As a participant in the Dorothy Danforth Compton Fellowship Program, Mary was able to leave her c... more As a participant in the Dorothy Danforth Compton Fellowship Program, Mary was able to leave her career in banking to pursue a teaching career. She was one of fifty mid-career changers who was selected to participate in the structured, year-long alternative certification program. After teaching for one month in a seventh grade classroom, Mary was ready to leave the teaching field. She was overwhelmed with the reality of inspiring and managing her students on a day–to-day basis. She believed that having a mentor assigned to her was a major factor in her deciding not to quit her first teaching job. Mary explained:
Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research, 2006
This study explores urban teachers' perception of their mentoring experience in an alternativ... more This study explores urban teachers' perception of their mentoring experience in an alternative urban teacher education program. Fifteen teachers who had been teaching in urban schools for at least three years participated in focus groups. The findings support the need for continuing the development of new teachers through utilizing mentors in the induction years. The mentoring relationship is of primary importance in developing self-confidence, competence, and collegiality during the first year.
This article explored the transformation of an early childhood center from face-to-face instructi... more This article explored the transformation of an early childhood center from face-to-face instruction to online learning and examined how principles of effective online instruction design were related to community building, interactivity, and online presence. The case study is from an early head start institution in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After creating an online program over the summer of 2020, teachers share their perspectives of teaching online with young learners. Results suggest benefits of technology integration in early learning classrooms.
International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership
Many urban districts in the United States have difficulty attracting and retaining quality teache... more Many urban districts in the United States have difficulty attracting and retaining quality teachers, yet they are often the most in need of them. In response, U.S. states and districts are experimenting with financial incentives to attract and retain high-quality teachers in high-need, low-achieving, or hard-to-staff urban schools. However, relatively little is known about how effective financial incentives are to recruit new teachers to high-need urban schools. This research explores factors that are important to the job choices of teachers in training. Focus groups were held with students at three universities, and a policy-capturing study was done using 64 job scenarios representing various levels of pay and working conditions. Focus group results suggested that: a) many pre-service teachers, even relatively late in their preparation, are not committed to a particular district and are willing to consider many possibilities, including high need schools; b) although pay and benefit...
... teachers during the critical first year(s) of teaching (Feiman-Nemser & Parker, 1993; Ode... more ... teachers during the critical first year(s) of teaching (Feiman-Nemser & Parker, 1993; Odell, 1990; Ganser, 2000; Odell & Huling ... studies have documented the positive effects of mentoring on the mentors themselves (Ganser, 1997; Gordon & Maxey, 2000; Holloway, 2001), in that ...
As the former director of the Compton Fellowship Program, the author has an in-depth knowledge ab... more As the former director of the Compton Fellowship Program, the author has an in-depth knowledge about the program. When she left the position in 1997, she became interested in doing research on the impact of the program. The author knew that she would filter the events and situations that took place through a lens which would influence her interpretation of the study. To minimize subjectivity, the author conducted the study while incorporating safeguard procedures such as triangulation, member checks, peer debriefing, and verifying of data to establish trustworthiness. Drawing on new teacher mentoring research, this article emphasizes the importance of quality mentoring in new teacher development. Here, the author presents a brief summary of the Compton Fellowship Program in an effort to demonstrate that alternative certification programs can be viable educational options for preparing teachers especially when mentoring is a major part of the program design.
