E-Briefing March 24, 2000 Despite stretched budgets and teacher shortages, educators are being held to higher standards, even at the preschool level. At some of the nation's universities, including the University of Cincinnati, teacher education programs now require a five-year commitment by students. This week's University of Cincinnati e-briefing examines what's ahead for the nation's teachers and their principals. Table of contents 1. Teacher shortages A. Help wanted! B. The Baby Boomer factor C. The science situation 2. Teacher recruitment A. Addressing the shortages B. The second career C. Show me the money 3. Teachers need to make the grade A. Teacher accountability B. The new math C. Head Start standards 4. Teacher training A. Educational partnerships B. Reinventing teacher preparation C. Off-campus training 5. Going high-tech A. Teachers and technology B. Learning through multimedia C. Computer classrooms 6. The principal's office A. It's lonely at the top B. Urban leaders 1. Teacher shortages A. HELP WANTED! Samuel M. Deitz, dean of the College of Education at Georgia State University: "You won't believe the teacher shortages we're going to have in the next 20 years. Right now, in Georgia, some urban and rural districts can't find elementary-level teachers. Some districts have upwards of 20 vacancies on the elementary level. Five years ago, if you would have said this would be the case, you would have been laughed at." Deitz adds that special education, math and science, and foreign language teachers are going to be in great demand. He said those areas are already hard to fill, and it's becoming even more difficult to find qualified teachers. contact: 404-651-2525 B. THE BABY BOOMER FACTOR Teacher shortages will grow with the retirement of baby boomers. The wave of retirements will exacerbate the current demand for qualified teachers, especially in such fields as math and science. "Not that many people go into math and never have," says Linda Taylor, head, Division of Teacher Education, UC College of Education. "We have good programs to recruit new math teachers, especially for minorities, but they are easily recruited into jobs that pay a lot more." contact: 513-556-3580 C. THE SCIENCE SITUATION Piyush Swami, UC professor of teacher education: "People have to spend a good deal of time gaining a background in science and by the time they've acquired the background, they become very attractive in other fields, careers with more money and fewer hassles." Swami says there are several proposals under consideration to deepen the pool, including higher pay for science teachers and proposals for states to forgive college loans for science teachers. Swami says the latter practice was common in Ohio about a decade ago and was successful at recruiting new science teachers. contact: 513-556-3567 2. Teacher recruitment A. ADDRESSING THE SHORTAGES The University of Cincinnati College of Education is working with certified teachers in Cincinnati Public Schools to meet the demand for teachers specializing in content areas such as math and science. "This year, we are working with about 22 students who are already certified teachers working in Cincinnati Public Schools, either as substitutes or are certified in areas no longer in demand, such as home economics," explains Arlene Mitchell, associate dean, UC College of Education. The teachers will get their masters degrees and certification in middle school math, an area with significantly greater demand. contact: 513-556-2327 B. THE SECOND CAREER Samuel M. Deitz, dean of the College of Education, Georgia State University, says mid-career professionals switching fields are entering teaching at far greater rates than traditional-aged college students. "If we open up a special program in math and science education for mid-career professionals, we can get 40 to 50 entering every semester compared with about five traditional-aged college students." However, he sees challenges ahead even here. "School systems are going to be so hungry they'll want to place these career changers into the classroom immediately with, at most, some 'on-the-job supervision.' But, without teacher training, many of these mid-career changers don't last long. They often have a vision of how it was when they were in high school. They're shocked by how much realities have changed." contact: 404-651-2525 C. SHOW ME THE MONEY Allen Warner, dean of the College of Education, University of Houston: "More mid-career professionals are entering teaching because better salaries are available. Currently, the beginning salary of a teacher in the Houston area matches that of a beginning accountant. That wasn't always the case. For a long time, the best and brightest of women entered teaching because so few fields were open to them. Now that so many more options are open to women, schools must compete with other sectors of the economy. If you want good talent, you have to be willing to pay for it." contact: 713-743-5001 3. Teachers need to make the grade A. TEACHER ACCOUNTABILITY Accountability demands will increase across the nation. In Texas, for instance, the state requires that 70 percent of a university's