[House Hearing, 118 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
INNOVATIVE TEACHER PREPARATION:
PROPERLY EQUIPPING AMERICA'S EDUCATORS
=======================================================================
HEARING
Before The
SUBCOMMITTEE ON EARLY CHILDHOOD, ELEMENTARY, AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
of the
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, SEPTEMBER 25, 2024
__________
Serial No. 118-64
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
57-829 PDF WASHINGTON : 2025
Available via: edworkforce.house.gov or www.govinfo.gov
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE
VIRGINIA FOXX, North Carolina, Chairwoman
JOE WILSON, South Carolina ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT,
GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania Virginia,
TIM WALBERG, Michigan Ranking Member
GLENN GROTHMAN, Wisconsin RAUL M. GRIJALVA, Arizona
ELISE M. STEFANIK, New York JOE COURTNEY, Connecticut
RICK W. ALLEN, Georgia GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN,
JIM BANKS, Indiana Northern Mariana Islands
JAMES COMER, Kentucky FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida
LLOYD SMUCKER, Pennsylvania SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon
BURGESS OWENS, Utah MARK TAKANO, California
BOB GOOD, Virginia ALMA S. ADAMS, North Carolina
LISA McCLAIN, Michigan MARK DeSAULNIER, California
MARY MILLER, Illinois DONALD NORCROSS, New Jersey
MICHELLE STEEL, California PRAMILA JAYAPAL, Washington
RON ESTES, Kansas SUSAN WILD, Pennsylvania
JULIA LETLOW, Louisiana LUCY McBATH, Georgia
KEVIN KILEY, California JAHANA HAYES, Connecticut
AARON BEAN, Florida ILHAN OMAR, Minnesota
ERIC BURLISON, Missouri HALEY M. STEVENS, Michigan
NATHANIEL MORAN, Texas TERESA LEGER FERNANDEZ, New Mexico
LORI CHAVEZ-DeREMER, Oregon KATHY E. MANNING, North Carolina
BRANDON WILLIAMS, New York FRANK J. MRVAN, Indiana
ERIN HOUCHIN, Indiana JAMAAL BOWMAN, New York
MICHAEL A. RULLI, Ohio
Carson Middleton, Staff Director
Veronique Pluviose, Minority Staff Director
------
SUBCOMMITTEE ON EARLY CHILDHOOD, ELEMENTARY, AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
AARON BEAN, Florida, Chairman
GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon,
BURGESS OWENS, Utah Ranking Member
LISA McCLAIN, Michigan RAUL GRIJALVA, Arizona
MARY MILLER, Illinois GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN,
MICHELLE STEEL, California Northern Mariana Islands
KEVIN KILEY, California JAHANA HAYES, Connecticut
NATHANIEL MORAN, Texas JAMAAL BOWMAN, New York
BRANDON WILLIAMS, New York FREDERICA WILSON, Florida
MICHAEL RULLI, Ohio MARK DeSAULNIER, California
DONALD NORCROSS, New Jersey
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Hearing held on September 25, 2024............................... 1
OPENING STATEMENTS
Bean, Hon. Aaron, Chairman, Subcommittee on Early Childhood,
Elementary, and Secondary Education........................ 1
Prepared statement of.................................... 3
Bonamici, Hon. Suzanne, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Early
Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education............. 4
Prepared statement of.................................... 5
WITNESSES
Basile, Dr. Carole, Dean, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College,
Arizona State University................................... 8
Prepared statement of.................................... 10
Spooner, Dr. Melba, Dean, Reich College of Education,
Appalachian State University............................... 12
Prepared statement of.................................... 14
El-Mekki, Sharif, CEO, Center for Black Educator Development. 19
Prepared statement of.................................... 21
Mendez, Dr. Greg, Principal, Skyline High School, Mesa Public
Schools.................................................... 25
Prepared statement of.................................... 26
INNOVATIVE TEACHER PREPARATION:
PROPERLY EQUIPPING AMERICA'S EDUCATORS
----------
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and
Secondary Education,
Committee on Education and the Workforce,
Washington, DC.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:17, a.m.,
in Room 2175, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Aaron Bean
(Chairman of the Subcommittee) presiding.
Present: Representatives Bean, Owens, Kiley, Foxx,
Bonamici, Hayes, Wilson, and DeSaulnier.
