Addressing the ‘Urban Teacher Quality Gap’:
Two Approaches
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
AACTE
New Orleans February 2008
The Problem Inadequate access to well-qualified teachers in
urban areas Need for more appropriate high quality
preparation AND INDUCTION SUPPORT for teachers in urban schools
Two Approaches
Urban Teacher Residency Model
PDS-based Preparation and Induction
Urban Teacher ResidenciesSeven principles:
Tightly weave education theory and classroom practice together Focus on learning alongside an experienced, effective mentor Group teacher candidates in cohorts Build constructive partnerships with districts, schools, communities,
universities and unions Serve school districts Support Residents once they are hired as teachers of record Establish and support differentiated career roles for veteran
teachers
(www.teacherresidencies.org)
PDS Based Preparation & InductionSix Principles:
Connecting theory and practice by grounding new teacher learning in the real life of schools.
Partnerships that extend across the communities of interest, involving the university, the school district, the school, and teacher organizations.
Assessment appropriate for what new teachers have to learn. Qualified mentors specifically trained and compensated to mentor
novice teachers. Focus on student learning by embedding novice learning in the
cycle of teaching practice. Restructuring. time, roles, and resources to create an effective
learning community for students and professionals.
Similarities Comprehensive teacher development system
(prep. – professional development) Based on medical residency model – situated
learning Prep. includes full year residency/not teacher of
record Continuing support for induction phase School structures support teacher learning Partnership-based
DifferencesUTR Model
Full year paid residency in prep. phase
Facilitating third party entity
Prep. and induction
geared toward needs of specific district
PDS-Based Model Full year unpaid
internship in prep. phase University/district/union
partners
Prep. more generic; Induction district specific
Shared Challenges Policy context
Conflicting local, state, and federal policies
Capacity Scale-up requirements
Communication Cross institutional partnerships
Financing Requires front end investment in teacher recruitment,
preparation, and induction
Jurisdictional control Who prepares and inducts new teachers
Panelists Catherine Emihovich U. of Florida, Gainesville
Mark Larson National-Louis University
Jon Snyder Bank Street College of Ed.
Michael Whitmore Academy for Urban School
Leadership
Jesse Solomon Boston Teacher Residency
Discussion Questions What is the nature of the partnership in your program? What do you believe is important for new teachers to
know? When, where, and how do they learn it in your program?
How does your program address the needs of diverse learners?
What are the challenges and benefits of situated learning for teachers?
How might your programs influence teacher education and school reform more broadly?