend as, to borrow Columbia University education Professor Samuel Abrams’ words, indicative “of a country that’s lost its way.”
WCAX. Vermont expanded child care subsidies now in effect “…programs have the resources that they need to step up to hire staff with the qualifications and training that are needed to provide high-quality care, and that it begins to strengthen and grow the system, so that more and more families are able to have their needs met,” said McLaughlin.
NEW YORK STATE
CNY Central. CNY school districts grapple with teacher shortages as new school year begins According to data from the New York State Teachers Union, enrollment in teacher education programs has declined by 53% since 2009… Capsello applauded the state for waiving what she deemed unnecessary edTPA requirements to become certified as a teacher in New York. Still, she said that there are still major hurdles, including master’s degree requirements and wage problems.
NYTimes. 8 Ways to Bring Birds and Birding Into Your Classroom The New York Times is running a citizen science birding project with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology… The Investigating Evidence teacher’s guide helps teachers walk students through the scientific process, and it includes an example of a student research project and resources for students to create their own investigator’s journal.
Yonkers Times. Assemblyman Sayegh’s Grow Your Own Education Legislation Signed into Law Assemblyman Nader Sayegh’s Legislation to encourage young people to become teachers has been signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul. The Legislation (A.68A) directs the commissioner of education to issue guidance to school districts for developing programs to attract underrepresented candidates into the teaching profession.
NEW YORK CITY
Associated Press (AP). An influx of migrant children tests the preparedness of NYC schools The huge public schools system has around 3,400 teachers licensed to teach English as a second language and more than 1,700 certified bilingual teachers fluent in Spanish, the language spoken by the majority of migrant families, according to Education Chancellor David C. Banks.
Chalkbeat.
1) 5 things we’re watching this school year in NYC *Asylum seekers continue arriving And once they arrive, many won’t attend schools with bilingual teachers. A report last year from the Independent Budget Office found that under half of the schools that enrolled asylum seekers last year had a certified bilingual teacher on staff, reflecting a long-running shortage. Banks has said new efforts are in the works to step up recruitment of bilingual teachers.
2) Here’s what NYC’s teacher workforce looks like as a new school year begins Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that New York state is investing $30 million in a teacher residency program that subsidizes the cost of master’s degrees and certification requirements for new teachers… Education Department officials pointed to some homegrown efforts to expand the new teacher pipeline, including a program that allows paraprofessionals to get their teaching license, and vocational classes to help high school students prepare to become teachers. But Weisberg said a big part of the pipeline problem is that “particularly in New York state, it’s really expensive to become a teacher.” A “big chunk” of would-be teachers can’t afford to get their credentials, he added.
EdWeek. Teachers College to ‘Dissolve’ Lucy Calkins’ Reading and Writing Project …the “science of reading” movement has picked up steam over the past few years. In general, that movement endorses a systematic, explicit approach to teaching students letters and sounds… Calkins’ Units of Study for Teaching Reading have long taken a different approach. The workshop-style curriculum prioritizes student choice and independent learning. Teachers demonstrate the skills and habits that good readers have, and then students practice them on their own in books of their choice, with teachers acting as guides.
NYPost. NYC rushes to enroll migrant students ahead of first day of school on Sept. 7 DOE Chancellor David Banks said last week that the program had allocated $110 million to the school’s “immediate requirements,” and said 3,400 English as a New Language licensed teachers and more than 1,700 teachers who are fluent in Spanish were on hand for the school year.
Teachers College.
1) Reimagine Resilience Workshop Registration earn 6 hours free CEUs or CTLEs from Teachers College, Columbia University. This training is free to all U.S. educators and educational staff through December 2023. Attend at TC or virtually.
2) Talking Racial Justice in Education, Solidarity and Radical Ideas with TC’s Bettina Love: Ahead of Love’s upcoming book on the horrors of school reform and how we can do better, we sat down with the William F. Russell Professor and racial justice scholar The best answer I have is to organize. Parents and teachers and students and folks who believe in justice, believe that teaching Black history is teaching American history, we have to be organized
3) These TC Health Grads Aim to Ignite Change Beyond the Classroom Meet Rollin Lau (M.S. ’23, Intellectual Disability/Autism) Lau works to serve students with disabilities as both an educator and a mentor. He is motivated by his time in the Jaffe Peace Corps Fellows Program and his diverse experiences teaching in NYC schools. “Applying to the Jaffe Peace Corps Fellows program has encouraged me to be a well-rounded resource to my students,” he explains.
4) What You Need to Know About the Book Bans Sweeping the U.S.: As school leaders pull more books off library shelves and curriculum lists amid a fraught culture war, we explore the impact, legal landscape and history of book censorship in schools. “We have to think about [the current bans] as part of a longer pattern of fights over what is in curriculum and what is kept out of it,” explains TC’s Ansley Erickson, Associate Professor of History and Education Policy, who regularly prepares local teachers on how to integrate Harlem history into social studies curriculum. “The United States’ history, since its inception, is full of uses of curriculum to shape politics, the economy and the culture,” says Erickson.