Monitor on Psychology - February 2012 - (Page 68)

Up to 30 percent of elementary and secondary school teachers leave the profession after three years, and up to half take off after five years. Student misbehavior and teachers’ lack of power to make decisions about how their own classrooms are structured and run are the main reasons they leave. The emphasis is on the practical, says program director Joyce Corces, EdD. Participants learn how to create lesson plans, reward students for good behavior, organize their days, decide how much homework to assign, even how to decorate the classroom. They also role-play tough situations — dealing with angry parents or preparing students for national exams, for example. (The University of Miami program is featured in a new APA teacher-training module on stress management. Go to www.apa.org/ed/schools/cpse/activities/teacher-stress.aspx.) The support network also hosts informal activities that build group cohesion, and a mentoring program with experienced teachers. Special education teacher Donna Serrano says she appreciated the support of fellow classmates and mentors. “Had I not been exposed to some of those people, I think I would have felt more overwhelmed,” she says. “I know I can call or email anyone in the network any time I need to.” Getting businesses on board The University of Arizona’s dean of education, educational psychologist Ronald Marx, PhD, is taking a different tack on teacher support. He is involving business leaders in an effort called “Tucson Values Teachers,” which seeks to improve teachers’ low pay, insufficient training and low morale. A key part of the program is providing master’s-level training at the University of Arizona to early career science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) teachers. Funded largely by the Science Foundation of Arizona, with matching funds from area technology businesses, the program gives teachers advanced training in STEM disciplines, pedagogy and assessment. The program then places teachers at local science and engineering companies for summer internships, where they earn industry-level pay while gaining hands-on experience that they can share in the classroom. “I wanted to get teachers into contexts where they’re doing real science or math that counts for a purpose,” says Marx. About 25 teachers are completing master’s degrees and internships so far, with impressive results. One math teacher who did her internship at the defense contractor Raytheon helped get a state-of-the-art missile to fly. Another participant was named Teacher of the Year in Arizona’s Cochise County. 68 Tucson Values Teachers also addresses an overlooked aspect of teacher support: the public’s underappreciation of teachers. A “Teacher’s Discount Card,” for instance, gives teachers discounts on area goods, services and even mortgages. The program also provides opportunities for the public to buy school supplies for teachers, which teachers otherwise tend to buy with their own money. Meanwhile, a weekly radio program developed by Tucson Values Teachers — “Teacher’s Voices,” which airs on Tucson’s National Public Radio affiliate, KUAZ — features interviews with local teachers. “It evokes images of competent, caring and intellectually deep professionals who are working on behalf of our children,” Marx says. Support from the top? Other efforts are under way to help administrators face their own pressures, which in turn can help improve their relationship with teachers. Conoley of the Gevirtz School has been developing a support network for school principals and superintendents in Santa Barbara County that will launch fully in 2012 with a series of summer institutes, to be followed by regular gatherings over the course of the academic year. The institutes will be co-led by a Santa Barbara County principal or supervisor and a Gevirtz faculty member, who will teach participants how to assess and improve classroom instruction and student achievement. But the real focus is on creating a place where administrators don’t have to be their official selves “but can really just learn from one another,” Conoley says. Participants will have a chance to share ideas and best practices, and to discuss their schools’ data, for example on the link noted in research between dropout rates and a lack of algebra proficiency by the ninth grade, she says. Supporting school leaders this way can benefit teachers and students alike, Conoley adds. “The key is to build organizations where expectations are high and the support for that success is just as strong.” n Tori DeAngelis is a writer in Syracuse, N.Y. M o n i t o r o n p s y c h o l o g y • F e b ru a ry 2 0 1 2 http://www.apa.org/ed/schools/cpse/activities/teacher-stress.aspx

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - February 2012

Monitor on Psychology - February 2012
Letters
President’s column
Contents
From the CEO
APA files two briefs in support of same-sex couples
New registry seeks to understand addiction recovery through ‘crowdsourcing’
APA launches a database of tests and measures
Watch for new member benefit: “APA Access”
Apply now for APA’s Advanced Training Institutes
PsycTHERAPY, APA’s new database, brings therapy demos to life
In Brief
APA scientists help guide tobacco regulation
A-mazing research
‘A machine for jumping to conclusions’
Judicial Notebook
Random Sample
Righting the imbalance
The beginnings of mental illness
Science Directions
Improving disorder classification, worldwide
Protesting proposed changes to the DSM
Interventions for at-risk students
Harnessing the wisdom of the ages
Anti-bullying efforts ramp up
Hostile hallways
R U friends 4 real?
Support for teachers
Speaking of Education
Record keeping for practitioners
Going green
At the intersection of law and psychology
Division Spotlight
Grants help solve society’s problems
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - February 2012

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