Solving Teacher Shortages:
Key Roles for Educator
Preparation
Sharon
RobinsonCEO/President
AACTEModerator
Linda Darling-
HammondPresident
Learning Policy InstitutePresenter
Desiree
Carver-
ThomasEducator Quality
Team Member
Learning Policy
InstitutePresenter
Jennifer
RobinsonExecutive
Director Center
of Pedagogy
Montclair State
UniversityPresenter
Richard
SchwabDean, Neag
School of
Education
University of
ConnecticutPresenter
Teacher Shortages Impact
on Educator Preparation
Linda Darling-Hammond &
Desiree Carver-Thomas
Teacher Supply, Demand, and
Shortages in the U.S.
A Coming Crisis in Teaching?
Teacher Supply, Demand, and Shortages in the U.S.
9/15/16
Anecdotal Evidence
6
Teacher Preparation Enrollments Down
7
35%
National Supply and Demand Imbalance
8
100,000
Supply
Demand
Variability of the Shortages by State
9
Arizona Oregon
• Low-salary competiveness
62% of non-teacher salary
• Below-average working
conditions
• High teacher attrition—19%
• Above average salary
competiveness 75%
• Top working conditions
• Low teacher attrition—7%
Shortages Vary by Subject Area
10
Special Education Mathematics
Science
Reported Shortages
No Shortages
48+DC
42+DC
40+DC
0.9%
3.6%
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
Low Minority Schools High Minority Schools
Equity Concerns: Uncertified Teachers
11
4x
more
Inequitable States
12
Percent of Teachers Not Certified by Minority Quartile
21.0%
4.5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
High MinoritySchools
Low MinoritySchools
Colorado 22.9%
20.7%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
High Minority SchoolsLow Minority Schools
Washington D.C.
Exacerbating the Leaky Bucket
13
Lower student outcomes
Higher attrition
Teachers with
no preparation
Teac
14
Teacher Attrition Drives Teacher Demand
97% 87%
15
8%
The Importance of Attrition
16
8%
4%
The Importance of Attrition
Who leaves teaching at higher rates?
• Beginning teachers
• Mathematics and science teachers
• Special education teachers
• Teachers of English learners
• Teachers in high-poverty, high-minority schools
• Teachers of color
17
Types of Reasons Given by Teachers for Leaving the Profession
18
Accountability pressures Administration Working conditions
Administrative Support Impacts Turnover
19
10%
15%
20%
25%
0%
Strongly Agree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Disagree Strongly Disagree
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION IS SUPPORTIVE
20
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Administrative support Plans to leave
DC DCArkansas Arkansas
What would bring leavers back?
21
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Ability to maintain teaching retirement benefits
An increase in salary
Smaller class size or smaller student load
Easier and less costly renewal of certification
State certification reciprocity
Availability of part-time teaching positions
Availability of suitable child care options
Forgiveness of student loans
Housing incentives
Financial incentives Teaching conditions Flexibility
What Do High-Achieving Nations Do?
• Competitive, equitable salaries
• Strong universal preparation at little or no cost, with
extensive training in partner schools
• Quality mentoring
• 15-20 hours per week for collaborative planning
• Sustained, practice-based collegial learning opportunities
• Teaching careers that reward, develop, and share expertise
• Sharing of best practices across classrooms & schools
What Matters in Recruiting and Retaining Teachers
•Compensation
•Preparation
•Mentoring and Induction
•Teaching Conditions
23
Compensation
• U.S. teachers make about 20% less than
other college graduates; 30% by mid-career.
