Revolutionizing Education – AACTE DEI Video: Effectively Serving English Language Learners
In “Effectively Serving English Language Learners,” AACTE Vice President, Research, Policy and Advocacy Jacqueline Rodriguez said, “according to the U.S. Department of Education, we’ve seen dramatic increases in English language learners across the country. Some states have increases of over 40 percent since 2010.” Cathleen Skinner, director of world languages for Oklahoma State Department of Education, added, “It’s very important now that we see how our population of students is changing, and what our teacher candidates are facing in the future.” Wanda Blanchett, dean of the graduate school of education at Rutgers University New Brunswick, said, “[We need] to ensure that we are providing our candidates with a kind of content to meet the needs of today’s diverse students, and to make sure that they are comfortable and have had experiences working with families and communities that differ from their own.”
Principals Benefit When Principal Supervisors Have a Supporting Role, Studies Find
The Wallace Foundation released a trio of reports examining the benefits school districts gained from changing the principal supervisor role to focus less on administrative duties and more on supporting principals in improving instruction. Teams of researchers from Vanderbilt University, the University of Utah, Mathematica, and the Council of the Great City Schools collaborated with the foundation to design and administer surveys that show how the supervisor role may be changing in large districts nationwide. The reports build on earlier research suggesting that effective supervision is part of a comprehensive principal pipeline, with aligned parts, that can lead to benefits for student achievement.
Teachers Union Considers Strikes Over School Reopenings
Nothing is off the table when it comes to keeping teachers and students safe, said President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten in a speech Tuesday during which she expressed an expansive vision for safely reopening schools amid the coronavirus pandemic. With the school year set to start within weeks, the union as a whole called for “safety strikes” as a last resort should schools fail to adhere to best practices for reopening. Schools are grappling with the question of reopening amid a pandemic that is surging in states across the country. On the one hand, educators want to get back into schools for the well-being of their students but they cite the growing case numbers as evidence that districts should proceed with caution.
