RE: Question 1: Attracting and Retaining Teachers

I agree that the current college student population is a potential pool for future teachers. However, this is often too late.  Most arrive at college with a specific objective in mind. It would take special efforts to attract their attention to a career in teaching as an option. This might include  a Center on Teaching on site, or regionally which includes a TEACH-MOBILE to travel from one-campus to another.  It could offer a full range of  program information and analysis of transcripts to inform them of how they might  use any of their current coursework to apply toward a  teaching credential.   It should have a full database of  scholarship and financial support available to teacher candidates.  It should also acquaint them with the range of positions within the teaching profession. Another service would be to have a repository of classroom experiences for referral and access to early exposure to teaching under the
supervision of National Board Certified Teachers and other master teachers.

In lieu of an Bachelor's degree in Education, a minor in Education might be sufficient to attract current students to
exploring teaching.  To complete a major requires an early decision to pursue teaching as  a career. The current situation suggests that most students have not made this decision that early in their college careers.  However, if they do, some CSU campuses have Blended Four Year credential programs which in fact allow students to complete a teaching credential as an undergraduate.  Most of these programs are articulated with the community colleges, allowing students to easily complete the program as a  community college transfer student as well as
a four year college student.  It is information such as this which could be available at campus CENTERS on TEACHING.

Perhaps these campus Centers on Teaching might be linked to the current work of the statewide  CAL TEACH Recruitment Center. This could combine a centralized and decentralized approach which could provide a full information resource, as well as  local personalized attention which so many students need and prefer.

The state and national Day of the Teacher might be used as an annual  campuswide event with panels by Teachers of the Year and workshops by teachers and professors on careers in teaching;
pathways for entry into the teaching profession;and requirementts for entry into credential programs.  We have hosted one of these annually at our campus for the past 8-10 years and it is very popular with high school and community college students.  We need to do much more to attract the broader  two and four year college student population.  Thus my reason for suggesting a more comprehensive initiative as noted above.

Although I have addressed the college student. The middle and high school students should also be addressed. Initiatives to support Future Teacher Clubs at middle and high schools are very effective in gaining interest in teaching careers .  These clubs provide early exposure to classroom experiences and exemplary teachers which can attract those with the inclination or predisposition early on.  We will need to create a pipeline of potential teacher candidates from K-12 through careers in other fields to attract the 300,000 teachers needed in California during the next ten years.


I will address the issue of teaching excellence in full-time versus part-time faculty in a separate response, since this one is already a too LONG.





 I believe another pool is also middle and high school students through Future Teacher Clubs.