• Salaries have lost ground since the 1990s
• Average starting salaries in 2013 ranged
from $27,000 (MT) to $44,000 (AK)
• In more than 30 states, a mid-career teacher
heading a family of 4 is eligible for
government assistance
24
Preparation and Mentoring
• Preparation and early mentoring strongly
influence teacher effectiveness and retention
• Funding for both has declined:
The debt load for preparation has increased
Only about 2/3 of teachers receive
comprehensive preparation before entering
Fewer teachers receive mentoring (down from
75% in 2008 to 59% by 2012)
25
Teaching Conditions
• U.S. teachers have more teaching hours and less planning time than others in the world
• Only 15% of teachers report collaborative work environments, down from 30% in 2000
• Resources for teaching declined during the recession; most states are still spending less in constant dollars than in 2007
• Growth in child poverty, homelessness, and trauma makes teaching more challenging
26
How Resources Matter
Alishia Morris, a 4th-grade teacher who transferred after
6 years in Oklahoma to a district 15 miles away across
the border in Arkansas put it this way:
“It wasn’t the school’s fault. If it was, it wouldn’t have
been so difficult for me to leave. It’s just that Arkansas
has more resources—they just make teaching easier.”
On top of a salary increase of $9,000 over the $33,500
she previously made, Alishia now has reading and
math facilitators to help her with her students, and a
$500 annual allowance for classroom materials.
27
Teaching Attractiveness Varies Across States
28
Quintile
1 2 3 4 5
Lowest… Highest
Compensation
Turnover Rates
Teaching
Conditions
Qualifications
CA
OR
WYSD
IA
AR
PA
MEVT
AK
NV
AZNM
TX
CO
MS
FL
IN MD
DC
Better compensation packages:
• Competitive, equitable salaries
• Financial incentives Housing
Child care
Build lasting teacher supply:
• Forgivable loans, scholarships
• High-retention preparation pathways Grow Your Own programs
Teacher Residencies
Improve retention:
• High-quality mentoring
• Collegial work environments
• Administrator training
Enhance mobility:
• License reciprocity
• Pension portability
Policy recommendations
29
We Have Solved This Problem Before
In the 1990s, CT and NC both eliminated
shortages and increased achievement by:
• Increasing and equalizing salaries
• Offering service scholarships and loans
• Raising standards for teacher preparation
• Introducing strong mentoring systems
• Offering high-quality professional development
• Training principals to support teaching
30
We Can Solve it Again
“For the past decade, I’ve worked at a school
where 97 percent of the children qualify for free
and reduced-price lunch. I stay because the school
climate is good for children and teachers alike. I
stay because my principal is wonderful, supports
us, does what’s best for children, and because I
trust her. I stay because my colleagues are gifted
teachers and good company and because I
continually learn from them.”
-- Kirsten Ragatz, 20-year Minneapolis teacher
31
Richard Schwab
Preparing Great Teachers Who
Enter, Stay and Thrive
Historical background- Extended Teacher Education Programs
• University of New Hampshire Five-Year and Fifth Year Education
programs- 1970’s and Research in 1980- 1990’s
• Holmes, NNER, NCTAF and the professionalization of teaching movement
• UConn- Neag School of Education
• Integrated Five- Year Teacher Education Program (IB/M) started in 1990
• TNE
• Placement , retention, performance
• Prepares teacher leaders
IB/M Today- Foundational Principles
• Teacher Education is a school and university-wide responsibility and built
upon strong content preparation
• Strong, sustained K-12 Partnerships with shared commitment
• Increasingly challenging clinical experiences linked with coursework
• Systematic review and renewal
Key components
• Front end selectivity
• Apply at the end of sophomore year
• Grades, influential experiences, writing sample, interview
• Active recruiting for diversity
• Director of Advising and Recruiting and 2 full time advisor/counselor/ recruiters and GA support
• National/State Networks- i.e. Black and Hispanic/Latino Male Teachers Initiative (NIC) directed by AACTE
• Scholarship support
• Student engagement and leadership
• Leaders for Diversity (LID)
• Diverse Educators Making Outstanding Change DEMO- Alumni mentors
• High school pipelines- Diversity Dinner, Buckley High School
• Active advising support to overcome barriers
Clinical experiences
• Assigned staff
• Director of School/University Partnerships, Full-time University Based Clinical faculty assigned to each partner district, Lead Teacher Leader at each PDS
• Students spend 220 days in schools over three years
• Urban, rural and suburban- many since founding of program
• Increasingly challenging experiences
• Junior year- clinics associated with coursework
• Senior year- 1 day a week in fall and full semester of student teaching in spring (same classroom)
• Fifth Year Masters – 18 hours per week internships on school identified problems and graduate coursework (teacher leadership)
• About 25% participate in one semester internship in England and South Africa (high need schools)
• Capstone Inquiry Project linked to core high leverage practice
Keys to sustained success of extended programs
• Partnerships
• Long term commitment built on trust
• ROI for districts
• Alums in leadership positions
• Adequate staff and leadership infrastructure
• University
• Strong support from president and provost
• Accept that resources are necessary
• Respect of Deans and faculty in other colleges
• Philanthropy, grant support
• Accreditation now emphasizing clinical practice
Jennifer Robinson
Successful Teacher
Residencies
AACTEClinical Practice Commission
• The AACTE Clinical Practice Commission (CPC) was launched in June 2015, is
currently comprised of 35 members representing both PK-12 and teacher
preparation educators and professionals.
