Introduction

Deans' Council Comments and Recommendations
 

Commission Report Recommendation I
Commission Report Recommendation II
Commission Report Recommendation III
Commission Report Recommendation IV
Commission Report Recommendation V
Concluding Comments

University-School Partnership Sites page
 

Map showing Sites during Phase I (1997-1999)
Deans' Council on Teacher Education

1.  .    Get serious about standards, for both students and teachers;
2. .    Reinvent teacher preparation and professional development;
3. .    Fix teacher recruitment and put qualified teachers in every classroom;
4. .    Encourage and reward teacher knowledge and skill; and
5. .    Create schools that are organized for student and teacher success.

At the First Annual Governor's Conference on Teaching & North Carolina's Future in December 1996, the Deans' Council released a report entitled "A Response to What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future." That report outlined goals for improving teacher education and development in North Carolina.

This report is a result of the discussions and actions generated over this past year since the release of the report of the National Commission on Teaching & America's Future. This report also incorporates actions of the University of North Carolina in response to the landmark Excellent Schools Act and the ABC's of Public Education.

STANDARDS FOR TEACHER PREPARATION AND PERFORMANCE
 

• The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) is the only national organization devoted exclusively to review of teacher preparation programs at the initial and advanced levels. The Deans' Council commends the UNC Board of Governors for mandating initial and continuing NCATE accreditation for all public universities in North Carolina, a policy which exceeds state guidelines. All fifteen University of North Carolina teacher preparation programs have received NCATE accreditation; nationwide, less than 75% of programs who apply for NCATE accreditation are recommended.

• The University of North Carolina is also participating actively in the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) to set performance standards for beginning teachers. The Deans' Council endorses the adoption of these standards as part of the expectations of all schools employing beginning teachers.

• The State Board of Education and the University of North Carolina Board of Governors are committed to high standards for the PRAXIS tests which measure the knowledge base and performance of students who seek to enter teacher education programs and to be recommended for licensure. All 15 universities with teacher preparation programs have implemented measures to enhance faculty and student awareness of the new PRAXIS tests and the expected performance standards.

• An academic concentration, or second major, in a liberal arts discipline is required of all K-12 licensure programs in the University of North Carolina. A committee, appointed by President Molly Broad, is currently examining the second major requirement in order to better assure stronger academic and professional preparation of teacher education students.

• The "Spangler Technology Initiative" placed an Instructional Technology Specialist in every college/school/department of education in the University of North Carolina. Their role is to train and support faculty and their public school partners to meet the technology standards for teachers and administrators. Additionally, UNC General Administration is coordinating a monthly Technology and Teaching Teleconference in which University methods faculty in different academic disciplines demonstrate effectiveness of technology in teacher preparation.

The State Board of Education's New ABCs of Public Education plan sets expected achievement levels and yearly expected gains in reading, writing, and mathematics scores at different levels of schooling. Likewise, the North Carolina Education Standards and Accountability Commission developed a set of standards that specify the skills and knowledge that high school graduates should know and be able to do. A number of professional organizations have also produced student standards; among these are the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Science Teachers Association, the National Council for Social Studies, and the National Council for Teacher Education/International Reading Association. These standards and others from professional organizations are embedded into the NCATE accreditation process which will better assure that teachers graduating from the Universities can provide the kinds of instructional programs that directly benefit K-12 students.

STANDARDS ALIGNMENT

Reviewing these various standards and selecting those standards which are most appropriate for the mission of strengthening teacher preparation and student performance in North Carolina is not a simple or quick task. Coordinated action is necessary to establish uniformly high expectations at all levels for K-12 and higher education.
 

• The Deans' Council encourages the State Board of Education to renew its commitment to simplify licensure areas and to eliminate the practice of assigning unqualified or unlicensed teachers to classrooms of North Carolina.

• The Deans' Council encourages the North Carolina Teaching Standards Board and the North Carolina Standards Board for Public School Administration to collaborate with universities and schools to evaluate how standards for teachers and administrators relate to performance. Research and evaluation are needed to assure the public and the profession that renewed emphasis on higher standards produces more effective educators.

• The Deans' Council reaffirms its endorsement of the proposed goals and strategies of the Report of the NC School Improvement Panel, Bringing it all Together for Children in Public Schools. The focus on collaboration and partnership to build a unified system of standards, curriculum, and accountability is the route to achieving "world-class" schools in North Carolina. To provide the state's policymakers with the accurate information they need, the Research Council proposed in the Panel's report needs to be approved and implemented by the Education Cabinet.