Staff present: Annmarie Graham Barnes, Deputy
Communications Director; Mindy Barry, General Counsel; Sheila
Havenner, Director of Information Technology; Amy Raaf Jones,
Director of Education and Human Services Policy; Andrew Kuzy,
Press Assistant; Georgie Littlefair, Clerk; Hannah Matesic,
Deputy Staff Director; Audra McGeorge, Communications Director;
Carson Middleton, Staff Director; Eli Mitchell, Legislative
Assistant; Jacob Pletcher, Staff Assistant; Brad Thomas, Deputy
Director of Education and Human Services Policy; Maura
Williams, Director of Operations; Ellie Berenson, Minority
Press Secretary; Ilana Brunner, Minority General Counsel;
Nikita Chellani, Minority Intern; Rashage Green, Minority
Director of Education Policy & Counsel; Brandom Hernandez,
Minority CHCI Fellow; Samantha Wilkerson, Minority Professional
Staff, ; Stephanie Lalle, Minority Communications Director;
Raiyana Malone, Minority Press Secretary; Brashanda McCoy,
Minority CBCF Intern; Marie McGrew, Minority Press Assistant;
Eleazar Padilla, Minority Staff Assistant; Veronique Pluviose,
Minority Staff Director; Isabella Sanchez, Minority Intern;
Banyon Vassar, Minority Director of IT.
Chairman Bean. Ladies and gentlemen, a very good morning to
you. Welcome to your nation's capital, to the Committee on
Education and the Workforce, and specifically the Subcommittee
on Early Learning, Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary
Education.
The Committee will come to order. I note that a quorum is
present, and without objection, the Chair is authorized to call
a recess at any time. Okay. We have all been there, we have all
been there driving our car when the warning light comes on,
some light, oh my gosh, how bad is it? Is it going to--is it
really bad, or not? Is it a warning light that we can decipher,
or not?
It will come on at the worst possible time. It is going to
be raining, or you are going to be in the middle of nowhere,
and then you know that it is time to either to get it fixed, or
to go forward. I had a friend in college who drove an older
model car, and his warning light was flashing.
He said, ``I can fix it.'' He took a roll of black duct
tape, and just taped it over his dashboard, not recommended.
His car collapsed soon thereafter, and so take care of your
car. Take care of whatever is you have the responsibility to
take care of.
American has a responsibility to take care of our education
system. It is key that we have leaders that we growth leaders
for tomorrow. Right now, if we were looking at our education
system the warning light would be on, and I say that because
the numbers are indeed alarming. Here are some numbers. 86
percent of public schools reported difficulties in hiring
teachers for the 2023-2024 school year.
Between 2020 and 2022, 16 percent of teachers say they have
said I have had it. I am done. I am going somewhere else.
Teachers often feel disheartened. 20 percent say they are
satisfied with the jobs, meaning 80 percent are not saying
that. 16 percent would recommend the profession to others.
With that said, it is apparent that these are not just
statistics, they are a flashing red light on the dashboard of
our education system. Part of the solution perhaps, could be
affordable, accessible pathways into the classroom. Traditional
teacher preparations programs can take up to four, 5 years to
complete, and come with a sticker price, sometimes upwards of
tens of thousands of dollars.
The costs are simply too high for many perspective teachers
with evaluating how much it costs, what is the return on the
investment. It does not take a math whiz to find out that you
have to have a love of teaching. You are not doing it just for
the money. The costs can send people running for the exits
before they even enter the pipeline.
That is why today we are going to discuss alternative
certification programs. They have been gaining national
attention. Today let us get to the bottom of it. Many say that
there are efficient, cost-effective ways to get talented
individuals, that is what we want, talented individuals into
the classroom. Between 2018 and 2021, enrollment in these
different types of programs has increased by 20 percent.
The programs many times offer a faster path to
certifications for individuals who have expertise in their
fields, and I think passion for kids and learning, and jumping
into the arena. It is not about getting teachers in the
classroom. It is about keeping them there. The reality is that
way too many teachers leave their profession because they do
not feel supported and valued.
We need to rethink the way we structure the teaching
profession. We are going to hear from innovative programs like
Arizona State's Next Education Workforce. They are doing just
that by reimagining the traditional model for one teacher, one
classroom, new approaches can provide teachers and students
room to flourish.
For example, third graders in ASU's team-based teaching
schools experience an extra 1.4 months of reading growth each
year and what about math? That is what you are asking me, Aaron
tell us about math. Their algebra 1 students pass at rates 4 to
7 percentage points higher than their peers in traditional
classrooms.
Teacher turnover and satisfaction also has greatly
improved. These results show that we cannot treat teachers like
revolving doors and still expect schools to thrive. We just
want our kids to do well. Why are they not teaching them? We
have got to give teachers everything, every tool we can to
succeed.
Other colleges, as Appalachian State have developed similar
models. Yes, it is another ASU. Appalachian State presses
harder to expand these ideas. They said it is time to think
boldly and spotlight changes that will not only bring more
people into their teaching profession, but ensure that they
also want to stay that.
With that, members, I have got great news. We once again,
this Subcommittee is known to putting together all-star panels,
and we have done that today. In just a moment, members, we are
going to turn to you, our guests listen to the cutting edge,
what is happening in the field of how we can do it.
First, let me yield to the Ranking Member for her opening
statement. Ranking Member.
