Convocation 2011, Dean Grenot-Scheyer Remarks
Convocation 2011: Looking Forward
Convocation is a time to look forward and to renew and rededicate ourselves to the core beliefs that undergird our work. I have always enjoyed the start of a new academic year and have approached each fall semester with a sense of optimism and renewal. This year however, my optimism is tempered with a good dose of our current economic reality. In these uncertain times it is more important than ever to “stay the course” and to remind ourselves of the important work that we do: i.e., preparing quality teachers and other educational professionals to work in our urban communities to ensure access and achievement for all students.
My update may not inspire; I will leave that to our guest convocation speaker; but my intention is as always to keep you informed, to support your work to ensure student success, and to continue to anticipate what is around the corner so that we may best serve our students. I will provide an overview of the budget and enrollment, share with you lessons learned from my summer reading, and highlight several initiatives and priorities for the coming year.
Budget & enrollment update
What would convocation be without a budget and enrollment update?
I hope you have all had a chance to read the president’s budget update sent in July. The 2011-12 budget approved by Governor Brown resulted in an additional $150 million reduction to the CSU for an overall reduction of $650 million dollars. This means a 24% reduction in state support for the CSU. CSULB’s portion of this cut is about $12 million which will make our overall cut about $40 million. As you also know, our students have experienced fee increases and there is a strong likelihood of an additional fee increase this year.
Our enrollment target for this fall is 1642 (FTES); down from 1781 from last fall. Enrollment in graduate programs remains steady and we admitted our 5th EDD cohort in the spring. Applications and admissions to initial credential programs continue a downward trend and therefore, the number of credentials we recommend has decreased by approximately 10%. In spite of this, we still produce the largest number of Single Subject candidates in the CSU. This decline is not surprising given the current job demand in schools, nor is this trend any different than what are sister institutions are experiencing. We need to continue to emphasize to potential students and their families the importance of entering the teaching field now, in spite of the news that they hear. Demographic reports continue to emphasize the need for teachers, especially in math, science, and special education, both now and in the future, and certainly the demand will increase once the “baby boomers” retire, so please help me to get this message out to our community.
We are proceeding with budget and enrollment plans that were developed in the spring and will continue to look for ways to reduce costs while at the same time ensuring student success. I am very grateful to my leadership team, especially the department chairs, who continue to work in a collegial manner across department lines, on behalf of all of our students in the college to ensure access to courses and timely progression to degree.
Summer reads
My summer reading included several great novels (Bossy Pants, Tina Fey, The Paris Wife, Tina McLain, and State of Wonder, Ann Patchett) as well as a number of critiques and essays regarding the demise of teacher preparation nationwide. While such criticism is not new, the scrutiny and intensity appears to have reached an unprecedented level. Even if you do not have direct responsibility for teacher preparation, our attention and response as an educational community is warranted.
Critics of teacher education come from both within and outside education. In the 1980’s the Holmes Group, a collection of education deans, emphasized the importance of clinical or “hands-on” teacher preparation. This group also decried outmoded curriculum and admission and graduation standards.
Arthur Levine, former president of Teachers College at Columbia University, continues his critique of educator preparation programs which he began over two decades ago. He posits that while there are many fine educator preparation programs, “too many programs have low admission and graduation standards, weak curricula, inadequate time in school classrooms, and faculty who are out of touch with practice and limited contact with schools” (2011). (http://chronicle.com/article/The-New-Normal-of-Teacher/127430/)
Arne Duncan, current Secretary of Education, continues to go around this country proclaiming we should “reward the good, improve the middle, and shape up or shut down the bad.”
Alternative teacher preparation programs abound, sometimes with or without university partners. Teach for America (TFA) provides an intensive summer training program and placement in high need schools. Last year TFA placed 4,500 new corp members. According to a 2010 evaluation (http://greatlakescenter.org/docs/Policy_Briefs/Heilig_TeachForAmerica.htm), 50% of these teachers leave after 2 years and 8% leave after 3 years. In spite of these dismal retention rates, programs such as TFA continue to be supported by a variety of private foundations, while support for K-12 funding and funding for higher education is at an all-time low in our own state.
These are just a few examples that illustrate the barrage of criticism aimed at colleges of education. Clearly there is no question that the quality of education schools varies greatly, but the rhetoric seems to have heated up this year with the publication of two reports from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ): Student Teaching in the United States, (2011) and the Teacher Quality Roadmap: Improving policies and practices in the LAUSD, (2011). Coming fall 2012, is the National Review of Teacher Preparation Programs (http://www.nctq.org/). Kate Walsh, president of the NCTQ, continues her attack on educator preparation programs. She recently testified before Congress on issues related to teacher quality. One of her most quotable comments published in the Huffington Post, was the following: “…it’s “easier to get into an education school than it is to qualify to play college football.” Granted such criticism stings, but what should our collective response entail?
