Quality Teaching and Learning: Teachers and their profession Elizabeth B. Kozleski University of Colorado - Denver

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Quality Teaching and Learning: Teachers and their profession Teacher practice and its link to student outcomes Professional Learning and its link to student outcomes Retaining the best and brightest in teaching

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities 87,000 Public Schools 5.75 Million Students identified for Special Education Services 3 out of 4 children identified for special education services are served in general education classrooms 350 languages & dialects spoken in the New York City Schools 57 million students 40% of all students are from non- anglo ethnicities 7 out of 10 teachers are female 9 out of 10 teachers are anglo or white Teaching all the Children

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities National Policy Context No Child Left Behind (NCLB): P-12 National Board for Professional Teaching (NBPTS): P-12 and IHE Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) IDEA ’03: The Presidential Commission on Special Education, Disproportionality

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities CaliforniaColoradoFlorida Highly Qualified Teachers Definition P Draft Definition N Has eliminated tests of basic skills. Y DOE issued memo that details state's compliance with "highly qualified" definition in NCLB. Subject Matter Competence P Subject competencies in place for initial certification. Y Provisionally licensed teachers hold a bachelor's degree or higher and demonstrate thorough knowledge of the subject matter to be taught and the competencies required for teaching. Y State tests subject matter competence for initial certification and renewal of certification (every five years). No Child Left Behind

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Test for New Elementary Teachers Y Y Limits the Colorado educator assessment program to content tests only. Y State requires passing score on skills and subject matter exam sections. Highly Qualified Teacher in Every Classroom P Districts have been notified of requirement, and measurable objective is being developed. N No an annual measurable objective to ensure all teachers are highly qualified by N Florida is in planning stage. High Quality PD N Not evident in policy or practice. N ECS could not identify an annual measurable objective to ensure all teachers are receiving high quality professional development. N Florida is in planning stage. No Child Left Behind

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities No Dream Denied: A Pledge to America’s children (NCTAF) Teachers Possess a deep understanding of the subjects they teach; Evidence a firm understanding of how students learn; Demonstrate the teaching skills necessary to help all students achieve high standards; Create a positive learning environment; Use a variety of assessment strategies to diagnose and respond to individual learning needs;

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities No Dream Denied: A Pledge to America’s children (NCTAF) Demonstrate and integrate modern technology into the school curriculum to support student learning Collaborate with colleagues, parents and community members, and other educators to improve student learning; Reflect on their practice to improve future teaching and student achievement; Pursue professional growth in both content and pedagogy; and Instill a passion for learning in their students.

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities INTASC What do they mean about the work of general and special education teachers?  Understands discipline  Student Development  Learning Characteristics  Uses variety of instructional strategies  Motivation and student effort  Communication technologies  Plans for Instruction  Assessment  Reflective practitioner  Fosters relationships

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Presidential Commission Current system places process over results Failure rather than prevention and intervention Unification of general and special education No recourse for families when special education fails their children Culture of Compliance rather than academic and social achievement Identification procedures lack validity Children with disabilities need highly qualified teachers Rigor of special education research questioned Under funded mandate

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Disproportionality Special Education Eligibility  Based on failure models  No guarantee that students have received state of the art instruction before being referred School Context & Student Performance  School resources, class size and teacher quality linked to student success Biological & Social Risk Factors in EC  Access to high quality early intervention Improved Data Collection and Research  Scale up promising practices from research

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities SES and Poverty Interact At every SES level  AA students more likely to be labeled ED, MR and placed in self-contained, SPED classrooms  AA students less likely to be labeled learning disabled or communication disordered and placed in general ed classrooms As wealth and better schooling increase, AA males are at greater risk of being labeled MR As the non-minority pop % increases, AA are also at increased risk for MR and ED identification Oswald, Coutinho & Best (2002). Community and School Predictors of minority children in special education. In Racial Inequity in special education.

