“TEACHER EDUCATION FOR 21ST CENTURY TEACHERS ” Reforming Teacher Preparation: Meeting the Challenges of the 21 st Century Dr. Adriane E. L. Dorrington National Education Association La Romain, Trinidad October 29 –

Education Challenges of the 21 st Century Greater Need for Education in Society and Economy Higher Standards for Learning More Diverse Students with Greater Educational Needs Greater Expectations for Schools to Ensure Success “TEACHER EDUCATION FOR 21ST CENTURY TEACHERS ” La Romain, Trinidad

The Critical Importance of Teacher Knowledge and Skills “What the evidence suggests most strongly is that teacher quality matters and should be a major focus of efforts to upgrade the quality of schooling. Skilled teachers are the most critical of all schooling inputs.” - Ronald Ferguson “Paying for Public Education: New Evidence on How and Why Money Matters.” Harvard Journal of Legislation, 28 (Summer 1991), pp ”

Influence of Teacher Qualification on Student Achievement Gains in Math Achievement from 3 rd to 5 th Grade Due to: Licensing, education, experience Developed from data presented in Ronald F. Ferguson, “Paying for Public Education: New Evidence on How and Why Money Matters.” Harvard Journal of Legislation, 28 (Summer 1991), pp ” ____________________________________ National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future, Doing What Matters Most, 1997

Although expert teachers are the greatest influence on learning, the challenges in the U.S. are many: Salaries are unequal Mentoring for new teachers is uneven Well-prepared teachers are unequally distribute Quality professional development is “hit and run” Time allocated for learning, collaboration, and preparation is scarce Teacher preparation is uneven and is offered by a variety providers

Teacher Continuum Recruitment and Retention Teacher Preparation Professional Development

Multiple Pipelines to Quality Teachers University-Based Blended Pipeline University-Based Fifth Year Pipeline Post-Baccalaureate Alternative Licensure Pipeline

Core elements of the Pipelines Obtain a bachelor’s degree that includes a liberal curriculum that ensures adequate basic skills in reading, writing, and computation Have preparation in and demonstration of subject matter knowledge in core teaching areas and have an academic major in that same teaching area

Core elements of the Pipelines Have preparation in and demonstration of professional and pedagogical skills, knowledge, and ability Participate in supervised clinical practice via an internship, student teaching, and/or mentoring programs

Core elements of the Pipelines Participate in a new teacher induction program that will include mentoring from a qualified teacher with support from other school personnel and university faculty Receive a full professional license only after demonstrating effective classroom practice as a teacher-of-record

Urban Teacher Residencies Strong 1-year long clinical component that is focused on student learning Serves school districts by preparing candidates who are skilled and knowledgeable about the district’s needs Integrates teacher preparation, induction, and school reform Targets diversity candidates, in shortage areas, and are highly competitive

Urban Teacher Residencies Academic programs wrapped around clinical practice that lead to a masters degree Resident learns alongside an experienced, trained, and well compensated teacher Builds professional learning communities that include community-based organizations

NEA Supports: Multiple pathways for entrance to the teaching profession and for attaining full licensure. National accreditation of teacher preparation programs (e.g. National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education - a proven leader in teacher education accreditation)..

NEA Supports: Teacher-led standards boards with authority to develop state preparation and licensure standards for all teachers Closing federal and state loopholes that allow unlicensed and/or unprepared teachers into classrooms.

NEA Supports: Rejecting testing-only approaches to licensure that allow teachers to enter classrooms without any demonstration of knowledge and skills needed for teaching. A tiered-licensure system that would grant “initial” licenses to new teachers and after several years of successful teaching would grant them a “professional” license.

Only high-quality teacher preparation programs can prepare the teachers that our students will need if they are to be successful in the 21 st Century!