California registered voters regard the emerging shortage of K-12 teachers as a very serious problem and think that the state should be taking decisive action to rectify the situation, according to a poll commissioned by EdSource and the Learning Policy Institute.
The survey was conducted by the Field Poll, in part with support from the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, following recent reports indicating that the number of new teaching credentials issued in California has declined steadily for more than a decade, along with even more precipitous reductions in teacher preparation program enrollments.
For a summary of poll results, go here. For a full chart pack of the poll’s findings prepared by The Field Poll, go here.
The poll found that statewide, 64 percent of voters describe the shrinking supply of teachers as “very serious,” and a similar proportion (65 percent) thinks it’s “extremely important” for the state to do more to encourage young people and others to enroll in teacher preparation programs.
“At a time when California is implementing new standards, it’s important that all students have access to teachers who are well-prepared in those subject areas,” said Linda Darling-Hammond, president and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute. She is also chair of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. “A teacher shortage will set back the state’s education agenda.”
Darling-Hammond noted that the shortage is not being experienced uniformly across the state. Shortages are especially acute in math and science and special education, as well as in certain districts and regions of the state.
The survey of 1,002 registered voters statewide – including both English and Spanish speakers – found there is broad-based voter support (85 percent) for having the state forgive a portion of teachers’ college loans or offering more scholarships to prospective teachers as a way to bring greater numbers into the teaching profession.
By contrast, more than half (52 percent) oppose policies that would allow schools to hire individuals who have not yet completed their training or who have not earned a teaching credential as a means for dealing with teacher shortages.
The poll findings were released during a briefing Nov. 17 to discuss the results as well as strategies to address the diminishing number of Californians entering the teaching profession. In addition to Darling-Hammond, participating in the briefing were State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, California Teachers Association president Eric Heins, UC Davis School of Education Dean Harold Levine, CSU assistant vice chancellor Joe Aguerrebere, and Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo.
“The state must act now to prioritize teacher recruitment before the shortage worsens,” said Heins. He said that California could attract more qualified people to the profession “by creating an environment free of teacher bashing and politicization of our jobs.” That would include giving teachers more collaborative time working with other teachers. In particular, he said, the state should “inspire more students of color” to become teachers.
“It’s encouraging that there’s a high level of awareness of the problem,” said Torlakson, comparing the current shortage to an iceberg. “We’re just seeing the tip of it.”
Californians are quite supportive of ensuring that teachers are well-trained and supported prior to entering the profession. Ninety-four percent say the state should ensure all teachers receive rigorous preparation before they begin teaching, and a similar number (88 percent) believe this should include a year of practice teaching under the guidance of an expert teacher.
Ninety percent also believe new teachers should receive mentoring and support in the early years of practice, along with ongoing professional development after they receive their teaching credentials.
“At a time when California is implementing new standards, it’s important that all students have access to teachers who are well-prepared in those subject areas,” said Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford professor of education emeritus and president and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute.
The poll indicates that Californians are also concerned about teacher salaries. Fifty-eight percent think the starting salary for qualified K-12 teachers in their own local communities is too low, while only 21 percent believe it is too high or about right. A 51 percent majority also say it is extremely important for the salaries of entry-level teachers to be commensurate with what other recent college graduates are paid, while 37 percent say this is somewhat important.
At the same time, 70 percent of voters would be very or somewhat likely to encourage a friend or family member to become a teacher, although voters under the age of 30 are less apt to say they would be very likely to do so.
Other findings from the survey include the following:
- More than three-quarters (77 percent) believe it’s important (46 percent extremely important and 31 percent somewhat important) for the state’s teaching force to be racially, ethnically and linguistically diverse.
- Sixty-three percent of Californians believe the fact that public schools in low-income communities have fewer qualified teachers than schools in wealthier communities is a “very serious” problem.
- Democrats, women and voters from diverse backgrounds are most likely to be concerned about the state’s teacher shortage and are more supportive than other groups of having the state take action.