[The Statement of Chairman Bean follows:]
Statement of Hon. Aaron Bean, Chairman, Subcommittee on Early
Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
Have you ever been in your car when you get an alert notifying you
something is wrong? Let us face it. There is no such thing as a good
time for a warning light to signal a problem. Having your morning
commute interrupted by a mechanical failure is an inconvenience at best
and a downright emergency at worst. The warning lights are there to
help signal that action should be taken.
I like to consider myself to be a very optimistic person, but I
will say this: When it comes to our K-12 education system, we are
facing a giant ``WARNING!''
America's teacher preparation pipeline is struggling.
I will be blunt: the numbers are alarming. Eighty-six percent of
public schools reported difficulties in hiring teachers for the 2023-
2024 school year. Between 2020 and 2022, 16 percent of teachers left
their schools. Teachers are feelingdisheartened, and only 20 percent
say they are very satisfied with their jobs. Just 16 percent would
recommend the profession to others. With that said, it should be very
apparent that these are not just statistics--they are a flashing red
light on thedashboard of our education system.
Part of the solution is more affordable, accessible pathways into
the classroom. Traditional teacher preparation programs can take four
to five years to complete and come with a sticker price of up to
$100,000. These costs are simply too high for many prospective
teachers. The upfront investment is enough to send teachers running for
the exits before they even start.
That is why alternative certification programs are gaining traction
as a more efficient, cost-effective way to get talented individuals
into the classroom. Between 2018 and 2021, enrollment in alternative
programs increased by 20 percent. These programs offer a faster path to
certification for individuals who already have expertise in other
fields.It is not just about getting teachers into the classroom--it is
about keeping them there. The reality is that too many teachers leave
the profession because they do not feel supported and valued. We need
to rethink the way we structure the teaching profession. Innovative
programs like Arizona State University's (ASU) Next Education Workforce
are doing just that. By reimagining the traditional model of one
teacher, one classroom, new approaches can provide teachers and
students room to flourish.
For example, third graders in ASU's team-based teaching schools
experience an extra 1.4 months of reading growth each year, and Algebra
I students pass at rates four to seven percentage points higher than
their peers in traditional classrooms. Teacher turnover and
satisfaction also greatly improve. These results show that we cannot
treat teachers like revolving doors and still expect our schools to
thrive.
Other colleges such as Appalachian State have developed similar
models. We must continue to press harder and expand these ideas
further. It is time to think boldly and spotlight changes that will not
only bring more people into the teaching profession but will also
ensure that they want to stay there.
______
Ms. Bonamici. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and thank
you to the witnesses for being here today. We look forward to
the conversation. I am optimistic that we can have a meaningful
and bipartisan conversation about the importance of growing and
supporting a diverse and dynamic educator workforce that meets
the complex needs of our country's students, and provides
them--all of them, with the opportunity for a world-class
education.
Ms. Pat Dorian was my high school English teacher, and
changed my life, as well as the lives of many other students I
went to school with. She instilled in me a love of language,
and poetry, but more importantly, a love of learning. I expect
that many of you in the room today have similar stories and
remember a teacher or two who changed your lives.
Teachers educate, mentor, inspire, nurture and guide
students. They are role models, community buildings, and
partners of knowledge and critical thinking. Unfortunately, the
path to becoming a teacher presents many obstacles. It
typically requires years of expensive schooling, testing and
certification.
The skyrocketing price of higher education, which is
something I hope we can work on in this Committee, acts as a
significant barrier to many who hope to become educators.
Certification can be expensive and complicated to obtain with
mountains of paperwork that deter perspective educators,
sometimes even before they begin their careers.
In many places teachers are notoriously underpaid, when
adjusted for inflation, teachers' salaries have been stagnant
since 1990, while the cost of living rises, and the cost of a
4-year degree has nearly doubled since that time. Also,
students do better when they see themselves reflected in their
teachers.
According to North Carolina State College of Education
Associate Professor Dr. Egalite, sorry, as we will hear in
testimony today students of color experience a variety of
benefits when they are placed in a classroom with a teacher who
shares their racial or ethnic background, and Mr. El-Mekki will
be discussing that.
Despite 50 percent of students identifying as persons of
color, educators of color make up just 19 percent of teachers
in this country. Research also shows that a diverse teacher
workforce benefits all student achievement, regardless of race.
Congress must do more to support perspective black and brown
educators to better represent children of all demographics in
our schools.
When examining these challenges, it might seem tempting to
bolster the teacher workforce by de-professionalizing the job,
whether that be by removing, or reducing education or
certification requirements, but that approach would only harm
students who benefit from a well prepared teacher to guide them
through their education.
Instead of lowering the standards, we should be
streamlining the process of becoming a teacher and recruiting
more students to be educators through apprenticeship and
mentoring programs for new teachers, through student loan
forgiveness, and through competitive compensation.
I am not one to complain about a problem without offering
solutions. The Biden-Harris administration has encouraged using
effective and innovative teacher preparation programs,
including strategies that focus on recruiting and retaining
diverse candidates. Congress can build on this initiative by
providing resources to help support successful innovative
teacher preparation models across the country.
