Support the Work of Teachers and other School Leaders
A critical element in school improvement is ensuring that all students, particularly
those educationally at risk, have access to highly qualified teachers and that
those teachers are supported. Research indicates that the single most
important factor in advancing student learning is the availability of a highly
qualified teacher supported by school leaders whose primary focus is improving
teaching and student learning. The Regents 1998 teaching policy, “Teaching
to Higher Standards: New York’s Commitment,” was the beginning
of a process to strengthen teaching and learning in the State.
- To help districts ensure that all students have qualified teachers, the
Department is working with BOCES, New York State United Teachers, school
districts, teacher preparation institutions, and others to create or strengthen
partnerships to support teacher quality in five regions of the State: the
Rochester and Syracuse areas, the Southern Tier, the Mid-Hudson area, and
Long Island. The partnerships are addressing such issues as obtaining
regional data on districts’ hiring needs, increasing the supply of
teachers in shortage areas, improving pre-service field experience and student
teaching, and enhancing the knowledge, skills and abilities of new and veteran
teachers. We hope to extend these partnerships to all regions of the
State.
- In 2006, the Department shared first-of-its-kind regional teacher supply
and demand data with colleges and universities with teacher education
programs and school districts across the State as a part of the strategy
to support regional teacher workforce planning. In May 2008, the
third annual report on teacher supply and demand was released. Using
multiple indicators of teacher shortages, it showed that progress was being
made toward the Regents teacher quality goals, but that gaps remained,
particularly in high-need, low-performing districts.
- In response to feedback from the field and analysis of teacher supply and
demand data indicating that the current teacher certification structure may
be exacerbating the shortage of certified special education teachers at the
secondary level, the Department convened a work group to review the current
special education certification structure. A proposal to revise the structure
and content of Students with Disabilities teacher certification is now under
development.
- Consistent with §305 of the Education Law, as amended by Chapter 57
of the Laws of 2007, the Department conducted a study of the evaluation
of teacher preparation programs in consultation with
the P-16 education community and national experts. The report and recommendations
were presented to the Regents in December 2007.
- The Department’s Higher Education Act Teacher Recruitment Grant project
yielded 845 new teachers in shortage subjects for high-need schools in New
York City, of whom 671 (79.4 percent) were still teaching in the fall of
2006 (more than twice as many as projected in the original proposal). The
project gave financial incentives to independent colleges and universities
that created alternative teacher preparation programs in partnership with
the New York City Teaching Fellows program.
- The Department received approval from United States Department of Education
(UDSE) to continue funding Transition to Teaching, an alternative
route program that prepares teachers in shortage areas in New York City schools.
This is the Department’s fourth year of participation in the program.
- The Teacher Opportunity Corps program continues its work in recruiting
underrepresented minorities into teaching careers and training teachers to
work with high need, at-risk populations. In the 2005-06 academic year, the
program had 461 participants, 133 graduates, 99 applicants for certification,
and 87 and 97 percent passing rates on the LAST and ATS-W Teacher Certification
Exams, respectively. Seventy-seven participants were employed upon graduation
and 28 graduates chose to continue their studies in graduate school.
- The Teachers of Tomorrow programs supported 39 high need, low performing
school districts to recruit 2,944 new teachers and assisted high need, low
performing school districts to permanently certify 707 existing teachers.
- The Department has continued to develop and implement improvements to
the TEACH online application and database system that it put into use
in March 2006. As a result of these improvements, along with changes in
the way the Office of Teaching Initiatives approaches its work, graduates
from approved New York Teacher Education Programs who apply on-line and
have all other requirements (such as testing and fingerprints) can have
their certificate issued within one day on their on-line college recommendation.
For program graduates needing Permanent of Professional certificates, their
experience is reviewed and certificates can be issued within one week.
Efficiencies are also being realized for prospective teachers applying
for certification through alternative pathways.
- Through the Teacher/Leader Quality Partnerships Program (TLQP),
33 projects, with 42 colleges and universities serving as partners in professional
development for pre-service and in-service teachers and administrators are
being offered in 46 school districts, two BOCES districts, 51 additional
school buildings, and 55 private and charter schools. Of the 3,935
teachers who participated in TLQP for at least one of the first three years
of the program’s current five-year grant cycle, only 3.6 percent have
left teaching and do not plan to return to a career in education
- In July 2007, over 400 science teachers, coordinators, and school administrators
participated in a three-day Summer Science Discovery Institute. The
State Learning Standards were used as a basic framework in involving the
participants in hands-on activities to enhance teaching and learning.
The Department is committed to assessing the effectiveness of teaching policies,
including the teacher certification structure, teacher supply and demand, research-based
professional development, improving teacher retention, helping districts to
recruit teachers to high-need schools, and improving the school work environment. In
addition, the Department has applied for a Wallace Foundation grant to strengthen
school leadership, beginning with pre-service programs for school leaders through
professional development and school leader performance assessments, focused
on the importance of a school leader to student learning. It will also
promote research-based models for teacher/principal collaboration to strengthen
classroom instruction. The centerpiece of our focus on school improvement
will continue to be to provide teachers and other school leaders with the appropriate
support and resources to be successful in raising student performance and closing
achievement gaps.
Target Resources toward Advancing Regents Priorities
To advance the Board of Regents priorities to support student success, it
is essential that both new and existing resources be used to directly support
the Regents policy direction. Department staff will be closely analyzing
all existing federal and State funding streams to identify opportunities for
maximizing these resources to carry out the P-16 Plan.
Expectations and Feedback on the New P-16 Structure
Our colleagues in the field look forward to further discussion of these directions
with the Board of Regents and to continuing to develop short-term and long-term
strategies with Department staff and our partners across the State. Preliminary
feedback on the new P-16 structure and leadership has been positive. A
selection of actual comments received includes:
- “It is great to see different elements in the P-16 areas talking,
sharing and building together.”
- “Knowing that we are a part of the P-16 Initiative has provided us
with additional 'motivation' toward full district implementation. Having
'students', 'systems', and 'structures' on which to focus provides us with
another avenue of communication with various stakeholder groups.”
- “It's a terrific first step to improvement. Schools are better
than ever and we need to celebrate their successes not punish their progress
if it doesn't meet an arbitrary mark. Good things are happening all
over this state and that's a message that P-16 can promote with pride!”
- “This survey is a great start to developing a culture of mutual respect
where we really can make a significant difference for all learners.”
- “This survey is a great idea and adds credibility to the P-16 initiative
and SED restructuring. It's refreshing. It begins a hopefully
continuing move to making SED a service branch of the government and not
solely a regulatory branch.”
- “I am impressed with the emphasis on listening to those of us in
the field.”
The Department thanks the many individuals and groups who took the time to
provide invaluable insights over the course of the year. This will serve
as an investment in our future and will help shape the P-16 agenda for all
students from pre-kindergarten through college and/or the workforce. The
positive comments and messages are very encouraging. It is important
to note that this will not be an easy process, and our organizational transformation
will not occur overnight. However, the benefit to the children of the
State and our future is too important not to move in this direction.
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