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Research
Eighteen years after the National Reading Panel put forth its recommendations on effective reading instruction, more than 60 percent of teacher colleges have yet to incorporate those findings into their teacher prep programs. That’s according to a new brief by the National Council on Teacher Quality.
Helping at-risk students develop a growth mindset by teaching them about how their brains develop results in higher motivation and achievement, especially in math, according to new research published in Trends in Neuroscience and Education. Read the Ed Week write up here.
A report released last week by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education paints a sober picture of the nation's teacher colleges, citing declining enrollments, difficulty recruiting diverse students and faculty, filling teacher shortages in key subject areas, and rapid attrition among new teachers.
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Partner Updates
Tennessee’s Shelby County Schools has partnered with the Memphis Teacher Residency to transform a low-performing elementary school into one that specializes in raising the literacy skills of students.
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Events
The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice is holding its second National Black Male Educators Convening Oct. 12-14, in Philadelphia. The Fellowship is a professional and activist organization dedicated to advancing the recruitment, development, and retention of black male educators in schools throughout greater Philadelphia. This convening is for all educators who believe in equity, teacher diversity, and improving talent pipelines.
Vincent Cobb, co-founder of The Fellowship, spoke at NCTR’s Symposium last May on strategies for recruiting and retaining black male educators. Earlier this month his organization was featured in Black Enterprise.
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Featured News
California Goes Big for Teacher Residencies
This past spring, California lawmakers included $125 million in the state’s 2018-19 budget to address teacher shortages–$75 million of which is allocated for the launch and expansion of teacher residencies. Lawmakers decided that $50 million of that money will go toward special education residents, and $25 million toward STEM and/or bilingual residents. An additional $50 million is earmarked for a “local solutions” grant program to fund recruitment and retention efforts for special education teachers.
This week, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing issued two advisories on the RFP process. The first advisory covers the $75 million for teacher residencies, and requires districts to be the applicant in partnership with an institution of higher education. The second advisory scopes out the “local solutions” grants–applicants for this money may be districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and regional occupational centers.
California has long been a hot spot for the residency movement, with NCTR currently supporting eight programs there, from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and Oakland to Bakersfield. Furthermore, the New Generation of Educators Initiative is redefining how teachers are trained for local schools through its partnerships with 11 California State University campuses and more than 15 school districts.
All of those programs and more stand to see a huge boost with these new state investments. The Commission on Teacher Credentialing will oversee four RFPs between the end of this month and mid October:
- Capacity grants to local districts that do not currently operate a residency. RFP will be out later this month, with proposals due Sept. 24. Awards to be announced Oct. 15.
- Districts that currently have residency programs with a college or university partner. RFP will be issued in mid September with proposals due Nov. 15. This RFP is capped at $25 million, and would support a maximum of 1,250 residents. Awards to be announced in mid-December.
- Districts that are ready to launch a new or expand an existing residency by fall of 2019. RFP will be issued in mid October. Proposals will be due Jan. 15, 2019, with awards to be announced March 8.
- The “local solutions” RFP is expected to be published on Sept. 1. No date has yet been given as to when proposals are due, or when the awards will be made.
To date, this is the largest investment any state has made in the teacher residency model. NCTR will have more guidance for our California partners in the coming weeks. If you are not a current member of the NCTR Network, but would like to learn more about how we could assist or advise on a proposal in response to the RFP, please email us at contactus@nctresidencies.org.
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 Rethinking Education in America
US News & World Report
In his new book, How Schools Work, former Education Secretary Arne Duncan argues teacher training needs to be more professional, and cites residencies as a good way to do it.
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