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RE: Alternative Certification: Is it enough?

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:47:53 GMT

Kaycee, I know you posted this some time ago, but your thoughts have been echoing through my mind as I navigate several challenges in my new position at my new school. As you know, I work at one of those schools filled with students typically labled as "at risk" or "underserved" So many of our teachers (well over half) have reached the classroom through what I would describe as a less than rigorous path (quick summer institute a la TFA, University of Phoenix online, Denver Teacher Fellows alternative license program, and the like)

I worry not only about the quality of instruction in the classroom where these teachers are trying their very hardest to do what they know, which is little compared to the tool box of experienced folks who learned how to teach at reputable and/or effective institutions. I also worry about the spirit of these teachers. We have one teacher on staff who is spending hours upon hours preparing lessons, and they are fair lessons. However, given the amount of time he spends (and the burnout he claims to experience because of these hours spent planning) I can't help but think that better preparation would've made him work smarter, more efficiently, and allow him to know the most effective tools to pull from the tool box and which appropriate times.

I'm also with you on the lack of rigor in the "non" alternative-licensure programs. As students in our high school ask us why we are making our school year longer and our programming more rigorous, our staff talks about the quality of what students experience here over the speed and ease with which our students get their diploma. However, so very many people wanting to be teachers look for the shortest, most convenient, cheapest path. Perhaps they think that by simply experiencing school, they have a working knowledge of how to teach?

My other complaint (and it is a biased one) is that preparation programs for secondary teachers do not prepare high school teachers to teach students who struggle as readers, writers, mathematicians, and scientists. I often find that secondary teachers I coach have a depth of content knowledge, but they do not know how to deconstruct learning objectives nor use their wall space well as the record of classroom thinking. I was trained as an elementary teacher, so I know I carry this bias. However, what I learned as an elementary certification candidate helped me so much as a middle school teacher for 12 years, and now as an instructional coach and program director mentoring teachers.

I have been wondering what the accreditation process is for teacher certification programs is. Who is in charge of it? Who designs the process of checking licensure programs? How often are these programs reviewed? And what policies, if any, are tackling the monumental task of improving the quality of these programs that currently seem to be simply taking money in exchange for a paper that says someone is qualified to teach.

Thanks so much Kaycee for posting this entry! This is truly a tremendous gap in our education system that needs to be addressed... and soon!

RE: 2b or not 2b…That is the Question: But Are Standardized Tests Asking the Right Ones?

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:20:01 GMT

Dina--Your 2b or not 2b blog post really got my attention and reminded me of a recent conversation I had with a colleague in my home state. This teacher was in attendance at the staff development training prior to school starting. The district had just adopted yet another curriculum to "meet the needs of the children" as they attempt the high stakes test this year. The central office consultants explained that this new curriculum was mandatory and they would be expected to follow the exact lesson plans and timeline as posted on the new curriculum website. The central office staff went on to explain that if the teacher was not on the correct part of the curriculum when a site visit occurred then they would receive a written warning to be placed in their file. After 3 written warnings they would be fired. Most of the staff are picking options in your story of B or D. The more experienced teachers are retiring,The young teachers are getting out as quick as possible, many to other types of work and the rest are stuck in a system of threats. Of course the kids suffer the most in this type of environment and my guess is that this or similar stories are happening all across the United States. Shame on us!

RE: Whole Child Reform: The Easy to Follow Recipe

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:57:27 GMT

Lisa--Great post and continues to reflect our (Hope Street Teacher Fellows) position and support of the Whole Child concept where "wrap-around" support services are available, utilized and effective. I have also been following Dru's work in Tennessee and see a possible connection with the use of "portfolios" to capture the needs of the student and the effort to meet those needs by the entire educational system, not just the teacher. All of this really supports the 2nd Ingredient, a strong community, mentioned in your blog. Can't wait to get the book! Thanks.

RE: 2b or not 2b…That is the Question: But Are Standardized Tests Asking the Right Ones?

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:18:52 GMT

So interesting that you bring up the parent piece. I just read an article about parents staging a "Parent Opt OUt" day so that their kids DO NOT take the standardized tests. I am posting this article so that everyone can read it. When parents get in on the discussion, things may change.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/06/standardized-testing-national-opt-out-day_n_1190322.html

Has anyone heard of parents organizing and "opt out day" in your city?

RE: 2b or not 2b…That is the Question: But Are Standardized Tests Asking the Right Ones?