I believe our response must be two-fold; we must take responsibility for this reputation and second, we need to continue to shape the conversation about the quality of the teachers and other educational personnel that we prepare. We need to get better at looking at ourselves honestly, using data to inform and improve our practices, and telling our story about what we do and how we do it. We have recently affirmed our vision of who we are and what we do in our unit conceptual framework. We do know where we are heading and although the headwinds seem to be increasing, a steady course towards our shared goals seems wise.
On-going and New Initiatives in the College
In spite of the grim financial outlook and the continuing onslaught of criticism from proponents of educational reform, our work on initiatives related to our vision, Equity and Excellence in Education (E3) must and will continue. At the end of spring semester, I developed a picture of our work including our external partnerships, professional development activities, and community engagement (PDF document, right-click to download file). All of these initiatives center on our commitment to equity and excellence and illustrate to ourselves and to our critics all that we are doing to ensure that we prepare the best and the brightest education professionals. I would like to highlight three initiatives today: NCATE Alliance, Co-Teaching, and Linked Learning.
NCATE Alliance
The California State University (CSU) and Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) are playing the lead role for California launching the California Alliance for Clinical Preparation Partnerships. This collaboration is in response to the NCATE report, Transforming teacher education through clinical practice: A national strategy to prepare effective teachers (http://ncate.org/Public/Publications/TransformingTeacherEducation/tabid/737/Default.aspx) by the national Blue Ribbon Panel on Clinical Preparation and Partnerships for Improved Student Learning. CSU Chancellor Charles Reed and Superintendent Christopher Steinhauser of Long Beach Unified School District both served on the Blue Ribbon Panel and were invited to launch one of the first eight State Alliances piloting clinical preparation. The goals of the State Alliance, as envisioned by NCATE, include establishing collaborative partnerships for new teacher preparation among universities, school districts, and schools. CSULB is uniquely positioned to initiate this work and we recently received two planning grants from the Packard and Bechtel foundations to support our continued efforts to prepare future teachers in a clinical teaching model. This model will build upon the success of our own clinical residency model, UTEACH. A major dimension of this work is the use of co-teaching, in which residents work alongside the classroom teacher, performing valuable responsibilities, as residents do in medical training.
Co-Teaching
Co-Teaching involves one master teacher and one teacher candidate working together with groups of students, sharing the assessment, planning, organization, and instruction, as well as sharing the physical space. Co-teaching models in student teaching allow two or more adults to collaborate in the classroom, actively engaging students for extended periods of time. This model provides a comprehensive and rigorous experience for teacher candidates, allows the master teacher to remain actively involved in the classroom with her students, and provides ongoing mentoring to give teacher candidates time and support necessary to develop both skills and confidence. The model affords teachers opportunities to incorporate co-teaching strategies, grouping and educating students in ways that are not possible with just one teacher. CSULB has received funding from the Chancellor’s office and the Bechtel Foundation to assist with our own professional development efforts in this area.
Linked Learning
Linked Learning is a promising reform for secondary education that brings together post-secondary preparation with work place skills for the future careers of tomorrow. The Linked Learning project between CSULB and the LBUSD, which is funded primarily by the James Irvine Foundation, will put in place a transformational model of clinical teacher preparation and induction that prepares beginning California teachers for Linked Learning that will serve as a model statewide. The project intends to prepare secondary teacher candidates at CSULB for Linked Learning, which will be incorporated in every stage of teacher preparation, beginning with early field experience, through hands on teacher preparation in a Linked Learning Academy into School District Teacher Induction. Our EDD students will be involved in this initiative as well through collaborative research opportunities in a Linked Learning Laboratory of Practice.
These are but a few examples of our important and exciting work. I invite you to continue to think about our collective work to prepare highly effective educators and to share your ideas with me. I continue to be very grateful to be the Dean of this college and I thank you for your continued support and for all your work on behalf of our students.
And now, to one of my favorite reads this summer. Last spring the budget subcommittee of faculty council met to discuss plans for the Veffie Milstead Jones endowment. We agreed that beginning this fall, faculty council will work with me to help develop a plan for the use of this endowment for the next several years. In the short term, I asked them to identify a speaker who could inspire and assist us with our work related to closing the achievement gap. Several highly regarded and well known researchers were identified and from that discussion, Dr. Tyrone Howard was selected and I am happy to say, he graciously has agreed to join us today as well return later this semester to continue the conversation. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Howard.
last updated — Aug 25, 2011