Deans' Council on Teacher Education
Preface and Acknowledgments
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

Preface

What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future, the Report of the National Commission on Teaching & America's Future, chaired by Governor James B. Hunt, Jr., makes five basic recommendations:

The National Commission strongly endorses the efficacy of teaching and makes clear the need to effectively prepare, induct, and develop teachers throughout their careers. Working collectively and in small study teams, the University of North Carolina Deans' Council on Teacher Education held a retreat in October 1996 to develop and align strategies to implement the five recommendations of the National Commission and establish directions for the future. Special attention was given to Recommendation II: "Reinvent teacher preparation and professional development."

This document is a result of the lively discussion generated at the retreat and in follow-up meetings and conversations. The Deans' Council wholeheartedly endorses the recommendations of the National Commission.

Acknowlegments

The Deans' Council thanks Janice Nicholson and Susan Manley Randell for their assistance with preparation of this document.

Introduction

The perception that strong public schools are at the center of economic and civic improvement has gained widespread public acceptance. Though schools may be at the center of societal change, it is important to note that problems in schools also reflect societal difficulties. Inevitably those concerned about perceived inadequacies of schools could be expected to extend their criticism to institutions of higher education. Critics argue that if schools are failing, then teachers and administrators must be a part of the problem and, by implication, the programs which prepare them must be flawed.

Clearly, teacher preparation programs that seek to be viewed as part of the solution must accept the perception that they may be part of the problem. However, rather than trying to fix blame, today's realities require collaborative participation and action in improving both teacher preparation and public schools.

Beginning primarily with the release of the report The Education of North Carolina's Teachers in 1987, considerable progress has been made in strengthening teacher education in North Carolina's public and private colleges and universities. However, a broader understanding of the unique roles of colleges and universities, increased knowledge of the complexities of teacher preparation, and recognition of the shared responsibilities of universities, schools, and the public are needed to better prepare, support, and develop teachers.

Answering the National Commission's "Call to Action," the Deans' Council on Teacher Education of the University of North Carolina has carefully considered the Commission's recommendations. This report reflects the deans' thinking as they continue the on-going process of redesigning teacher preparation and assuring the active support of the University for public schools and for teachers at every stage of their professional development.

This response of the Deans' Council on Teacher Education is intended to contribute to the dialogue needed to achieve by the year 2006 the goals recommended by the National Commission. It is our collective belief that, indeed, teaching is what matters most.

Comments and Recommendations of the
UNC Deans' Council on Teacher Education

National Commission Report Recommendation I
Get serious about standards, for both students and teachers.

A seamless approach is needed for setting and maintaining standards that link the standards for students' achievement with those for teachers' performance. Strengthened preservice teacher preparation programs that graduate more knowledgeable and skilled teachers should ultimately lead to higher achievement levels for public school students. An essential element in this sequence is the need to identify and put into place coordinated high standards for the initial and continuing development of teachers, standards for school administrators, standards for student performance, and better avenues for parents and the community to become involved with schools.

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. The Deans' Council recommends that the State Board of Education accept the NCATE standards and accreditation process as the standard for state approval of teacher preparation programs.
• 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 recommends the adoption of these standards as part of the expectations of all schools employing beginning teachers.
• The State Board of Education and the Deans' Council on Teacher Education are collaborating on setting 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 universities are encouraged to fully implement programs to enhance faculty and student awareness of the new PRAXIS tests and the expected performance standards.
• Rigorous entry and exit requirements are in place to screen teacher applicants on the basis of academic performance (2.5 or higher grade point average), national entry examinations, and national content and performance examinations. These standards should be maintained or strengthened.
• An academic concentration, or second major, in a liberal arts discipline is required of all K-12 licensure programs. The Deans' Council recommends flexibility in the implementation of the second major in order to strengthen the reading preparation of elementary, special education, and middle grade teacher education students.
• The "Spangler technology initiative" ensures that future graduates of teacher preparation programs will master essential technology skills and understand how to integrate technology with instruction. The Deans' Council urges the North Carolina General Assembly to support the request by the UNC Board of Governors to fully implement the Spangler initiative in the schools of education and in the Education Consortia.

