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Time to Renew California's Commitment to New Teachers
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Liam Goldrick, Director of Policy
The passage of Proposition 30 on the November ballot eliminates the specter of deep spending cuts to California public schools. The infusion of revenue over the next seven years should help the state stop the bleeding and ideally will be used to solidify California's historic commitment to developing and supporting a world-class teaching force. In a recent Ed Source blog post, NTC CEO Ellen Moir discusses her participation on California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson's Educator Excellence Task Force which, in September, recommended doing exactly that.
To accelerate new teacher effectiveness, the Task Force provides ideas to strengthen the state's Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program and to provide additional mentoring and induction support to principals. Its four recommendations are:
1. Define the standards for quality induction programs and embed them in state accountability systems for funding and accreditation.
2. Clarify the competencies that beginning teachers, administrators, and their mentors should be expected to acquire, and ensure they are represented in appropriate assessments.
3. Provide a strong statewide policy and programmatic infrastructure and adequate resources to allow all local providers to offer high-quality programs.
4. Align the early career system so it allows a seamless transition from preparation to career and through ongoing development.
Ellen Moir: "This is a critical priority because new teachers are more common in schools today than ever before. Whereas 25 years ago the most typical teacher was a veteran with 17 years of experience, today's students are more likely to be taught by a novice teacher. The best induction programs help beginning teachers thrive and deepen the impact of their teaching. Research shows that comprehensive, multi-year mentoring and induction reduces new teacher attrition and improves student learning. At NTC, we've witnessed these benefits in the induction programs we've designed and operated across California for nearly 25 years."
"But all novice California teachers are not provided equal opportunities to succeed. NTC sounded the alarm in 2010 in our New Teacher Excellence paper, warning that the overall quality of BTSA programs was in danger of being compromised as a result of a lost focus on individualized teacher growth and learning. Many BTSA programs were high quality, but unfortunately some focused too heavily on completing a checklist rather than providing differentiated and personalized support to new teachers. The negative experience of some new teachers undoubtedly contributed to the state's decision to allow school districts to sweep BTSA funding for "any educational purpose," further accelerating this downward spiral and eroding the comprehensiveness of many successful programs."
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NTC Highest-Rated i3 Grant Applicant
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NTC is honored to be one of the U.S. Department of Education's 20 highest-rated 2012 Investing in Innovation (i3) grant applicants in the third round of the program. NTC's application received the top rating (98.83) of 844 total applicants. The validation grant would provide up to $15 million to fund innovations in Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) in Florida, Chicago Public Schools in Illinois and Grant Wood Area Education Agency in Iowa. All highest-rated applicants are expected to provide matching funds by December 7. Final awards will be announced by December 31.
Read more on NTC's website
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| Nonprofit Leaders Provide Advice to President Obama | |
NTC CEO Ellen Moir, among other nonprofit leaders, provided advice in The Chronicle of Philanthropy to President Obama on how he can encourage a healthy nonprofit environment in his second term. Moir recommends that the president "encourage nonprofits, the private sector, and government to work collectively toward greater outcomes." This collaboration would allow great ideas to develop more broadly. Additionally, Moir recommends that the Social Innovation Fund continue: "Through a modest federal investment, it attracts private dollars and helps high-impact nonprofits expand their work."
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| Teacher Working Conditions the Focus of John Wilson's Blog Post | |
On his Education Week blog, former National Education Association executive director John Wilson discusses the importance of teacher working conditions and recognizes NTC's leadership on the issue. Wilson writes, "New Teacher Center in Santa Cruz, California, under the leadership of Ellen Moir, recognized that a key to improving student learning was providing good working and learning conditions. Moir unleashed Eric Hirsch and Ann Maddock to champion this strategic tool with governors, superintendents, and policymakers." Key states that have fully embraced improving teacher working conditions include Kentucky and North Carolina. Kentucky captured the responses of more than 80 percent of educators using NTC's TELL (Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning) Survey. In North Carolina, over 86 percent of educators completed the most recent survey. Both Kentucky and North Carolina have developed teaching conditions standards that align with the survey.
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| Florida Governor to Propose Matching Grant Program for Teacher Training | |
Governor Rick Scott (R) announced a competitive grant program to provide professional training to Florida's teachers. The $2 million grant will be matched by private sector funds. In a statement, Scott said, "The best way to strengthen our education system is to have a great teacher in every classroom and this $2 million investment ... is a major step toward that goal." During Scott's recent travels across Florida, professional development opportunities for teachers were among the issues he discussed with educators.
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| Washington's Governor-Elect Eyes Policy Changes to Support Educators | |
Governor-elect Jay Inslee's (D) education platform includes a strong focus on strengthening teaching and school leadership. The full plan articulates provisions related to new educator support. First, Inslee proposes to "develop and implement a teacher leadership program for exceptional teachers with increased earning potential for additional mentoring responsibilities." Second, he proposes to "bolster principal training and ... provide feedback and support to both new and veteran principals.
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| Oregon Report Urges Adoption of Induction Program Standards | |
The Oregon Education Investment Board, headed by Governor John Kitzhaber (D), released a report at its November meeting aimed at improving quality teaching. Authored by Linda Darling-Hammond, one of the report's (Supporting Educator Quality in Oregon) 10 recommendations is to "support high-quality induction by providing matching funds to districts" that meet quality standards. Currently, Oregon funds a competitive grant program to support beginning teacher and school administrator mentoring in a small number of school districts. But, unlike 15 states with formal induction program standards, Oregon currently lacks a set of standards that establish a statewide vision for the purpose of induction and articulate the design elements that comprise a strong induction program.
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U.S. Education System Not Failing
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In an Education Week blog post, Steve Berlin (Senior Communications Manager for the National Association of State Boards of Education) suggests that the U.S. education system is "not failing" - despite such rhetorical claims. Berlin notes that a recent PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools shows that only 7 percent of respondents feel the education system is failing. That same poll finds that 71 percent of respondents believe that teachers deserve their trust and confidence.
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California Report Touts Career Pathway for Teachers
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NTC Policy News is a monthly publication by the New Teacher Center. It is produced with funding support from the Joyce Foundation. Based in Chicago, Illinois, the Joyce Foundation invests in initiatives to improve public education and works to close the achievement gap by improving the quality of teachers in schools that serve low-income and minority children.
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Newsletter Archive
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Symposium Save the Date
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New Teacher Center is pleased to invite you to our 15th National Symposium on Teacher Induction, Avenues to New Teacher Excellence. The Symposium will be held February 3-5, 2013 at the Fairmont San Jose hotel. Register here.
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Ellen Moir Discusses Importance of Classroom Videos in Teachscape Webinar
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NTC CEO Ellen Moir discusses the value of video in boosting the effectiveness of professional learning for teachers in a Teachscape Webinar Recording. Watch the recording to learn more.
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NTC News Updates
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Read about NTC's latest news updates and media coverage here.
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NTC Job Openings
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NTC seeks qualified candidates for several positions.
Current Postings:
-Development Associate
-Accounts Receivable Assistant
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About Us
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