National Urban Alliance
National Urban Alliance
In the Sunday, July 31, 2005, "Education Life" issue of "New York Times," there is an article titled, "Who Needs Education Schools?"
An interesting question that we at the National Urban Alliance feel is ironic at best. Why? The reality of schooling in urban centers is driven by an urgency to recognize the needs of children who are solely dependent on schools for learning. Teacher shortages, high rates of teacher mobility and turnover, deepen the challenges administrators face in preparing and finding teachers who can meet the growing needs of many students. And too, regardless of the preparation received in preservice activity in a college or university (relevant or irrelevant, practical or theoretical), teachers will need sustained opportunities for professional development. Clearly we all recognize the importance of educator quality, yet sadly, only a few opportunities exist which meet public school needs. A program at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, is leading the way. Called TRUST (Training Retaining Urban Student Teachers), the program provides high content, pedagogy and practical experience for teachers working and training for work in Birmingham City Schools, led by university faculty and scholar practicioners working with the NUA. TRUST has identified the characteristics or qualities that an urban teacher need to succeed. Successful teachers are: advocates who believe in the mission of improving the life trajectories of "school dependent" students, and maintain an irrefutable belief in the capacity of all students to succeed sufficiently prepared to attend, if they so choose, a university or college of their choice; are well read both in the content of their course work, but also in understanding the cultural, language, cognitive and pedagogical learning needs that each student demands his/her teacher address; are passionate and capable of exciting students in learning; are team players, who learn through peer coaching opportunities as well as engaging in dialogues with teachers who have mastered their trade; and are knowledgeable about the administrative and organizational arrangements essential for accelerating and sustaining achievement (e.g., looping; differentiated teaching).
Working together at an institute underway at the Harrison House, Glen Cove, NY, an NUA induction process for supporting consultants to become trainers of teachers, exemplifies the challenges urban instructional professionals face. The realities of the classroom serving students deeply challenged by family and financial circumstances requires partnership among school districts, institutions of higher education, and agencies which strive to deepen excellence in learning and teaching. When an educator graduates from a college or university, no matter how good the undergraduate/graduate experience might have been, they will always require sustained professional developments which can sharpen the skills and strategies acquired.
The "shock" of classroom challenges when new teachers enter the work experience, demands that education reform ignore the waste of time engaging in the reading wars (whole language vs phonics-based curriculum), or the math wars (new vs old). Practice and research in the field suggests that what works is defined by the needs of the students (using data to plan for instruction), and learning to understand student cultural experience to best deliver high content and a core curriculum which leads to life-long learning. If applied well, students learn to nail the standardized tests by learning to think as a test developer, while uncovering textual clues which can guide successful performance. Strategies exists which can frame deep learning for students. They range from the highly specific to very complex. The strategies are pedagogical tools which help students learn to read, comprehend, write, compute, think more carefully about vocabulary and concepts, and make connections between what they alreadyknow and what they are learning. When intentionally applied, resulting student achievement data can strip ideology of its power to influence policy.
In the Sunday, July 31, 2005, "Education Life" issue of "New York Times," there is an article titled, "Who Needs Education Schools?"
An interesting question that we at the National Urban Alliance feel is ironic at best. Why? The reality of schooling in urban centers is driven by an urgency to recognize the needs of children who are solely dependent on schools for learning. Teacher shortages, high rates of teacher mobility and turnover, deepen the challenges administrators face in preparing and finding teachers who can meet the growing needs of many students. And too, regardless of the preparation received in preservice activity in a college or university (relevant or irrelevant, practical or theoretical), teachers will need sustained opportunities for professional development. Clearly we all recognize the importance of educator quality, yet sadly, only a few opportunities exist which meet public school needs. A program at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, is leading the way. Called TRUST (Training Retaining Urban Student Teachers), the program provides high content, pedagogy and practical experience for teachers working and training for work in Birmingham City Schools, led by university faculty and scholar practicioners working with the NUA. TRUST has identified the characteristics or qualities that an urban teacher need to succeed. Successful teachers are: advocates who believe in the mission of improving the life trajectories of "school dependent" students, and maintain an irrefutable belief in the capacity of all students to succeed sufficiently prepared to attend, if they so choose, a university or college of their choice; are well read both in the content of their course work, but also in understanding the cultural, language, cognitive and pedagogical learning needs that each student demands his/her teacher address; are passionate and capable of exciting students in learning; are team players, who learn through peer coaching opportunities as well as engaging in dialogues with teachers who have mastered their trade; and are knowledgeable about the administrative and organizational arrangements essential for accelerating and sustaining achievement (e.g., looping; differentiated teaching).
Working together at an institute underway at the Harrison House, Glen Cove, NY, an NUA induction process for supporting consultants to become trainers of teachers, exemplifies the challenges urban instructional professionals face. The realities of the classroom serving students deeply challenged by family and financial circumstances requires partnership among school districts, institutions of higher education, and agencies which strive to deepen excellence in learning and teaching. When an educator graduates from a college or university, no matter how good the undergraduate/graduate experience might have been, they will always require sustained professional developments which can sharpen the skills and strategies acquired.
The "shock" of classroom challenges when new teachers enter the work experience, demands that education reform ignore the waste of time engaging in the reading wars (whole language vs phonics-based curriculum), or the math wars (new vs old). Practice and research in the field suggests that what works is defined by the needs of the students (using data to plan for instruction), and learning to understand student cultural experience to best deliver high content and a core curriculum which leads to life-long learning. If applied well, students learn to nail the standardized tests by learning to think as a test developer, while uncovering textual clues which can guide successful performance. Strategies exists which can frame deep learning for students. They range from the highly specific to very complex. The strategies are pedagogical tools which help students learn to read, comprehend, write, compute, think more carefully about vocabulary and concepts, and make connections between what they alreadyknow and what they are learning. When intentionally applied, resulting student achievement data can strip ideology of its power to influence policy.
posted by Eric J. Cooper at 8:04 AM
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