ED477727 2002-12-00 Multiple Points of

Entry into Teaching for Urban

Communities. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Development Team

www.eric.ed.gov

Table of Contents

If you're viewing this document online, you can click any of the topics below to link directly to that section.

Multiple Points of Entry into Teaching for Urban Communities. ERIC

Digest...........................................................................1

THE CONCEPT OF MULTIPLE ENTRY POINTS........................ 2

SUPPORT FOR MULTIPLE ENTRY POINTS............................. 3

SUPPORT FOR A DIVERSE TEACHING WORKFORCE...............5

CONCLUSION.................................................................. 5

REFERENCES.................................................................. 5

ERIC Identifier: ED477727

Publication Date: 2002-12-00

Author: Post, Linda - Pugach, Marleen - Hains, Ann - Thurman, Alfonzo

Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education Washington DC.

Multiple Points of Entry into Teaching for

Urban Communities. ERIC Digest.

THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

INFORMATION CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT

ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC

The nationwide shortage of teachers is well documented, and nowhere is the shortage

ED477727 2002-12-00 Multiple Points of Entry into Teaching for Urban Communities.

ERIC Digest.

Page 1 of 8
more dire than in urban school districts (Recruiting New Teachers, 2000), which

struggle both to recruit and retain new teachers. Not only do urban school districts face

a shortage of teachers generally, but also they continue to face a persistent gap

between a primarily white, middle class teaching force and student populations that are

primarily of color, have a native language other than English, or are of low

socioeconomic levels (Villegas & Lucas, 2002). When the majority of teachers in urban

schools do not reflect the communities of their students, the potential for a mismatch

between teachers and their students is unmistakable (Carr, 2002; Delpit, 1995;

Kalyanpur & Harry, 1999; Hodgkinson, 2001; Hodgkinson, 2002), and "Different cultural

beliefs and practices have been noted as a frequent barrier to effective [read respectful]

interaction" (Harry, Kalyanpur and Day, 1999, p. 6). This lack of cultural or language

familiarity and understanding can be damaging to the goal of making sure that every

child in an urban school district achieves to his or her potential (Gay, 2000; Gay, 2002;

Howard, 1999).

The shortage in qualified personnel to work in urban environments (Villegas & Clewell,

1998) and in specific disciplines continues (23rd Annual report to Congress, 2001). For

example, "A report earlier this year from the U.S. Department of Education said that 13

percent of the special-education positions in the nation's schools in 1999-2000 were

being filled by teachers who weren't certified in special education, including 12,000

positions being held by substitute teachers" (Temkin, 2002). These shortages are

accentuated by the need to recruit and retain qualified personnel of different cultures,

values and languages (National Center for Education Statistics, 1996). Hanson (1998)

notes, "existing training programs for professionals who are most likely to work with

children with disabilities and their families still have relatively few students who

represent cultures with non-Anglo-European roots" (pp. 8-9). Similarly, few higher

education preparation programs are culturally responsive to ethnic and language

diversity (Isenberg, 2000; Gay, 2002; Kushner & Ortiz, 2000) or have diverse faculty

(Isenberg, 2000; APA, 1997). "If the needs of children and families are to be

authentically addressed, our leaders need to reflect the communities they serve (Elliott,

K., Alvarado, C., Copland, J., Surr, W., Farris, M., Genser, A., et al., 1999, p. 2).

In the face of such critical shortages, it appears traditional recruitment strategies in

teacher education alone will not be sufficient to meet this ongoing need--at least not in

the foreseeable future (Hodgkinson, 2002). One strategy for cutting into the teacher

shortage systematically is to support a wide range of pipelines for those in our

community who wish to become teachers--in other words, multiple entry points into

teaching. The goal is to ensure that every individual interested in a career in teaching in

the community has access to a preservice program that best matches his or her

education, experience, family circumstances, and timeframe.

THE CONCEPT OF MULTIPLE ENTRY POINTS

www.eric.ed.gov ERIC Custom Transformations Team

Page 2 of 8 ED477727 2002-12-00 Multiple Points of Entry into Teaching for Urban Communities.

ERIC Digest.
At urban institutions such as those that participate in the Great Cities' Universities Urban

Educator Corps (http://www.gcu-uec.org/), programs enable prospective teachers to

begin preservice preparation at multiple entry points. These programs are focused on

identifying individuals who have a desire to teach in urban schools and who represent

the diversity existing in urban classrooms. This goal has resulted in the establishment of

a broad range of partnerships focused on developing a career lattice that moves an

individual from one stage to the next with the end result being an initial teaching license.

