While some of us may not attribute or success to our K-12 teachers, most would agree that we would not be in college had we not recieved a quality education in elementary, middle, and high school. Our families rely on good schools, and our State relies on a constant pipeline of well-educated children. So what's the current problem?
- in 2005, Maryland colleges trained only 33% of newly hired teachers in Maryland
- 50% of teachers leave after five years in the profession
- recruitment of a new teacher costs public schools on average $78,750
- 50% of students who graduate from teacher education programs never teach
The USM controls much of the pipeline of teachers. And while much support is needed from the State, our institutions control the capacity and direct incentives for students enrolling in teacher education programs.
Here are some notes that I took when reading the report:
Other questions:
- What are target goals for teacher production and retention? Who makes these targets if we do end up making them?
- What are the qualifying scores of nearby states for Praxis I & II? What is the data that is driving recommendation number two? Are students not passing tests coming from our programs? It seems like we can maintain high standards if we simply train and support more of our teachers.
- What are funds used for in PDS partnerships?
- What “career-advancement” steps exist for teachers who chose to stay in the classroom? Are these adequate?
- Are any programs providing training for urban classrooms as to better prepare teachers for the unique challenges specifically in many schools in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Prince George’s County?
Incentives: The report seemed light on recommendations for specific salary-based incentives. I am wondering how much consideration should be given to incentives for teachers who teach at Title I schools and teachers who teach in high-needs subject areas.
Data: I am so glad that this was brought up. A major problem beyond the data we do not have is who reviews the data that we do have? And what actions are made upon these. For instance, who tracks the number of graduates that are produced from each school? How are these incentivized?
Teacher Education Programs: Being in a teacher preparation program, I have seen so many individuals drop out of the program. While I am mostly versed in education at UMBC, I have some concerns about policies and procedures that seem to be broad-based:
- Site-based learning has become a critical part to earlier parts of education coursework, but transportation and time has become an issue for students; students do not have the time built into their schedules to perform these service hours and also sometimes do not have transportation.
- Students are very frustrated when they pay full tuition during their Phase II internship and are working full-time. Further, many faculty encourage students not to work outside of teaching and explain that they should “save up.” At the very least, universities should explore tuition remission during the Phase II semester.
- Schools should review when students are recruited to begin teacher education courses. At some schools, students are “discouraged” from taking education courses until, at the earliest, their sophomore year. Teacher education must get on the “map” for students in planning, and their must be opportunities for students to jump on the teacher bandwagon early.
- Because teacher education plans are so rigid, review of the schedule of courses should be had at each institution to ensure that students can take courses in both the spring and fall semesters. Additionally, it should be considered whether Phase I can be moved to the spring and Phase II to the following fall.
Where do we go from here? How do we recruit more teachers? What would convince you to enter a teacher education program and then become a teacher?
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3 comments:
Josh, I agree with a lot of the things you wrote about the meeting, especially when it comes to getting people into the program and keeping them in.
As a student working for certification myself, I felt like I was put off from the entire program too many times to count over the course of two years.
To start, it is not always clear when to get into the program. The website suggests "applying" for the program but there is no official application. I found out I was "accepted" into the program after emailing the director.
Once you finally get into the classes, you learn idealistic theories about teaching and tell stories about your take on education and why you want to be a teacher. While this is all great, it should not be the focus of the first several education courses. I could understand spending one course, or part of one course on it, but personally I would prefer hands-on experience in my early days of education classes. Grades are not always clear in the classes either, and you walk out at the end of the semester hoping you got an A but realizing that you really didn't learn much of anything. It's terribly frustrating.
Once you get into the internship you are suddenly responsible for a plethora of things (including large checklists in the intern handbook). Nothing is explained to you properly, and most of what you are responsible for includes writing lessons in the proper format - which is something the education department does not have developed themselves. How can students use the "proper" format if it has not been taught?
I really could take this a lot further, but in the interest of brevity I feel there are a lot of problems in the program itself that need to be fixed for the students currently taking it. When it comes down to it, it is the students and their experiences with the program that bring other students into it, not the accolades of its directors. Until the education department at UMBC specifically pulls together and works out a coherent structure for its students, they will continue to experience these problems.
Monica--thanks so much for posting. Why did you decide to pursue a teaching certificate in the first place? What has kept you from transferring out?
@others...how does this experience relate to that at your school?
I decided to become a teacher because of my love for history. Teaching is one of few jobs that allows me to work with what I love on a daily basis.
Thankfully, early on in the program I got to visit a few schools for observation, and I fell in love with the atmosphere. The kids brought so much life to the classroom, and it totally changed my idea that students thought history was boring. They were active and engaged and reacted so well to the teacher.
As an intern at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute this year, I'm so thankful for my decision to stick with it instead of transferring out. I love working with the kids and I'm always thinking of things I know they would enjoy in a lesson plan. The internship makes the entire program worth it. It really shows you if you are "cut out" to be a teacher.
Despite all of the complaints I may lodge against the program, the end result of walking into that classroom as a teacher is all worth it; in that respect, I am thankful for UMBC's education department.
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