education graduates graduates pass the licensure exam (or 80 percent over a two-year period). In the future, other academic areas of the university will likely have to meet similar criteria. "Across the nation, states will begin to ask, 'what proportion of would-be math teachers are passing the licensing exam? What percentage of foreign language teachers?' Since Arts & Sciences and other colleges within the university teach these content-specific courses, they will increasingly come under state scrutiny," says Allen Warner, dean of the College of Education, University of Houston. contact: 713-743-5001 B. THE NEW MATH Teaching math has evolved with the changes affecting the American worker. Earlier in the century, the demand was for workers who excelled at so-called "shopkeeper's arithmetic," the ability to quickly add or subtract columns of numbers. A new wave of teaching math swept the country when the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics issued standards in the late 80s that focused less on procedure and more on understanding math. "There used to be an elitist attitude that only certain people could do math, and I think the world is finally coming to realize that we have to find methods of reaching people other than those who just get it," says Linda Taylor, head of the Division of Teacher Education at the University of Cincinnati. Taylor expects the debate over "new math" vs. "back to basics" to heat up again in April when the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics will be releasing updated research and recommendations in April. contact: 513-556-3580 C. HEAD START STANDARDS Because of a federal mandate, teachers in Head Start centers nationwide will be required to have an associate's degree in early childhood education and all Head Start teachers in Ohio must achieve that higher degree by 2008. The Early Childhood Learning Community (ECLC) will address that need in Ohio and across the nation by providing an associate degree through distance learning. The ECLC is the new partnership including Resources and Instruction for Staff Excellence (RISE), a nonprofit distance learning production company and three University of Cincinnati colleges, in collaboration with EchoStar Communications. Director of distance education Lisa Holstrom says an associate degree through UC's University College will be available for teachers in 48 states, with the first classes beginning spring quarter. Interested teachers can call 1-888-325-2669 for more information or e-mail ECLC@uc.edu. contact: 513-556-3627 4. Teacher training A. EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS Partnerships between universities, schools and communities are a growing trend. The nationally recognized Cincinnati Initiative for Teacher Education (CITE) is a partnership with the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Public Schools and the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers. The five-year program provides for a year-long teaching internship for UC students in selected Cincinnati Public Schools, called Professional Practice Schools. During their last year at UC, students also earn credit toward a masters degree. "For a long time, teaching has not always been considered as high a profession among the other professions, particularly within universities," says Lawrence J. Johnson, interim dean, UC College of Education. "The teacher colleges were thought of as places to get as many people as possible in and out of the college. Teaching colleges have moved away from a kind of 'teach as many as you can' approach to a more intensive, content-based program, and you can see that many colleges have moved to five-year programs to provide for that intensive training." contact: 513-556-2322 B. REINVENTING TEACHER PREPARATION One component of CITE is a course aimed at adequately preparing teachers to support the diverse academic and behavioral needs of their students. During their fifth year teaching internship, the UC students learn skills in collaborative problem-solving, skills that benefit them in the classroom and in working with parents and families, other educators and service providers such as school psychologists. "In order for public schools to provide for the needs of all students as mandated by federal law and consistent with national educational reform initiatives, classroom teachers need to be adequately prepared," says Assistant Professor of School Psychology Sarah Allen. UC has one of the few programs in the country in which both teacher education and school psychology students undergo shared training to meet those expectations. contact: 513-556-3339 C. OFF-CAMPUS TRAINING Currently, colleges and universities are the primary institutions approved by the state to prepare would-be teachers for certification. That will probably change in the future, predicts Allen Warner, dean of the College of Education, University of Houston. "A prospective teacher needing certification may not want to travel to a university or may not find the needed courses available in the time frame they want. With the growing need for teachers, I think private enterprise may well step in, get approval from the