The Northeast and Islands Regional Advisory Committee NEEDS ASSESSMENT INFORMATION GATHERING WEBINAR SESSION Hosted by Regional Advisory Committee (RAC)

The Northeast and Islands Regional Advisory Committee

NEEDS ASSESSMENT INFORMATION GATHERING WEBINAR SESSION

Hosted by Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) members

Sherri Killings & Karin Edwards

The Northeast and Islands RACRegional Advisory Committees (RACs) have been established to assess the education-related needs of the region and to prepare a report to the U.S. Secretary of Education describing those needs.

Each RAC includes stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, organizations, roles, ethnicities, and professions.

The Northeast and Islands RAC

The states and territories in this region include

Background Information

The U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is requesting that each RAC produce a report that describes the needs of the region. Among other things, this needs assessment will assist the Department of Education in establishing priorities for the upcoming Comprehensive Centers Program grant competition in 2012.

The Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) regulates advisory committees and helps to guard against influence by the appointing authority or special interests.

All advice provided by the RAC will be as a result of the committee’s independent judgment.

Introduction Statement

Here are some basic assumptions that we would like you to keep in mind throughout this presentation:

The needs of our region should cover the scope of education from cradle to career

Educators includes teachers and leaders at all levels

Leadership is a role, not a title. Therefore, we are addressing a number of people when we say leaders, including teacher leaders, politicians, community members, instructional staff, etc.

Introduction Statement

The needs of English Language Learners should be considered in this assessment

Technology is a part of every need (across all needs statements).

Whenever possible tools should be evidence/research based

Education needs of stakeholders outside of the school building are as important as those in our schools

RAC Stakeholders

•Superintendents

•School board associations-state & local

•Principals

•Professional Development Registry

•Teachers

•Education Chairs

•Education and Community Committees

•Childhood Advisory Committees

•Special Education Administrators

•Parent Advisory Committees

•Higher Education

•Practice Groups

•Teacher Evaluation Groups

•State and Local Education Associations

•Community College/ Traditional college/ universities

•Supervisory Union staffs

•Tier I/Tier II School Improvement grant recipients

•State advisor of education

•Legislators

•Business leaders

•Government organizations

•National councils of Early Educators (NAEYC)

•Diversity coordinators

•Homeless organizations

•Pediatrician groups/child psychiatric groups

•Parent Teacher Associations (PTA)/ Parent-Teacher- Student Associations (PTSA)/ and other parent groups

•All residents and citizens of the United States of America

The needs of our RAC

Our region has needs in the following areas:

1.Cultural Competence

2.Learning

3.Leadership

4.Collaboration and Engagement

5.Applying Data

Cultural Competence needs statement

Ensure multicultural competence to achieve equal opportunities for all students to learn and excel.

This includes attention to differences in rural and urban areas, cultural relevance, education for democracy, sustained work with English as a Second Language families, instruction and uniformly high expectations.

Cultural Competence continued

Sensitivity training is needed for educators.

“People have a lot of preconceived notions about tribes. We need funding for American Indian education programs (it’s still very difficult to get schools to teach anything about American Indian education). Indians have highest dropout rate, highest suicide rate, the funding needs to be there. These issues need to be mentioned.” --Teacher

“Students that live in poverty and that constantly move need educators that are sensitive to their culture/circumstance.” --Parent leader

Learning needs statement

Teachers need to be experts in content knowledge, assessment, curriculum and methods of instruction to ensure students are successful learners and have a deep understanding and are exposed to a broad set of ideas and concepts.

These should be aligned horizontally and vertically with Pre-K-12 common state standards. Learning for teachers should be based on adult learning principles and include opportunities for theory, application and reflection.

Learning continued

Here are some quotes from educators on this topic:

“We should consider having students start school at an earlier age, like age 3.” --Program Coordinator

“Based on the state test, we need to increase the content knowledge of our students. The main problem is that all teachers in Puerto Rico have a degree in education but have limited information. Most are not specialists in their content areas. Teachers need to be specialists in the subject that they teach.” –Professor

Learning continued

“There is great tension around academics versus hands-on work, vocational work. We track kids. We fight our administrators—you can’t say that a student can’t learn so we put them in a vocational track. We need to change perspectives. What other pathways can we create? How can we combine hands-on and academics?” --Commissioner

“In some cases Special Educators are given a lot of responsibility to work with a lot of special education kids in 50-minute class period with at least 10 kids. It’s not fair for the teacher and it’s not fair for the students because they don’t receive the attention that they need.” --Professor

Leadership needs statement

Well-prepared teachers and leaders should be equipped to provide multiple opportunities and methods of learning based on the individualized needs of students.

Continuum of providers, teachers, and leadership development should include teacher induction, fieldwork, practice-based, real-time support and professional learning communities, which extend beyond the classroom staff.

These opportunities should be considered a core responsibility and may be provided through higher education, community based organizations, professional development, and as directed through individual development plans. Professional learning should be relevant and coordinated to the needs of students.