The Build Back Better Act provided more than 100 million
dollars for grants to fund Grow Your Own programs, that
supported high need schools in subject areas, as well as
improving diversity within the teacher workforce. To address
the teacher shortage in this country, we also must support
Title I schools and expand loan forgiveness like the Public
Service Loan Forgiveness Program to support those who dream of
becoming teachers.
The College Affordability Act, which advanced through this
Committee in 2020, outlined several ways to give aspiring
teachers a hand as they pursue their education. The College
Affordability Act would improve programs that recruit
perspective teachers, especially to address shortage areas,
like STEM and special education.
It would also improve and expand that public service loan
forgiveness program to provide that all teachers loan payments
count toward their eligibility for loan repayment, and keep in
mind that these public service loan forgiveness borrowers do
pay, according to income, during their time of teaching. It is
the balance at the end that is forgiven.
We should strengthen Title II, professional development
programs and initiatives that support recruiting and retaining
diverse educators. The Teacher Diversity and Retention Act,
introduced by several members of this Committee, would also
bolster teacher recruitment programs by establishing grant
programs for education students at HBCUs, and other minority
serving institutions.
As well as providing dual certification in special
education and behavior management, so teachers can meet the
needs of every student. There are also wonderful mentoring and
coaching programs that support educators and improve retention.
Finally, Mr. Chairman, I encourage us all to encourage people
to go into the teaching profession by recognizing the
importance of our system, the public education, and not bashing
it.
I think bashing public education discourages people from
wanting to go work there. Of course we can work together on
improvements to the system, but let us lift up educators who
choose to teach. I look forward to hearing from all of our
witnesses, and to a productive discussion today, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
[The Statement of Ranking Member Bonamici follows:]
Statement of Hon. Suzanne Bonamici, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on
Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to our witnesses for being here
today. I am optimistic that we can have a meaningful, bipartisan
conversation about the importance of growing and supporting a diverse
and dynamic educator workforce that meets the complex needs of our
country's students and provides them--all of them--with the opportunity
for a world class education.
Ms. Pat Dorrian, my high school English teacher, changed my life.
She instilled in me a love of language and poetry, but more importantly
a love of learning. I expect that many of you in this room today have
similar stories and remember a teacher or two who changed your lives.
Teachers educate, mentor, inspire, nurture, and guide students. They
are role models, community builders, and imparters of knowledge and
critical thinking.
Unfortunately, the path to becoming a teacher presents many
obstacles. It typically requires years of expensive schooling, testing,
and certification. The skyrocketing price of education acts as a
significant barrier to many who hope to become educators. Certification
can be expensive and complicated to obtain, with mountains of paperwork
that deter prospective educators sometimes even before they begin their
careers. In many places teachers are notoriously underpaid. When
adjusted for inflation, teacher salaries have been stagnant since 1990,
while the cost of living rises every year and the cost of a four-year
degree has nearly doubled since that time.
Students do better when they see themselves reflected in their
teachers. According to NC State College of Education Associate
Professor Dr. Anna Egalite, and as we will hear in testimony today,
students of color experience a variety of benefits when they are placed
in a classroom with a teacher who shares their racial or ethnic
background.
Despite 50 percent of students identifying as persons of color,
educators of color make up just 19 percent of teachers in this country.
Research also shows that a diverse teacher workforce benefits all
student achievement regardless of race. Congress must do more to
support prospective Black and Brown educators to better represent
children of all demographics in schools.
When examining these problems, it might seem tempting to bolster
the teacher workforce by ``de-professionalizing'' the job, whether that
be by removing certifications or reducing educational requirements.
That approach, however, would only harm students, who rely on well-
trained teachers to guide them through their education. Instead of
lowering the standards, we should streamline the process of becoming a
teacher and recruit more students to be educators through
apprenticeship and mentoring programs for new teachers, student loan
forgiveness, and competitive compensation.
I am not one to complain about a problem without offering a
solution.
The Biden-Harris Administration has encouraged using effective and
innovative teacher preparation programs, including strategies that
focus on recruiting and retaining diverse candidates. Congress can
build on this initiative by providing resources to help support
successful innovative teacher preparation models across the country.
The Build Back Better Act provided more than $100 million for grants to
fund ``Grow Your Own'' programs that support high-need schools and
subject areas, as well as improve diversity within the teacher
workforce.
To address the teacher shortage in this country, we must support
Title I schools and expand loan forgiveness to support those who dream
of becoming teachers. The College Affordability Act, which advanced
through this committee in 2020, outlined ways to give aspiring teachers
a hand as they pursue their education. The CAA would improve programs
that recruit prospective teachers to address shortage areas, like STEM
and special education. It would also improve and expand the Public
Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program to ensure that all teachers'
loan payments count toward their eligibility for loan repayment.