- Nearly three-quarters of Democrats (73 percent) believe the teacher shortage is a “very serious” problem versus 48 percent of Republicans. Sixty-eight percent of women describe the shortage as “very serious” compared with 60 percent of men.
- In addition, 76 percent of Democrats and 70 percent of women say it is extremely important for the state to do more to encourage young people to enroll in teacher preparation programs, compared with 49 percent of Republicans and 59 percent of men.
There are also substantial differences among voters depending on their race and ethnicity.
- Eighty-two percent of African-Americans, 72 percent of Latinos and a similar number of Asian-Americans (68 percent) believe the teacher shortage is a “very serious” problem, compared with nearly 57 percent of white non-Hispanics.
- Similarly, 80 percent of African-Americans, 74 percent of Latinos and 70 percent of Asian-Americans think it is “extremely important” for the state do more to encourage young people to enroll in teacher preparation programs compared with fewer than 6 in 10 (58 percent) white non-Hispanics.
Darling-Hammond noted teachers leave the profession in the United States at a higher rate than in many other countries. One way to retain teachers would be to strengthen and restore teacher support programs like the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment program, or BTSA. “The long term prospects for increasing the supply of teachers will improve the more we can reduce attrition,” she said.
This post was updated on Nov. 23, 2015. A reference to a question on a 2016 proposition regarding bilingual education was removed.
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Barry Garelick 8 years ago8 years ago
I live in the San Luis Coastal USD. From what I can see there is no teacher shortage here, or even a looming one. Announcements for teaching jobs bring in hundreds of applications, many from the colleges pumping out new teachers like Cal Poly and others in the area, and still more from teachers living and teaching in Bakersfield and Fresno and Santa Maria who wish to migrate to the Central Coast area of California. I … Read More
I live in the San Luis Coastal USD. From what I can see there is no teacher shortage here, or even a looming one. Announcements for teaching jobs bring in hundreds of applications, many from the colleges pumping out new teachers like Cal Poly and others in the area, and still more from teachers living and teaching in Bakersfield and Fresno and Santa Maria who wish to migrate to the Central Coast area of California.
I retired four years ago from a technical job at US EPA, and have a degree in math. I decided to go into teaching and was told (by the ed school where I got my credential to teach secondary math) that this was a great idea because the system really needs math teachers, and particularly those with real-world experience. What they didn’t tell me is that it is basically both 1) a young person’s market, slanted towards those just coming out of ed school, and 2) an experienced teacher’s market, slanted toward teachers with 10-20 years experience.
The other elephant in the room is the method for hiring. For those applying for teaching jobs in the SLCUSd who make it to the list of interviewees (and I have never made it to that list in the SLCUSD, though I have in other districts nearby), the hiring process includes a video taping of the applicant giving a mini-lesson. This mini-lesson is evaluated using the same framework/rubric used to evaluate teachers on the job in SLCUSD: the Danielson Framework. This is a rubric which you can find at their website (https://www.danielsongroup.org/framework/). You’ll find, stated plainly and clearly at the top of the first page of the website, the following statement: “The Framework for Teaching is a research-based set of components of instruction, aligned to the INTASC standards, and grounded in a CONSTRUCTIVIST view of learning and teaching.” (emphasis added)
The word “constructivist” has a variety of meanings, but in this context, it means an embodiment of student-centered, inquiry-based, problem and project-based approaches, which may also include flipped classrooms, having students show more than one way to solve a problem in math class as well as providing written explanations for how they solved the problems, and other characteristics that make up the ouvre of current educational group-think. In other words: “Traditionalists need not apply”.
Of course this needs backing up with some detailed reporting, so perhaps Mr. Fensterwald and others at Ed Source can follow up with a good lead story.
Chris Schoeneman 8 years ago8 years ago
There are many issues with our teacher shortage. First off is the ridiculous amount of time spent in college meeting all the needs of a credential program. It used to be a 4 year program to graduate college with a credential, now it is 5. We can thank the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing for creating a bureaucracy of hoops to jump through in order to be a teacher. Folks like Linda Darling-Hammond are great … Read More
There are many issues with our teacher shortage.
