Barriers and Incentives to Entering
the Teaching Profession
Segun Eubanks, Ann Coffman
National Education Association
NSAII Conference
St. Louis, MO
November 13, 2012
Agenda
• Overarching Issues
– Teacher Demographics
– Who should enter (or be excluded)
• Barriers to entry into and exit from
teacher preparation
• Incentives for entry, placement,
retention
The Changing Face
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ballooning
Greying
Greening
More Female
Less Stable
“Both remarkable stability and
extraordinary change”
PERCENT INCREASE IN STUDENTS AND
TEACHERS, FROM 1987-88 TO 2007-08
Ingersoll and
Merrill, 2011
PERCENT INCREASE IN STUDENTS AND
TEACHERS, BY FIELD, FROM 1987-88 TO 2007-08
What are the obstacles?
• Teachers have little or no authority over
any significant elements of our own
profession;
• Too many of those with authority have
no idea about the complexities,
challenges and rewards of teaching;
• Teachers and the organizations that
represent them have not demanded
the leadership and responsibility for
transforming the profession.
The Challenge we face
How do we attract and retain the next
generation of teachers who are
qualified, committed, caring, effective,
and richly diverse?
What is the role of NEA and its
affiliates in addressing this challenge?
Recruiting Top Talent?
“Top performing nations recruit 100% of their new
teachers from the top third. In the U.S., it’s 23% and 14% in high poverty schools.”
Closing the talent gap; Attracting and retaining top-third graduates to careers
in teaching.
“Currently too many teacher preparation programs
fail to attract and select highly qualified candidates
with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to take
on the challenge and complexity of teaching today’s
students.”
U.S. Department of Education RESPECT Project
What We’ve Said…
• Myth: Too many barriers prevent talented
individuals from becoming public school
teachers.
• Fact: Growing numbers of academically
qualified individuals are entering teacher
education programs and joining the teaching
profession, but many of them are unwilling to
work in high-needs schools and districts
because of uncompetitive salaries and poor
working conditions.
NEA: Children of Poverty Deserve Great Teachers, 2009
The Cultural Connection –
New Evidence
“This research provides evidence that students of color
benefit directly when paired with a teacher of their same
race/ethnicity, and indirectly when attending a school
system where teachers of racial/ethnic minority groups
are equitably represented. We also reviewed studies that
shine light on the practices of teachers of color that seem
to account for their positive effects on students of color.”
“…teachers of color use their insider knowledge about
the language, culture, and life experiences of students of
color to improve their academic outcomes and school
experiences.”
Diversifying the Teaching Force: An Examination of Major Arguments
Ana Marıa Villegas and Jacqueline Jordan Irvine, April, 2010
The Pipeline Gap
Higher Education Demographics
FT Undergrad Overall
FT Undergrad Education
FT Non-degree
66
78
45
White
11 8 14
7 6 8
1 1 3
5 2 3
Black
Hispanic
American
Indian
Asian/Pacific
Islander
Source: AACTE, 2010
A Provocative Policy
Proposal
• Offer significant incentives only to
the top third of high school and/or
college graduates including:
– Scholarships and Loan Forgiveness
– Signing and Retention Bonuses for High
Needs Schools
– Larger class sizes
– Performance-based compensation to
move quickly up the salary scale.
NCATE Blue Ribbon Report
“…we need a dramatic overhaul of how
teachers are prepared. This will require
two major shifts. First, the very focus
of teacher education programs needs
to be redesigned from beginning to
end. Second, this transformation
cannot be accomplished by teacher
preparation programs working alone.”
Allow me to vent…
• Barrier: An obstacle, hurdle,
or impediment.
• Standard: A criterion,
benchmark, or measure.
• By the way, don’t say “Raise
the Bar” either!
Standards for Entry
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•
•
•
Grade Point Average
Praxis/Skills Testing
Dispositional Analysis
Course Prerequisites
Measuring Performance Gaps:
Differences in Passing Rates
Praxis I Tests
Race/Ethnicity
Mathematics
Reading
Writing
78.2%
81.5%
79.5%
African-American test takers
36.8% (-41.4%)
40.7% (-40.8%)
44.2% (-35.3%)
Hispanic test takers
57.2% (-21.0%)
64.7% (-16.8%)
63.0% (-16.5%)
Asian test takers
71.2% (-7.0%)
57.2% (-24.3%)
63.2% (-16.3%)
Native American test takers
59.5% (-18.7%)
65.1% (-16.4%)
57.3% (-22.2%)
White test takers
•
•
•
“Passing” means the candidate met or exceeded the minimum passing score set by the state
where the candidate seeks licensure
Reflective of differences in cut scores across states, and therefore resulting passing rates
Range of differences between White candidates and candidates from other race/ethnicity
groups was 7-41%; largest between White and African-American candidates
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LEARNING. LEADING. are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). 16712
Standards for Completion
•
•
•
•
•
“Student Teaching”
Curriculum/GPA
Dispositional Growth
Content Knowledge
Demonstrated Teaching Skills
A Provocative Policy
Proposal
• Significantly increase standards for
entry into teacher preparation using
GPA, test scores, and dispositional
analysis….OR….
• Significantly increase standards for
exit from teacher preparation
through a more rigorous contentcentered curriculum and meaningful,
demanding clinical experiences.
Incentives for
Entry/Retention
• Differentiated Incentives
– Performance incentives
– Shortage fields
• Universal Incentives
– Salary
– Working Conditions
• Placement Incentives
– Hard to staff schools/districts
A Provocative Policy
Proposal
• Design a union-led effort to replace
the single salary schedule with a new
career growth and continuum system
focused on teacher growth and
impact.
• Questions?
• Comments?
• Voracious Arguments?