Day on the Hill- February 25, 2009

Teacher Preparation:  All teachers must be well-prepared and licensed in order to ensure quality. 

• Teacher professional preparation is a continuum that begins with teacher candidate recruitment and rigorous admission processes and continues throughout the professional career of a teacher through ongoing professional development and advanced certifications. Pre-service preparation, while comprehensive and complex, is just the first step in the preparation of teachers. Candidates must meet all the state's standards for subject matter and teaching knowledge before becoming a teacher of record.
• Quality preparation makes a difference and must include well-defined standards of both content and performance. Additionally, it must involve a substantial knowledge of child and adolescent development, and learning theory. Extended clinical experiences must support ideas and practices presented in coursework.

Teaching Conditions: Schools must be organized to support quality teaching in professional learning communities.

• Professional development must be driven by student learning and student performance, and should be primarily school-based. The development of a quality learning community involves teachers in the identification of what they need and the processes to be used to engage questions that are both practical and theoretical.
• Professional development is ongoing and incorporates evaluation of multiple sources of information on outcomes for students. Professional educators must use reliable and valid data to make instructional decisions.

 Teaching as a Profession: Rewarding career paths for teachers from induction to accomplished teaching must be developed with pay and pay systems that recognize teachers as professionals.

• Induction programs matter and are necessary for the continuation of strong pre-professional preparation. Induction programs must be based on teaching standards, supported by school leadership, include external stakeholders, and use mentoring as a cornerstone support system. Teachers must have time to collaborate on school-based student achievement problem solving activities.
• Retention of teachers in high need fields such as science and mathematics is a financial matter. Salary schedules need to be competitive for all teachers at the entry level, and they must be differentiated for hard to staff subjects and schools. Financial incentives for science and mathematics teacher candidates have the potential to increase the number of qualified teachers in these competitive fields.

*  Citation:  Misty Sato, University Minnesota Department of Curriculum and Instruction-Presentation to legislative committee Feb. 2009. 

A few years ago, I attended the Indianapolis 500 race.  I had much anticipation and many preconceived ideas. Yet I was completely amazed and unaware of the preparation and pageantry that occurred prior to the start.  One doesn't see this on TV.  As the cars started to warm up the rain began to fall and the race was delayed.  The next day I went back to the track and saw the start of the race, but again rain delayed the race.  It wasn't until the third day that the Indianapolis 500 was completed and the winner decided.  In watching the race unfold, I observed three phases; the start, the adjustments and modifications, and the finish.  In reality there were four phases: the first being the preparation.

This story is very applicable to the arc of a P-12 educator's career.  Every teacher candidate completes a preparation phase.  Likewise all teachers experience an induction phase in which they are placed into a classroom.  Some may experience a retention phase - a time in which the teacher continues learning the profession and gaining expertise through professional development.  The final phase is the completion of the career.  Historically, little attention has been given to the induction phase, or the retention phase.  Traditionally we launch a teacher's career on a myth that teacher preparation provides all the necessary tools and preparation to teach unassisted in a classroom.  If a participant only focused on the preparation for the Indianapolis 500, he/she may get into the field of 33, but would fail to complete the race without mid-race corrections and modifications. 

Recently, our state has focused a considerable amount of time and allocated resources on efforts to improve the preparation of our teacher candidates.  MACTE institutions often find themselves modifying and making adjustments in this preparation phase.  However, with our current funding and mission little resources are given on how candidates are inducted and retained in the teaching profession.

As states look for ways to fill shortages in math, science and special education, a national trend is to rely on alternative programs, hiring teachers from foreign countries, and quick fixes. Several states are recommending technical changes in certification standards, increased pay, or resuming tuition reimbursement for college students studying to be teachers.  One state is recommending the creation of two new education certificates: one for teaching students in pre-kindergarten through 4th grade, and another for grades 4-8, with both certificates requiring all education majors to complete additional course work in special education and English as a second language.  Others are requiring newly licensed special-education teachers to be certified to teach in regular education classrooms (Baltimore Sun (2008) and Wilkes Barre Times Leader (2008).

Unfortunately, the examples above focus on the preparation phase only.  MACTE encourages the state of Minnesota to focus on the teaching profession as a whole.  As we begin the Standards alignment, we need to look at a comprehensive model that includes standards at all phases, beginning at preparation and continuing throughout a teaching career. This needs to include the induction, and retention phases. 