First off is the ridiculous amount of time spent in college meeting all the needs of a credential program. It used to be a 4 year program to graduate college with a credential, now it is 5. We can thank the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing for creating a bureaucracy of hoops to jump through in order to be a teacher. Folks like Linda Darling-Hammond are great to have at the collegiate and theoretical level of teaching and education, but have not been able to streamline the program process and quicken the path to a credential. No one can afford college and then live on a starting teachers salary on their own, without their life situation still resembling their college lifestyle living arrangements.
Second. Talk to anyone who has been through BTSA. No one enjoyed it or learned from it. I tried to keep an open mind about it, but outside the halls of the BTSA mentors, there is little but negativity and contempt for the program. Plus, after 5 years of college courses, jumping through silly credentialing hoops, finally landing your first teacher job and then putting in 50-60 hour weeks, why would any sane human being think that what a teacher would need for support is 2 more years of additional out of school classes via BTSA? Who thinks this nonsense up… but, there is a lot of money being invested in teacher credentialing program and BTSA, so those folks won’t give up their entitlements so easily…
Those are the 2 areas that need immediate repair. The rest is needed too, but will take more time and we do not have that luxury right now…
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Lisa Smiley 7 years ago7 years ago
You are so right Chris! Too much bull to go through. I was first a Para, and then decided to take on a contracted sub position. I really enjoyed the sub position and then thought about joining a credential program. I quickly found out that it was no easy task. I have a BA in Liberal Studies, and a Master's in Special Education, and they still want me to take 11 credential classes and take … Read More
You are so right Chris! Too much bull to go through. I was first a Para, and then decided to take on a contracted sub position. I really enjoyed the sub position and then thought about joining a credential program. I quickly found out that it was no easy task. I have a BA in Liberal Studies, and a Master’s in Special Education, and they still want me to take 11 credential classes and take that god awful CSET! CTC should take a closer look at why the shortage is getting worse. Cset, credential programs, BTSA, and too many hoops to jump through! Those are their biggest problems next to costs!
Dawn Urbanek 8 years ago8 years ago
I would like to weigh in on the issue of teacher bashing. Anyone who stands up for student rights is accused of hating teachers. The reality is that when the State fails to adequately fund education (2007-08 levels of per pupil funding + inflation by 2021) the lack of funding pits what is in the best interest of students against what is in the best interest of employees. That is just the reality of the … Read More
I would like to weigh in on the issue of teacher bashing. Anyone who stands up for student rights is accused of hating teachers. The reality is that when the State fails to adequately fund education (2007-08 levels of per pupil funding + inflation by 2021) the lack of funding pits what is in the best interest of students against what is in the best interest of employees. That is just the reality of the situation.
Funding for my district, Capistrano Unified School District, has been basically flat for 14 years, and our district has increased class sizes, cut instructional programs, deferred maintenance and furloughed students to protect employee salaries and benefits. The lack of adequate funding has resulted in a notable decline in the academic performance of students across all demographics. Our public school system simply cannot meet the educational needs of students when funding is limited to $7,600 for 14 years straight. Who would want to be a new teacher making $48,000 per year having no experience and teaching classes with 40 kids in the room, in buildings that have not been maintained since 2006; where the district actually budgets fundraising dollars to pay for core educational programs?
No wonder CUSD is growing charter schools. Charter enrollment has gone from 400 students to over 2,000 students in the past three years.
William Hyres 8 years ago8 years ago
How many teachers do you know that recommend others to become a teacher? I bet you would be shocked to see how few make the recommendation. If you add up all the extra work and hoops to jump through aside from earning a full BA in a subject matter that qualifies for teaching, a two year post graduate credential program that costs as much as two years of grad school, but you end up with … Read More
How many teachers do you know that recommend others to become a teacher? I bet you would be shocked to see how few make the recommendation.