• The CPC aims to build upon the 2010 Report of the Blue Ribbon Panel on
Clinical Preparation and Partnerships for Improved Student Learning.
• Understanding that partnerships and teacher education programs have unique
characteristics, the goal of the Commission is to capture the various ways highly
effective clinical practice is implemented across the country.
AACTEClinical Practice Commission
• The goals of the CPC are to:
• Establish a shared lexicon,
• Identify model protocols and best practices, and
• Develop actionable recommendations for the field to define and align high-quality clinical practice in teacher preparation and to advance operationalized practice.
• The CPC is currently working to develop a white paper with an anticipated release
in 2017.
• Following the release of the white paper, the CPC will embark on emissary work to
continue to support the advancement of clinical practice across the nation.
AACTE Clinical Practice Commission
CPC White Paper Round 1
• Examining current context for clinical partnerships, clinical educators, and clinical practice
• Literature Review
• Theoretical Foundations
• Practice Foundations
• Suggested Lexicon
CPC White Paper Round 2
• Creating and implementing clinical partnerships*governing, funding, and
maintaining clinical partnerships
*special attention to the recognition of clinical
educators
*special attention to PDS and Residency as models of clinical practice
• Policy implications
• Case studies of excellence
Center of Pedagogy
Schools
CommunityUniversity
Stewardship
• Conceptual Framework (Portrait of a Teacher, Agenda for Education in a
Democracy)
• Teacher Education Policy Committee
• Recruitment (with special office to recruit and support students of color)
• Student admissions, retention, and advisement
• Field and Clinical Experiences
• Long standing collaboration between Newark Public Schools (NPS) and Montclair State
University (MSU)
-Partnership for Instructional Excellence and Quality (PIE-Q)
• Funded by two 5-year USDOE TQP awards of $6.3 and $6.2 m (2009 – 2014; 2014 – 2019)
• 100% match required (MSU, NPS, outside funding)
• Two Residency Cohort Tracks
– 15-MONTH Early Childhood/Elementary Education with Teacher of Students
with Disabilities teacher certification
– 12-MONTH Math or Science Secondary teacher certification• Innovative inquiry-based curriculum and clinical practice are embedded
in schools
• MSU faculty and NPS employees co-teach in the Residency
• Residents commit to teach and receive induction support over
three years
NMUTR is supported by funding from the USDOE - Teacher Quality Partnerships grant program
*
• Residents receive Co-planning, co-teaching, co-assessing, 4 days per week with
Mentor Teacher
• Collaborative/emergent curriculum, responsive to Newark experiences and
taught on site in the school
• Videos of teaching - analysis and reflection on instructional practice
• Digital Backpacks
• Action Research project
• Summer Immersion with Community-based Organization
• Assignments embedded in classroom practice
• Continuous and cyclical assessment of Resident progress
• Electronic portfolio and Exhibition of learning to teach
*NMUTR is supported by funding from the USDOE - Teacher Quality Partnerships grant program
Residents:
• 98% of Residents indicate that their Mentor and Coursework increased or highly increased their teaching skills
• Residents report positive impacts on their understanding of the characteristics of an effective teacher in an urban school:
~ 93% from their work with Mentor
~ 87% from coursework
• Residents report attainment of classroom management skills
~ 73% from coursework
~ 92% from Mentor
• Residents report their attainment of confidence about being an urban teacher:
~ 85% from coursework
~ 88% from Mentor
NMUTR Evaluation Findings
Mentor Teachers:
• NMUTR contributed to self-growth – reflection on practice, exploration of new teaching and mentoring strategies, time management skills.