TEACHER PREPARATION

There is universal agreement on the need for change in teacher education as an essential ingredient of successful school reform. In recognition of this need, the UNC Board of Governors, with the full support of Governor Hunt, approved and submitted to the North Carolina General Assembly a budget request which was funded to establish University-School Teacher Education Partnerships. The $1.8 million Partnership plan will, over time, fundamentally alter the structure of teacher education in North Carolina.
 

Five key Guiding Principles are driving the implementation of the University-School Teacher Education Partnerships:

1) Strengthen relationships and shared responsibilities among schools, colleges and universities, and communities in the initial preparation, induction, and continuing professional development of highly skilled teachers, administrators, and other school personnel.

2) Build on successes of current Model Clinical Teaching Programs and establish professional development partnerships for the initial preparation, induction, and continuing professional development of career teachers, administrators, and other school-based personnel.

3) Extend and improve the school-based components of both initial preparation and continuing professional development programs.

4) Strengthen the linkage between the theory and practice of teaching and learning, thereby narrowing the gap between what is known to be effective practice and how it is applied.

5) Focus and share resources of the colleges and universities, schools, and communities to improve curriculum and increase student learning in both schools and teacher education programs.

• The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation supported the planning phase of the University-School Teacher Education Partnerships. Each university submitted its Partnership plan to UNC General Administration. Following a rigorous examination by a National Review Team on July 22-24, 1997, twelve Partnership plans received favorable reviews and proceeded to the development phase during 1997-98; two Partnerships plans were recommended for continued planning; and one Partnership plan was not recommended for funding at the present time.

• Each Partnership has developed a 1997-98 accountability plan approved by the UNC Board of Governors. The results of the first year will be reviewed prior to second year funding. Members of the National Review Team will be invited to conduct site visits during the spring of 1998.

• The continuing support of the Governor and the North Carolina General Assembly for the development and implementation of the Partnership plans will be critical. The University-School Teacher Education Partnerships may well be the nation's largest state-driven reform in teacher preparation. The Partnerships have the clear potential for producing much higher quality teachers for North Carolina needs. In doing so, this reform initiative will serve as a national model for the reform of teacher education.

The University of North Carolina administers a number of nationally recognized, professional development programs for teachers and administrators. On January 10, 1997, the UNC Board of Governors approved a Center for School Leadership Development which will bring into a coordinated umbrella the following programs:
 

The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching which offers educational experiences for teachers that reward, renew, and encourage teachers to remain in the teaching profession;

The North Carolina Center for the Prevention of School Violence which is a source of information, program development, and technical assistance aimed at preventing school violence;

The North Carolina Mathematics and Science Education Network which conducts programs aimed at improving the quality of mathematics and science teaching and learning in the public schools;

The North Carolina Teacher Academy which offers quality professional development for the teachers of North Carolina, primarily in week-long summer residential programs that are designed to enhance the teachers' instructional and leadership skills;

The Principals' Executive Program which extends quality training and on-going support to principals, assistant principals, and senior administrators; and

The Principal Fellows Program which provides scholarship-loans and support for students in Master of School Administration programs.

Each program fills a unique need and offers high-quality programs in specific areas. However, more coordination and communication are needed. The directors of each of these programs are participating as members of two large and representative task forces that are studying ways to better align the programs (a) with each other, (b) with other components of the University including the colleges/schools/departments of education, and (c) most importantly, with the state's educational goals as mandated by the Excellent Schools Act. The Task Force on Preparation and Development Programs for Teachers is chaired by former State Senator UNC Board of Governors' member Helen Rhyne Marvin. The Task Force on Preparation and Development Programs for Principals is chaired by Maxine O'Kelley, a member of the Board of Governors and a former school administrator.
 

• The recommendations of these task forces will incorporate a report of the State Board of Education regarding the alignment to the State Board's goals and will be submitted to the UNC Board of Governors in March and to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by April 1, 1998.

• The goal of the UNC Board of Governors is to assure high quality professional development programs for teachers, administrators and other school-based professionals and to assure that these programs are aligned with the Excellent Schools Act, the ABC's of the State Board of Education and other educational goals and directions approved by the Board.

• A website has been created at UNC General Administration that provides teachers, administrators, parents, policymakers, and others direct access into all colleges/schools/departments of education and all programs administered under the Center for School Leadership Development. The website also provides easy access to other UNC Board of Governors affiliates, such as UNC-TV and the NC School for Science and Mathematics, and links to the Department of Public Instruction. The website is used to keep professionals and the public informed about the progress of the University-School Teacher Education Partnerships and the Center programs.

Recruitment and hiring practices are determined by the local school systems, the State Board of Education, and the Department of Public Instruction. However, schools of education can and should participate more actively in recruiting prospective new teachers and in finding placements for their graduates.