If you add up all the extra work and hoops to jump through aside from earning a full BA in a subject matter that qualifies for teaching, a two year post graduate credential program that costs as much as two years of grad school, but you end up with a job that pays $34,000 a year to start.
Then add in two years of BTSA doing more hoop jumping, then add in two years on probation where they can fire you for any reason without having to even give you one, and if you get “non-reelected” for whatever reason, you could be blackballed from finding another position as a teacher because nobody will hire you with that mark on your past record,
Go figure… all that for bad pay and a really tough and challenging career…
I’m not even mentioning all the tests you have to complete, and the CLAD certificate you have to earn as well. CLAD is a certificate that helps you specialize in teaching students that are not fluent in English as a first language. I think this adds another year of coursework to complete. You get to take a years worth of graduate level linguistics courses that are quite challenging. Try it yourself if you don’t believe me.
I forgot to mention all the prerequisite courses required to enter into a credential program that most people don’t remember to take during their undergraduate coursework, so add another semester just to get prerequisites to the credential program finished up….
You had really better be in love with teaching students because that in of itself is quite rewarding, but the pay is not great.
Honestly, in a labor market, you get what you pay for. If you want more talent in the teaching ranks, you need to pay for it.
Gary 8 years ago8 years ago
American teachers are leaving the profession (or not getting into it in the first place) because of bad education policy being crammed down our throats year after year. This happens at the federal level, and then the state level. Politicians, billionaires, and other sources of BIG money make this happen. Billionaires and big corporations donate ungodly amounts of money to politicians so they can get elected. Once in office, the big money sources pull the … Read More
American teachers are leaving the profession (or not getting into it in the first place) because of bad education policy being crammed down our throats year after year. This happens at the federal level, and then the state level. Politicians, billionaires, and other sources of BIG money make this happen. Billionaires and big corporations donate ungodly amounts of money to politicians so they can get elected. Once in office, the big money sources pull the strings when it comes to education. Inappropriate curriculum, high-stakes standardized tests (which are developmentally inappropriate for about 80% of kids), and extremely negative evaluation systems are why good people are leaving education.
I have been a teacher of elementary grade students for almost 20 years in New York State, and believe me when I say that teachers are stresed out. If you don’t believe me, then just ask any public school teacher.
Sidney Rodnunsky 8 years ago8 years ago
California might want to work to change American immigration rules. I am a Canadian with full California credentials, Multiple Subject Clear, Single Subject Clear, and Professional Administrative Services. I am close to retirement in Canada and wouldn't mind a couple of years living and working in California. However, the hassle of dealing with an HB1 visa on my own is discouraging. If a California board had arranged for temporary admission … Read More
California might want to work to change American immigration rules. I am a Canadian with full California credentials, Multiple Subject Clear, Single Subject Clear, and Professional Administrative Services. I am close to retirement in Canada and wouldn’t mind a couple of years living and working in California. However, the hassle of dealing with an HB1 visa on my own is discouraging. If a California board had arranged for temporary admission to the U.S., I likely would come. My wife is also a teacher.
I suspect that there are others of us.What a bargain! Already trained and credentialed and we will go away afterwards!
Replies
Chris Schoeneman 8 years ago8 years ago
Agreed.
Melissa V Rentchler, MLIS, M.Ed. 8 years ago8 years ago
The BTSA program is worthless in its current incarnation. It is just one more bunch of workload placed on beginning teachers rather than a support and mentoring program.
jskdn 8 years ago8 years ago
Teaching credentials are an input, when what should really matter is the output of learning by students. Nancy Ichinaga who lead the highly successful Bennett-Kew school that was filled with student with the demographics of poor academic performance, opined that she preferred to get teachers that hadn't been to ed school. I'd like to know what the evidence is of a teacher shortage. Are schools not getting applicants? It was predictable that people wouldn't choose … Read More
Teaching credentials are an input, when what should really matter is the output of learning by students. Nancy Ichinaga who lead the highly successful Bennett-Kew school that was filled with student with the demographics of poor academic performance, opined that she preferred to get teachers that hadn’t been to ed school.
