From our journals: Policy recommendations to racially diversify the teacher workforce
By: Sing Hui Lee, Briana N. Keith, Yasmine Bey, Yinying Wang, Xiulong Yang, Xiang Li and Shihao Ji, Georgia State University
Published in: Education Policy Analysis Archives, June 2022
Racial diversity in teachers has been widely considered to be important in education, but it remains unclear to what extent and how it has been addressed at the federal, state and district levels. In this study, the researchers employed text mining to collect and analyze over three million documents at the federal, state and district levels. They found that while students of color had disproportionately less access to racially diverse teachers, the documents under analysis insufficiently discussed the recruitment and retention of racially diverse teachers.
It was revealed that education agencies at the federal, state and district levels paid scant attention to recruiting and retaining Hispanic teachers. For the states and districts that discussed the recruitment of racially diverse teachers, they primarily recruited teachers from institutions and organizations that primarily serve people of color, such as Historically Black colleges and universities, the Columbia Latino/a Law Student Association, the National Association of Asian American Professionals and the National Black MBA Association. Given these findings and the projected growth of Black and Hispanic student enrollment in the U.S., the researchers offer five policy recommendations for policymakers and leaders to racially diversify the teacher workforce amid shifting student demographics, particularly Hispanic students.
By: Kristen V. Napolitano, Meghan E. Marrero and Amanda M. Gunning, Mercy College; Latanya T. Brandon, State University of New York; Jessica F. Riccio, Columbia University
Published in: Education Policy Analysis Archives, June 2022
The teacher certification process can be overwhelming for early-career educators. Negotiating teacher identity, completing fieldwork hours and navigating institutional expectations can be stressful. These pressures are further compounded as teacher certification assessments, such as the edTPA, introduce additional hurdles to achieving state licensure. This study approaches these obstacles by examining the stories of a diverse group of 14 early-career teachers as they reflect on completing edTPA and their current teaching practices.
Through social constructivist perspectives and professional learning continuum framing, the researchers interpreted narrative data to examine early-career teacher discussions of completing edTPA and developing pedagogical practices. These 14 teachers elucidated that the collaborative nature of their preparation program was integral to their completing the assessment, that the program approach to completing the portfolio assessment positioned them to think reflexively about their practice, and that the skills and tools used on edTPA remained useful to them throughout their early-career teaching. The researchers suggest ways that preparation programs can interpret this teacher certification policy as an instructional touchpoint and limit the gatekeeping capabilities of certification exams through collaboration, building capital and supporting reflective portfolios.
Review of Digital divisions: How schools create inequality in the tech era
By: J. Scott Biola, University of Virginia
Published in: Education Review, June 2022
Biola summarizes Sociologist Matthew H. Rafalow’s research, firsthand accounts and nuanced theoretical framework, stating it makes a persuasive case that all students need opportunities to mix learning with digital play. This student-centered pedagogical approach generally aligns with best practices for technology integration in K–12 environments. Unfortunately, Biola says, the credibility of this research is jeopardized by Rafalow’s “laissez-faire treatment of modern monopolists.” His lack of reflexivity is either an enormous oversight or a poorly hidden covert agenda, writes Biola.
More Than Strength from Within: Cultivating Teacher Resilience During COVID-19
By: Harriet B. Fox, George Washington University and Heather L. Walter, George Mason University
Published in: Current Issues in Education, April 2022
This study used a convergent mixed methods design to investigate experiences of teacher well-being in the beginning months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, quantitative surveys investigated relationships among stress, school connectedness and teacher efficacy among 146 teachers. The researchers interviewed 16 teachers about their qualitative perceptions of well-being, how they personally navigated the challenges of teaching remotely and what their school and district did to support teacher well-being. Teachers could be classified as growing, coping or discouraged. The findings suggest that both individual and environmental factors contributed to a sense of well-being among growing and coping teachers.
About our journals
MLFTC sponsors three innovative, open-access journals on education scholarship. EPAA is a peer-reviewed, international, multilingual and multidisciplinary journal designed for researchers, practitioners, policymakers and development analysts concerned with education policies. Education Review publishes reviews of books on education topics and Acquired Wisdom essays by esteemed educational researchers, and CIE is a peer-reviewed journal led by MLFTC graduate students.
Contact Stephanie McBride-Schreiner to learn more about our journals.