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:16:52 GMT

so so so unfortunately true DIna. You hit the nail right on the head. What is even more frustrating is that despite the efforts of RTTT, many teachers are feeling the pressures of teach to the test even more than before.

When parents of my special needs kids talk about how they want their kids to pass standardized tests, I feel this pain in my stomach. I don't know whether to be happy that they have high expectations for their children or whether to tell them, "careful what you wish for"

RE: Alternative Certification: Is it enough?

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:01:40 GMT

Hi Kaycee,

I completey agree with your question of alt cert. As a TFA alumnis, I received the whirldwind summer intensive training, dropped in my school a few weeks later, and stood infront of my kids like a deer in headlights. The first day alone, I was so overwhelmed with my experiece that I drove through the toll gate without paying.

However, I am grateful for the TFA's initual summer training that continued into my first year. It built the foundation of my teaching, but a foundation cannot stand against a hurriance. It needs strong walls and sturdy roof. Over the past five years of teaching, I've worked triedlessly to build on my TFA foundation by observing excellecent teachers, like yours, reading professional teaching books, and joining teaching blogs like English Companion Ning.

I know that alt programs like TFA is a "stepping stone" to other professions because TFA's goal isn't only to make teachers stay in the classroom. To end educaitonal inequity, we have to address it in all spheres of society such as health care, business, and government policies. TFA wants talented people to either stay in the classroom to close the achievement gap or leave and help the cause in a different field that might better utilize their talents. I chose to join TFA because I believe in the mission, but it was the only way to get into education as I didn't major in it. I was not going to go through another 4 year program to become certified.

At the core, you and I agree on the same thing: education reform is necessary and that alt cert doesn't fully prepare teachers for the rigor of challenging schools. I just don't know the answer to how to end educational inequity. Thanks for your posting!

RE: A Teacher's Opportunity to be Uniquely Involved with RTTT-Early Learning Challenge

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:18:08 GMT

What a grand feat that has been accomplished. Your passion, hard work, and commitment to the at-risk little ones is to be applauded. Your patience has finally paid off with some financial committments from the government. I'm sure that we will be able to see great strides in their learning by providing them with an equitable playing field.

RE: Teaching the Teachers

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:08:17 GMT

Doug, I couldn't agree more with your "shared responsibility" comment. I was fortunate to have the resources and time to attend a two year teacher prepartion program that focused on practice, practice, practice mixed in with some pedagogy and research. For me, spending time with mentor teachers for two years prepared me in exceptional ways. I was truly prepared to have my own classroom. I also found conducting educational research to be extremely useful.

I also liked your comment about the business community. As a science teacher, having the expertise of those engaged in science has been very useful. As a more advanced teacher, I now find their ability to help keep me scientiifically current and using them as a resource for my students about what is cutting edge to be essential. I think we also need to think about how to keep teachers current both in pedagogy and in their subject matters.

Lastly, Doug, I think the US education system would benefit immensely from engaging teacher leaders and mentor teachers in teacher training, not to mention a huge array of other educational decisions.

RE: Say This: School-Wide Accountability System, Not That: Teacher Evaluation System…and Mean It!

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:35:09 GMT

Any evaluation system must first begin with clear indicators of success. I wonder if the lack of attention towards administrator accountability is due to the lack of consensus on the measures of effective educational leadership, both at the school and district level? I am hopeful that all of the national attention on defining teacher effectiveness (and creating valid tools and training towards implementation) will spur similar attention on administrator accountability. Another related thought... Do you think that teacher accountability (as apposed to administrator accountability) is such a hot topic because of the concept of tenure...and the perception that perpetually ineffective teachers are difficult to dismiss? If so, administrators, in my experience, do not have the option of having tenure. Their only security may be their perceived effectiveness in the eyes of their superordinates. If so, that really magnifies the need to identify valid measures of administrator effectiveness so true school-wide accountability is possible.

RE: Alternative Certification: Is it enough?

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:12:28 GMT

In my experience, I have noticed that teachers that come to the profession through alternative license programs have a high ceiling for talent and effectiveness, but are less stable than teachers that come from traditional teacher education programs. Sometimes, alt license teachers do not complete the requirements to move to a full license and therefore end up in the classroom for only a year or two. To echo the comment about measuring the success of traditional teacher prep programs, it is important that there is consensus of what it really means to be an effective teacher. I think the current work in determining the measures of effective teaching is crucial to holding teacher prep programs accountable.