We should also strengthen Title II programs and initiatives that
support recruiting and retaining diverse educators in our communities.
The Teacher Diversity and Retention Act, introduced by members of this
committee, would also bolster teacher recruitment programs by
establishing grant programs for education students at HBCUs and other
Minority Serving Institutions, as well as providing dual certification
in special education and behavioral management so that teachers can
meet the need of every student. There are also mentoring and coaching
programs that support educators and improve retention.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses and to a productive
discussion today. Thank you, and I yield back.
______
Chairman Bean. Thank you very much, Ranking Member.
Pursuant to Committee Rule 8(c), all Committee members who wish
to insert written materials into the record may do so by
submitting to the Committee Clerk electronically in Microsoft
Word format by 5 p.m. after 14 days from the date of this
hearing, which is October 9, 2024.
Without objection, the hearing record will remain open for
14 days after this date to allow such statement and other
extraneous material referenced in the hearing to be submitted
for the official hearing record.
Now it is time to introduce our distinguished all-star
panel of witnesses. Our first witness is Dr. Carole Basile, who
is Dean of the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona
State University, located in Tempe, Arizona. Her work has
centered on redesigning the education workforce and changing
practices in teaching and leadership preparation.
She is currently working with education organizations
nationally, and internationally to design systems and enable
organizational change in these areas. Prior to joining ASU, Dr.
Basile was Dean and Professor of the College of Education at
the University of Missouri in St. Louis. Welcome, Dr. Basile.
Our second witness is Dr. Melba Spooner, who is Dean of the
Reich College of Education at Appalachian State University in
Boone, North Carolina. She began her higher education career at
the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she was a
faculty member, and served in various roles in the College of
Education, including Assistant Dean.
Dr. Spooner earned her education doctorate in curriculum
and teaching from the University of North Carolina in
Greensboro, and her master's and bachelor's degrees in early
childhood education from the University of North Carolina at
Charlotte. Welcome, Dr. Spooner.
Our third witness will be introduced by our Ranking Member.
You are recognized.
Ms. Bonamici. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We welcome Mr.
Sharif El-Mekki, the Founder and CEO of the Center for Black
Educator Development, an organization dedicated to transforming
the teaching profession and ensuring that black educators are
supported and celebrated.
Prior to establishing the Center, Mr. El-Mekki served at
the U.S. Department of Education as Principal Ambassador Fellow
under the Obama administration--previously had served as the
Principal of Mastery Charter Shoemaker in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.
In 2014, Mr. El-Mekki founded the Fellowship Black Male
Educators for Social Justice, and it is an initiative aimed at
recruiting, retaining and developing black male teachers. Mr.
El-Mekki holds a BA in criminal justice from Indiana University
at Pennsylvania, and a master's in elementary education and an
administrative certification from Cheyney University. Welcome,
Mr. El-Mekki.
Chairman Bean. Welcome, Mr. El-Mekki. Our final witness is
Dr. Greg Mendez, who is Principal of Skyline High School in
Mesa Public Schools, located in Mesa, Arizona. In this role he
is building a strategic school staffing model where educators
work on teams to deliver rigorous teaching and learning
experiences.
Dr. Mendez has over 18 years of experience in education,
and holds a doctorate of education and leadership and
innovation from ASU, Arizona State University, in addition to a
master's degree in education from ASU and another master's
degree in athletic administration from Concordia University
Irvine. Welcome, Dr., Principal Greg, we are glad to have you
here.
Thank everybody for being here. Members, I told you it was
an all-star panel, and I am looking forward to their testimony.
Under Committee Rules, I would ask that our witnesses, I have
talked to most of you, it is 5 minutes because we like to talk,
we limited everybody to 5 minutes, and so we have your written
testimony, and if you want to submit more, we will take it.
Your talk today, your oral presentation will be limited to
5 minutes, and I do not have to tell you this, but I am
supposed to tell you this, that we expect everybody, you have a
responsibility to provide accurate information to the
Subcommittee that we can make better choices with your accurate
information.
Dr. Basile, you won the toss, so you will be going first.
It is my pleasure to recognize you for 5 minutes. Welcome to
the Committee.
STATEMENT OF DR. CAROLE BASILE, DEAN, MARY LOU FULTON TEACHERS
COLLEGE, ARIZONA STATE, TEMPE, ARIZONA
Ms. Basile. Thank you, Chairwoman Foxx, first let me thank
you for making the trip to Arizona and taking the time to learn
about our work. Chairman Bean, Ranking Member Bonamici, and
esteemed members of the Subcommittee. Allow me to start with
two assertions.
The first one may seem obvious, and the second one may seem
at first contrarian, but bear with me. First, people are
different. They look different. They have different tastes, and
they learn in different ways. Second, the problem we are
accustomed to calling teacher shortage is not really, or not
only a teacher shortage.
