Teacher Leaders Network - NCLB - (Page 12)

They also call for more investment in peer review systems, where teachers themselves establish and enforce standards of their profession. Several TLN members, like Anthony Cody who has served as a coach in Oakland’s Peer Assistance Review Program, are already doing so. Every Student Deserves a Highly Effective, Well-Trained Teacher These expert teachers recognize that changes are needed in the national system of teacher development, both to improve teacher quality and to meet labor market demands. Although some reformers are calling for the elimination of teacher education and certification programs, members of the Teacher Leaders Network generally see a need to strengthen rather than discard these gateway requirements. Many TLN members believe that proposals and programs to send well-intended recruits, with only a few weeks of training, into high needs schools only exacerbate the current teaching quality crisis. Instead, they would like to see teacher training and certification more closely linked to the real classroom through pre-service programs that partner college faculty and practicing teachers in the preparation process. TLN members also recommend requirements for novice teachers to complete well-designed internships under the supervision of expert veterans. The ideas of these expert teachers actually match well with two recent Congressional proposals. The TEACH Act, sponsored by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Rep. George Miller of California, seeks to authorize $3.4 billion worth of scholarships and tuition assistance to prospective teachers who are effectively prepared and then commit to teaching in high needs schools and subjects. In addition, the Teacher Residency Act, sponsored by Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, would underwrite a year-long paid residency under the tutelage of master teachers for talented individuals who are committed to urban school teaching. Based on the successful work of Chicago's Academy for Urban School Leadership, Obama’s proposal focuses on recruiting and training alternative route candidates. The recruits are offered a stipend so they can afford the time needed to prepare for the rigors of urban teaching. In return they are expected to teach for at least four years in a high needs school district. The time is now to support these proposals, grounded in the realities experienced by our nation’s best teachers. Conclusions Much has been spoken and written about No Child Left Behind and its pending reauthorization. Currently, there are literally hundreds of proposals for changing or tweaking NCLB to better achieve its vision of an equitable school system where all students have access to high-quality teachers and well-run schools. Most often, we hear from researchers, union leaders, school district officials, textbook and testing company lobbyists, and analysts in Washington think tanks. “We badly need a national policy that enables schools to meet the intellectual demands of the 21st Century. More fundamentally, we need to pay off the educational debt to disadvantaged students that has accrued over centuries of unequal access to quality education.”ix – Linda Darling-Hammond Leading education expert & scholar The Merrow team was wise enough to seek out another set of voices. By talking directly to teachers who live and work every day in the environment created by No Child Left Behind, Merrow and his colleagues were able to gather unique perspectives about the strengths and shortcomings of a complex policy system that was originally designed with little or no teacher input. And it’s important to point out that the insights shared by TLN members were not off-the-cuff opinions, but were instead indicative of the professional judgment that has been shaped by their own research as well as in-depth daily discussions over years with their virtual community colleagues, who bring many different experiences and points of view to the table. Page 12

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Teacher Leaders Network - NCLB

Executive Summary The Future of American Education in the Making It is Time to Align NCLB Intentions and Consequences The Teacher Leaders Network Encounters NCLB from the Classroom NCLB Demands Results and So Do We Attention Alone Does Not Equal Effective Accountability Standardized Tests Fall Short of 21st Century Demands For What Future Is NCLB Preparing Students? As Testing Expands, the Curriculum Shrinks The Drive for Data Presents Potential for Significant Change Data Systems Don’t Keep Pace with Real-Time Instructional Needs AYP Highlights the Good, Bad, and Ugly of NCLB Does “Highly Qualified” Set the Teaching Bar Too Low? Teaching Quality Must Be More Than a Number Every Student Deserves a Highly Effective, Well-Trained Teacher Conclusions References

Teacher Leaders Network - NCLB

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