Many teacher education programs have adopted a cohort structure which offers attractive administr... more Many teacher education programs have adopted a cohort structure which offers attractive administrative and organizational benefits while promoting classroom community. This study examines one urban teacher preparation program that employed a cohort model. Using focus groups and survey data, this mixed methods study compared results on the basis of race and gender. Findings suggest that while the cohort structure created
ABSTRACT Research points to particular problems in the experiences of White teachers teaching chi... more ABSTRACT Research points to particular problems in the experiences of White teachers teaching children of color and diverse backgrounds because often they are unfamiliar with their students' backgrounds and communities. This pilot investigation monitored preservice teachers' attitudes as they progressed through an introductory teaching course and documented changes that may have been contributed to course work and field experiences. This research suggests that there is value in students finishing an introductory teaching course being better informed about the complexities of teaching in multicultural environments. Key Terms: Urban Education; White Teachers; Teacher Attitudes; Field Experiences; Preservice Teachers At the School of Education where I teach, our mission is to prepare future teachers to teach children of racially and linguistically different backgrounds than their own and to promote meaningful, engaged learning for all students, regardless of their race, gender, ethnic heritage, or cultural background. Our students have field experiences in urban schools with increasingly racially diverse classrooms. Our students, however, match the typical profile of White, female, middle class, and rural or suburban teacher candidates (Banks 2000; Sleeter 1994). Yet, we know their future classrooms are not likely to have such homogeneous or affluent student populations. Research points to particular problems in the experiences of White teachers teaching students of color (Cochran-Smith et al., 2004). Teaching students of diverse backgrounds and experiences can be challenging for teachers who are unfamiliar with their students' backgrounds and communities. Teachers may develop preconceived ideas about teaching these children based on their own backgrounds and experiences. This realization is important because what teachers say, perceive, believe and think can have serious implications for the academic outcomes of diverse populations of students whom they serve (Gollinick and Chinn, 2001; Fine, 1991; Nieto, 1999). Addressing these issues during teacher preparation seems essential to the development of preservice urban educators. Teacher education programs have responded to the cultural mismatch between White teachers and students of color in different ways. These range from multicultural coursework to fieldwork placements in urban schools, with more or less success in changing preservice teachers' perceptions about diverse children (Melnick & Zeichner, 1998). Prospective teachers bring to teacher preparation definite ideas about children, learning, and teaching. Unless they become aware of their own preconceptions and how those preconceptions affect their notion of teaching and learning they are unlikely to deconstruct their preconceptions and construct a new vision that includes culturally responsive practices that are fair and equitable for all students. There is a need for an examination of how teacher education programs are enabling prospective teachers to develop an awareness of their attitudes regarding issues of diversity, specifically race and class. Further, in order for the next century's diverse population of learners to become empowered, prospective educators must be taught to develop an understanding of and an appreciation for diversity that will enable them to affirm the cultures and backgrounds of the students whom they teach. Therefore, this
As a participant in the Dorothy Danforth Compton Fellowship Program, Mary was able to leave her c... more As a participant in the Dorothy Danforth Compton Fellowship Program, Mary was able to leave her career in banking to pursue a teaching career. She was one of fifty mid-career changers who was selected to participate in the structured, year-long alternative certification program. After teaching for one month in a seventh grade classroom, Mary was ready to leave the teaching field. She was overwhelmed with the reality of inspiring and managing her students on a day–to-day basis. She believed that having a mentor assigned to her was a major factor in her deciding not to quit her first teaching job. Mary explained:
Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research, 2006
This study explores urban teachers' perception of their mentoring experience in an alternativ... more This study explores urban teachers' perception of their mentoring experience in an alternative urban teacher education program. Fifteen teachers who had been teaching in urban schools for at least three years participated in focus groups. The findings support the need for continuing the development of new teachers through utilizing mentors in the induction years. The mentoring relationship is of primary importance in developing self-confidence, competence, and collegiality during the first year.
This article explored the transformation of an early childhood center from face-to-face instructi... more This article explored the transformation of an early childhood center from face-to-face instruction to online learning and examined how principles of effective online instruction design were related to community building, interactivity, and online presence. The case study is from an early head start institution in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After creating an online program over the summer of 2020, teachers share their perspectives of teaching online with young learners. Results suggest benefits of technology integration in early learning classrooms.
International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership
Many urban districts in the United States have difficulty attracting and retaining quality teache... more Many urban districts in the United States have difficulty attracting and retaining quality teachers, yet they are often the most in need of them. In response, U.S. states and districts are experimenting with financial incentives to attract and retain high-quality teachers in high-need, low-achieving, or hard-to-staff urban schools. However, relatively little is known about how effective financial incentives are to recruit new teachers to high-need urban schools. This research explores factors that are important to the job choices of teachers in training. Focus groups were held with students at three universities, and a policy-capturing study was done using 64 job scenarios representing various levels of pay and working conditions. Focus group results suggested that: a) many pre-service teachers, even relatively late in their preparation, are not committed to a particular district and are willing to consider many possibilities, including high need schools; b) although pay and benefit...