Leadership continued

Here are some quotes from educators on this topic:

“We need ‘Just in time’ professional development. Teaching teachers what they need at that time, not five years in advance of when they meet kids.” – Education Coordinator

“We need to think more about time and how we use it. How do we structure time so teachers can be professionals during the day, structure time around learning…?” --Commissioner

“We need consistent and relevant professional development.” --Director

Leadership continued

“We need development opportunities that are delivered at a distance for rural districts.” –Educator

“We need to look at other professions that might be able to provide a model for how we can prepare teachers—not just with broad knowledge but also how to teach.” --Commissioner

“We need to re-think the way we do induction. Many new teachers enter the field and there’s no help. We teach new teachers that if I have a mentor I’m either new or I’m in trouble.” --Education Coordinator

Collaboration & Engagement needs statement

Student learning opportunities need to be shared by educational stakeholders to create strong life-long learning communities built on a foundation of school, student, community and family engagement and collaboration. This is key in order to create open and accessible pathways and smooth transitions that begin at birth.

Collaboration & Engagement continued

Here are some quotes from educators on this topic:

“Establish a culture of collaboration for new teachers by creating communities of learning.” --Educator

“With institutions of higher education, a comparison of course descriptions would demonstrate the major gaps between what we consider core competencies and what’s being taught in higher education about 0-3. Need to think more about pre-service and in-service as ways to train.” --Commissioner

“ We need to improve communications amongst stakeholders.” --Commissioner

Collaboration& Engagement continued

“We need better communication with families/communities.” --Commissioner

“A major problem is a lack of collaboration between Head Start and the public school system. This causes a big disconnect because in Head Start, educators identify needs, but due to the lack of collaboration, information essential to a student’s academic achievement may not have followed the student.” –Parent Leader

Collaboration & Engagement continued

“There is a huge disconnect between what teacher preparation programs prepare teachers for and what happens when they actually arrive in the classroom.” --Educator

“Even if interns are paired with a true master teacher, money and planning time will be necessary to collaborate.” --Educator

“Use alternate means of collaboration/communities, like the University of Southern Florida virtual classrooms with avatars, and the New Teacher Center. I think we should use the technology that’s available.” –Director

Applying Data needs statement

Educators at all levels need to be able to gather, synthesize, and interpret information (data) that they use to make decisions that positively impact student learning, practice, and policy. Educators must be data-informed, not data-driven.

Applying Data continued

Here are some quotes from educators on this topic:

“School systems don’t have longitudinal data that follows students from birth to High School, which might make collaboration hard.” --Commissioner

“Formative assessments that include teaching should be in place.” --Commissioner

“Need to figure out summative assessment of younger children--not just literacy but social-emotional. We can’t keep waiting until 3rd grade to assess or we’ll always be remediating.” –Commissioner

Applying Data continued

“We need to align the way we think about education from birth to third grade. Assessments need to be designed around real-time assessments (too long a gap), people need particular training for this and not all teachers get it.” --Commissioner

“Teachers need to learn how to use/develop formative assessments. AND teachers need to know how to remediate based on that data.” --Educator

“Action Research in the classroom is important. It’s important for teachers to know how they’re performing in the classroom, if they meet their objectives.” --Professor

Applying Data continued

“We need to reverse making decisions based on how to boost scores by a few points so that we don’t continue to miss the big picture (testing has tilted what we focus on as opposed to the bigger picture).” --Education Coordinator

“The bias in many state tests is an issue. If American Indian students don’t do well on these tests due to bias, does that mean they’re dumb? We must stop judging the knowledge of our kids based on a test—that is not right. We have to revise the test and the whole thought process.” --Teacher

“Educators have access to, know, and use a range of assessments to inform policy and promote life-long learning, from cradle to career.” --Commissioner

What we need from you

Please participate by providing a written statement of your needs and suggested strategies for addressing the need or by listening to a Regional Advisory Committee webinar. Here are four opportunities to participate:

Northeast and Islands Regional Advisory Committee Needs Assessment online survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Northeast_Regional_Advisory_Committee_Survey

Northeast and Islands Regional Advisory Committee webinar on June 3rd, at 3:30pm. Please email Leslie Ward at [email protected] to get registration information.

Post comments at the Regional Advisory Committee website by visiting http://www.seiservices.com/rac/

Email a Regional Advisory Committee member (see final slide for contact info)

What we need from you

Please also include:

From what role/perspective you are responding (e.g., teacher, parent, administrator)

State or territory where you work

Characterize the geographic perspective (i.e. urban, rural, suburban, statewide, and/or regional)

The importance you place on the needs the RAC previously identified (i.e. extremely important, very important, somewhat important, not important).

What are your needs?

Your webinar hosts contact information

Sherri Killins at [email protected] or 617.988.7824

Karin Edwards at [email protected] or 802.828.1622

For questions and/or to share your needs and any details or data you can have to further describe the need.

Thank you …

… for your time, responses, feedback, and expertise!

We hope you will take this opportunity to provide your feedback to help ensure that your needs are considered by the U.S. Department of Education as it establishes its technical assistance priorities.