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WACTE &FutureOpportunities

October 30, 2008

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Context

• Heavy focus on K-12 standards and assessments for past 15 years

• Policymakers are increasingly focused on instructional effectiveness and supports

• Basic Education Funding Task Force: new compensation and professional development systems

• New requirements on top of existing shortages in math and science

• Renewed interest among external stakeholders (business, philanthropy)

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Where should the focus be?

Assessments -Statewide

- End of course- Classroom

based

Curriculum-Core 24- State

curriculum - Aligned materials

Training

- Preservice-Credentialing

- Inservice- Professional development

Induction- Mentoring

- More swimming, less sinking

Standards- Rigorous- Balanced

Shoring up foundationAddressing fragmented

policies & programs

Expectations & Measures Teaching Capacity & Innovation

School Models- Aviation High

School- High Tech High

Time- Money

- Flexibility- Creativity

Retention- Pathways

- Professional Learning

Communities- Money

Recruitment- Financial incentives

- Traditional routes

- Alternative routes

Accountability- Data system- Evaluation

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Barriers

Capacity-building initiatives are not well aligned:

• Lack of a coherent system for supporting the entry, development and retention of quality staff

• Lack of coherence across multiple initiatives or programs to sustain an orderly, organized strategy for school change

(NWREL 2008)

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Math and science

• Get the fundamentals in place: Implement new math and science standards, curriculum and materials; create incentives for their use

• Expand and strengthen teaching corps: Recruit and support teachers with high-quality, aligned professional development

• Stimulate innovation: Create enabling conditions for schools and communities to innovate and leverage local STEM sector resources

• Implement a STEM initiative: Catalyze investments and systemic change linked to economic development

Goals

Higher levels of K-12 math and science learning and achievement

More low-income and minority students enter and succeed in college-level STEM disciplines Economic development and talent for high-demand STEM industries

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Why STEM?

STEM pedagogy rests on inquiry and project-based learning and gives students the content knowledge and interdisciplinary tools to solve problems. The next generation faces vexing problems—such as health care, clean energy and mounting national debt—that can be solved if young people have the ability to create, design, innovate and think critically.

STEM is also the foundation of the integrated global economy and offers individual success and prosperity.

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1. Provide high-quality statewide resources and technical assistance

• Make content-rich and project/inquiry-based standards, curriculum and materials widely available

• Identify gaps in service delivery and inefficiencies

• Support high-priority areas including principal & administrator leadership for math, science and STEM

• Leverage and increase impact of existing programs (e.g. LASER, MESA, TMP)

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2. Accelerate teacher recruitment and support

• Design and implement teacher recruitment campaign for undergraduates and career-changers

• Support innovative teacher credentialing (new alternative routes, new STEM endorsement)

• Enable innovative teacher induction

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3. Empower innovation through STEM •Aggregate local resources through RFP process (voluntary, opt-in, flexible but anchored in a common framework of principles and practice)

•Fund locally-driven consortia of colleges/universities; community/technical colleges; school districts and ESDs; corporate partners; evidence-based programs

•Support school designs built on math and science themes for underrepresented students

•Provide college scholarships and supports for underrepresented students to pursue STEM disciplines

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WACTE Strategic Goals 

Improve learning for all students in WA by promoting high quality professional education programs.  Supply and sustain highly qualified educators, especially in high-need areas. Develop professional education programs that are responsive to the world’s changing possibilities and challenges.  Work collaboratively with policymakers and constituents to influence education policy. 

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North Cascades and Olympic Science Partnership (NCOSP)

• Western Washington University, 28 school districts, two ESDs, four community colleges, LASER, Naval Undersea Museum, MESA

• Professional development, curriculum materials, development and support of learning communities

• Emphasis on diversity of new teachers and improving preparation

 NCOSP focuses on changing fundamental ideas about science subject matter, teaching and learning. It promotes “learning through thinking” that reflects growth in student understanding over time and sustainable student achievement.

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“It is difficult to take the notion of teacher professionalism seriously when teachers lack the time and support necessary to

act professional.”

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Initiate Leadership in Four Areas 

1. Take a visible lead on math and science issues

2. Support new teacher induction

3. Communicate lessons learned about Standard V

4. Engage directly with the business community

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Area #1: Visible Lead on Math and Science 

Clarify the problem

• Incomplete data on the number of math teachers needed to implement the new third year math requirement

• Most COEs are undersubscribed in math and science

• PESB is working to quantify the demand

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Area #1: Visible Lead on Math and Science 

Help advance innovative recruitment and preparation

• Improve and accelerate existing alternative routes

• Create a targeted recruitment campaign for math and science

• Keep some of 1,000 undergraduates in WA who apply to Teach for America and leave the state to become corps members (?)

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Visible Lead on Math and Science 

• Identify the flexibility and incentives needed to improve the mix of candidates & counsel or recruit students into high demand endorsement areas

• What changes would incentivize the right mix?

• Support quality “retooling” strategies to help teachers pursue math and science endorsements (e.g. Renton School District and Seattle University)

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Area #2: New Teacher Induction • Center for Strengthening the Teacher Profession

(CSTP) has proposed a comprehensive induction program for new teachers

• CSTP plans to take forth a legislative proposal in the 2009 session to expand the program to all new teachers

• Potential area for collaboration?

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Area #3: Lessons Learned about Standard V  • Standard V makes a powerful statement about the

quality and accountability for results – something WACTE members strongly supports philosophically

• Significantly higher command of sophisticated teaching strategies and will be difficult to implement and measure “success”

• Communicate about these issues to legislators and other stakeholders focused on increasing accountability for results

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Area #4: Engage Directly with the Business Community • Major businesses and private sector funders are

planning a statewide STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) initiative that will emphasize high-quality, content-rich resources, professional development and technical assistance

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Advancing math & science in Washington

• Washington needs a game-changing strategy to significantly improve math and science achievement

• The strategy needs to be deployed with urgency, dynamic leadership and powerful investments

• The focus must be on building STEM capacity for students, teachers and schools

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Discussion & Questions

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Marc Frazer

marc@educationfirstconsulting.com