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Intersections

NRC: The Influence of Schooling Differential resources  Fewer well prepared teachers  Poorer facilities Teaching differences  Lower expectations  Cultural differences in behavioral expectations Differential opportunity for parental participation in SE assessment may increase risk

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Ideal Relationships Teacher Candidates Universities Schools

It is one thing to know the events and situations which cause or prevent change from happening. It is an entirely different question to know what to do about it. (Fullan, 1998)

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Elements of Teacher Practice

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Linking Practice to Student Outcomes Teachers reach their peak impact around the 10 th year of their teaching and sustain that performance through their 16 th to 20 th year in the profession. Teachers become accomplished practitioners around their 5 th year of teaching. Great teachers inoculate their student against poor teaching at least one year beyond.

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities The effects of poor teaching are seen at least one year out … Great teachers are successful with a wide variety of teachers. Competent teachers teach to the middle well but leave out the margins. Poor teachers affect all students but most particularly the students at the margins. Linking Practice to Student Outcomes

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Credentialing Teachers: Teaching AND Practice Subject Matter Competence AND Teaching Skills

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Teacher Leadership What we know about learning works for teachers too – Assess Plan Act Reflect Scaffolded practice Independent practice Data Based Curriculum measures – are the kids getting more proficient?

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Incomplete Relationships SI schools TC Universities

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Teacher Preparation and Professional Development (NCES, 2001) 80% of all public school teachers were most likely to have participated in professional development that focused on state or district curriculum and performance standards 74% participated in professional development programs focused on the integration of educational technology into the grade or subject taught 72% participated in in-depth study in the subject area of the main teaching assignment

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Teacher Preparation and Professional Development (NCES, 2001) 49% of all teachers did not participate in PD focused on the needs of students with disabilities 46% of all teachers reported encouraging parent and community involvement 45 % of all teachers reported strengths in classroom management, including student discipline 41% of teachers reported addressing the needs of students from diverse cultural backgrounds Correlation with teachers’ belief in PD and their participation in such activities

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Least likely PD 26% participated in PD that addressed the needs of students with limited English proficiency For all but one content area of professional development, teachers typically reported that they had spent 1 to 8 hours or the equivalent of 1 day or less on the activity during the 12 months preceding the survey; In-depth study in the subject area of the main teaching assignment was the only area of professional development in which participation typically lasted more than 8 hours.

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Frequent Collaborative Activity 69% reported collaboration with other teachers 62% reported networking with teachers outside their school 53% reported having a common planning period 52% reported individual or collaborative research on a topic of professional interest 26% reported mentoring another teacher in a formal relationship 23% reported being mentored by another teacher

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities About their preparation 61% felt very well prepared to meet the overall demands of their teaching assignments 35% felt moderately well prepared 4% felt somewhat well prepared.

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Competencies 71% reported feeling very well prepared to maintain order and discipline in the classroom. 45 percent reported feeling very well prepared to implement new methods of teaching 44% prepared to implement state or district curriculum, 37% prepared to use student performance assessment, 32 % prepared to address the needs of students from diverse cultural backgrounds and 27% felt prepared to integrate educational technology into the grade or subject taught

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Students with non-mainstream needs A little more than a quarter (27%) of teachers indicated that they felt very well prepared to address the needs of students with limited English proficiency, and Less than a third of all teachers (32%) of the teachers who taught students with disabilities felt very well prepared to address those students’ needs.

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities PD helps to prepare teachers With two exceptions (classroom management and state or district curriculum and performance standards), teachers who spent over 8 hours in professional development on the activity were more likely than those who spent 1 to 8 hours or those who did not participate at all to indicate that they felt very well prepared for that activity.

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities The Benefits of Collaboration, Networking & Mentoring Feeling well prepared for the classroom is associated with Regularly scheduled collaboration with other teachers Networking with teachers outside the school, and Mentoring another teacher in a formal relationship

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Forgotten Relationships TC universities SI schools

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Teacher Preparation & University Programs (Kozleski, Pugach & Yinger, 2002) Shared Responsibility Curriculum Renewal  Create a shared language around practices that affect students with disabilities  Reconcile teacher-directed and student-centered approaches to learning Renew Clinical Experiences for TCs  Experience wide range of student variability  Extend field experiences  Embed reflection and mentoring thru out  Connect to career-long professional learning

