WEB NEWS RELEASE
Covering the hot topics in education: NCLB, STEM, Technology in the Classroom, and more
COLLEGE PARK, MD (September 2009)
Q: You've been dean of the College of Education for nearly a year now - how would you assess the College at this point and the changes you've made?
DW: A major accomplishment during my first year as dean was to complete a strategic plan for the College of Education that parallels and intersects with the campus plan. Developed and supported by our faculty, the plan focuses on diversity, globalization, policy, and technology, and integrates these themes throughout the College's top priorities -- undergraduate and graduate programs, research initiatives, and partnerships. For example, in response to the teacher workforce needs of our State, we are directing our energies toward increasing the number of teachers specializing in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), expanding faculty and student opportunities for international experiences, increasing our research and grantsmanship in new areas such as brain imaging, and infusing new technology in our existing classrooms and curriculum.
In addition, we have several new collaborative efforts indicative of the interdisciplinary focus within the college. Currently we are cooperating with the iSchool on plans for developing new curriculum that links the pedagogy of education and the knowledge of information sciences. We are also working with the Department of Computer Science to develop the first teacher certification in computer science in the state of Maryland. Prior to this, we collaborated with the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) on a new teacher certification in Agricultural Education. That same collaboration resulted in a course offering on American Education Processes that is part of a program AGNR offers to Taiwanese students through distance learning.
We have a great responsibility to prepare our students for teaching and learning in the 21st Century. We've therefore, during the past year, made major physical changes in the Benjamin Building -- home of the College of Education -- enhancing our existing facilities to accommodate technology rich classrooms and provide a modern environment for our students.
These changes have occurred while we tackled a restricted budget, a year-long hiring freeze, and campus reallocation of resources. Despite these challenges, the College has continued to thrive, grow, and excel. Thanks to the impressive work of our faculty and students, we remain one of the Top 25 colleges of education in the country, according to the U.S. News & World Report rankings. Our Department of Counseling and Personal Services is ranked number one in the nation for the tenth straight year, and our Educational Psychology program -- ranked seventh last year -- moved to fourth. In addition, all of our other ranked specialties were ranked in the Top 17 (the full list of specialty rankings within the College is available at www.education.umd.edu ) .
Q: Congress is in the throes of reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act -- what is your perspective on how the legislation needs to change to ensure success for every child?
DW: Due to the current focus on health care, it might be a while before Congress gets around to making changes to the No Child Left Behind Act. However, if NCLB is debated in the near future, there are a number of controversial provisions that should focus our attention. For example, one of the most difficult issues has been how the law tracks the progress or growth or students when determining if a school or school district made adequate yearly progress (AYP). If over two years, schools don't make AYP, they can be identified as "schools in need of improvement," subject to sanctions and further requirements under the law.
The current law also focuses on student subgroups (e.g., those who are economically disadvantaged, English language learners, or require special education), who must score "proficient" on the achievement tests. If students' scores do not indicate proficiency, the entire school is deemed a "school in need of improvement." This is an area that needs to be reviewed. Critiques of the law suggest a "growth" model that looks at whether student groups improved on their tests scores in the same subject in the next year's testing. The model would also allow states to use other factors besides achievement tests in deciding if a school made AYP -- or example, improved attendance or graduation rates, college enrollments rates, and tests in other subjects like history and writing. These changes would be a positive step toward ensuring success for every child, however, states would need to develop a strong data base to track the achievement of individual students.
Q: What is the College doing (e.g., programs/initiatives) to promote and train STEM teachers? Do you find increased interest from career changers?
DW: Responding to heightened national concern regarding the quality and quantity of the STEM workforce, this year has been a time of renewed emphasis on the preparation of STEM teachers. We were awarded federal and state grants for programs dedicated to increasing the number of STEM teachers, with particular focus on encouraging individuals considering teaching as second careers. For example:
- The Transition from the Laboratory to the Classroom (TLC) program is a partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) where highly-trained doctoral and post-doctoral scientists, and mathematicians with extensive laboratory experience, are prepared for careers as secondary science and mathematics teachers with MCPS
- The Maryland Science and Mathematics Resident Teacher (MSMaRT) Project is a new program that will recruit career changers and recent college graduates to teach middle grades mathematics and science at high needs middle schools in Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS).
The College is working closely with Maryland school districts on custom programs that respond to their specific teacher shortage areas in STEM. Outreach courses and workshops are held on-site at schools and centers at times that meet educators' schedules. In addition, faculty from our Science Teaching Center have partnered with Montgomery County Public Schools, the College of Chemical and Life Sciences , and the Department of Physics to develop a masters' degree program with an emphasis on Middle School Science Teaching and Learning. The primary target audience for this program includes elementary-certified teachers responsible for teaching science at the elementary and middle school level.
We also collaborate with UM Mathematics faculty in promoting strong mathematics preparation for elementary education candidates. Our efforts in this area have been nationally recognized. In its June 2008 study examining the mathematics preparation of America's elementary teachers ( No Common Denominator: The Preparation of Elementary Teachers in Mathematics ), the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) identified the College of Education at the University of Maryland as one of only 10 schools, in a sample of 77, that rose to the top in terms of overall quality of preparation in mathematics for elementary education majors.
