Ayudame, Por Favor!

(Help Me, Please!)

AAEE ConferenceNovember 2015

Dr. Beth Anne Clark-Thomas

“Our society is changing from a largely White, European American population to one that is tremendously diverse;

and nowhere is this more evident than in our public schools.”Nieto, 2013

Conundrum:

“…about 45% of students in U.S. schools are students of backgrounds other than White, European, and English speaking; at the same time

about 83% of teachers are

White, monolingual, English speakers, and many have had little personal or professional experience with the diversity reflected in the student population .”

(Aud et al., 2012)

EDUC/SPED 462Senior teacher candidates (ECE/IS)SEMESTER 1st week

N size 1(none)

2(few/casual;

incl in a field)

3(some

limited; service trip)

4(more;

intentional or

extended)

Average

Fall 2011 7 4 2 1 0 1.6

Spring 2012 11 6 2 3 0 1.7

Fall 2012 11 5 3 2 1 1.9

Spring 2013 14 6 2 6 0 2.0

Fall 2013 17 7 3 5 2 2.1

Spring 2014 14 11 2 0 1 1.6

Fall 2014 22 11 4 6 1 .86

Spring 2015 13 5 6 2 0 1.8

Fall 2015 6 2 3 0 1 2.0

Total N % 115 57 

49%

27 

24%

25 

22%

6 

5%

1.8

across 9 semester

s

Examination of senior level teacher candidates’ prior experience working with

culturally and linguistically diverse P-12 students

My “unconventional sabbatical”1. I observed and recorded data about

instructional practices which did/did not support learning of CLD population

2. I modeled instruction for teachers and regularly taught ESOL groups

3. I provided professional development targeting specific instructional practices which would support literacy needs of ESOL population

4. I surveyed teachers about their perceptions of PD and other bldg. and district supports provided to them to meet the needs of CLD students

Ah-ha!What I learned from the data collected

O Students AND teachers NEED/WANT HELP! Ayudame, Por favor! and teacher survey data

 O CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS revealed that false

efficacy isn't a “teacher candidate” only issue. Practicing teachers think they’ve had some PD but don’t practice what they’ve been taught.

-frequency count data

O TEACHER SURVEY (across all levels of years of service) yielded some unexpected patterns

Professional Development Survey (Sp 2013)

O Teachers surveyed (n=32 respondents)

O Equitably distributed across years of service

O 100% have >25% CLD/ Gap Group 1

O 60% have >50% CLD/ Gap Group 1

External Professional Development Completed by Practicing Teachers of Gap 1

Students

N=32 SPED ELL POVERTY% who have received 69% 68% 59%Research on own 67% 57% 70%Grad class or district workshop 50% 76% 70%License or endorsement 17% <10% <10%

Imbedded Professional Development Completed by Practicing Teachers of Gap 1 Students

N=32 SPED ELL POVERTY

% who have received

50% 75% 68%

Type received most

Specialist model

Specialist model

Specialist model

Type received 2nd most

Observed a peer

Observed a peer

Observed by coach

Type received 3rd most

Observed by a peer

Observed by a peer

Observed a peer

Type received 4th most

Observed by coach

Observed by coach

Observed by a peer

Practicing Teachers’ Desire for Imbedded Professional Development

for CLD/Gap Group 1 Students

Specialist model 70%

Observed a peer 26%

Observed by coach 22%

Observed by a peer 13%

What imbedded PD they said they needed:

10% said “nothing at this time.”

68% Teaching strategies55% Teaching resources29% Specialists to model23% Specialists to teach with [them]13% More pull out of CLD

DiversityDifferences among groups of people and individuals based on:

• ethnicity• race,• Socioeconomic status,• gender,• exceptionalities,• language,• religion,• sexual orientation,

and• geographical area

CAEP

What do you see from your perspectives?

What?

1. What’s the problem?2. What’s the impact (positive/negative) on : -our districts? -on our students? -on our teachers? -on our expectations of new hires?

NOW WHAT?

How can we be more intentional about:

O the questions we ask in hiring?

O the supports we provide at the district/building level?

So what?

What ARE we capable of doing?

-about teacher preparation

-about professional development

In their own way each teacher candidate and practicing teacher isindeed asking,

“ Ayudame, Por favor!”

How shall we respond?