58th SHEEO Annual MeetingBolder, ColoradoThursday, July 14, 2011

Transforming Teacher Education Through Clinical Practice: A National Strategy to Prepare

Effective Teachers

and the

NCATE State Alliance for Clinical Teacher Education

Shari Francis, NCATE Vice President, State Relations

shari@ncate.org

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The President of the United States and Secretary of Education

“We can't rebuild our economy on the same pile of sand. Similarly, we can't rebuild public education on the same old system of rules and regulations. We have to change the rules, eliminate the excuses and hold ourselves accountable.”  President Barack Obama

“Today, people can't wait. They are fed up with schools that don't work. They see pockets of success and ask why it doesn't exist everywhere. And there is no reason that it can't. And there is no reason that it can't. Revolutionary change – not evolutionary tinkering is needed.” Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan

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Turn teacher education upside

down!

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10 Design Principles

1. Student learning is the focus.2. Clinical preparation is integrated throughout every

facet of teacher education in a dynamic way.3. A candidate’s progress and the elements of a

preparation program are continuously judged on the basis of data.

4. Programs prepare teachers who are expert in content and how to teach it and are also innovators, collaborators and problem solvers.

5. Candidates learn in an interactive professional community.

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10 Design Principles con’t.

6. Clinical educators and coaches, drawn from both higher education and P-12, are rigorously selected and prepared.

7. Specific sites are designated and funded to support embedded clinical preparation.

8. Technology applications foster high-impact preparation.

9. A powerful R & D agenda and systematic gathering and use of data supports continuous improvement in teacher preparation.

10. Strategic partnerships are imperative for effective clinical preparation.

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NCATE State Alliance for Clinically- Based Teacher Education

Founding States…

OR

CACO

MO

LA

TN

OH

NY

MD

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What is Our Ultimate Destination? Redesign clinically-based teacher

preparation to truly turn the profession upside down.

Foster collaborative partnerships among schools, districts, and teacher preparation programs.

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What is Our Ultimate Destination?

Assess all aspects of performance on a continuing basis by collecting and analyzing multiple measures of formative and summative assessment data.

Link performance assessments to state licensing requirements; including performance assessment of teacher preparation for the program of state approval and program improvement.

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What is Our Ultimate Destination?

Develop more effective state policies to prepare teachers who meet school needs by offering incentives or establishing policies that guide the numbers and types of teachers who are prepared.

Address state and local policies and practices that might impede innovation and the shift to clinically based teacher preparation programs.

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What is Our Ultimate Destination?

Create and implement a “scale-up” plan to expand from a limited number of clinical teacher preparation partnerships to a state-wide system of such partnerships as a means to improve student learning – especially in high needs schools.

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What Can NCATE Do?o Seek support for significant research on teacher

preparation, including research on Alliance-related sites

o Convene partners to share experiences and strategies

o Serve as an organizing force with other groups to create and implement common standards for teacher preparation data

o Facilitate connections of Alliance efforts with researchers

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What Can NCATE Do?

o Support states as they identify a State Alliance Team that represents NCATE stakeholder groups such as state members of AACTE, ATE, NEA, AFT, as well as others who will engage in jumpstarting the work of the Alliance. Facilitate the sharing of state plans, tasks and timeline for implementation with other State Alliances.

o E-networks--updates, blogs, questions--across states and individual sites

o Partner with the Alliance members, and representatives of institutions, districts, CCSSO,SHEEO, and researchers to develop common measurement standards to be used in Alliance preparation sites

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How Can Clinically-Based Teacher Education be “Scaled Up?”

What partners should we involve in these tasks?

What challenges can we expect to face in reaching the Alliance goals?

How can we surmount the challenges?

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Taking Risks and Avoiding Status Quo

Teacher Educators & Administrators Work with P-12 schools to establish a unified

clinical faculty. Offer incentives that would encourage teacher

education providers to enter “a new world.” Identify market needs in feeder schools; adjust

programs to needs of school districts even if…. With P-12 practitioners, train to be clinical

faculty; plan, implement and assess programs.14

Taking Risks and Avoiding Status Quo

Teacher Unions & P-12 Practitioners Review collective bargaining agreements or local

policies to change staffing patterns & compensation that would accommodate clinically-based teacher education.

Include content professionals paired with professional practitioners.

In collaboration with the teacher education provider, assess & evaluate candidates’ eligibility for a teaching license.

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Taking Risks and Avoiding Status Quo

District Superintendents and Building Administrators

Establish a policy (by date certain) that all new hires must be prepared in a clinically-based teacher education program.

Provide incentives or stipends to teacher candidates at the end of their pre-service training. Offer the candidate prepared in the school district the right of “first refusal” for employment.

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Taking Risks and Avoiding Status Quo

State and Local Policy Makers Establish flexible “blended” incentives using traditional

funds for teacher education and P-12 schools designed to accommodate clinically-based teacher education.

Relax policies that require rigid field and clinical experiences (maximum or minimum hours/courses).

Allow all clinical faculty - provider and practitioner - to recommend candidates for teacher licenses.

Utilize federal funding to subsidize the creation and start up of clinically-based teacher education.

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