The status of No Children Left Behind (NCLB) met with vigorous discussion at one of the AACTE "Day on the Hill" activities in June 2008. MACTE members Michael A. Miller and Maureen C. Prenn, John Clementson, Elaine Ackerman and George Guidera were in Washington D.C. to lobby senators and representatives about teacher education funding for Teacher Quality Grants and education policy. "We met with staff from Senator Klobuchar's office, Senator Colman's office, Representative Walz's office and Representative McCollum's office, " MACTE President Prenn said. "Most staff members were quite knowledgeable about education policy and the issues surrounding NCLB." Michael Miller is chair of AACTE's Government Relations Committee.

 

2008 Legislative Session 

Recent policy conversations regarding teacher and school quality have focused mostly on issues of data and accountability.  While important, necessary and timely, these conversations have led to system interventions that have decreased teacher control and ownership of choices.  To get to the next level of effectiveness, teachers must be provided options for their own  professional development.   

Schools will improve as good teachers develop into great leaders, able to make choices about the meaning of data and interventions that make sense for each child and each context.  Great teachers do remarkable things for children and may become principals, data coaches, lead teachers, curriculum coordinators and community leaders.  Induction, mentoring and professional development increase the capacity of teachers, enhance effective schools, and improve retention of the very best teachers.

 

Teacher educators are invested in preparing teachers who are learners, advocates, thinkers, doers and professionals.  Individual professional development and the system-wide development of teachers lead to better learning for students.   Teacher educators understand adult learning, E-16 learning, and issues of diversity and disability.  Teacher educators currently work across educational systems, in partnership with schools, communities and post-secondary institutions. 

 

It is right to invest in professional and leadership development of teachers, and to call upon teacher educators to enhance the capacity of teachers, schools and E-16 systems of education. 

 

 

Action Needed by Minnesota Legislature:

• Fund teacher induction, mentoring, and professional and leadership development.
• Hold teacher education accountable for the quality of professional development available to teachers and schools.
• Call upon higher education systems to provide professional development necessary for Minnesota to have quality schools for each child.

Action Needed by Higher Education:

• Assure the relevance of programs and professional development options offered to school and teachers.
• Commit resources to partnerships and co-ownership for the learning of all students in MN schools.

 

2008 Legislative Session 

"The traditional ‘sink or swim' model for beginning teachers has not worked very well.  Facing challenging work conditions and insufficient support, nearly half of new teachers leave the classroom within the first five years.  Among those who stay, it can take years to develop the skills they need to be most effective in the classroom. These factors have a negative impact on student learning, particularly in poor and low-performing schools where new teachers are often assigned.  The financial cost of teacher turnover adds to the problem, draining resources from already tight budgets" (American Association of State Colleges and Universities, 2006).  

• There are several very promising models for statewide induction programs:
• The New Teacher Center (NTC) at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
• California's Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program (BTSA)
• It is estimated that for every $1.00 spent on induction, there is an estimated payoff of nearly $1.50.

State-wide teacher induction programs with adequate funding at the state level can help teachers realize their full potential, keep them in the profession, promote greater student learning, and save money.  

Action Needed:

All teachers new to the profession engage in a year-long induction and mentoring program. 

The Minnesota legislature should increase funding to all school districts by 1%. These monies would be used to provide structured induction and mentoring for all new teachers in the district.

Board of Teaching-approved teacher preparation programs would partner with districts to assist with new teacher induction. 

2008 Legislative Session

Enrollment of students of color in Minnesota continues to increase, while enrollment of White non-Hispanic continues to decline. According to the 2006 State of Students of Color, Minnesota had an enrollment of 20% students of color in Minnesota schools. It is important that these students and all students in Minnesota schools have an opportunity to learn with individuals from a variety of cultural backgrounds.  

Building a workforce of teachers of color   Teachers of color serve as mentors, role models, cultural translators, and advocates for students of color according to a 2004 report, Minority Teacher Recruitment, Development, and Retention from Brown University. The knowledge of community and the world that teachers of color possess affects their interaction with students as well as their effectiveness of instruction. Teachers who understand the reality of students of color and their families can help overcome the cultural barriers that can block communication between schools and families.  

It is critical that we think both about preparation and about retention of teachers of color.  The teacher preparation pipeline begins in elementary and middle school and continues into high school. Funding is needed for 1) pre-college support programs that include skill development as well as apprenticeships in schools so that students have an experience in a teaching role;  2) scholarships for potential teachers of color; 3) support structures for advising, test preparation; and 4) creation of a support network for preservice and inservice teachers of color that includes direct support for preservice teachers who need to focus on full-time student teaching.  

Schools, departments and colleges of education have been doing their part by recruiting students and  providing alternatives to full-time day programs.  But working in schools full-time with master teachers during the student teaching experience poses a particular set of issues for students of color and career changers.  The support of future teachers in their preparation programs both undergraduate and graduate will go a long way in achieving the goal of a more diverse teaching force.

 

Action Needed by Minnesota Legislature: ·         Funding for scholarships and incentives for new Teachers of Color ·         Funding for school and higher education partnerships to recruit, prepare and retain teachers of color.  

Action Needed by Higher Education:·         Recruit more faculty of color·         Utilize personal recruitment strategies targeting students of color who may be interested in teaching·         Partnering with schools to provide strong induction and retention programs for fully prepared teachers.

 

 Countdown to MACTE Day at the Capitol

February 27, 2008

Issue Brief #1

Issue Brief #2

Issue Brief #3

January:  Begin publicizing the Day—talk with colleagues, students, community members.  Bringing a team to the Day at the Capitol is especially effective.                                    

Talk with your institution’s Government Relations Department about MACTE’s Day at the Capitol.  Give them a copy of MACTE’s Talking Points to make sure that MACTE’s positions do not conflict with those of your institution.  Prepare a one-page information sheet about activities that are happening at your institution that are of particular interest to your congress-person.  Share those with your institution, also. 

February:  Finalize plans for the team that you will bring.   

Week of Feb. 5:  Begin setting up appointments with your Representatives and Senators.  To reach your Senators, go to the Minnesota Senate home page at http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/ and to reach your Representatives, go to the Minnesota House of Representatives home page at: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/.                                    

Contact the scheduler in the Member’s office at least two weeks prior to Day at the Capitol. The scheduler will likely require a meeting request letter faxed to their office (a sample letter is at the end of this section). The Member’s scheduler will be able to provide details on faxing a request. Inform the scheduler that you are a Member of MACTE and your institution and briefly explain the purpose for the meeting.                                               

Day at the Capitol meetings should be scheduled for February 27, 2008 between 9:30 AM and 3:30 PM. If the scheduler sets your appointment time prior to 9:30AM – take the meeting at that time and don’t worry about missing the Day at the Capitol Briefing.  We will make sure your group is ready to go with all the necessary information ahead of time.  

February 27          

8:30-9:30         MACTE Briefing in the State Office Building Cafeteria                    

9:30-12:00       Meetings with legislators                                                           

12:00-1:00       Lunch in the Senate Cafeteria        

1:00-3:30         Meetings with legislators                               

3:30-4:00         MACTE Debriefing in the State Office Building Cafeteria