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Quality teachers need quality support October 13, 2001 BY DEBORAH LYNCH The recent Chicago Sun-Times series on the quality of Illinois teachers is a wake-up call. Nothing is more important to improving our schools than a fully qualified, certified teaching force. If we as a society are sincere about improving our public schools and committed to closing the achievement gap between our more advantaged and less advantaged children, we must commit ourselves to having a qualified, certified teacher for every child. Why is this so important? Because, contrary to popular belief, teaching is rocket science. Teachers must manage and monitor the activity, behavior, diagnosis, remediation and growth of dozens of elementary schoolchildren--and up to 175 students in high school. It's an awesome challenge--and an awesome responsibility. Add in the enormous challenges facing children who live in poverty (as do more than 85 percent of the children attending Chicago Public Schools), and it should be reasonably understood why a two- or six-week crash course, or policies that allow substitutes with no training or education background, are unfair to our children. The good news is that recent breakthroughs and research on teaching and learning provide us with the tools and strategies needed to close the achievement gap between rich and poor. Along with an increased interest in standards for what students should know and be able to do, the teacher education field also has focused on improving standards for what teachers should know and be able to do. The challenge is in finding enough of what one eminent educator calls the ''infinitely skilled'' professionals with access to that knowledge base and the expertise to apply that knowledge. Teacher education programs around the country have responded with more rigorous coursework and more active involvement in real schools and classrooms throughout the program. As a result, teacher education graduates are coming into the profession better prepared. Through its highly respected Quest Center--among the nation's first union-sponsored agencies for teacher professional development--the Chicago Teachers Union has over the last decade developed a variety of programs designed to improve the quality of the city's teachers. Far too often, however, professional development that could keep new teachers afloat and experienced teachers updated on new research and proven programs gets a low priority in the school system's budget. It's little wonder we have difficulty attracting, then keeping, good teachers. Nearly 30 percent leave the profession after three years and almost 50 percent leave after five years. Why is this so? For one, there is little support for new teachers. Very few teachers have access to quality introductory programs that include mentoring by an experienced colleague. New teachers are often disillusioned by the lack of input and lack of respect they experience when the demands of bureaucracy collide with their expectations of being professional. What can be done about this complex situation? * We must provide the support for every teacher currently teaching without a certificate to get one. * We must stop lowering hiring standards in the face of a nationwide teacher shortage. The Sun-Times' series documents what happens when this occurs: too many unqualified people standing in front of classrooms, especially in the poorest schools. * We must examine and improve the working conditions of teachers, which are why so many flee the classroom. * We must reduce our school and classroom sizes, the most significant correlate to student learning next to teacher quality. The biggest winners when class size is lowered are poor children. With fewer students in a class, skilled teachers can really get to know their students--how they learn, and how they think. Children get the support they need. Is our society ready to make these commitments? We should stop looking for easy answers. What works in one school may not work in another. Most important, let's not ignore the many teachers who can serve as a valuable resource for discovering how to improve our public education system. Deborah Lynch is president of the Chicago Teachers Union and a founder of the CTU's Quest Center for professional development -- This is the CPS Science Teacher List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/science%40lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
