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Press Releases
January 25, 2006
To: Education Reporters
- From: John McDonald for the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning
- (310) 798-3252 or john.mcdonald@stonesthro.com
Margaret Gaston, executive director of the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, today presented informational testimony regarding efforts to strengthen the quality and supply of California’s teaching workforce at a hearing of the Senate Education Committee.
Based on recommendations outlined in the Center’s recent report The Status of the Teaching Profession 2005, Ms. Gaston’s comments summarized action steps that help remove barriers to entry into the teaching profession, strengthen the pipeline of fully prepared teachers, provide training, support and supervision to all new teachers, and address inequities in the distribution of teachers among poor and minority students. Ms. Gaston also outlined steps to transform schools into attractive work places, target training for areas of special need and strengthen teacher retention. The Center is also recommending that the state act to improve its teacher quality data.
Recommendations for Action
Remove Barriers
Eliminate duplicative preliminary credential requirements for new teachers who have completed state-adopted credentialing requirements in another state.
Provide a clear credential to new out-of-state teachers who have been prepared in another state contingent upon completion of preparation to serve English language learners. Facilitate this recommendation by repealing provisions limiting access to state approved local EL training under SB 395 to permanent employees in California.
Reduce induction requirements from three to two years for teachers who enter California under current laws governing beginning teachers prepared out of state, to be consistent with the two-year induction requirement for candidates prepared in state.
Remove the fiscal disincentive for districts willing to implement statutes designed to encourage expedited completion of beginning teacher support and assistance for teachers who can demonstrate competence.
Eliminate duplicate testing requirements for teachers prepared in California. In particular, eliminate the CBEST requirement for teachers who have successfully passed CSET for Multiple Subjects after revising CSET to include an assessment of writing skills. Also consider including in CSET Multiple Subjects an assessment of the skills and knowledge necessary to teach reading, then eliminating the current reading exam requirement for those who pass the revised subject matter exam.
Remove remaining barriers for retired educators willing to serve in high need schools or subject matter areas, including the $27,000 salary cap for retired teachers willing to serve in high need schools or subject matter areas, the CBEST requirement for teachers who have been out of the classroom for 39 months, and additional credential requirements related to whether preparation was completed “recently” (within the past five years). Strike any provisions precluding retired teachers to serve as instructional aides. Memorialize Congress to repeal Social Security penalties for teachers reentering the teacher workforce. Consider changing statutory provisions that decrease STRS funds for teachers who return to full time teaching within one year, at least with respect to teachers willing to serve in high need schools and subject matter areas.
Strengthen the Pipeline of Fully Prepared Teachers
Offer funding to the California State University and the University of California to provide support for campuses willing to increase the number of candidates prepared to serve as teachers in high need subject matter areas, such as math, science and special education, or in high need schools, defining “high need schools” based upon regional market analyses.
Modify the APLE loan forgiveness program to provide stipends sufficient to cover books, tuition and living expenses for candidates willing to serve in high need subjects or schools.
Provide Intensive Training, Support and Supervision to All Novice Teachers While Addressing Equity in the Distribution of Teachers
Provide targeted preparation, support, supervision and support for interns serving in high priority schools, focusing on more intensive pre-service preparation to teach English language learners. Consider tying this new funding to a requirement that local agencies provide for equitable distribution of interns by encouraging accomplished veteran teachers to move into challenging schools. At the same time, require participating local education agencies to consolidate preparation for interns and beginning teachers to eliminate duplicative requirements.
Provide funding designated solely for the purpose of attracting and retaining experienced, accomplished teachers willing to serve as mentors to interns and beginning teachers in hard-to-staff schools.
Provide incentive funding for cohorts of experienced teachers with proven track records in student achievement who are willing to transfer as a group to teach in hard-to-staff schools. Give priority to groups that include an administrator with a proven track record in leadership.
Provide sufficient funding to support all teachers statutorily eligible for beginning teacher support.
Consider encouraging school districts with low-performing schools to create an Equity Index. Couple the creation of equity indexes with a mandated equity reserve in certain districts, to be used to ensure an equitable distribution of teachers, more intense and focused professional development, and strengthened preparation, support, supervision and assistance for novice teachers.
Transform Schools Into Places Where Teachers Will Want to Serve by Addressing Hiring Delays, Working Conditions, Compensation, Professional Development and School Leadership
Consider, in the Budget bill, expanding funding under the High Priority Schools Program to include schools scoring in Decile 2 on the Academic Performance Index, while continuing some level of funding for schools scoring in Decile 1. Tie this funding to a requirement that districts revise teacher transfer and excessing policies to give schools the ability to determine which incumbent teachers to accept.
Expand the capacity of the Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) to assist school districts to reform hiring and transfer practices that place high-need schools at a disadvantage in attracting fully prepared, experienced, successful teachers.
Provide technical assistance and incentive funding for local education agencies to plan, in collaboration with teachers, new educator compensation systems that are based not on longevity and academic seat time, but that: reflect the additional responsibilities, time and effort required to serve in challenging school settings; reward teachers for professional growth tied to their particular assignments and based upon evidence that students are achieving at high levels academically; and recognize teacher performance in improving student achievement. In conjunction with this incentive funding for professional development based on local needs, eliminate from the statute professional growth requirements for educators tied to credential renewal, which can be weak and are removed from the needs of districts and schools.
Attract and retain accomplished, experienced teachers at schools in Deciles 1-3 of the API by providing funding to local education agencies to subsidize teachers obtaining National Board Certification. Tie this funding to a requirement that teachers receiving this subsidy and the existing national board incentive provide support, supervision, and assistance for two years to novice teachers in high need, hard-to-staff schools and in shortage areas such as special education.
Target New Professional Growth Programs to Areas of Substantial Need
Review and revise the existing inservice training program for administrators to ensure that administrators assigned to hard-to-staff schools have skills necessary to select, support and evaluate educators and promote professional learning communities in their schools.
Provide competitive grants to districts, consortia of districts, or regional collaborations to establish summer institutes and to provide stipends for underprepared eighth grade Algebra I teachers serving in schools in schools scoring in deciles 1-3 on the API.
Expand the Mathematics and Reading Professional Development Program to include professional development opportunities for teachers of life and physical sciences in grades K-12.
Strengthen Teacher Retention, Particularly in Hard-to-Staff Schools
Provide housing subsidies, mortgage deferments or tax credits for teachers willing to serve in hard-to-staff schools.
Consider district level or regional approaches to housing for teachers that address availability of fixed and low-income housing, ensuring reasonable eligibility criteria, based on successful models operating in Santa Monica and San Jose.
Consolidate, Streamline and Improve State Data on Teacher Quality
Create an independent entity to oversee development of a statewide data system based upon a common identifier and designed to provide accurate information on California’s teacher workforce, to predict critical employment trends, and to assess the impact of state initiatives and investments while upholding individual privacy.
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