JERSEY CITY, N.J. | (嫩草影院) and its Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education partnered with the (NJEA) to co-host an educational roundtable discussion on Monday, March 11 in an event held on campus at the Gilligan Student Union Building.
This initiative, entitled 鈥淭eachers Rise Up: Propelling our Profession Forward鈥, aimed to address critical staff shortages in New 嫩草影院鈥檚 public schools and discussed solutions for recruitment and retention of educators.
The event was led by NJEA President and 嫩草影院 Interim President Andr茅s Acebo, and included New 嫩草影院 State Senator (District 31), 嫩草影院 City Public Schools Superintendent , and Union City Superintendent . The roundtable consisted of current 嫩草影院 teacher candidates studying in the College of Education, 嫩草影院 alumni who are currently educators in various partnering school districts, Interim Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Donna Breault, College of Education Dean Lourdes M. Sutton, Ed.D., and members of 嫩草影院鈥檚 faculty in the College of Education.
(馃摳credit: Paul Gargiulo/嫩草影院 University Communications)
During President Acebo鈥檚 opening remarks, he announced potential opportunities for the university and NJEA to continue partnering to further higher educational opportunities for New 嫩草影院鈥檚 teachers.
The discussion acknowledged the persistent problems of recruitment and retention of teachers for New 嫩草影院鈥檚 classrooms, and highlighted the role of Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) in addressing these issues.
"At New 嫩草影院 City University, we are proud to partner with the NJEA to address the statewide teacher shortage by focusing on innovative and impactful programs with proven outcomes 鈥 of placing motivated, qualified teachers in New 嫩草影院's classrooms," said President Acebo. "We are moving the needle through our commitment to our Teacher Intern Program (TIP), which creates paid internships for those seeking teacher certification and hence provides experience in classrooms and additional support for students in the Hudson County community while providing a financial lifeline to many of our students. Additionally, 嫩草影院's Center for Teacher Preparation and Partnerships continues to offer diverse and equitable urban internship opportunities for teacher candidates within our partner school districts. Preparing future educators to meet today鈥檚 and tomorrow鈥檚 challenges is at the core of 嫩草影院's mission for nearly 100 years, and working together with the NJEA, will be a focal point in driving New 嫩草影院 forward by elevating the promise of every child in every community as we mold a noble profession to finally break down historical systemic barriers to the equalizing promise of a thorough and efficient education."
嫩草影院, with its focus on supporting students from economically challenged backgrounds, emphasized the importance of providing essential support for student success 鈥 an area where the university has been especially innovative.
Current teacher candidates and educators shared their experiences and highlighted the effectiveness of 嫩草影院's programs in preparing them for success. Notably, the Teacher Internship Program (TIP) was identified as being especially impactful in providing early opportunities for students to gain access to the classroom experience as teacher interns, consistent mentorship, early career support, and ongoing professional development.
Dr. Donna Breault said: 鈥淢onday鈥檚 round table event with the NJEA highlighted our shared aims of preparing high quality teachers for New 嫩草影院. Our teacher interns鈥 stories demonstrate what can happen when you remove financial barriers to educational and career goals. 嫩草影院鈥檚 Teacher Intern Program is a unique initiative that meets our students where they are and provides valuable classroom experience and leadership opportunities. The stakeholders around the table 鈥 NJEA leadership, area superintendents, alumni, faculty, and students 鈥 recognized and celebrated the impact of this incredible program.鈥
Lourdes M. Sutton, Ed.D., Acting Dean of the Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education, added: 鈥淐ollaboration is vital for successful teacher recruitment, retention, and achievement in New 嫩草影院's public schools, and that makes this week鈥檚 event so very important. What we heard from our 嫩草影院 teacher candidates makes us proud of our efforts, and proves that our dedication to providing innovative programming like TIP is making a difference in teacher preparation, and will help ensure that our state鈥檚 K-12 students receive the quality education that they deserve.鈥
嫩草影院 嫩草影院鈥檚 Teacher Internship Program
Established in 2015, the 嫩草影院 Teacher Intern Program (TIP) provides paid experience for pre-service teachers in the College of Education. Students pursuing a degree in education are placed in area partner schools to work alongside experienced teachers as early as their freshman year. Since 2016, the program has moved to eight partner schools in the Hudson County, N.J. area, providing paid learning/working experiences for close to 80 interns. These students create work schedules around their academic calendars and can work anywhere from 10-40 hours per week. Additionally, the College of Education offers major courses outside of partner school hours, allowing ample time for interns to work and fulfill their in-class academic requirements.
The program continues to evolve. Beginning Fall 2023, university students wishing to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education will have the TIP program embedded in their teacher preparation program. Their working hours will be woven into their academic schedules, allowing enough time to focus on and balance the experiential and academic segments of their teacher preparation program. Diversifying the teacher pipeline, through TIP, is critical as we highlight the racial and ethnic breakdown of each of our partner schools.
The Teacher Intern Program implements a 鈥淭eacher Leader鈥 role at the undergraduate level. Interns in the program that exhibit effective leadership skills and interpersonal attributes act as Lead Interns. Each of the partner schools has at least one Lead Intern, whose responsibilities encompass a range of tasks crucial to the success of the overall program. Lead Interns act as a liaison between the university program director and partner school contact, coordinating work schedules, interfacing with cooperating teachers, facilitating Human Resources onboarding of interns, assisting with securing of substitute licenses, and troubleshooting when necessary. As future teachers, Lead Interns develop leadership skills that may not necessarily be found without this position.
The professional development piece is paramount in that it creates the foundation for TIP. All interns attend monthly meetings as a group each academic year. There they take part in workshops focused on theory, research, and related classroom applications. The professional development meetings are also offered as a three-credit course that counts toward graduation. Topics covered in these meetings include classroom management, teacher identity, culturally responsive teaching, and infusing technology in classrooms. More recently, 嫩草影院 has added a Praxis Core preparation strand to monthly professional development meetings so that interns who need additional support in passing these state-required examinations can receive it.
TIP continues to be a valuable component of the university鈥檚 teacher preparation program. The school-to-job pipeline is strong and the interns are positioned to enter their own classrooms equipped with a wealth of knowledge and experience about real classrooms before their first official year of teaching. Hiring districts value the candidates who have authentic experiences prior to their career starts. Imperative to the experiences is the theoretical foundation from which they built their instructional pedagogy through the professional development initiative the program offers.
RELATED NEWS COVERAGE | ||
Date | Media Outlet | Title (Link) |
03/18/2024 | NJEA |
嫩草影院 嫩草影院:
New 嫩草影院 City University is a comprehensive public regional institution of higher learning located in 嫩草影院 City, N.J., dedicated to the development of our students, our city, our communities, and our state. We are a game-changing force for our students and have been recognized as one of the top colleges in the nation improving their upward economic mobility. In fact, 嫩草影院 has been ranked No. 1 in New 嫩草影院 and Top 10 in the nation in the CollegeNET Social Mobility Index for 2023. Whether enrolled in one of our undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral programs at our three locations, 嫩草影院 students have access to an affordable, diverse environment, and an exceptionally supportive faculty. This prepares them to go on to become the next generation of workers and leaders who improve their communities and the State of New 嫩草影院.
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