Partnerships with institutions and agencies means shared financial responsibility for

these programs through base budget allocations, grants and gifts. Similar efforts are

underway with the Holmes Group's Urban Network to Improve Teacher Education

(UNITE: <http://www.holmespartnership.org/UNITE>).

THE ROLE OF THE P-16 COUNCIL

If a community is committed to supporting multiple entry points into teaching, then by

design it must also be dedicated to fostering a high level of commitment among key

local stakeholders across a range of institutions that play a role in the preparation of

new teachers for urban schools. The emerging trend toward P-16 councils is promising

in this regard. These interagency councils exist at the state and local levels, and often

include representatives from the 2-year technical (community) colleges, school districts,

teachers' unions, school boards, local teacher education institutions, the business

community, and local foundations. This collective commitment to improving the quality

and diversity of the local teaching force provides a supportive community environment

for implementing the full array of multiple pathways.

P-16 councils help facilitate widespread knowledge of the multiple pathways available.

Without cooperation and coordination, multiple entry points may result in confusion for

those who seek to become licensed teachers--with seemingly too many choices for

programs. But as representatives of each institution become more knowledgeable about

the available pathways into teaching, and the populations for which each may be

appropriate, they begin to envision possibilities for making information available

throughout the community in a variety of formats (e.g., print materials, Web sites,

recruitment sessions).

Articulation among the various institutions must also be smooth. If students begin in one

institution and transfer to another, the articulation must be as seamless as possible. If

students in alternative programs require a mentor from the school district to support

their first years of teaching, the coordination between the program and the local urban

school district must be strong. If students in undergraduate or postbaccalaureate

programs require multiple field experiences in the classrooms of the most skilled

teachers, articulation with the district and the individual schools must be effective. The

local P-16 council facilitates these relationships and strengthens them in a way that

simply is not possible when institutions function in relative isolation.

SUPPORT FOR MULTIPLE ENTRY POINTS

ERIC Resource Center www.eric.ed.gov

ED477727 2002-12-00 Multiple Points of Entry into Teaching for Urban Communities.

ERIC Digest.

Page 3 of 8
With an operational governance structure, an on-going, consistent communication

process connects all of the community's programs and partners. As a result, an

individual who wishes to teach in an urban school can receive tailored advising to enter

at the appropriate point of the career lattice and at the appropriate partner institution.

The successful creation of this point of entry advising and referral system provides a

vehicle for working with someone who has no college credit, some college credit, two

years of college work, and someone who has completed a four year college program

and enters at the post-baccalaureate level. The array of entry points include pre-college

programs, two year programs leading to four year programs, four year programs,

post-baccalaureate certification programs offering both traditional and alternative

approaches, and induction programs once the beginning teacher has received

certification.

Entry points vary by discipline as well as level of education. For example, in childcare,

the early childhood professional organizations at the state level include the participant's

training, experience, and professionalism in statewide professional recognition systems

that are monitored outside of state departments of education or human and family

services (cf., The Registry, http://www.the-registry.org; WI Department of Public

Instruction, 2001). Verification of entry-level course work completed outside of higher

education (e.g., through Head Start, Child Care Apprenticeship Programs, etc.) is

provided. Students often enter the teaching profession by traditional, parental, or

serendipitous routes within a "career lattice" rather than a "career ladder" approach

(Bredekamp, 1992; WI Early Childhood Collaborating Partners, 2001). For higher

education, point of entry advising is especially important in assisting interested

individuals who are just beginning to take college credits in selecting appropriate

courses related to teaching, rather than simply collecting college credits that will not

apply to the array of preservice options available.