RECRUITMENT
 

• The Deans' Council acknowledges Governor Hunt and the 1997 North Carolina General Assembly for the Excellent Schools Act, in particular, its incentives to raise teacher salaries. Studies continue to show that attracting and retaining bright students to the profession will continue to be difficult if teachers cannot earn salaries at a level necessary to support their families.

• The Deans' Council encourages the UNC Board of Governors to support each college/school/department of education to designate a Teacher Recruitment Officer. These officers would focus on identifying and recruiting potential recipients of scholarships for such programs as Challenge Scholarship, Byrd Scholarship, McAuliffe Scholarship, Project Teach and others. Teacher Recruitment officers could also work with university development offices to attract private funds to support scholarships for students wishing to pursue teaching as a career. The declining number of minority teachers is particularly critical; successful minority recruitment projects now operating at a few of the universities should be extended to all the other UNC institutions.

• Colleges/schools/departments of education are strengthening their connections with pre-college programs and clubs such as the Future Teachers of America which identify young people who are interested in teaching and offer exposure and support to continue their interest in teaching. These organizations can facilitate the recruitment of candidates for teacher preparation programs from high school into higher education, a process effectively modeled by the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program.

• Recruiting more non-traditional students will require that preparation programs be made more accessible by means of distance-learning and better articulation with community colleges. Distance-learning and off-campus initiatives can also facilitate collaborative models for the continuing professional development of teachers.

• Several institutions conduct "recruitment fairs" for employers to meet university students nearing the completion of their teacher preparation programs. Nevertheless, too many teacher education graduates do not actually enter teaching after graduation. More collaboration with state and local educators will be required to find more effective ways to assure that more teacher education graduates actually become employed as teachers.

• The Deans' Council supports the use of incentives such as those offered to NC Teaching Fellows who take positions in low wealth or low performing districts. Incentives could take the form of a monetary bonus or other attractive benefits such as tuition vouchers for continuing education. Local communities could assume some of the cost of relocating teachers to regions experiencing shortages. However, policymakers must not lower licensure standards to fit supply and demand. Areas of shortages should be better anticipated and incentives adjusted to address the shortages.

• The Deans' Council also urges that state policymakers take a leadership role in developing a national retirement plan for licensed teachers similar to TIAA/CREF now available to University faculty. This would facilitate teachers moving to North Carolina without jeopardizing their retirement benefits.

• The University of North Carolina is committed to providing greater access to university programs, particularly to programs of high need such as special education, speech pathology, mathematics, and other areas.

• The UNC Board of Governors has allocated funds to several campuses to extend their undergraduate teacher education programs to off-campus locations where the identified need was high. These sites are currently working closely with community colleges to recruit and prepare new teachers in high-need areas.

• The University is an active partner with the North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium, serving the state's rural eastern region. This nationally recognized program is a partnership between public and private colleges and universities, several community colleges, and public schools to attract teacher assistants and others into teaching.

• The large military presence in North Carolina has created the opportunity for three public universities in eastern North Carolina to participate in the federally funded Troops-to-Teachers program.

• The UNC General Administration and the Deans' Council on Teacher Education are working closely with the State Department of Public Instruction and the private and independent colleges to strengthen the current lateral entry program in North Carolina. Ways must be found to better support lateral entry teachers and to assure that they meet the high professional standards and expectations now in place for other teacher candidates.

Teaching is a profession. A career path for teachers needs to be better defined and recognized within the profession and by the public. Teachers should also have more authority to set standards and ensure quality in their profession. The public then needs to reward teachers as professionals.
 

• The Deans' Council supports the NC Teaching Standards Board and its new director, Thomas Blanford. This Board, governed primarily by classroom teachers, should provide the leadership in setting and enforcing licensure standards for teachers.

• The Deans' Council also endorses a process of professional advancement which supports the development of North Carolina teachers as they proceed through their careers as:

Initially licensed teachers, who complete a high-quality, field-based NCATE accredited program and pass the PRAXIS II exam.

Beginning Teachers, who participate in a well-planned induction program with a trained mentor.

Tenured/Professional teachers, who enroll in the proposed new advanced masters degree programs and participate in rigorous professional development to enhance their knowledge and skills through opportunities provided by the programs in the Center for School Leadership Development and the fifteen campuses with educator preparation programs.

National Board certified teachers, who receive certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching continues to provide high quality training for teachers preparing for National Board Certification. The William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust has funded the National Humanities Center to support Nationally Board Certified Teachers to become professional development advocates in University-School Partnership sites.

