The NCTQ's latest report, "Landscapes in teacher prep: Undergraduate secondary," found that a widespread problem among the programs knocked off the list were a lack of content preparation for science and social studies teacher candidates.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 05/16/17
It wasn’t too long ago that instructors within University of Colorado Denver’s ASPIRE to Teach Alternative Teacher Licensure Program would drive from classroom to classroom all over the Centennial State to train new K–12 teachers. Now, the program utilizes video coaching to support more than 200 teachers across 25 school districts statewide.
A solid third of teachers (34 percent) changed careers to get into the education field. A third of those (36 percent) came from business and management jobs. Among the career changers, 36 percent said they'd always wanted to be a teacher; another 31 percent said they sought a change of pace; and 23 percent said teaching offered a more flexible schedule.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 05/10/17
Cyberattacks appear to be on the rise; however, young professionals equipped with computer science (CS) skills to combat those threats are not growing at the same pace as the need. That’s the assessment from various recent sources and reports, from news sites to companies that track cybersecurity.
Framing computer science education in a way that interests both teachers and students could help boost the number of teachers seeking computer science certification and increase STEM achievement across K–12.
The PreK–12 professional learning, or development, market is estimated at $5.3 billion through 2020-2021, according to a recent report by market research firm Research and Markets.
University partnerships offer benefits for K–12, especially for STEM and STEAM programs — and not just in the ways you might expect. From expertise and mentoring to hands-on experiences and career exposure, the positive results of working with higher ed faculty impact students and K–12 educators alike.
San Antonio Independent School District will be opening a hi-tech high school this fall — the first in a network of industry-led, career-themed schools.
Just as Dorothy already had what she needed to return home from Oz, schools and districts are already equipped to help teachers identify areas for continuous professional growth; they just need to know how to use their resources — and specifically, their evaluation systems — more effectively.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 04/18/17
Start with a small cohort of teachers; provide professional learning opportunities to all teachers; include school leaders in the training. Those are some of the more obvious best practices tied to professional development for teachers learning how to teach to the Next Generation Science Standards, shared in a new guide published by NGSS.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 04/18/17