At a state level, institutions of higher education can support multiple entry points across

public and private programs. For example, North Carolina has a rigorous statewide

teacher licensure program, NC TEACH, designed to recruit, prepare, and support

mid-career professionals as they begin a teaching career in North Carolina's public

schools (NC TEACH Newsletter, 2001). The program is administered by the state's

higher education system (University of North Carolina Office of the President), in

collaboration with the state's education agency (North Carolina Department of Public

Instruction). It is supported with funding from Title II of the U.S. Department of

Education Higher Education Act. The program begins with a full-time summer course for

five weeks offered at nine host sites located throughout the state followed by seminars

that are conducted during the following school year. Some modules are taught online

(NC TEACH Newsletter, 2001). The students are assigned to a host site and receive

instruction from master teachers and higher education faculty, and are eligible to earn

12-18 graduate credits at the host institution (http://ncteach.ga.unc.edu). This

accelerated program also provides students with mentoring and support during their first

year of teaching.

www.eric.ed.gov ERIC Custom Transformations Team

Page 4 of 8 ED477727 2002-12-00 Multiple Points of Entry into Teaching for Urban Communities.

ERIC Digest.
SUPPORT FOR A DIVERSE TEACHING

WORKFORCE

A major strategy of the multiple entry points approach is the recruitment of incumbent

workers. Many aides, paraprofessionals, day care workers, safety aides, secretaries,

kitchen staff, and other entry-level workers in the urban schools are seeking a way to

advance on the career lattice toward a career in teaching. As an example, several

programs have focused on recruitment of general aides and paraprofessionals. These

incumbent workers have already made a commitment to urban schools and in many

cases are more representative of the children attending urban schools. Nationally, the

DeWitt Wallace Readers Digest Funds has supported these students in the Pathways to

Teaching Careers Program as part of its mission to "develop better ways to recruit and

train a diverse corps of teachers ready for the challenges and rewards of working in

hard-to-staff public schools in low-income urban and rural communities across the

nation" (Focus: Pathways, 1997). The Pathways program serves as a useful model for

recruiting paraprofessionals and selecting teacher candidates. (Clewell & Villegas,

2001)

At the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, follow-up studies of Pathways graduates

and students in an alternative certification program (Metropolitan Multicultural Teacher

Education Program) show that over 94% of the graduates are still teaching in the

Milwaukee Public Schools. All graduates are rated satisfactory or exemplary by their

building principals, and over 80% of the graduates are teachers of color. This illustrates

an important reason for the focus on incumbent workers. Individuals who live in the

urban community and have made a commitment to teach there are more likely to stay

as teachers.

CONCLUSION

A goal in launching multiple entry points into teaching for urban schools is to increase

the number and diversity of teachers who wish to work in the urban community. The

design and delivery of preservice programs of the highest quality is essential, no matter

what the particular structure or the point of entry. This means taking standards of

performance seriously, challenging programs to improve, and communicating clearly to

all potential students, from every pipeline and in every pathway, what it means to be a

good teacher for urban schools.

REFERENCES

References identified with an EJ or ED number have been abstracted and are in the

ERIC database. Journal articles (EJ) should be available at most research libraries;

most documents (ED) are available in microfiche collections at more than 900 locations.

Documents can also be ordered through the ERIC Document Reproduction Service:

(800) 443-ERIC.

ERIC Resource Center www.eric.ed.gov

ED477727 2002-12-00 Multiple Points of Entry into Teaching for Urban Communities.

ERIC Digest.

Page 5 of 8
23rd Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with

Disabilities Act (2001).

http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/Products/OSEP2001AnlRpt

American Psychological Association. (1997). Visions and transformations: The final

report of the commission on ethnic minority recruitment, retention, and training in

psychology. Washington, DC: Author.

Bredekamp, S. (1992). Composing a profession. Young Children, 47(2), 52-54.

Carr, S. (2002, November 12). Area districts woo bilingual teachers. Milwaukee Journal

Sentinel, pp. A1, A13.

Clewell, B. C. & Villegas, A. M. (2001). Ahead of the class: A handbook for preparing

new teachers from new sources. Washington, DC: Urban Institute. Available:

http://www.urban.org/pdfs/ahead_of_the_class.pdf; accessed 11/25/02.

Delpit, L. (1995). Other people's children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York:

The New Press. ED 387 274

Elliott, K., Alvarado, C., Copland, J., Surr, W., Farris, M., Genser, A., et al. (1999).

Taking the lead: The many faces of leadership. Boston, MA: Wheelock College, Center

for Career Development in Early Care and Education.

Focus: Pathways to Teaching Careers. (Autumn 1997). Recruiting and preparing

teachers for America's schools. [On-line]. Available: http://www.wallacefunds.org;

accessed 08/02/02.

Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. New

York: Teachers College Press.

Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher

Education, 53(2), 106-116.