state and begin offering the course work and on-the-job experience needed for licensure. Several such plans are in progress and may appear first in California and Florida simply because those two states have not, historically, exercised strong control over higher education. The pressure for more teachers in California is already great and will be even greater as the legislature there is mandating that class sizes must be smaller. That will only increase the demand for teachers in a state that already experiences a major shortage." contact: 713-743-5001 5. Going high-tech A. TEACHERS AND TECHNOLOGY Five years ago, states began to mandate the use of technology in the classroom. Because this is a relatively new tool for learning, surveys by the U.S. Department of Educators and the Milken Foundation indicate only 28 percent of the nation's teachers feel comfortable converting their classrooms to a high-tech environment. Joyce Pittman, University of Cincinnati assistant professor of instructional technology, says more states are now requiring technology training in their teacher education programs. "Students who are not provided with education in environments that provide equitable access to technology will be left behind. Those who have access will move ahead of the class." contact: Joyce Pittman, 513-556-4385 B. LEARNING THROUGH MULTIMEDIA Janet L. Bohren, associate professor of teacher education, says multimedia can be a critical tool for improving instruction but can also be misused and accomplish nothing. "For example, if students are working together on a PowerPoint presentation, they work collaboratively, research information to post on the site and get involved in challenging each other. On the other hand, kids also can use it to play around and do a glitzy presentation that doesn't say much." Bohren says working with multimedia challenges students to think visually and orally, building skills as they design projects such as web sites that incorporate design, images and sound. contact: 513-556-3579 C. COMPUTER CLASSROOMS Although students can get college credit via the computer, the college classroom is here to stay, according to business technologies professor Sandy Kahn of the University of Cincinnati's University College. UC is one of the few programs nationwide that offers introductory accounting sequences online. Students register, get instruction and take exams via computer. Kahn says the demand for the program follows the growth and mobility of our society. Last quarter, one of Kahn's students was working his academic schedule around his military service. "We're teaching young people who are leading multi-dimensional lifestyles. College is only one dimension of their lives, unlike the student decades ago." Kahn says on-line learning may be a great niche for the person who wants to take a course anytime, anywhere, but he does not believe it will ever replace the traditional classroom. "Universities are going to have to decide whether or not they are willing to give a degree to a student they've never seen. There's more to college than just taking tests and reading the materials. For young students, the collegiate experience is very important, including he socialization they enjoy on campus." contact: 513-556-0371 6. The principal's office A. IT'S LONELY AT THE TOP The wave of retiring baby boomers will also affect school administrations that are already struggling with shortages due to the stress and demands on principals and superintendents. Greg Tracy, UC assistant professor of educational administration, says decision-making should no longer be the sole responsibility of educational leaders, but rather a team effort involving other members of the staff. More is being done in Ohio to build a network of principals to support and mentor each other on the changing demands of the field, including the regional efforts of the Ohio Principals' Center, a group based in Hamilton County and dedicated entirely to the professional development of principals. Last summer, the UC College of Education held its 14th annual Administrator Development Academy (ADA), an intensive program to begin training students for administrative positions. Tracy says the program will expand to outlying areas this summer in the form of a satellite masters program. "The ADA brings in practicing principals and assistant principals to work with the students...It's a great introduction into the administration program." contact: 513-556-6622 B. URBAN LEADERS The University of Cincinnati will begin accepting candidates in fall 2000 for a new doctoral program aimed at serving the needs of urban schools and communities. The Urban Educational Leadership program partners UC graduate students and urban schools and agencies in the region. "This is a great opportunity for urban educators to prepare...leaders who understand the challenges of urban areas and who can make a positive difference in the lives of urban youth," says Mary Anne Pitman, interim co-coordinator of the program and head of the Division of Educational Studies. contact: 513-556-3610 Click here to return to e-briefings archive. 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