Standards for Students

The State Board of Education's New ABCs of Public Education plan sets expectations for gains in reading, writing, and mathematics scores at each grade level. Likewise, the North Carolina Education Standards and Accountability Commission is developing a set of standards that will specify the skills and knowledge that high school graduates should possess in order to be competitive in the modern economy. 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 simplify licensure areas and to eliminate the practice of assigning unqualified or unlicensed teachers to classrooms of North Carolina.
• The Deans' Council further proposes that the North Carolina Teaching Standards Board and the North Carolina Standards Board for Public School Administration 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 teachers: (a) teachers who are rated high by their peers, administrators and parents, who stay in the profession longer and whose students who achieve at higher levels; and (b) administrators who are rated high by teachers, parents and other administrators, whose contracts are renewed, and whose schools achieve at higher levels.
• The Deans' Council endorses 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.

National Commission Report Recommendation II
Reinvent teacher preparation and professional development.

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 has approved and submitted to the Governor and North Carolina General Assembly a budget request to establish 15 University-School Teacher Education Partnerships. The Partnership plan will fundamentally alter the structure of teacher education in North Carolina.

The University-School Teacher Education Partnership plan builds on the successes of the Model Clinical Teaching Programs (MCTP) which operate at ten public universities and two private colleges. The MCTPs have collaborated with public schools to develop year-long internships and other innovative designs for teacher preparation that have achieved state and national recognition.

Implementing the Partnership plan will address many of the concerns cited by teachers by better preparing them to teach and supporting them to be successful in the classroom and as professionals. Establishing a statewide network of University-School Teacher Education Partnerships at UNC constituent institutions will create clinical settings for the preparation, induction, and development of educators. The Partnership plan is conceptually similar to the linkage between teaching hospitals and medical schools for the preparation of physicians.

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation has allocated funds to support the planning phase of the University-School Teacher Education Partnerships. Each university will be invited to submit its Partnership plan to UNC General Administration by August 1997. Pending state-funding, Partnerships receiving successful reviews will proceed to the development phase during 1997-98 and, if favorably reviewed, to full implementation in 1998-99.

Five key Guiding Principles will drive the development of the University-School Teacher Education Partnerships:

1. Strengthen the relationships and shared responsibilities between colleges and universities, schools, and communities to prepare more capable teachers and administrators;
2. Develop and implement new models for initial teacher and administrator preparation that simultaneously support the continuing development of career-status teachers, administrators, and other school-based personnel;
3. Extend and improve the school-based component of initial teacher preparation;
4. Strengthen the linkage between theory and practice of teaching and learning; and
5. Focus the collective resources of the colleges and universities, schools, and communities on increased student learning.

• The support of the Governor and the North Carolina General Assembly for the development and implementation of the Partnership plan will be critical. The University-School Teacher Education Partnerships will produce the high-quality teachers North Carolina needs and in doing so serve as a national model for the reform of teacher education.

Professional Development

The University of North Carolina administers a number of nationally recognized, professional development programs for teachers and administrators. The directors and staff of these programs are beginning a process of better coordinating and aligning their activities with each other and with the needs of the public schools.

• The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching 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 is a source of information, program development, and technical assistance aimed at preventing school violence;
• The North Carolina Mathematics and Science Education Network conducts program aimed at improving the quality of mathematics and science teaching and learning in the public schools;
• The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics supports programs that enrich teachers' content and instructional knowledge of science, mathematics, and technology;
• The North Carolina Teacher Academy offers quality professional development for the teachers of North Carolina, primarily in week-long summer residential programs;
• The Principals' Executive Program extends quality training and on-going support to principals, assistant principals, and senior administrators; and
• The University of North Carolina Center for Public Television acquires and produces television programs and services to inform, educate, and enrich the citizens of North Carolina.

Many other opportunities for high-quality professional development obviously exist, but they are fragmented. No one entity is responsible for the continuing professional development of teachers.

• The Deans' Council supports the formation of a Professional Development Coordinating Council, composed of the directors of the programs listed above and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction or his designee, the Governor's Education Advisor, the Director of the NC Business Committee for Education, and others. The purpose of the Coordinating Council would be to better align these programs with each other and to the identified needs of teachers, administrators, and the public schools.

National Commission Report Recommendation III
Fix teacher recruitment and put qualified teachers in every classroom.