Harry, B., Kalyanpur, M. & Day, M. (1999). Building cultural reciprocity with families:

Case studies in special education. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Kalyanpur, M. & Harry, B. (1999). Culture in special education: Building reciprocal

family-professional relationships. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Hanson, M. J. (1998). Ethnic, cultural, and language diversity in intervention settings. In

E. W. Lynch & M. J. Hanson (Eds.), Developing cross-cultural competence: A guide for

working with children and their families (pp. 3-22). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes

Publishing.

www.eric.ed.gov ERIC Custom Transformations Team

Page 6 of 8 ED477727 2002-12-00 Multiple Points of Entry into Teaching for Urban Communities.

ERIC Digest.
Hodgkinson, H. (2001). Educational demographics: What teachers should know.

Educational Leadership, 58(4), 6-11. EJ 619 632

Hodgkinson, H. (2002). Demographics and teacher education. Journal of Teacher

Education, 53(2), 102-105.

Howard, G. (1999). We can't teach what we don't know: White teachers, multiracial

schools. New York: Teachers College Press.

IIsenberg, J. (2000). The state of the art in early childhood professional preparation. In

National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education, New teachers for a

new century: The future of early childhood professional preparation (ECI 2000-9038r,

pp. 15-58). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Available from US.

Department of Education Web site, http://www.ed.gov

Kushner, M. I., & Ortiz, A. A. (2000). The preparation of early childhood education

teachers to serve English Language Learners. In National Institute on Early Childhood

Development and Education, New teachers for a new century: The future of early

childhood professional preparation (ECI 2000-9038r, pp. 125-154). Washington, DC:

U.S. Department of Education. Available from US. Department of Education Web site,

http://www.ed.gov

National Center for Education Statistics. (1996). Urban schools: The challenge of

location and poverty (NCES Pub. No. 96-184). Washington, DC: Government Printing

Office. Available from US. Department of Education Web site, http://nces.ed.gov ED

399 308

NC TEACH Newsletter (Fall 2001). [online] Available:

http://ncteach.ga.unc.edu/docs/NCTeachnewsfall2001.pdf; accessed 08/02/02.

Recruiting New Teachers. (2000). The urban teacher challenge: Teacher demand and

supply in the great city school. Belmont, MA: Author. ED 437 340

Temkin, J. (2002, November 10). Special-ed shortage starts at universities. Chicago

Tribune. Available: http://www.chicagotribune.com; accessed 11/13/02.

Villegas, A.M., & Clewell, B.C. (1998). Increasing the number of teachers of color for

urban schools. Education and Urban Society, 21, 42-61.

Villegas, A. M., & Lucas, T. (2002). Educating culturally responsive teachers: A

coherent approach. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.

Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborating Partners. (2001). Working to transform early

childhood education and care. [online]. Available: http://www.collaboratingpartners.com;

accessed 06/30/02. ED 462 190

ERIC Resource Center www.eric.ed.gov

ED477727 2002-12-00 Multiple Points of Entry into Teaching for Urban Communities.

ERIC Digest.

Page 7 of 8
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. (2001). The Wisconsin early care and

education career guide. [online]. Available: http://www.collaboratingpartners.com;

accessed 06/30/02.

-----

This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U. S.

Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, under

contract number ED-99-CO-0007. The content of this publication does not necessarily

reflect the views of or policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of

trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U. S.

Government.

Title: Multiple Points of Entry into Teaching for Urban Communities. ERIC Digest.

Note: Contains small print.

Document Type: Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs)

(071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073);

Available From: ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education, American

Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, 1307 New York Avenue, N.W., Suite

300, Washington, DC 20005-4701. Tel: 202-293-2450; Tel: 800-822-9229 (Toll Free);

Fax: 202-457-8095; e-mail: query@aacte.org; Web site: http://www.ericsp.org.

Descriptors: Alternative Teacher Certification, Culturally Relevant Education, Diversity

(Faculty), Elementary Secondary Education, Higher Education, Paraprofessional School

Personnel, Preservice Teacher Education, Teacher Recruitment, Teacher Shortage,

Urban Schools

Identifiers: ERIC Digests, Support Personnel

###

[Return to ERIC Digest Search Page]

www.eric.ed.gov ERIC Custom Transformations Team

Page 8 of 8 ED477727 2002-12-00 Multiple Points of Entry into Teaching for Urban Communities.

ERIC Digest.