We do not have a shortage of credentialed teachers. We have
a shortage of credentialed teachers who want to do the job. The
reason for this is connected to the fact that people are
different. The default model of schooling one teacher, one
classroom, treats all learners as identical.
It mistakes the statistics of an average learner for a real
human being, and in assuming that all learners have the same
educational needs, it assumes that all teachers need the same
set of skills. Our teacher preparation programs have been
designed essentially to mass produce identical educators.
This tells us a lot about why so many credentialed
educators would rather do something else than teach. One, the
one teacher, one classroom models ask all teachers to be all
things to all people at all times. That is a tough ask of an
experience teacher, let alone a recent graduate of a teacher
prep program.
Second, most of the time the job looks the same on day
3,000 as it does on day one, and there are few pathways for
advancement that offer professional growth. Three, there are
two few paths to specialization in areas that would effectively
address learner variance.
Teacher shortage is a downstream effect of a workforce
design problem. It is bigger than pipeline building. A
potential solution to that problem is an education workforce
comprised of professionals with varying sets of skills,
different areas of content knowledge, and multiple modes of
pedagogical expertise, and we need them to work in coordinated
teams.
At Arizona State University we have a strategic staff
initiative we call the Next Education Workforce. Through this
initiative we partner with schools, and school systems, and
inspire to, one, provide all students with deeper and
personalized learning by building teams of educators, with
distributed expertise, and empower educators by developing
better ways to enter the profession, specialized and advanced.
In 2024-25 school year, we anticipate working with more
than 150 schools across 40 school systems, and in 15 states to
implement these team based models. This work will impact
upwards of 25,000 students, and 1,000 educators, and more than
300 teams. This work has broad implications for teacher
preparation.
Teacher preparation programs in schools need to work
together to accomplish three things that are not currently
doing well enough. One, make work count. The work teacher
candidates perform in schools is work. Work should be
compensated. Many teacher candidates work other jobs to support
themselves, and in many cases their families, as they complete
coursework and their professional experiences.
This is a major cause of stress and burnout. Right now,
there are residencies, alternative certification pathways, and
apprenticeship models that allow teacher candidates to be paid
while they work toward certification. These are a start, but in
every case, we need to get the professional experience right.
The second is to get the professional experience right. In
addressing the problem of paying teacher candidates, programs
often create another problem by asking teacher candidates to
perform the roles of experienced teachers. They are not
experienced teachers, and it is not reasonable to expect to
retain people that are hired to perform tasks they are not
prepared to do.
For their sake, and for the sake of the students they
serve, teacher candidates should be given clearly defined
responsibilities that allow them to learn in stages, gain
competencies, and grow professionally. Put them on teams. Work
with schools to create professional experiences that teacher
candidates can perform successful and serve identified learning
needs in schools.
Our field, working with government at all levels, has no
shortage of solutions to parts of the problem. While each of
those solutions will measurably advance progress in addressing
some part of the problem, they are not systemic solutions.
ASU's model offers a systemic solution.
We can make teacher preparation programs affordable through
scholarships, but that does not mean we can retain educators in
the field. We can implement residencies and paid
apprenticeships, and other ways of making word count, but that
does not address the isolation, and the lack of professional
advancement pathways inherent in one teacher, one classroom
models.
We can also make it easier to become a teacher, but that
does not guarantee the teacher retention or good learning
incomes. If we have an ask of our government, it is this,
support local innovations and workforce design in teacher
preparation that make the profession both more accessible and
more attractive. Reward school systems that manage their human
capital in ways that lead to demonstrable improvement in
learning outcomes.
Catalyze partnerships between State agencies and teacher
preparation programs and school systems. The challenge in
teacher preparation is not merely labor shortage, but a
workforce design challenge. Thank you.
[The Statement of Ms. Basile follows:]
Statement of Dr. Carole Basile, Dean, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College,
Arizon State, Tempe, Arizona
Chairwoman Foxx, let me thank you for making the trip to ASU and
taking the time to learn about our work.
Chairman Bean, Ranking Member Bonamici, Ranking Member Scott, and
esteemed members of the subcommittee:
Allow me to start with two assertions. The first one may seem
obvious. The second one may seem, at first, contrarian but bear with
me.
First: people are different. They look different, have different
tastes. They learn in different ways.Second: The problem we are
accustomed to calling a teacher shortage is not really--or not only--a
teacher shortage. We do not have a shortage of credentialed teachers.
We have a shortage of credentialed teachers who want to do the job.The
reason for this is connected to the fact that people are different.
The default model of schooling--one teacher, one classroom--treats
all learners as identical. It mistakes the statistical abstraction of
an average learner for a real human being. In assuming that all
learners have the same educational needs, it assumes that all teachers
need the same set of skills. Our teacher-preparation programs have been
designed, essentially, to mass-produce identical educators.
This tells us a lot about why so many credentialed educators would
rather do something else than teach.
