Opinion
Teacher Preparation Letter to the Editor

Prepare Teachers to Adapt to Factors Outside School

April 14, 2015 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

There are kids entering urban classrooms every day hungry, sad, tired, and angry. Name an obstacle to learning, and most urban teachers have seen it play out firsthand among their students.

In January, the Horace Mann League of the United States released “School Performance in Context: The Iceberg Effect,” a report on the “unparalleled levels” of poverty, inequity, and violence faced by U.S. students. Though outside factors such as these are not the reason for increasing gaps in achievement, they’re barriers teachers must understand and address to have an impact on student learning.

To develop this understanding and provide the tools needed to surmount such obstacles, we must first look to educator-preparation programs.

All our programs must proactively train their candidates to deal with the issues they’ll face in the classroom. Programs preparing candidates to do this successfully must share best practices with their peers.

In February, professionals in preparation programs across the country came together for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s annual meeting to learn how to better address the needs of urban students and the profession as a whole. We had the opportunity to discuss innovative ways we’re preparing teachers for the obstacles they will face and how we can continue to make improvements to our training methods.

Whether an English-language learner, a student needing additional supports, or a student living in poverty, each child requires a teacher with the skills to identify and address his or her individual needs.

Teachers have the incredible opportunity to positively affect a child’s learning by engaging in high-quality classroom practices. It’s incumbent upon our programs to teach, model, and assess candidates’ competence in these practices, to ensure that all teachers are ready and able to build the relationships necessary for providing meaningful learning in every classroom.

Etta Hollins

Professor

Urban Teacher Education

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Kansas City, Mo.

Rodrick S. Lucero

Vice President for Member Engagement and Support

American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)

Washington, D.C.

Related Tags:
Opinion

A version of this article appeared in the April 15, 2015 edition of Education Week as Prepare Teachers to Adapt to Factors Outside School

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
Creating Resilient Schools with a Trauma-Responsive MTSS
Join us to learn how school leaders are building a trauma-responsive MTSS to support students & improve school outcomes.
School & District Management Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: We Can’t Engage Students If They Aren’t Here: Strategies to Address the Absenteeism Conundrum
Absenteeism rates are growing fast. Join Peter DeWitt and experts to learn how to re-engage students & families.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teacher Preparation Opinion Preservice Teachers Need Better Feedback. Here’s How
In spite of the critical role that they can play in teacher preparation, field supervisors are often overlooked and ignored.
Andrew Kwok
3 min read
Collage illustration of hands sharing lightbulbs.
F. Sheehan/Education Week + Getty Images
Teacher Preparation A Teacher-Prep Conference Warned Against Mentioning DEI. Presenters Pulled Out
Presenters at a national symposium for teacher residencies were asked to affirm they wouldn't violate recent executive orders. Some refused.
6 min read
Illustration of one man speaking into a speech bubbles which shows the letters "DEI" and another man on a ladder painting over the speech bubble as a way to erase it.
Gina Tomko/Education Week + DigitalVision Vectors
Teacher Preparation Trump Administration Slashes Millions in Teacher-Training Grants
Citing "divisive ideology," the U.S. Department of Education cut two programs supporting teacher prep and PD.
8 min read
Signage on the side of the Lyndon B. Johnson Department of Education building in Washington, DC
Greggory DiSalvo/iStock/Getty
Teacher Preparation Some Teacher-Prep Programs Will Prioritize Foundational Math Skills. What It Looks Like
Math knowledge is cumulative, experts say—and mastery of early skills is critical.
4 min read
A illustration of a man in a suit and tie holding a broken chain link and walking toward a woman who is holding the other part of that broken link.
DigitalVision Vectors