Chan Zuckerberg Initiative announces $5M to support PD, remote learning during pandemic
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative announced $5 million in COVID-19 Response Grants to provide professional development around culturally responsive distance learning grounded in equity, inclusivity and scientific knowledge around learning and development, as well as to expand broadband access for underserved students. Three grants ranging from $250,000 to $275,000 each will support professional development, while five grants ranging from $75,000 to $200,000 each will help expand broadband solutions. The grants build on the previous $1.6 million the organization gave in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education to support the implementation of ed tech.
Teachers Are People Too: Examining the Racial Bias of Teachers Compared to Other American Adults
Schools are heralded by some as unique sites for promoting racial equity. Central to this characterization is the presumption that teachers embrace racial equity and teaching about this topic. In contrast, others have documented the ongoing role of teachers in perpetuating racial inequality in schools. In this article, we employ data from two national data sets to investigate teachers’ explicit and implicit racial bias, comparing them to adults with similar characteristics. We find that both teachers and nonteachers hold pro-White explicit and implicit racial biases. Furthermore, differences between teachers and nonteachers were negligible or insignificant. The findings suggest that if schools are to effectively promote racial equity, teachers should be provided with training to either shift or mitigate the effects of their own racial biases. (American Educational Research Association (AERA))
Teachers use high- and low-tech means to reach English Language Learners during coronavirus crisis
Even schools that manage to give all children access to devices and the internet cannot escape the fact that much of the educational software they’re using is not specific to the needs of ELL students, Sugarman said. It cannot replace the moment-to-moment adjustments teachers make every day to help these students keep up with the material.
Teachers’ Unions and Districts Hammer Out New Expectations for Remote Teaching
Teacher contracts are beginning to catch up with the realities of the coronavirus pandemic. And as it has done with so many other aspects of K-12 education, the coronavirus has forced districts to wrestle with a never-before-imagined question: If you can no longer realistically orient teachers’ duties and expectations in terms of a seven-and-a half hour day—or six periods and one prep—how do you do it? What have emerged are more flexible arrangements for teachers. The actual amount of time teachers are expected to instruct on a daily or weekly basis is shorter. But they must reserve specific times for “office hours,” when they are available to help students and parents individually.
Learning by SCIENTIFIC DESIGN
This report shares early insights from the Learning by Scientific Design Network. Since formally launching in Fall 2019, the six participating educator-preparation programs have undertaken a tremendous amount of work to transform how they prepare future teachers. This includes developing and administering the LbSD Assessment; identifying strengths and growth areas within their programs, building faculty knowledge of learning science; observing teacher-candidates to explore how knowledge of learning science can impact pedagogical practice; and examining coursework structure and field placements to determine how they might align with learning science as a focus.
How Much Influence Do Teachers Have in Their Schools?
A growing body of research suggests that school management models emphasizing teacher influence in school governance have a range of benefits, including increased teacher job satisfaction, improved academic performance, and more-effective organizational learning. However, nationwide data from the American Educator Panels show that principals are significantly more likely to perceive that teachers have influence in their schools than teachers. More principals than teachers feel that teachers are involved in making important school decisions. Almost all principals agree or strongly agree with the statement that teachers have a lot of informal opportunity to influence what happens at their school — a much higher rate than for teachers. In addition, almost a third of teachers feel uncomfortable voicing concerns. These perception gaps between teachers and principals signal a disconnect that may foster professional stagnation and frustration.
Characteristics of Public and Private Elementary and Secondary School Teachers in the United States: Results From the 2017–18 National Teacher and Principal Survey First Look
The 2017–18 National Teacher and Principal Survey is a nationally representative sample survey of public and private K–12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. State representative data are also available for public schools, principals, and teachers. This survey collects data on core topics including teacher and principal preparation, classes taught, school characteristics, and demographics of the teacher and principal labor forces. Selected findings include that about 79% of all public school teachers were non-Hispanic White, 7% were non-Hispanic Black, and 9% were Hispanic. Among private school teachers, about 85% were non-Hispanic White, 3% were non-Hispanic Black, and 7% were Hispanic. The average age of teachers in traditional public schools was 43 years, and 39 years in public charter schools. The average age of teachers in private schools was 44 years old. On average, public and private school teachers had about 14 years of teaching experience. Teachers in traditional public schools had 14 years of teaching experience, and public charter school teachers had 10 years of teaching experience, on average. In the 2017–18 school year regular full-time teachers in public schools had a higher average base salary ($57,900) than regular full-time teachers in private schools ($45,300). About 18% of public school teachers and 21% of private school teachers had jobs outside their school system during the school year. (National Center for Educational Statistics, U.S. Department of Education)