• Increased knowledge of working with technology.
• NMUTR has kept me informed about the Resident’s coursework/program activities so that I can assist him/her to apply concepts/learnings in our classroom
~ 80% of Mentor Teachers say “Yes”
• “Overall, how would you rate the quality of NMUTR professional development and support that you received as a Mentor?”
~ 24.6% rate as “Excellent”
~ 51.6% rate as “Very Good”
~ 14.3% rate as “Good”
Q & A
Audience Question 1: Linda mentioned a webpage where you can find a report. Could you repeat this web address?
Solving Teacher Shortages: Attracting and Retaining a Talented and Diverse Teaching
Workforce
https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/event/solving-countrys-shortage
Explore Roles for EPPs in Solving Teacher Shortages
http://edprepmatters.net/2016/09/explore-roles-for-epps-in-solving-teacher-shortages/
Research: Teacher Shortages Are Real and Growing, But Evidence Recommends Solutions
http://aacte.org/news-room/press-releases-statements/516-research-teacher-shortages-are-
real-and-growing-but-evidence-recommends-solutions
National Forum Spotlights Teacher Shortages, Threats to Equity
http://edprepmatters.net/2016/09/national-forum-spotlights-teacher-shortages-threats-to-
equity/
48
Audience Question 2: Could you say something about digital backpacks?
Digital Backpacks address the professional development component of a three-pronged approach to technology integration in teacher preparation that forges digital connections between MSU faculty and public school classrooms; facilitates the redesign and implementation of technology rich coursework, and cultivates effective professional development. The backpacks themselves are self-contained instructional technology resource centers that provide equipment designed to offer students and teachers the ability to capture, create, edit, present and learn from digital media. Backpacks include: a laptop computer, iPad mini, IPEVO camera, swivel tracking platform, power strip, microscope, VGA adapter, and a Belkin Presenter Tablet Stage that may be customized to accommodate the different content areas taught in schools.
Digital Backpack workshops have both on-line and face-to-face components, providing a range of support to meet the needs of learners. As part of their program, teacher certification candidates in the Newark-Montclair Urban Teaching Residency receive digital backpacks and participate in workshops that help them develop skills in designing technology-enriched lessons. Teacher education candidates become change agents, modeling for their cooperating teachers and mentors, new and engaging ways to deliver content to students.
- Response by Jennifer Robinson
49
Audience Question 3: Would you say that this would reflect why there is a shortage of substitute teachers as well?
In regard to substitute teachers, this isn’t something that we investigated
directly. We did find that often substitutes are placed in classrooms when
there are shortages of qualified teachers, so that may have some effect on
substitute shortages. If substitutes are increasingly filling long-term
vacancies, there may be fewer available for short-term positions.
-Response by Desiree Carver-Thomas
50
Audience Question 4: How do we get more people interested in going into teaching? How do we help people see teaching as a profession to pursue and then make the commitment and investment into the preparation programs?
We recommend a few ways to interest people in going into teaching, especially in high-need
fields and locations. First, create financial incentives that make teaching attractive, like
competitive salaries, housing incentives and child care options. Next, high-quality teacher
preparation should be affordable, especially since teachers have to repay student debts on
smaller salaries. We recommend incentives like forgivable loans and scholarships to attract
students into teacher preparation programs, especially in high-need subject areas and
locations. Teacher preparation pathways can also attract students into teaching. Grow Your
Own programs can build a career pathway to teaching for high school students in urban and
rural areas that often face severe shortages. With strong preparation and financial
incentives, teacher residencies can attract diverse teacher candidates into the field and
support them to stay in the long run.
-Response by Desiree Carver-Thomas
51