1. The one-teacher, one-classroom model asks all teachers to be
all things to all people at all times. That is a tough ask for
an experienced teacher, let alone a recent graduate of a
teacher-prep program.
2. Most of the time, the job looks the same on day 3,000 as it
does on day one. There are few pathways of advancement that
offer professional growth.
3. There are too few paths to specialization in areas that
would effectively address learner variance.
Teacher shortage is a downstream effect of a workforce design
problem. It is bigger than pipeline building.
A potential solution to that problem is an education workforce
comprised of professionals with varying sets of skills, different areas
of content knowledge, and multiple modes of pedagogical expertise. We
need them to work in coordinated teams.
At Arizona State University we have strategic staffing initiative
we call The Next Education Workforce.
Through this initiative we partner with schools and school systems
and aspire to:
1. provide all students with deeper and personalized learning
by building teams of educators with distributed expertise; and
2. empower educators by developing better ways to enter the
profession, specialize and advance.In the 2024-25 school year,
we anticipate working with more than 120 schools across 40
school systems in 15 states to implement team-based models.
This work will impact upwards of 25,000 students and 1,000
educators on more than 300 teams.
This work has broad implications for teacher preparation.
Teacher-preparation programs and schools need to work together to
accomplish three things they are not currently doing well enough.
1. Make work count.
The work teacher candidates perform in schools is work. Work should
be compensated. Many teacher candidates work other jobs to support
themselves and, in many cases, their families as they complete
coursework and their professional experiences.
This is a major cause of stress and burnout.
Right now, there are residencies, alternative certification
pathways, and apprenticeship models that allow teacher candidates to be
paid while they work toward certification. These are a start but in
every case we need to get the professional experience right.
2. Get professional experience right.
In addressing the problem of paying teacher candidates, programs
often create another problem by asking teacher candidates to perform
the roles of experienced teachers. They are not experienced teachers,
and it is not reasonable to expect to retain people that are hired to
perform tasks they are not prepared to do.
For their sake--and for the sake of the students they serve--
teacher candidates should be given clearly defined responsibilities
that allow them to learn in stages, gain competencies, and grow
professionally.
3. Put them on teams:
Work with schools to create role-based professional experiences
that teacher candidates can perform successfully--and that serve
identified learning needs in schools.
Our field, working with government at all levels, has no shortage
of solutions to parts of the problem. While each of those solutions
will measurably advance progress in addressing some part of the
problem, they are part of the solution and not the whole solution.
ASU's model offers the whole solution.
We can make teacher-prep programs affordable through scholarships,
but that does not mean we can retain educators in the field.
We can implement residencies and paid apprenticeships and other
ways of making work count, but that does not address the isolation and
lack of professional advancement pathways inherent in the one-teacher-
one-classroom model.
We can make it easier to become a teacher, but that does not
guarantee teacher retention or good learning outcomes.
If we have an ask of state and local government, it is this:
1. Support local innovations in workforce design and teacher-
preparation that make the profession both more accessible and
more attractive.
2. Reward school systems that manage their human capital in
ways that lead to demonstrable improvement in learning outcomes
for students and professional outcomes for educators.
3. Catalyze partnerships between State Education Agencies,
teacher-prep programs and school systems to create new kinds of
certification pathways for roles with meaningful professional
support and coaching.
The challenge in teacher preparation is not merely labor shortage
but a workforce design problem.
Links for Further Review
Next Education Workforce Website: https://
workforce.education.asu.edu/
Basile, C. G., Maddin, B. W., & Audrain, R. L. (2022). The next
education workforce: How team-based staffing models can support equity
and improve learning outcomes. Rowman & Littlefield.https://
www.amazon.com/Next-Education-Workforce-Carole-Basile/dp/1475867263
American Enterprise Institute Report: This Initiative Seeks to
Redesign How We Staff School https://www.aei.org/op-eds/this-
initiative-seeks-to-redesign-how-we-staff-schools/ (July 2024)
American Enterprise Institute Report: Next Education Workforce:
https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/the-next-education-
workforce-team-based-staffing-models-can-make-schools-work-better-for-
both-learners-and-educators/ (August 2022)
Center on Reinventing Public Education: Early evidence of improved
educator outcomes in Next Education Workforce modelshttps://crpe.org/
early-evidence-of-improved-educator-outcomes-in-next-education-
workforcetm-models/ (May 2024)
Dean Carole Basile Blog: Teacher Retention Begins with Teacher
Preparation: https://education.asu.edu/the-next-normal/teacher-
retention (May 2023)
U.S. Department of Education Grant supports Next Education
Workforce models in Arizona's largest School Districthttps://
education.asu.edu/projects-and-impact/transforming-district%E2%80%99s-
human-resources-strategy-benefit-both-earners-and
Hechinger Report: https://hechingerreport.org/in-one-giant-
classroom-four-teachers-manage-135-kids-and-love-it/(November 2022)
Survey of Teachers Working in Next Education Workforce models:
https://workforce.education.asu.edu/resource/results-from-the-year-one-
survey-of-next-education-workforce-teachers
ASU Thrive Magazine: ASU's Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College is
helping school systems rethink the traditional classroom model(January
2024)
DC Journal: Innovative teaching models can solve teacher shortage
(November 2023)
Hechinger Report: In one giant classroom, four teachers manage 135
kids--and love it (November 2022)
Kappan Magazine: Empowering educators through team-based staffing
models (September 2022)
AZ Republic OpEd: ``Arizona needs great teachers, not just warm
bodies, in classrooms. Here's how to get them'' (July 2022)
EdWeek: ``It's Time to Rethink the `One Teacher, One Classroom'
Model'' (July 2022)
Ed Surge: ``Arizona Needs Teachers. Does the Answer Lie Beyond
Recruitment?'' (July 2022)
Highlights and Results of Next Education Workforce models
In the 2024-25 school year, we anticipate that the implementation
of Next Education Workforce team-based models by schools and districts
ASU partners with will include more than 120 schools across 40 school
systems in 15 states. The launch of team-based models will impacting
upwards of 25,000 students, support over 1,000 educators on 300+ teams.