I’d like to know what the evidence is of a teacher shortage. Are schools not getting applicants? It was predictable that people wouldn’t choose to go into a profession where they weren’t hiring because of the economic downturn. If teaching jobs become widely available again, why wouldn’t that change?
Missy 8 years ago8 years ago
I'm trying to become a California teacher ! No wonder there is a shortage. It is the most complicated bunch of hoops to go through. Liberal arts majors have to take a dozen more classes then other majors. More school more money more time. Then all the state tests we take and how complicated it is to find them register go to a site and pass them? Why not incorporate them into teaching programs let … Read More
I’m trying to become a California teacher ! No wonder there is a shortage. It is the most complicated bunch of hoops to go through. Liberal arts majors have to take a dozen more classes then other majors. More school more money more time. Then all the state tests we take and how complicated it is to find them register go to a site and pass them? Why not incorporate them into teaching programs let the schools do the testing along the way to ease the amount of steps? Then there’s the whole get credentialed but it’s only good for a little while do more stuff and get credentialed again? It’s crazy just trying figure out how to do it is enough to make me not want to do it. Yes it’s a college career yes we have to go through hoops get continued education plus they make you do the teacher training the mentoring etc teachers deserve to be paid more especially when they provide a lot of their own things for their classrooms. Plus all the lawsuits rules and otherwise they face and the work they have to do to plan lessons and submit them etc. simplify things combine things make it more friendly to become a teacher raise the pay and cut them a break and I’m sure lots of people would do it.
CarolineSF 8 years ago8 years ago
Not the first time this had been pointed out, but: Blaming teachers, attacking them and doing everything possible to undermine them and make their lives and working conditions rougher have been popular activities for quite a few years now. This started with the education "reform" sector and the right-wing think tanks. Much of the press and punditry and many politicians have vigorously joined in, including many otherwise-liberals who express strong hostility to teachers and their … Read More
Not the first time this had been pointed out, but: Blaming teachers, attacking them and doing everything possible to undermine them and make their lives and working conditions rougher have been popular activities for quite a few years now. This started with the education “reform” sector and the right-wing think tanks.
Much of the press and punditry and many politicians have vigorously joined in, including many otherwise-liberals who express strong hostility to teachers and their unions (often along with all unions).
The booming popularity of evaluating teachers based on criteria over which they have little control is one specific example. Others include the Friedrichs and Vergara legal cases and the Los Angeles Times’ huge, costly, unproductive teacher-ranking project of a few years ago.
Is it really a surprise that there would be a teacher shortage after years of attacks, disparagement and undermining?
Replies
CarolineSF 8 years ago8 years ago
Also, it's ironic that the whole teacher-bashing culture largely originated from right-wing think tanks that exist to promote "free-market" ideology (again, hat tip to Dr. Hanushek and the Hoover Institution), because the teacher shortage perfectly illustrates a principle of the free market. So many forces have made teaching difficult and created a hostile climate that now there's a shortage. So we do have to give the think tanks that -- they've demonstrated the validity of … Read More
Also, it’s ironic that the whole teacher-bashing culture largely originated from right-wing think tanks that exist to promote “free-market” ideology (again, hat tip to Dr. Hanushek and the Hoover Institution), because the teacher shortage perfectly illustrates a principle of the free market. So many forces have made teaching difficult and created a hostile climate that now there’s a shortage. So we do have to give the think tanks that — they’ve demonstrated the validity of part of the free-market philosophy.
Don 8 years ago8 years ago
Caroline, unless teacher bashing and union reform are one and the same, Freidrichs and Vergara are not examples of the former. Both of those cases speak to constitutional issues of equal protection. Without painting a broad brush, it's true that there is an element of teacher bashing in some reform efforts. No argument there, just not in the examples you cite. There's also a tremendous amount of incompetency on display in modern public education in … Read More
Caroline, unless teacher bashing and union reform are one and the same, Freidrichs and Vergara are not examples of the former. Both of those cases speak to constitutional issues of equal protection. Without painting a broad brush, it’s true that there is an element of teacher bashing in some reform efforts. No argument there, just not in the examples you cite.
