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A Response to Secretary Duncan’s Speech at the University of Virginia
I read with disappointment Secretary Duncan's speech at the University of Virginia on October 9. While I applaud the Administration's recognition of teaching as an honorable profession, I am sorry the focus of the speech was, once again, on shopworn criticisms of educator preparation programs. I look to Secretary Duncan to lead us into the future by informing and encouraging a vision of how it should be.
There are numerous examples of colleges of education that have successfully implemented reforms. They have increased the rigor of content preparation – in fact virtually all states require a content major (such as math or chemistry) in the content area of the teacher candidate. Programs have focused on preparing teachers to use student assessment data to inform their instruction. Programs have expanded their focus on clinical preparation, particularly in urban and rural hard-to-staff areas, and they have developed teacher residency programs – as is clearly seen in the recent 172 applications for Teacher Quality Partnership Grants. Programs have developed innovative partnerships with industry and the arts and sciences to prepare math and science teachers. Programs have been redesigned to ensure that all teachers have the skills needed to effectively instruct students with disabilities and ELL students. And, it is important to note, these reforms benefit alternate route candidates as well, since the vast majority of such programs are run by schools and colleges of education.
Does educator preparation need to change? Yes. But the reality is that it already IS changing. The Secretary needs to cite the reforms mentioned above as beacons for the future. He needs to invest in these reforms with Race to the Top and I3 funds. And he needs to use his office to inspire reformers in the educator preparation profession to keep working. Also, the Secretary must be very clear that programs that are unresponsive to reform will not remain anonymous and unbothered by the urgent needs of our economy and communities.
I am glad the Department has acknowledged that the only way to change educator preparation systemically is to work with colleges of education where 90% of tomorrow's teachers are prepared. This is encouraging, as it too often seems that boutique alternate route programs consume much of the space on the policy agenda.
I look forward to continuing the dialogue with Secretary Duncan and his colleagues in the Administration, and I hope that the upcoming speech at Teachers College reflects a path forward that is informed by a rigorous analysis of our challenges and opportunities.
Sharon P. Robinson
President and CEO
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... that AACTE has a comprehensive list of links to online education news and blog sites?
Comments
Still, to be honest, we face challenges. We have a sound instrument based on solid research of effective teaching we use for observation of our student teachers. Efficient use of such an instrument depends on advanced training for the observers so student teachers (and other clinical experiences) get consistent and constant feedback on how to improve. We must develop a sustainable model for training that fits with our faculty contract.
We place over 500 student teachers in eighty-seven schools districts each year. That, plus the hundreds of pre-student teaching candidates going in schools puts a strain on our school partners. We are exploring use of the technology to make real time observations in classrooms from the University classrooms. We are exploring student teaching and other activities for teachers-in-training in the cyber-schools.
We face a recruiting challenge in our Education School. With the University pay scale lower than surrounding school systems’ pay scale for teachers, recruiting top level faculty is challenging. We must do something about that.
Our baby boomer faculty members, who include the author of this article, have no experience with data-based decision-making routine in schools today because the data were so questionable and generally poorly accessed, the skill was never required. Today, our schools are awash with data. New faculty recruited must make use of data in instructional decision-making routine.
Ditto for the skills of communicating constantly and digitally. Although many of us in the baby-boomers generation use our iPhones and social networking sites, our replacements must be fluent in the digital age.
Secretary Duncan began his remarks at Columbia with a reference to John Dewey. As the Secretary knows, John Dewey was famous for his idea to hold more than one idea at once. Such thinking is needed for our nation’s schools and the colleges that prepare their teachers. As a T-shirt on a student I saw today said, “All it takes is all you got.”
Darrell Garber
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Quote
The only real way to reverse such an inaccurate perspective of our work is to get the Secretary to see firsthand the work we are doing. I have invited the Secretary to come see our programs at the University of North Florida. I think many of us need to send such invitations to the Secretary. Hopefully, he will take the time to get out to some of our programs. Quote
We've had positive meetings with Secretary Duncan and his staff over the last several months and are hopeful that his speech this Thursday at Teachers College will be a more balanced one. We have provided suggestions for the upcoming speech. While the UVA speech was disappointing, in other speeches he has made he has talked about the importance of working with schools of education and has acknowledged the crucial role they play in the education profession. While he hears from AACTE and its members about the innovative work happening in SCDEs he is also hearing from teachers who have been unhappy with their preparation. Thus, we must continue to communicate regularly with the Department, and our members should invite the Secretary and his staff to their campuses to see what is really happening in preparation programs. You are right, we need to highlight the significant work our members will do thru the Teacher Quality Partnerships Grants. Quote
Education has received more funding than at any time in recent history, and we are using the Teacher Quality Partnerships to produce desired change.
I have two questions:
1) Is it possible to get ahead of speeches like this so that WE (AACTE) can help shape what goes into the Secretary's comments "before" the fact.
2)How do we CLEARLY show the changes that ARE taking place for the Public and the Obama Administration to see.
Renee A. Middleton, Dean
Ohio University Quote
Secondly, it seems important to raise the issue that graduate programs for teachers are essential, just as continuing education is important for doctors. We need to support teachers to return to school after 3-5 years of teaching to delve into reading and literacy, special ed, educational technology, early childhood, etc. If there were funding to support more teachers returning to school, and then support of true coaching programs, we could improve our schools immeasurably. Studies show that it is the teacher that makes the difference. We need to invest more in our teachers…not less. Quote
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