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Teacher Preparation & University Programs (Kozleski, Pugach & Yinger, 2002) Challenges in Field Experiences  Collaborative mentoring and coaching  Expand conceptions of C&I  Insist on inclusive settings for UDL  Collaboration experiences TC competence required  Multidisciplinary, performance based assessment of candidates

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Teacher Preparation & University Programs (Kozleski, Pugach & Yinger, 2002) The first 3 years of Teaching Pair experienced teachers with novices Regional Institutes Mentor Education Shared Governance

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Alternative Routes Teachers in Residence Fast Tracks 70% of all alternative programs are led by IHEs

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Imbalanced Relationships U S TC SI U S

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Balancing Change Dynamics Practice Point of View Justice Flexibility Context Research Equity Capacity Coherence Generalizability

Systemic Change Framework

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Looking at Change over Time 70’s: Family advocacy, Uncharted Territories and Great Opportunities 80’s: Growth of professional knowledge & the focus on Inclusion 90’s: Educational Reform: What constituted best practice? 00’s: Increasing regulation and science as the means to understand

“Successful education reformers develop practical strategies to manage change in a systemic way.” (Fitting the Pieces, US. Dept. of Education, p.iiii)

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Results of the Pressures New standards for student learning Accountability/accreditation: pressures on buildings for continuous improvement cycles. New standards for Higher Education New teacher prep. standards / State control of Personnel Prep funding Partnerships for teacher education For-profit teacher preparation programs. Research indicators of what teachers need to succeed - indicate ideal world

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities The Economic Facts 480,000 new jobs in CO since 1993 Average salary for a B.A. professional = $ 41,138 Average salary for B.A. starting teacher = $24,475 (a gap of $16,663) Gap between starting M.A. teacher and other M.A. professionals = $22,316 Range of highest possible teacher salaries from sample of districts = $ 32,45 - $62,000 (after 39 years experience)

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities

Ideal Relationships School Improvement Universities Schools

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Research Facts A variety of research identifies factors that enhance and impede quantity and quality of our education task force. Factors that enhance student achievement;  Lowering Pupil/ teacher Ratio -.04  Increasing salaries -.16  Increasing the amount of teacher experience -.18  Increasing teacher education -.22

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities

Research shows these factors support teacher retention: Working conditions (reasonable workload) Administrative Support Personnel development Effective communication Opportunities for shared decision making Collegiality Career options Formal mentoring programs  (Spense ’02; Kozleski, Mainzer, Deshler et al., 00)

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Research Also Indicates Why Special Educators Leave: Overwhelming class size Too much paperwork Lack of adequate support staff Too many non-teaching responsibilities Lack of administrative support Other teachers’ attitudes to special education No input into policies  (Spense, ’02)

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities The single, biggest factor that Special Educators leave - Lack of administrative support - more often from central office administration than building level administrators (Kozleski, Mainzer, Deshler,… 02) Teachers felt “unsupported, unprepared, overwhelmed by student needs or job responsibilities, disempowered, or all of these.” (Brownnell, ‘97)

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Research that points to a need for more support SPED complain they need help with:  No time to develop curriculum  Overwhelming student concerns and negative attitudes about school  Perceived lack of student progress, student behaviors  Emotional and physical exhaustion  Administrative obstacles,/ paperwork  Increased liability and legal issues (Kozleski, et al., 02)

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Effects and Responses: Special Education Recruitment/retention SPED continues to decline as attractive career More on TTES/emergency licenses - those working with the most challenging students, the least qualified Students in teacher preparation programs less qualified, busier, already working in the field Lower degree requirements for SPED Generalist special educator license

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Thinking about How we change Organizational Sustainability Networking Systemic Self-Monitoring Implementation Review & Correction Personal Interdependence Faculty Buy-In Commitment to School Improvement Technical Development Initial Training Contextual Development Follow-Up Coaching Critical Development Public reflection about self and others Focus on improvement & social justice for each student

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities The ‘00’s -Teacher Performance Pressures  Reports of student achievement by classroom  CSAP scores disaggregated by disability  Alternate assessments  More students, more diversity  106 proposed education bills in legislature Supports  Regional training and supports  State and regional CSPD plans

Inclusive Schools: Good for Urban Kids, Families and Communities Margaret Mead Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, that is the only thing that ever has.