Education Secretary Calls for Higher Standards in Teacher Education Programs
Thursday November 5, 2009
Education Secretary Arne Duncan recently called for a sweeping overhaul in how America's teachers are recruited and trained. Some of the recommended changes are:
- creating education programs at more prestigious institutions
- making programs more selective (minimum 3.5 GPA and a more exhaustive application process)
- offering teacher education programs for no-cost to the students
- giving a stipend to new teachers during the first three years of teaching
- performing an increased number of formal observations in classroom settings
- having students watch more videos of themselves teaching
- offering incentives to schools to hire newly trained teachers in groups of seven or more (for increased support and consistency in order to reduce attrition)
Wow, those are sweeping reforms! What do you think of these ideas? Anything else you would want to throw into the mix?
Comments
I agree that teachers need to be highly trained. CA already has a very wide variety of hoops that prospective teachers has to jump through. Then, when they get into the classroom, they are told what and how to teach. I would really like to see teachers highly trained and then allowed to teach! I really like the idea of more videos of themselves teaching. I am a teacher trainer and have found this strategy to be very helpful.
I would like to see every teacher trained in disability awareness, and educated as to how best to teach children with special needs. With the increase of autism, in particular, general educators are ill-equiped for the numbers of mainstreamed children on the autism spectrum who are and will be part of their classrooms. ALL teachers should be able to understand their students’ disabilities and how to get through to those students.
The last thing I need is for a know-nothing administrator lurking in my classroom and leaving comments about petty things that have abolutely nothing to do with teaching especially when many of these schmendricks have been out of the classroom for eons.
I have been teaching for 41 years and I do not need some one who was being toilet trained when I started teaching telling me my business.
Examples: Bulletin Boards, posting student work (something more appropriate for elementary school, not high school) my showing PowerPoints from a sitting position even though I walk with a cane, listing detailed class agendas even though our contract says that we provide evidence of planning, ad nauseum. They do nothing about assisting with student achievement and do not want to do anything except keep their bellies full!
Go in good health my dear colleagues.
MORE FINANCIAL AID SHOULD BE PROVIDED TO TEACHERS WHO WANT TO OBTAIN A MASTER DEGREE.
I have written to my senators urging this very thing. Also, those who teach prospective teachers need to be held to a higher degree of training and oversight so that they teach updated and effective methods. It begins with those university and college teachers. I think what is discussed here is greatly needed.
Sandra, a retired teacher.
I am a retired teacher of 32 years. Also, I have been supervising student teachers for 7 years.
Two things need to be adressed and adressed soon.
Like doctors and other professionals teachers need to have at least 1 year training in the classroom. I believe course work in adlescent/ or pre-adolesecnt psychology can be independtly taught in on the job training… dealing with students with diverse needs and abilities. Other courses could be taught the same such as methods/ teaching strategies and lesson planning.
New teachers do not have enough training in the classroom before applying for a job.
The second thing the needs addressed thru training is dealing with behavioral problem children. Many teachers are facing severe emoitional problems and do not have the training to deal with them.
As a novice teacher, I find it completely stressful to have every “jot and tittle” scrutinized when my students make good progress by the end of the year. Concerning a year-long internship: What other professions require such (other than medicine and law)? That is ludicrous. I earned my degree in social services and returned 20 years later for alternative certification. When I average how many hours I work total, I make about $13/hour. Time to get out of the imaginary world of academia and into the real world, thank you very much.
Growing up and during my college years I had plenty of classes that helped me for training as an elementary education student. Working inside a classroom, gaining that knowledge of information necessary to become a great and successful teacher, teaching lessons in front of students and getting responses from those observing me had helped me to get through college. I feel however that I needed more practice, more one on one training for interviews. I think it would have been more helpful and beneficial if I was able to have interviews periodically throughout my student teaching experience from principals, staff members such as master teachers, and even college professors. They would score my performance on my answers given to them. They would also give me feedback both strengths and things to improve in. After graduating from college I applied for hundreds and hundreds of jobs day after day, night after night and am still applying to this day. With my luck I have received only but a few interviews but was not successful in getting a job of my dreams. If I was able to practice interviewing with those of higher status then me I think I would have landed a great job by now, a job of my dreams.