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 strongly endorses Governor Hunt's campaign pledge to raise teacher salaries. Attracting bright students to the profession will continue to be difficult if teachers must moonlight at one or more jobs in order to support their families.
• The Deans' Council encourages the Board of Governors to support each school of education to establish an Office of Teacher Recruitment. These offices could help identify and recruit potential recipients of scholarships for such programs as Challenge Scholarship, Byrd Scholarship, McAuliffe Scholarship, Project Teach and others. Teacher Recruitment offices 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.
• Schools of Education should establish connections with pre-college programs and clubs such as 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. The issue of establishing full-time equivalency (FTE) credit for distance-learning and off-campus programs must be favorably resolved by the UNC Board of Governors and supported by the NC General Assembly to encourage further progress in off-campus course delivery.

Hiring

• Several institutions conduct "recruitment fairs" for employers to meet university students nearing the completion of their teacher preparation programs. However, too many teacher education graduates do not actually enter teaching after graduation. Universities and colleges must work more collaboratively with state and local educators to devise new, more effective ways to assure that more teacher education graduates are actually employed as teachers.
• The Deans' Council recommends that a clearinghouse be maintained for both teacher vacancies and candidates across the state. This service could be a collaborative activity of the Department of Public Instruction and the Employment Securities Commission and be accessible to the public on the Internet. University Education Consortia and Offices of School Service should explore how to develop and maintain more effective communication about job openings in their service areas.
• 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, policy-makers 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 policy-makers 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.

Improved Access and Alternative Pathways

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, and others. Several campuses have extended their undergraduate teacher education programs to off-campus locations. Others are working closely with community colleges, private colleges and special consortia to recruit, prepare and place new teachers in high-need areas. The North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium, serving the state's rural northeast region, is a national model involving public universities, private colleges, community colleges, and public schools that attracts teacher assistants and others into teaching. The large military presence in North Carolina has created the opportunity for several universities, particularly in eastern North Carolina, to participate in the federally funded Troops-to-Teachers program.

• As new distance learning programs and incentive plans are implemented, lateral entry programs which permit the hiring of unlicensed teachers should be phased out by The State Board. However, alternative certification programs which incorporate standards equivalent to other teacher preparation programs are encouraged. The primary goal of alternative programs should be to reach non-traditional students from under-represented populations to serve critical needs areas.

National Commission Report Recommendation IV
Encourage and reward teacher knowledge and skill.

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 and urges the establishment of the NC Teaching Standards Board. This Board, governed primarily by classroom teachers, should provide the leadership in setting and enforcing licensure standards for teachers.
• The Deans' Council also proposes a process of professional advancement which supports the development of North Carolina teachers as they proceed through their careers as:

Preservice teachers, who gain admission to teacher education after a rigorous review of overall performance and achievement of passing score on the PRAXIS I exam.

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 an assigned mentor.

Tenured/Professional teachers, who enroll in post-baccalaureate education and participate in development programs to continuously enhance their knowledge and skills.

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

Expert/Lead/Mentor teachers, who participate actively in supporting the continuing professional development of their colleagues, where possible in University-School Teacher Education Partnerships.

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 Governor's recommendation to achieve the national average for teacher pay in North Carolina as soon as possible. The Deans' Council further recommends five criteria for determining pay levels for teachers:
1. Completion of performance assessments and high-quality career development opportunities;
2. Evidence of producing high student achievement over time;
3. Certification from National Board for Professional Teaching Standards;
4. Successful completion of advanced degrees and licenses; and
5. Extended contracts and/or expanded job responsibilities.

Avoiding Poor Teaching Performance

• 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. However, persistently poorly performing teachers should be aggressively counseled out of the profession or directed to assignments in which they may achieve success. Teacher preparation programs should be notified of the dismissal and/or denial of tenure of their alumni. Teacher preparation programs that consistently produce poor-performing teachers should be closed down.

National Commission Report Recommendation V
Create schools that are organized for student and teacher success.

New structures such as the proposed University-School Teacher Education Partnerships could 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

• Creating the new University-School Teacher Education Partnerships should be given a priority. These Partnerships will 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.

Leadership Programs

• The Principals Fellows Program should be fully funded. 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 should be monitored for continued alignment with licensure standards developed by the North Carolina Standards Board for Public School Administration.
• The School Leadership Academy previously proposed by the NC General Assembly should be funded to begin the work of aligning the MSA programs with the Principals' Executive Program (PEP) and other leadership development initiatives.

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Concluding Comments

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 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 Bob Etheridge, Superintendent-elect Mike Ward, the State Board of Education and its Chairman, Jay M. Robinson, 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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Last Modified 4/28/97