... teachers during the critical first year(s) of teaching (Feiman-Nemser & Parker, 1993; Ode... more ... teachers during the critical first year(s) of teaching (Feiman-Nemser & Parker, 1993; Odell, 1990; Ganser, 2000; Odell & Huling ... studies have documented the positive effects of mentoring on the mentors themselves (Ganser, 1997; Gordon & Maxey, 2000; Holloway, 2001), in that ...
As the former director of the Compton Fellowship Program, the author has an in-depth knowledge ab... more As the former director of the Compton Fellowship Program, the author has an in-depth knowledge about the program. When she left the position in 1997, she became interested in doing research on the impact of the program. The author knew that she would filter the events and situations that took place through a lens which would influence her interpretation of the study. To minimize subjectivity, the author conducted the study while incorporating safeguard procedures such as triangulation, member checks, peer debriefing, and verifying of data to establish trustworthiness. Drawing on new teacher mentoring research, this article emphasizes the importance of quality mentoring in new teacher development. Here, the author presents a brief summary of the Compton Fellowship Program in an effort to demonstrate that alternative certification programs can be viable educational options for preparing teachers especially when mentoring is a major part of the program design.
Many teacher education programs have adopted a cohort structure which offers attractive administr... more Many teacher education programs have adopted a cohort structure which offers attractive administrative and organizational benefits while promoting classroom community. This study examines one urban teacher preparation program that employed a cohort model. Using focus groups and survey data, this mixed methods study compared results on the basis of race and gender. Findings suggest that while the cohort structure created
ABSTRACT Research points to particular problems in the experiences of White teachers teaching chi... more ABSTRACT Research points to particular problems in the experiences of White teachers teaching children of color and diverse backgrounds because often they are unfamiliar with their students' backgrounds and communities. This pilot investigation monitored preservice teachers' attitudes as they progressed through an introductory teaching course and documented changes that may have been contributed to course work and field experiences. This research suggests that there is value in students finishing an introductory teaching course being better informed about the complexities of teaching in multicultural environments. Key Terms: Urban Education; White Teachers; Teacher Attitudes; Field Experiences; Preservice Teachers At the School of Education where I teach, our mission is to prepare future teachers to teach children of racially and linguistically different backgrounds than their own and to promote meaningful, engaged learning for all students, regardless of their race, gender, ethnic heritage, or cultural background. Our students have field experiences in urban schools with increasingly racially diverse classrooms. Our students, however, match the typical profile of White, female, middle class, and rural or suburban teacher candidates (Banks 2000; Sleeter 1994). Yet, we know their future classrooms are not likely to have such homogeneous or affluent student populations. Research points to particular problems in the experiences of White teachers teaching students of color (Cochran-Smith et al., 2004). Teaching students of diverse backgrounds and experiences can be challenging for teachers who are unfamiliar with their students' backgrounds and communities. Teachers may develop preconceived ideas about teaching these children based on their own backgrounds and experiences. This realization is important because what teachers say, perceive, believe and think can have serious implications for the academic outcomes of diverse populations of students whom they serve (Gollinick and Chinn, 2001; Fine, 1991; Nieto, 1999). Addressing these issues during teacher preparation seems essential to the development of preservice urban educators. Teacher education programs have responded to the cultural mismatch between White teachers and students of color in different ways. These range from multicultural coursework to fieldwork placements in urban schools, with more or less success in changing preservice teachers' perceptions about diverse children (Melnick & Zeichner, 1998). Prospective teachers bring to teacher preparation definite ideas about children, learning, and teaching. Unless they become aware of their own preconceptions and how those preconceptions affect their notion of teaching and learning they are unlikely to deconstruct their preconceptions and construct a new vision that includes culturally responsive practices that are fair and equitable for all students. There is a need for an examination of how teacher education programs are enabling prospective teachers to develop an awareness of their attitudes regarding issues of diversity, specifically race and class. Further, in order for the next century's diverse population of learners to become empowered, prospective educators must be taught to develop an understanding of and an appreciation for diversity that will enable them to affirm the cultures and backgrounds of the students whom they teach. Therefore, this
Uploads