Teaching in California 2015: Systems That Influence Teacher Effectiveness 4 th District PTA Sacramento, California March 16, 2015 Mary Vixie Sandy, Ed.D.

Overview  What we expect of teachers  The current landscape of teacher supply and demand  Systems that shape teacher effectiveness:  Recruitment  Preparation  Induction  Professional Development  Evaluation

Etta Hollins on the Importance of Teaching: Teaching is the most important profession in society today. Teachers have responsibility for the academic and intellectual future of our country. Teachers are responsible for instilling in children the values of self confidence… integrity…honesty…caring for others. Teachers create the experiences that children have in schools. They foster belongingness, connectedness, and collaboration.

THEORIES OF CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION KnowledgeChangeRole of Teachers and Students Fidelity perspective Created outside the classroom by experts, implemented by teachers with fidelity to design and intent Rational, systematic linear process; managed by leaders enacted by teachers The teacher is a consumer who follows directions and receives training in how to do so; students are receptors; responders

KnowledgeChangeRole of teacher; student Mutual Adaptation Perspective Resides outside but is adapted by teachers during implementation. Adaptation is guided by a rich array of curricular resources Sometimes follows a predictable pattern, is often unpredictable and non-linear. How change unfolds depends on and interacts significantly with local context. The teacher shapes the curriculum to meet the demands of their local context. Role of teacher central; their input is critical to successful implementation; student is an engaged participant, active in their learning

KnowledgeChangeRole of Teacher; student Enactment perspective Not a product, rather an ongoing process. External expertise is a resource; the teacher is the actor/co-creator with students Process of growth for teachers and students. Change in thinking and practice is ongoing and continual. Change relies primarily on the construction and reconstruction of knowledge Teachers and students create / co- construct the curriculum

Teacher Supply and Demand

Teacher Preparation Program Enrollment, to

Numbers of new teachers coming into the profession  12,439: Total number of persons who received initial certification or licensure in the state during This number includes individuals who completed programs of professional preparation through traditional and alternative routes  2,813: Total number of persons who completed teacher preparation outside of California and received initial certification or licensure in California during

Demand Uptick Source: CDE Data Quest, Projected Teacher Hires Projected Teacher Hires Year State Total 29,46825,34722,96522,07221,45920,81219,63617,07710,86510,36013,12713,41817,149

Designated Shortage Areas FTE Shortage % of Subject FTE Teachers % of Total FTE Teachers Special Education including State Special Schools4, %1.75% Mathematics/Computer Education2, %0.85% Science2, %0.78% English/Drama/Humanities2, %0.78% PE/Health/Dance %0.35% History/Social Science1, %0.46% Other Specializations %0.37% Totals13, %

Recruitment

Successful Recruitment Strategies  Statewide campaign: change the narrative  Incentivize entry into preparation  Governor’s Teacher Fellowship  APLE forgivable loan programs  Strengthen local internship programs for career changers  Ensure all candidates, regardless of entry point, receive adequate support to learn to teach effectively  Balance pressures for demand with pressures for effectiveness

Who are we recruiting?  How many of you think that  … liking kids contributes to teacher effectiveness?  … a 3.2 or higher GPA from high school?  … a 3.0 or higher GPA from college?  … having the same racial or ethnic background?  … speaking the same language?

Preparation

Learning to Teach in California  Developmental continuum:  Undergraduate studies  Teacher education with strong clinical base  Induction into the profession with a strong mentor  Ongoing opportunities for professional development and learning across the career  Opportunities to move into advanced leadership  California Standards for the Teaching Profession guide the continuum

What we know about effective preparation…  Collaboration between teacher preparation and K-12  Strong clinical component  Strong link between successful completion of program and current performance expectations  Focus on all students  The more prepared teachers are when they begin, the better they perform and the longer they stay in teaching

CTC Goals for Program Improvement  Focus on the essentials:  Ensure standards support high leverage practices, align with K-12 expectations, and encourage innovation  Increase focus on effective clinical practice  Increase reliance on outcome measures  Performance assessments  Educator surveys  Employer surveys  Other indicators (admissions, program completion rates, employment rates, retention rates, etc.)  Decrease over-reliance on lengthy documentation

Induction

The Role of Induction  Intended to serve as a bridge from student of teaching to teacher of students  California’s impetus was to stem the tide of attrition  30-50% of new teachers were leaving teaching within first five years  Richard Ingersoll: High levels of employee turnover are both the cause and effect of low performance  Impact on organizational stability, coherence and morale  Effective mentoring has reduced attrition in California to %  Changing expectations

Professional Development

Teacher Perspectives on the Common Core  Study funded by the Hewlett Foundation  Surveyed 600 teachers regarding their views of the CCSS and their readiness to implement (not statistically representative)  Teachers felt moderately well prepared to teach the CCSS to their students as a whole; notably less ready to teach ELs and students with disabilities  Teachers believed implementing CCSS would help them improve their teaching and classroom practices

Additional needed Training supports  In order to feel better prepared to teach the CCSS…  74% of teachers felt they needed more planning time  72% felt they needed access to aligned curricular resources  72% felt they needed access to aligned assessments  71% felt they needed more collaboration time with colleagues  67% felt they needed more information about new expectations of students  57% felt they needed more information about how the CCSS changes instructional practice  33% felt they needed more information about changes from previous standards

Evaluation  Vergara  Six bills introduced this year focused on teacher effectiveness and evaluation  Local vs. State control: role of Subsidiarity  Interesting parallels with other professions…

How do we improve teacher effectiveness?  Focus on building capacity  Throttle back on “accountability” as a motivator for change  Supply and demand pressures underscore the need to recruit increasing numbers of talented individuals to work in our classrooms  Supply and demand also underscores the serious need to invest in the development of the workforce we have