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?