Teaching for Diversity
Credentialing: Perspectives from Three States
The final portion of Tuesday morning's session consisted of a panel discussion among Rep. Don McCorkell, Oklahoma House of Representatives; Sen. Penny Williams, Oklahoma Senate; Dr. Jim Alarid, New Mexico Highlands University; and Dr. Michelle Hewlett-Gomez, Sam Houston State University. The panel was charged with discussing policymaker and university perspectives in restructuring teacher education, with a specific focus on credentialing.
Oklahoma's alternative credential process. Demographic forces that have changed student populations also have an impact on the labor force. If Beaver Cleavers no longer make up the majority of students in public schools, Ward Cleavers no longer constitute the majority in the workplace. According to Rep. McCorkell, that shift "makes us realize that we are going through a process of significant cultural change that requires significant overhaul in the way we do things." He added that discussions of restructuring teacher preparation programs should not be regarded as criticisms of teachers or of schools and universities. Like parents who raise their children differently from the way their parents raised them, McCorkell said, the teaching profession periodically recognizes the need to do things differently. The current shift in population groups is one factor causing such recognition.
In order to acknowledge and deal with change, McCorkell and Williams worked to pass alternative credentialing legislation in Oklahoma. "There were a lot of people who were not getting into the teaching profession who needed to be, and we needed an alternate route," McCorkell said. "The traditional route was so rigid that even highly qualified people with teaching experience often could not enter the profession without going back to school for a year or more full time."
With alternative credentialing in place, McCorkell and Williams turned their efforts toward creating the Oklahoma Commission on Teacher Preparation, charged with restructuring and redesigning teacher education in the state. "We are hoping to come up with a system that is dynamic and creates a truly meaningful program involving significant internship experiences with significant undergraduate experience," McCorkell said. If we do not prepare for the significant and imminent shift in the complexion of the workforce, he emphasized, there will be an even more significant imbalance in the ratio of minority teachers to minority students than exists now. But, McCorkell reminded participants, needed change will not occur without communication and cooperation among the business, political and education communities.
Sen. Penny Williams voiced her concern that too many screens keep talented individuals out of teaching. Recalling the WWII poster saying "Uncle Sam Needs You," Williams said that now "you" is changing; it should represent the populations now appearing in classrooms. According to Williams, the legislation she and Rep. McCorkell passed, was designed to stop screens from keeping such individuals out of education. The alternative credentialing system is designed to give perspective teachers credit for work, education, and life experiences. Experiences in other states offer promise to minority teachers. After initiating similar legislation, for example, the state of New Jersey discovered that more minorities came into teaching although that had not been one of the goals of the plan.
Williams described two situations in Oklahoma in which a talented counselor and teacher were prohibited by state law from working in schools where they wanted to work, and where they were expected to be very successful. In the first case, the counselor was certified only through an emergency certificate; in the second case, the teacher was an African American who wanted to teach in an at-risk school but could not because of the number of African American teachers already on the faculty. "I feel very strongly that the best we can do is try to figure out where and what these problems are and devise a stronger rationale for getting the people we really need in places where we really need them," Williams said. "Whatever the rules are, try to cut through them."
Oklahoma is not, however, relaxing standards, Williams emphasized. To the contrary, the legislation she and McCorkell passed is designed to allow into teaching individuals who have more than the minimum qualifications, such as individuals with doctorates, or experienced teachers from private schools, but who lack appropriate education courses.
Alternative assessment in New Mexico. Jim Alarid, New Mexico Highlands University, spoke about the need for alternative assessment strategies to assure that minority candidates enter, remain in schools of education, and are fully prepared to pass the NTE. One possibility Alarid suggested is the implementation of computer-based instruction systems such as Learning Plus, which provides accurate student achievement and proficiency profiles. In addition, he advocated the use of tuition assistance to keep talented students in school, and the use of 12-month rather than 9-month teaching contracts.
Bilingual education in Texas. Michelle Hewlett-Gomez spoke to participants about various elements important to the success of the education program at Sam Houston State University at Huntsville, Texas. Hewlett-Gomez explained that one innovation in place is a bilingual advisory committee, made up of school district administrators, university faculty, and graduate students. The committee reviews statements of intent written by students wishing to be bilingual teachers and recommends only those who appear academically and linguistically qualified. These recommendations have helped the faculty narrow their admission of students to the best qualified and most likely to succeed.
In addition, the college has developed a student mentoring program that involves monthly seminars on teaching by faculty from SHSU and other universities and also provides "buddy" administrators for student teachers. In addition, faculty go out twice a semester to observe student performance and assess student placement. Further, students in financial need are awarded monthly stipends to help keep them in school.
Hewlett-Gomez also recommended flexible course schedules to meet the needs of non-traditional students. With regard to flexible credentialing, she recommended the creation of a one-year graduate program for talented but uncertified potential teachers that would combine the Masters degree with certification. She also recommended giving credit for their education to students who are natives of other countries.
Next Page: Summary and Conclusion