There’s also a tremendous amount of incompetency on display in modern public education in California and the nation to the extent that this has led to greater public distrust, much of the animus has been directed to the unions as the principal player in education politics, whether rightly or wrongly. But blaming it all on right-wing think tanks and the like doesn’t really get to the heart of the problem: Both people and government don’t put enough value in education.
CarolineSF 8 years ago8 years ago
Needless to say, I vigorously disagree. Especially, though, a point about Vergara. It's based on an entirely false story. The story behind Vergara is that high-poverty schools are afflicted with "bad teachers" who "can't be fired." But that's the opposite of the real problem. The problem with teachers in high-poverty schools is that they can't KEEP teachers. The turnover is dismaying; jobs are left open and filled by revolving casts of subs. The education "reform" sector … Read More
Needless to say, I vigorously disagree.
Especially, though, a point about Vergara. It’s based on an entirely false story. The story behind Vergara is that high-poverty schools are afflicted with “bad teachers” who “can’t be fired.” But that’s the opposite of the real problem. The problem with teachers in high-poverty schools is that they can’t KEEP teachers. The turnover is dismaying; jobs are left open and filled by revolving casts of subs.
The education “reform” sector essentially admitted this in the creation of Teach for America — it was originally based on the desperate need for teachers, even beginners with no experience, in high-poverty schools BECAUSE of the turnover problem. The “reform” sector speaks out of the other side of its mouth by attacking teachers with Vergara.
But my overall point stands — these are part of the massive campaign of attacks on teachers. Now there’s a shortage of teachers. The free market has spoken.
TheMorrigan 8 years ago8 years ago
Especially so, Caroline, since 9 of the student plaintiffs came from charters where LIFO and tenure issues do not exist, and where the Vergara plaintiffs came from a school where tenure is non-existent. And the evidence that the judge called “overwhelming” was really just superficial, flimsy, or contradictory when anyone looks at it closely. It was mostly a public venue for the plaintiffs and the backers to bash teachers despite it being a constitutional issue.
John Fensterwald 8 years ago8 years ago
From my reading of the complaint, TheMorrigan, eight of the nine student plaintiffs attended district schools, and one attended a charter school.
ThMorrigan 8 years ago8 years ago
Sorry, should be “2 of the 9. . .”
Martinez attended a charter.
Monterozza attended a charter.
The Vergaras attended a pilot school where tenure is not a factor.
CarolineSF 8 years ago8 years ago
And if I'm recalling right, one teacher whose name was introduced as evidence as an ineffective teacher was actually an acclaimed teacher with a strong record and a "Teacher of the Year" award -- am I recalling correctly, John? But as I say, the bigger issue is that the story from the "reform" sector, with Vergara as a weapon -- the false story that the problem with challenged, high-poverty schools is that they can't get rid … Read More
And if I’m recalling right, one teacher whose name was introduced as evidence as an ineffective teacher was actually an acclaimed teacher with a strong record and a “Teacher of the Year” award — am I recalling correctly, John?
But as I say, the bigger issue is that the story from the “reform” sector, with Vergara as a weapon — the false story that the problem with challenged, high-poverty schools is that they can’t get rid of bad teachers — is the opposite of the real problem — the fact that challenged, high-poverty schools struggle to keep teachers and to fill openings.
CarolineSF 8 years ago8 years ago
Update; sorry for repeated posts. This is from material produced for the defense in Vergara, but are the facts as described in dispute, John? "... any threat of future harm to Plaintiffs caused by the challenged statutes is purely speculative. Plaintiffs Elliott and DeBose are high school seniors who will almost certainly graduate in spring 2014. Plaintiffs Monterroza and Martinez both attend charter schools that are not subject to the challenged statutes at all. Beatriz … Read More
Update; sorry for repeated posts. This is from material produced for the defense in Vergara, but are the facts as described in dispute, John?