Expert/Lead/Mentor teachers, who participate actively in supporting the continuing professional development of their colleagues, where possible in University-School Teacher Education Partnerships, with training for those leadership roles provided by the universities, NCCAT, and NCTA.

Teachers Emeriti, who use their knowledge and skills to help advance teachers and schools as needed and appropriate.

COMPENSATION

Adequate pay is a necessary, though not sufficient, condition to attract and retain a quality teaching force in North Carolina. The debate is not whether we should increase teacher pay, but how and using what criteria to do so.
 

• The Deans' Council strongly endorses the intent of the Excellent Schools Act to achieve the national average for teacher pay in North Carolina in four years. Constituent institutions approved by the UNC Board of Governors will create new more rigorous master's degree programs for educators based upon general criteria approved by the State Board of Education. These new master's degrees will, where appropriate, assist teachers to prepare for National Board Certification.

• The Deans' Council urges that the funds allocated for mentor teachers include support for cooperating teachers who supervise the year-long internships of students in the University-School Teacher Education Partnerships.

• Poor performance can be reduced by improved preparation programs; aggressive recruitment and hiring decisions; and well-developed induction plans which include peer assessment, mentoring and review, and improved first-year teaching assignments.

• The Deans' Council and the directors of the Principals' Executive Program, the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, the North Carolina Teacher Academy, Mathematics and Science Education Network, and the Principal Fellows Program support the facilitation of good teaching performance through training mentors, preparing principals to better support beginning teachers, and providing follow-up support for teachers and principals. In the future, their work will be more aligned with each other and with the state's educational goals.

The University-School Teacher Education Partnerships will serve as vehicles for designing innovative school structures that permit longer school years, flexible scheduling, team planning and collaboration with other agencies (justice, social services, mental health) to better serve students and enhance parent and community involvement. Likewise, new structures must be created and existing ones aligned to serve the continuing education needs of teachers, administrators, and other school-related professionals.

INNOVATIVE STRUCTURES
 

• Continued support for the new University-School Teacher Education Partnerships should be given a priority. These Partnerships place an emphasis upon new and differentiated roles for public school teachers as extended faculty who complete the professional team needed to prepare future teachers. Likewise, teacher education faculty roles in colleges and universities will be differentiated by awarding legitimate consideration in tenure and promotion decisions to their involvement in service, school-based research, and delivery of substantive professional development.

• The Office of School Services at each campus can and should play a more vital role in advancing the improvement of public schools in each region of the state. However, lack of funding for University outreach to public education is a major impediment. Just as the state-funded Area Health Education Centers provide much needed support to health and medical professionals in the state, the Offices of School Services should be funded to assist public school educators.

• The University is collaborating with the Glaxo-Wellcome Foundation, the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust and the Hill Center in Durham to design and implement a statewide program of teacher development on the use of successful strategies for teaching learning disabled students.

• We are approaching a shortage of licensed principals in North Carolina. Thus, the Principals Fellows Program needs to be fully funded by the NC General Assembly as soon as possible. These carefully selected students enter the new masters in school administration (MSA) programs which assure them extended, and well-supervised internships. The curriculum for the MSA programs is monitored for continued alignment with licensure standards developed by the North Carolina Standards Board for Public School Administration and to respond to the new directions mandated by the Excellent Schools Act and the ABC's.

• The Center for School Leadership Development should be funded fully to continue the work of aligning the MSA programs with the Principals' Executive Program (PEP) and other leadership development initiatives, such as the Executive Leadership Academy for Superintendents.

• The William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust is providing funds for the University to collaborate with the Center for Creative Leadership on a project to design joint leadership program for deans and superintendents working in University School Partnerships. The project, "Leading Together," will assist leaders of schools and schools of education in creating more fully functioning Partnerships and move into more strategic alliances.

The Deans' Council on Teacher Education submits this report to:

. . . Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. with deep appreciation for his continued state and national leadership on behalf of teachers and public school reform;

. . . UNC President Molly Board, former President C. D. Spangler, Jr., the UNC Board of Governors and its Chairman, C. Clifford Cameron, with sincere gratitude for their leading efforts to improve the preparation and development of teachers and school administrators;

. . . Superintendent Mike Ward and leaders in the Department of Public Instruction, the State Board of Education and its former and present Chairmen, Jay M. Robinson and Phil Kirk, with a commitment to be closer partners in their tireless efforts to support and improve public education;

. . . members of the North Carolina General Assembly with assurances that their support of reform in teacher education will yield positive and measurable results in teacher and student performance, and;

. . . the people of North Carolina whose hopes for their children and grandchildren are deserving of our bold and firm commitment to produce the highest quality educators and schools possible.

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