Teacher by Design, Not Accident! Partnering With Educators Rising to Prepare Tomorrow's Teachers, Today

Abstract

As of spring 2017, more than 50 million students attend public schools in the United States. However, the number of new college enrollees who desire to enter education as a profession is at its lowest level in nearly 50 years. According to data gathered by UCLA’s Cooperative Institutional Research Program, as of 2016, barely 4% of college freshman plan to pursue education as a major, which is down from nearly 12% just a few decades ago (Flannery, 2016). The percentage of Black teachers is even lower. A recent study by the Department of Education entitled, “The State of Racial Diversity in the Educator Workforce,” shows there is a significant gap, by race, in the desire to go into teaching. Although nearly 50% of elementary and secondary students are of color, less than one in five U.S. public school teachers are individuals of color (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). The reality of a lower percentage of Blacks in teaching is a complex issue because the decreased presence of Black teachers occurs at different points along the teacher career pipeline. Adding to the teacher shortage is the reality that many new teachers’ dissatisfaction leads them to leave the profession within a few years. According to the Education Commission of the States, lowering teacher attrition and increasing teacher supply and quality in high-need areas like special education, math, science, and underserved schools are two ways to address specific teacher shortages (Woods, 2016). Additionally, research suggests that enhanced preparation and mentoring programs can have a positive impact on increasing the number of teachers and lowering teacher attrition (Scriber & Akiba, 2010). In an effort to reverse the declining numbers of well-qualified aspiring educators entering the teaching profession, Educators Rising, a rebranding of the organization formerly called Future Educators of America, is innovatively re-imagining ways to support the development of sustainable teacher pipelines to effectively prepare aspiring educators for rewarding, long-term careers in education. This capstone focuses on the following three initiatives: 1) the creation of a co-curricular, school-based career pathway program (EdRising Academy Curriculum) to support diversity in Grow-Your-Own aspiring teacher programs for 11th and 12th grade students in local communities; 2) the development of assessments (Educators Rising’s “Aspiring to Teach” micro-credentials) for students to demonstrate fundamental teaching skills in five discrete areas; and 3) the implications of that work for the larger teacher-preparation sector, as well as for the site, and for myself.