Ohio could become a national leader in preparing K-12 educators.
By Christopher Magan , Staff Writer Updated 1:26 PM Monday, December 27, 2010
The methods for training and evaluating new teachers in Ohio are evolving, positioning the state to be a national leader in the way it judges teaching colleges.
The changes were embraced this month by the leadership at both public and private teaching colleges when the Ohio Board of Regents presented a new report card system for training teachers.
“The state of Ohio spends a lot of money on K-12 education and it is right of them to ask us if those funds are well spent and are we getting a good (teaching) product,” said Kevin Kelly, dean of the University of Dayton’s college of education and allied professions.
In response, UD’s instruction is evolving, most noticeably by putting prospective teachers in the classroom with students in their first year. Traditionally, teacher education programs waited until the last semester of the senior year for student teaching, Kelly said.
Universities including UD, Wright State, University of Cincinnati and Ohio State also are modifying their education programs to try to get at the heart of what makes a good teacher.
“We are starting to define what the critical elements of good teaching are,” Kelly said. He added there are many factors that can help make successful teachers, but all share core skills in common including the ability to engage students, track individual performance and identify when classes have trouble understanding concepts.
Measuring these skills along with the growth of student performance are gaining popularity of across the nation despite controversy. Teachers unions and others have objected to the method because they argue it judges them too harshly if their students are not successful.
Kelly’s acceptance of the evaluations at the college level could help reduce the fear of them in the classroom. He believes the information should not be used to fire teachers, but to help them learn and grow instead.
“We need this data to help use our (public education) resources better,” Kelly said. “This is a huge public trust and we need to make sure kids are learning what we say they need to be learning.”
Terry Ryan, vice president for Ohio policy for the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation that supports education reforms, said the changes are good for kids.
“We are fans of it,” Ryan said. “The idea is to know that the schools of education are delivering the best teachers.”
Coupled with Ohio’s embrace of national “common core” K-12 education standards and programs like Fairborn’s “No Excuses University” college readiness program, Ryan believe the next generation will be better prepared.
“You need to be college ready, whether you go on to college or to the work force,” Ryan said.
Dennis Morrison, curriculum director in Fairborn schools where “No Excuses” will be accepted for not preparing students, said meeting state goals of improving college readiness will only work if college readiness is pushed in every aspect of students’ education.
“Kids will have a constant reminder in front of them at all times about what it takes to go to college,” he said.
Eric Fingerhut, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, was tasked with improving college readiness, college attendance and graduation rates under a 10-year plan approved by lawmakers in 2007. He believes this new teacher college report card, along with other recent changes are critical steps toward meeting these goals.
The state will soon begin gathering college level data on how teaching students perform on licensing tests, work in the classroom and how students respond to their methods earlier next year with the first report due in 2012, Fingerhut said.
“We thing we are on the cutting edge,” he said. “There is no one answer, but these are very important pieces.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2342 or cmagan@Dayton DailyNews.com.
39 percent: Ohio college students in need of remedial classes
55 percent: Ohio public college students who graduate in six years
66 percent: Ohio private college students who graduate in six years
Source: Ohio Board of Regents, Complete College America
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