TPI Recruit Working Group Fall Meeting Summary

The Recruit Working Group has 13 members from both SCSU and all six of our Partner Districts.  The Recruit Working Group had meetings at the SCSU Welcome Center in October, November, and December.   A summary of our work from fall is provided below. 

Recruiting, Retaining, Graduating, and Supporting Teachers of Color with Diverse Cultural Backgrounds & Growing High Needs Teacher Programs

Our current focus is on two proposals: (1) Recruiting, Retaining, Graduating, and Supporting Teachers of Color with Diverse Cultural Backgrounds, and (2) Growing High Needs Teacher Programs.  Both proposals originated in Focused Teams and were brought to the working group for review and further development.  First, both proposals relate to preparing diverse candidates and better alignment between market demands and the number of graduates completing our programs.  Next, both proposals address a need for Alternate Pathways to licensure, financial incentives, and improved mentorship to retain teacher candidates.  Finally, efforts to portray the teaching profession in a more positive light are essential to the success of recruiting candidates in high needs areas (e.g., special education, teaching English as a second language (ESL), science, technology, and mathematics). 

Marketing Plan

The Bush Foundation, in conjunction with Haberman, a Minnesota-based marketing firm, delivered a Recruitment Road Map to each of its 14 institutions of higher education in 2013.  The Recruit Working Group has been developing a Marketing Plan to improve our recruitment practices.  We will align the Marketing Plan with the Recruitment Road Map delivered by Haberman to identify gaps in the plan and move toward implementing new methods and strategies to reach a diverse pool of candidates.

The Marketing Plan consists of three strands: (1) Media, (2) Face to Face Messaging, and (3) Incentives.  Media includes effective use of Websites, social media, and new technology.  Face to Face Messaging includes activating internal resources and partnerships to build capacity and foster a culture of recruitment.  Incentives includes scholarships and other financial resources to increase candidates in high needs areas.  The Recruitment Roadmap delivered by Haberman includes an Implementation Guide; it will certainly guide the efforts of the Recruit Working Group.  The roadmap has been presented to our leadership and generated support.  Next, we will need to extend this buy-in to all faculty and professional staff and develop internal relationships that support recruitment.  We will need to delegate responsibilities, determine priorities, identify resources, and develop a specific implementation timeline for recruitment practices.

Questions: 

Can you recommend incentives to recruit candidates in high needs areas?

What can we do to portray the teaching profession in more positive ways?

New Teacher Workshops: Partnering to Support First Year Teachers

 The Teacher Preparation Initiative and its six Partner Districts continue to collaborate to support teachers in their first three years of instruction. An ongoing effort is the offering of new teacher workshops for all first year teachers in the Partner Districts and recent SCSU Graduates. Currently these new teachers and graduates are invited to four workshops starting in early August.

The August Workshop has a goal of getting new teachers’ first teaching experiences off to a successful start and providing networking opportunities. Participants were welcomed with music and networking. Presentations and follow-up sessions for every level of teaching had a focus on building relationships, classroom management, and professional communication. Teachers were invited to join a Schoology site to network and receive ongoing resources. The day concluded with the creation of implementation plans and a drawing for baskets filled with teaching supplies.

The half day October Workshop offered a targeted focus on classroom management. New Teachers were split into four groups to participate with a classroom management panel of master teachers at their level of teaching. Following the panel, teachers rotated through three stations with the themes of student interaction/engagement, transitions, and dealing with unforeseen circumstances. It was a fast paced afternoon that also included networking, gifts, and treats.

By December, many of our New Teachers are experiencing great stress as they moved into the third stage of teaching-“disillusionment” (California Department of Education, 1990). Taking that into consideration, the new teachers received an interactive stress management presentation by Dr. Steve Hoover. The rest of the day brought break-out sessions in the areas of technology, working with at-risk learners, special education topics, differentiating for learning, and networking in specific areas of instruction. It was wonderful to see the collaborative effort of so many SCSU Faculty and P-12 Veteran Teachers throughout the day. They worked together to facilitate groups and present content and the new teachers were very appreciative of the various perspectives offered.

The final workshop, in the evening on February 26, will feature a very exciting presentation by Willow Sweeney. Willow Sweeney is co-founder of Top 20 Training that provides training and materials to empower leaders, teachers, parents and students to develop their potential. Willow’s career has included high school teaching, coaching and she has been a national speaker and trainer since 2002 (Top 20 Training). It is our hope that Teacher Education Faculty will attend this event alongside new teachers and SCSU Graduates.

How do you think SCSU Faculty and P-12 Educators could be involved in new teacher workshops?

TPI Support Working Group Fall Meeting Summary

TPI Support Working Group Fall Meeting Summary

The Support Working Group is comprised of eight P-12 teachers and instructional coaches and five SCSU Faculty. This group met each month through fall semester, 2013. A brief summary of their work is provided below.

Faculty Involvement in P-12 Induction Programs

The Support Working Group completed work on the proposal: “Faculty Involvement in P-12 Induction Programs” during fall semester. The proposal’s primary consideration is the development of a clearly identifiable mechanism by which Saint Cloud State University’s faculty can be actively involved in new teacher induction in the TPI Partner Districts. Each Partner District has implemented an induction program that specifically fits their needs while maintaining a similar foundation rooted in the data identified by the Support Working Group in its preliminary stages of research for new teacher induction. The goal of this proposal is to identify areas in which SCSU faculty can take on active roles in supporting new teachers in induction programs.

Support for all SCSU Graduates

The group’s current work has a focus on supporting SCSU Graduates whether they are teaching in our TPI Partner Districts or elsewhere around the globe. This support will take place in an online format. We are consulting with SCSU and other entities regarding potential platforms. We are focusing the content on current initiatives in our P-12 Partner District Induction Programs that have been assessed and are making a positive impact on new teachers and the students they teach.

How do you think SCSU Faculty and P-12 Educators could be involved in an online system of support for new teachers in our Partner Districts and SCSU Graduates around the globe?