The University of Maryland has joined a nationwide network of public universities and university systems committed to the Science and Mathematics Teacher Imperative (SMTI) . One of Maryland's initiatives in response to this is the Terps Teach program, which will recruit and advise mathematics and science majors to become teachers, offer them experiences in public school classrooms during their freshman and sophomore years, and provide campus-based teaching accompanied by formal university courses that support and integrate the teaching experience. Currently the Terps Teach program is seeking financial support for mathematics and science majors who commit to teaching, and will offer ways for them to connect and interact with selected master high school teachers.
Finally, as the flagship University for the State, part of our contribution to STEM is to prepare teacher researchers and teacher educators for other universities in the state and the nation. The College offers M.A. and Ph.D. programs for future mathematics education researchers and teacher educators. Our graduates have gone on to assume mathematics teacher education positions in Maryland (e.g., Towson University, Morgan State University) and other places nationally.
Q: How is the CoE training teachers to better incorporate technology in the classroom? WHEN does technology get in the way of good teaching?
DW: The College is committed to bringing new and innovative solutions to the field of teaching and learning. Our efforts will facilitate the creation and adaptation of learning experiences with digital resources, and data collection and analysis tools that make it possible to evaluate a learner's progress on a continual and longitudinal basis.
The first step though is to make sure the technology and innovation is available to our faculty and students. This summer many of our College classrooms were outfitted with interactive whiteboards, similar to ones used in public school classrooms. We are also renovating a space specifically as a 'classroom of the future' that will have, in addition to whiteboards, cutting edge document cameras and student response systems. The room will be available for our classes, research, and professional development for pk-12 teachers.
Another exiting initiative is our " Expanding the Toolkit " project, where the College has identified six faculty members as early adapters of technology integration in their classrooms. With support from our technology experts, they will each work on a project of their own design to strategically infuse technology into teaching and learning. In addition, in partnership with the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences and the College of Information Studies, during the 2008-09 year the College of Education sponsored a series of scholarly colloquia on computer science education featuring presentations by nationally recognized experts in the computer science education field. With the support of the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), this initiative is expected to lead to development of a new certification program to prepare computer science and technology teachers for the state of Maryland.
As good as all of this is, it is important to remember that technology and other innovative teaching tools are only as good as the teacher who uses them to extend learning opportunities and motivate students. We cannot improve teaching by simply integrating technology for technology's sake. We must use it in ways that help future teachers, and in turn their future students, learn skills that are important for the 21 st Century workforce.
Q: Today's students will form tomorrow's global workforce. What is the College doing to ensure the next generation of teachers/academics/researchers develops an awareness of/ sensitivity to multi-cultural/international perspectives?
DW: Enhanced by our location and our strong base of faculty accomplishment in comparative international education, the College is developing new program initiatives with an international outreach. We also hope to expand opportunities for our undergraduate and graduate students to study and experience first-hand global perspectives, increase support for international scholarship and participation by faculty, and promote the diversification of our own student, faculty and staff community.
Indeed, we are beginning to see real differences in our international interactions. More international students are enrolling in our programs, more international professors are visiting our college for a semester or a year, and more of our students are taking advantage of study abroad opportunities. Currently the college is host to over 120 international students, representing 28 countries. This year we hosted visiting professors from China and Taiwan, and over 75 students participated in study abroad programs to the Netherlands, El Salvador, and India led by College of Education faculty.
Faculty members are also recognized for their involvement in international initiatives. The college was pleased to appoint Professor Steven Klees as the Harold R.W. Benjamin Professor of International and Comparative Education. This position is reserved for an eminent scholar whose work substantially advances international studies. Nine of our faculty were awarded stipends from the College for international travel, and Professor Barbara Finkelstein was awarded a Study Abroad Development Grant from the Office of International Programs to facilitate the development of short term study abroad courses taught in Liberia.
Thanks to funding from the Longview Foundation, for the second year we have a cohort of faculty focused on curriculum development related to globalization. As part of the Global Awareness in Teacher Education (GATE) Fellows program -- administered by the College's Office of International Initiatives -- these faculty will complete individual projects geared toward increasing attention on global perspectives in our teacher education program.
Finally, this past year the MSDE approved the College's proposal for Chinese language teacher certification -- the first of its kind in the State. Supported by campus' Confucius Institute and a grant from Hanban -- the Office of the Chinese Language Council International -- in September 2009 the College had a grand opening of the Center for Chinese Language Teacher Certification and Development.
Q: What (major) plans/goals do you have in mind for the College for the next year?
DW: We will continue our focus on STEM education as the College is uniquely positioned to provide leadership for the campus and the State in this area. While STEM-related concerns embrace a wider set of issues than teacher education, the relationship to workforce needs and the encouragement of career choices are closely linked to research and programs we have represented throughout the College.
Very important also, the College has begun an ambitious reorganization process designed to:
- help focus college initiatives
- better situate ourselves to prepare, educators, leaders, and researchers to work in the 21st Century
- work more efficiently in times of reduced budgets
- focus on entrepreneurial initiatives, and
- continue our advancement in the national rankings.
This is a difficult process that requires input from faculty, students and staff. However, our efforts are supported by the provost and president, and we are working collaboratively within the College to ensure the end result is reflective of the high standards of excellence for which we are known.
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For more information on the College of Education, visit: www.education.umd.edu
or contact Halima Cherif, Assistant Director for Communications, at: hcherif@umd.edu