For #1 Pam: One very important aspect of teacher training in the United States should be a more concentrated mastery of English. Noun/verb agreement – “teachers have” and not “teachers has.”
I have taught over 55 years in 15 states and think that California ranks low on teacher training. The best suggestion is that teaching programs should be much more selective with a stricter application process.
Dave,
I am concerned with your spelling and grammar. It seems to me that you should know that ‘addressed’ has two d’s and not just one. Also, you left a vowel out of adolescent. It is “mistakes” like these that make the public think educators are perhaps not the brightest bunch of people. Also, you say that you supervise student teachers. What district would hire you to do this when you cannot even spell?
To Kmberly
You are right, teaching should be a profession comparable to medicine and law. I think it should be a more valued career than it is today. There are at least 2 prestigious colleges near me that have at the minimum…either a 1/2 yr. in the classroom training or more successful a full year of training.
Kimberly, I have been in the “real world” a little longer than you and take this profession seriously. As a supervisor of student teachers, I see a lot of young teachers not ready to face the hardships of the classroom of the age we are in. Teacheers have little or no training in handling severe emotional problem students or students with many handicaps in learning. They are forced to learn in on the job conferences.
I agree with the over haul of preparation for teachers by the Sec. of Ed…. I am in the classroom and have been longer than most likely you’ll be if you are starting teaching as an alternative career.
It is well known that many good hearted teachers give up the career after 4-5 years because of lack of respect.
The problem is not highly trained teachers (although longer student teaching time and more classroom mgt/special ed. classes would help); but society and politics delving into the real issue – parents raising their children appropriately and children having children. This issue goes beyond highly trained teachers.
If they want teachers to be educated like a lawer then I believe that all teachers should get a salary equal to them too. I ave taught for 31 years and have a Masters Degree in education and am certified as a principal, title 1 math and reading teacher and a title 1 coordinator credential. I have stayed current by taking workshops, etc. and have close to 60 semester hours beyond my Masters. I have tried getting into larger school district like Bismarck and was told that I am over qualified- so why should teachers continue to get credits, etc?
Maybe teachers should be getting the higher salaries and doctors, lawyers, etc should be getting the salaries that we try to live with and support a family. If teachers are a dime a dozen then why do so many leave the field- They want the respect of others and also the higher salary.
Some of the reforms suggested don’t seem to be able to impact whether or not a teacher-to-be would in actuality be highly qualified. For example, where the teaching program is offered doesn’t necessarily promise that those graduating will be highly qualified.
I have no problem with requiring the programs to be more selective nor with the requirement for a minimum 3.5 GPA. The higher GPA would be an indicator of whether the candidate knows the craft.
How is offering teacher education programs for no-cost to the students going to guarantee that those students enter the teaching field as highly-qualified?
Many districts already offer a signing bonus to new teachers, but I’m not sure how this practice or giving a stipend to new teachers during the first three years of teaching will make them highly-qualified.
I’m also for prospective/novice teachers performing an increased number of formal observations in classroom settings. However, I think this is also a great practice for established teachers. Strong learning communities are formed when teachers model for each other. Truth be told, we don’t remain highly qualified and on the cutting edge of convergent research just because we’ve been in the classroom for a number of years or because we’re teaching students how to pass a high stakes test.
Having students watch more videos of themselves teaching is a solid tool for beginning and established teachers alike. We all need strong self-evaluation skills.
I’m sorry, but I cannot see any principal wanting to be made to hire large groups of newly-trained teachers. Offering incentives to schools to hire newly trained teachers in groups of seven or more (for increased support and consistency in order to reduce attrition) might only be possible in brand new schools, but doesn’t sound practical.