As we begin to look at a comprehensive model we cannot stop at setting the criteria. We need to provide support at the induction and retention phases.  Quality induction assists in articulating to teacher candidates a clear set of professional norms and expectations with the support needed to make classroom decisions as well as becoming part of the educational community.   Induction experiences have the potential to frame the future of the teaching profession - a profession that faces continual challenges and the struggles of teaching in all environments - urban and rural.  A comprehensive model of shared learning and collaboration through all phases of teaching will be contagious (Moir & Gless, 2001).

In going back to my metaphor, I had to return three days to see the completion of the race.  After all it was 500 miles not 5 or 10 miles.  Teaching and becoming an effective educator is a journey.  Each journey is different and unique to the individual, but all of us need support, mentoring, and opportunities for growth.  In the Indianapolis 500 race there is only one successful completer or a winner. In a comprehensive model for teacher development with all of the phases addressed, there can be and should be many successful completers. 

Sources

Baltimore Sun (2008).  State Looks at Ways To Train, Retain More Teachers

Wilkes Barre Times Leader (2008). State, Colleges Clash Over Teacher Training

Moir, E. and Gless, J. (2001). Quality induction: an investment in teachers. Teacher Education Quarterly, 81

In announcing his selection of Chicago superintendent Arne Duncan as his pick for Secretary of Education, President-elect Barack Obama outlined his vision for a 21^st century education system, stressing the importance of "recruiting, retaining, and rewarding" teachers. In addition, he praised Duncan's work in the Chicago schools saying, "He has worked tirelessly to improve teacher quality." This is just the latest in a series of statements from national and state leaders that brings focus to the issue of teacher effectiveness. Indeed, the Minnesota Board of Teaching's goals for fiscal year 2009 address the same topic, with particular attention to recruitment, licensure requirements, and retention.

The concept of teacher effectiveness is complex and involves a variety of factors. Teacher effectiveness requires recruiting outstanding candidates, preparing them effectively to meet rigorous standards, inducting them into the profession, providing them with effective school and district leaders, and presenting them with quality professional development opportunities throughout their careers. As teacher educators, we are involved in every aspect of this continuum. We encourage talented young people to consider a teaching career. We help professionals make a career change from corporation to classroom. We partner with schools to provide induction programs and lead professional development offerings for veteran educators. MACTE institutions continue to play an integral role in ensuring effective teachers for Minnesota students.

 Recently there has been much discussion about one element of teacher effectiveness:  admission to teacher education programs. Let us take a moment to focus on this aspect of the teacher effectiveness continuum.

Nationally there is a concern that the "best and brightest" are no longer attracted to the teaching profession. This does not describe the situation in Minnesota. To be eligible for admission to teacher education programs in MACTE institutions, candidates must demonstrate academic achievement, complete and pass prerequisite coursework in the content area, and pass general coursework such as composition and speech. In undergraduate teacher preparation programs, candidates have demonstrated their academic ability and are in their junior year before they are admitted to the program. In addition, individual institutions require some or all of the following: evidence of volunteer experiences working with children, a writing sample, a statement of goals or philosophy, an interview, diversity experience, and letters of reference. In most institutions, admission to professional education is quite competitive. The actual average grade point average of candidates admitted to MACTE teacher education programs is 3.30 for undergraduate programs and 3.49 for graduate programs. Indeed, Minnesota is attracting some of the "best and the brightest" to the teaching profession.

While we are proud of the academic skills of our candidates, MACTE institutions are concerned with evaluating the whole person when reviewing potential candidates. We take very seriously our responsibility to select candidates who hold promise as future educators. We want teachers who possess the characteristics required of the profession, and who have the social and communication skills that will help them support student learning and development. Our assessment of candidate qualifications does not stop at admission. Teacher education candidates meet rigorous benchmarks throughout their programs. They must earn passing grades in all required content coursework. Candidates are assessed on their knowledge and skills in meeting the BOT content and pedagogy standards. They go through an application process for student teaching. They are assessed on their teaching skills and behaviors in classroom settings. All candidates must pass the Praxis testing series. In addition, most programs require a portfolio that documents the candidate's mastery of the standards.

Minnesota can be proud of the teacher education candidates at MACTE institutions. We need to recognize them for their academic achievement and their commitment to help all students learn. Greater recognition and appreciation of our teacher candidates can encourage more of the best and brightest college students to become teachers.