Three Ways to Improve America's Teachers

Wendy Kopp is the founder and CEO of Teach For America and Dennis Van Roekel is president of the National Education Association. They got together to write this in USA Today:

Teaching is one of the most challenging jobs in the USA— and one of the most vital. According to the Census Bureau, about one in five American children live in poverty, and they face enormous obstacles as they journey through the public school system. Despite these challenges, skilled teachers manage every day to change the trajectory of students' lives.

As the leaders of the National Education Association and Teach For America, we know from experience that great teachers are made, not born. Continuous learning, reflection and improvement are the building blocks of a successful teaching career. Unfortunately, not all teachers are getting the high-quality preparation they need to excel with students in the classroom.

In recent years we have seen increased emphasis on teacher quality and evaluating teacher performance. As a logical next step, we must measure the effectiveness of the programs that prepare teachers. That's why we're glad to see that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and the Department of Education are tackling this issue head-on with a recent blueprint for teacher education reform.

As the architects of school policy begin implementing this blueprint, we urge them to keep the following in mind:

•Use data to improve teacher preparation. In Louisiana, a state aggressively tackling the question of teacher quality, studies have found significant differences in student outcomes based on where their teachers trained. As described in the Education Department's blueprint, Louisiana is using a three-tiered system to assess whether a teacher preparation program's graduates perform at, above or below the level of the average new teacher. States such as California and Maryland are evaluating programs based on multiple measures, including student, principal and alumni surveys. The common thread is a system for evaluating training programs that prepare teachers for today's classrooms and students for today's information age.

•Bring new talent to the teaching profession. There is an increasing breadth of talent and experience among new teachers — from recent college grads to career-changing professionals — and it is critical that they all have access to high-quality training for a smooth transition into the classroom. One viable path is the proposed Presidential Teaching Fellows, a federal program that would give funding to states that commit to improving teacher training, as well as provide merit-based scholarships for candidates entering teaching through traditional or alternate routes. The Presidential Teaching Fellows places a priority on scholarships for candidates from low-income backgrounds, and also helps recruit and train more teachers of color.

•Give teachers opportunities for continuous professional development. Even after teachers reach the classroom, they need a strong support network and continuing opportunities to hone their skills. The most successful teacher preparation programs recognize this by helping facilitate mentoring relationships with veteran teachers during student teaching and encouraging ongoing professional development opportunities for their graduates. High-quality programs also offer leadership opportunities to their teachers, allowing them to build their skills in areas like curriculum development and peer mentoring. If we expand professional development, new teachers will be much more likely to stick it out past the first challenging years.

One in three K-12 students will be assigned a teacher who is in the first three years of his or her career. As a new generation embarks on a career in teaching, we must commit to giving them the best preparation possible. Secretary Duncan's blueprint is a much-needed catalyst for change. Now schools of education and other teacher education programs must band together and reform practices to better prepare educators for classroom success.

Conversations Between TFA's Wendy Kopp and NEA's Dennis Van Roekel

This from Ed Week:

Teach For America founder and CEO Wendy Kopp and NEA President Dennis Van Roekel had a substantive discussion about the teaching profession today, showing that while some of their strategies for improving it may differ, they're on the same page on many issues.

Though set up as a press conference on the Department of Education's teacher-training reform initiatives, the Q & A opportunity morphed into a conversation between Kopp and Van Roekel—with such interesting comments on both sides that we reporters eventually just sat and listened to it unfold.

Kopp and Van Roekel probably agreed on about 90 percent of the things they discussed, parting ways in only a few instances. For example, both made a point of saying they really want to get beyond negative stereotyping of the teaching profession. Kopp lamented: "For the last 20 years, we've been blaming kids and families [for poor achievement], and then ... it went to blaming teachers."

Both agreed that school systems need to do a better job of improving the teaching force, through a combination of strong preparation, recruiting practices, and teacher support...

Richmond Teacher Joins Fight to Save Teachers' Jobs

This from Ed.gov:

Coming Together to

Call for an Education Jobs Bill

On Wednesday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, Reps. Dave Obey (D-Wis.) and George Miller (D-Calif.) and AFT President Randi Weingarten in support of an education jobs bill to prevent dramatic and damaging cuts to resources and services that help kids succeed in school. At issue was the “Education Jobs Fund,” legislation that would provide $23 billion in emergency funding for education jobs.

The group was joined by teachers who have recently received layoff notices and shared their stories about the education cuts. Catie Poff, a reading specialist at Kingston Elementary School in Richmond, Ky., provides individualized attention to students struggling with their reading so they can make up lost ground. Poff shared how the layoffs are affecting her students. “The idea of losing my job is upsetting, especially because I know I will never find a job as rewarding as this one or that I love as much,” said Poff. “But I am just as upset for my students as I am for myself. My kids—and kids everywhere—deserve every opportunity to succeed. We do them a disservice by denying them access to accomplished teachers who are able to work with them individually.”

NEA President Van Roekel noted, “The nation’s economic crisis has pushed public education to a tipping point, but there is still a chance to stave off more damage. Congress can choose to put students first by supporting a bill that will keep their teachers and other essential personnel and programs in our schools. All students deserve the highest quality education, and their education shouldn’t be diminished because we lack the political will to act. Every parent and community member and elected official needs to understand the real consequences to this funding crisis.”

Representative Obey, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, remarked, “The Recovery Bill last year saved over 300,000 education jobs, but, because states have not yet recovered, and local economies are just beginning the recovery process, we still have a shortage of the financial resources necessary to keep teachers, firemen and policemen on the job for another year while state budgets catch up. On that score, we have two choices—we can sit, frozen in our own indifference, as President Roosevelt once said, or we can take action to save those jobs. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”

In April, Secretary Duncan has testified before Congress that up to 300,000 educators could lose their jobs in the upcoming school year. In addition to potential layoffs, states and districts are cutting programs that are vital for the success of students. They’re canceling or scaling back summer school, early learning and after-school programs. Some school districts are going to four-day weeks. School counselors, nurses, and librarians are also at risk, as are extracurricular activities, arts programs, and sports.

At the press conference Duncan commented, “School boards and state legislatures are finalizing their education budgets for the upcoming school year and many face tough choices about whether to retain teachers and continue programs that are vital to their ability to provide a world-class education for their students. We must act quickly and responsibly to provide schools the resources they need so they don’t have to make choices that would not be in the best interests of their students and teachers.”