| Session Title: Two Evaluation Components of a College-School District Urban Teacher Preparation Program |
| Multipaper Session 574 to be held in the Granite Room Section A on Friday, Nov 7, 10:55 AM to 11:40 AM |
| Sponsored by the Pre-K - 12 Educational Evaluation TIG |
| Chair(s): |
| Sandra Foster, Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, sfoster@mcrel.org |
| Discussant(s): |
| Jean Williams, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, jmwilliams@mcrel.org |
| Abstract: This presentation will discuss two components of a larger evaluation of a Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant involving a college-school district partnership preparing teachers for urban schools. The first component is a benchmarking study focused on urban teacher preparation programs effective in preparing teachers to teach in hard-to-staff urban school settings. This study identified common best practices across a set of programs, and described these practices so that the partnering systems (our key stakeholders) as well as other universities and districts could take advantage of this knowledge. Findings from this benchmarking study will be presented along with details on how TQE partners used recommendations from this study to make program changes. Second, a systems analysis examined the components of the TQE program to determine areas of alignment. The presentation will describe how results were used to inform stakeholders of specific areas that fostered or impaired the achievement of the program goals. |
| Best Practices for College-School District Partnerships in Recruiting, Preparing, and Retaining Highly Effective Teachers in Hard to Staff Urban Schools |
| Ruby C Harris, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, charris@mcrel.org |
| Trudy L Clemons, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, tclemons@mcrel.org |
| Sandra Foster, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, sfoster@mcrel.org |
| Jean Williams, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, jmwilliams@mcrel.org |
| This presentation will focus on the best practices of existing college-school district partnerships in recruiting, retaining, and preparing urban teachers at the secondary level. Key search terms included 'urban' combined with 'teacher recruitment', 'teacher preparation', 'teacher retention', and 'secondary education'. Screening criteria for the review included rigor of the design, relevance of the questions answered, and results of the study. Included in this presentation is a discussion of how to best connect school based field experiences with the college based classroom curriculum to train highly qualified urban teachers. Working definitions and common principles will be identified to help guide higher education institutions, school districts, and education policymakers in addressing the best practices for recruiting, preparing, and retaining effective teachers in hard-to-staff urban schools. Additionally, the presentation will share how results were used by stakeholders to make program changes and engage program faculty in further research. |
| Using a Systems Analysis Approach to Evaluate a College-School District Partnership for an Urban Teacher Preparation Partnership |
| Trudy L Clemons, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, tclemons@mcrel.org |
| Ruby C Harris, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, charris@mcrel.org |
| Sandra Foster, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, sfoster@mcrel.org |
| Jean Williams, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, jmwilliams@mcrel.org |
| This presentation will focus on the use of a systems analysis approach to evaluate the Metropolitan State College of Denver and Denver Public Schools Teacher Quality Enhancement (TQE) grant to prepare teachers to teach in urban middle and high schools. In this evaluation a systems analysis approach was chosen in order to help stakeholders determine which goals to pursue and decide on a means to reach those goals. The TQE program was seen as a system of production, with the goal of developing a collaborative secondary education teacher preparation program with the capacity to graduate highly qualified urban educators. Systems theory diagrams and charts will be presented illustrating how results were shared with stakeholders to illustrate gaps between current and desired states. Additionally, the presentation will present recommendations for urban teacher preparation programs that have implications for higher education institutions, school districts, and education policy. |