“… any threat of future harm to Plaintiffs caused by the challenged statutes is purely speculative. Plaintiffs Elliott and DeBose are high school seniors who will almost certainly graduate in spring 2014. Plaintiffs Monterroza and Martinez both attend charter schools that are not subject to the challenged statutes at all. Beatriz and Elizabeth Vergara both attend a “Pilot School” in LAUSD that is free to let teachers go at the end of the school year for any reason, including ineffectiveness.”
Manuel 8 years ago8 years ago
Caroline, a minor correction/addition, if I may: at least one of the Vergara sisters' complaint is based on her "hitting the wall" at math when she started 6th grade at a highly gifted magnet. Her parents accused the math teacher of being ineffective. The teacher was (I think she had enough and retired) the leader of the math department at that school and, according to my many years of experience with her, she was highly … Read More
Caroline, a minor correction/addition, if I may: at least one of the Vergara sisters’ complaint is based on her “hitting the wall” at math when she started 6th grade at a highly gifted magnet. Her parents accused the math teacher of being ineffective. The teacher was (I think she had enough and retired) the leader of the math department at that school and, according to my many years of experience with her, she was highly effective. Hence, it is my opinion that the participation of the Vergara sisters in the complaint was purely vindictiveness on her parents’ part.
If this is what is considered “strong evidence supporting the plaintiffs,” I wonder what weak evidence would be.
Also, wasn’t one of the plaintiff participating “on behalf of others?” Isn’t this again a sign of parental bias and not of true teacher ineffectiveness?
Don 8 years ago8 years ago
Without rehashing the arguments once again, the plaintiffs put on a strong case whether one believes Treu's ruling was weak or not. It was strong enough that the plaintiffs had tremendous bilateral support as evidenced in the national coverage. To say the case was weak "when anyone looks at it closely" minimizes the quality of the many editorial boards that agreed with the case in general and the judge's decision. Even you admit there … Read More
Without rehashing the arguments once again, the plaintiffs put on a strong case whether one believes Treu’s ruling was weak or not. It was strong enough that the plaintiffs had tremendous bilateral support as evidenced in the national coverage. To say the case was weak “when anyone looks at it closely” minimizes the quality of the many editorial boards that agreed with the case in general and the judge’s decision. Even you admit there are genuine constitutional issues to Vergara, Caroline’s claim that it’s just union bashing aside.
Don 8 years ago8 years ago
It was easy for the plaintiffs to demonstrate at trial that the substantial statutory teacher protections result in a preponderance of lower quality teachers at underperforming schools. It is a well established fact whether supported by achievement statistics, teacher histories or eye-witness accounts.
Chris 8 years ago8 years ago
So what does this mean for Teach For America?
Nancy Bernahl 8 years ago8 years ago
This was a very informative presentation with many ideas to share with my district. Where can I get more information on the High School pilot programs to create a teaching pathway? Thank you so much. Outstanding dialogue.
Mr. Anderson 8 years ago8 years ago
People constantly want this juxtaposition between "highly-qualified, well-trained" teachers and not allowing teachers to begin or continue their career without being fully credentialed. Can't have it both ways. The credentialing process in California is long, expensive, and not commiserate to what is needed in the classroom, depending on the program. California needs to open up some reciprocity with other states for credentials as well as streamline the process and focus more on field experiences. This … Read More
People constantly want this juxtaposition between “highly-qualified, well-trained” teachers and not allowing teachers to begin or continue their career without being fully credentialed. Can’t have it both ways. The credentialing process in California is long, expensive, and not commiserate to what is needed in the classroom, depending on the program. California needs to open up some reciprocity with other states for credentials as well as streamline the process and focus more on field experiences. This will benefit potential teachers as they are getting experience and benefit students as they will have more adults in the classroom, trained or being trained, to help in their matriculation as well as alleviate the resource strain on school districts and schools.