In addition to Arizona, our work is happening in Arkansas,
California, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina,
Nevada, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington,
D.C.
Results for Educators
Are more satisfied (75% vs. 66%)
Collaborate more (planning & implementation)
Believe they have better teacher-student interactions
Report that students are more likely to ask for support
Request fewer substitutes (2 less/teacher)
Are absent less frequently (1 fewer day/teacher)
Feel more respected in their role as an educator
Results for Learners
Observed higher levels of support and opportunities for
collaboration
Increase in 3rd grade reading growth (+1.5 months of
growth)
Increases in Algebra I passing rates
______
Chairman Bean. Well done, thank you, Dr. Basile. You gave
us 6 seconds back, so thank you very much. Up next is Dr. Melba
Spooner, welcome to the Committee, and you are recognized for 5
minutes.
STATEMENT OF DR. MELBA SPOONER, DEAN, REICH COLLEGE OF
EDUCATION, APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY, BOONE, NORTH CAROLINA
Ms. Spooner. Thank you, Chairman Bean, Ranking Member
Bonamici, Dr. Foxx, esteemed Committee members. Good morning
and thank you. It is an honor and a pleasure to be here with
you today. I would like to also extend a very special
appreciation to Dr. Foxx, who we are so proud that you
represent App State, and we appreciate all the support you have
provided to educators, schools and classrooms, not only in
North Carolina, but across the Nation.
I began my career in education as a teacher assistant and
had opportunities to serve as the classroom teacher and
Assistant Principal in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School
District, transitioning to a career in higher education. I
appreciate the opportunity to share some insights into the
enduring legacy of how we are preparing educators at App State.
That said, we are also constantly growing and changing how
we do this important work of recruiting, retaining and
supporting educators and schools across the country. We utilize
research-based content and curriculum to prepare candidates for
the classroom. For example, in recent years the examination of
the teaching of reading has become more important. In response
to the needs of the children, families and teachers in North
Carolina, and beyond, we have engaged in an extensive
curriculum redesign process.
Our perspective teachers are immersed in a curriculum
aligned with the science of reading. Before they graduate,
candidates are required to be proficient in literacy
instruction. To ensure their full preparation, they are also
required to complete extensive coursework and supervised
clinical experiences in schools, and in classrooms.
To successfully recruit, prepare, graduate and support
exemplary teaching professionals, we invest time in building
partnerships with school district across the State. This allows
us to provide a wide variety of experience for candidates and
schools with students who are representative of North
Carolina's population.
A key component of our educator prep program is an emphasis
on classroom management. Perspective teachers are involved in
classroom instruction and clinical experiences that allow them
to observe, learn and practice a variety of techniques. They
graduate with the necessary expertise in planning, instruction
and utilizing classroom management skills tailored to the
developmental and behavioral needs of the students in their
classrooms.
Graduates do not just leave the university with a diploma,
they leave ready for the workforce, with the necessary skills
to take on one of the hardest, and most rewarding careers that
exist today. Additionally, all perspective teachers are
required to engage in a series of professional development
activities before completing their programs of study.
This requirement enhances their classroom learning, and
clinical experiences, while ensuring they understand the value
and commitment to lifelong learning, and continuous
professional development. The pre-graduation requirements and
post-graduation support that are provided have real
significance nationwide.
I am proud to share that for the eighth consecutive year
App State has led the Nation in the number of alumni who hold
the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Credentialed, currently 2,321 alumni have earned this
outstanding credential. In our rural area of Northwestern North
Carolina, there is, just as there is nationwide, a workforce
deficit in high needs areas, such as special education and STEM
education.
Many schools and districts in the region face limitations
and challenges as they work to meet the needs of their
students. App State provides critical assistance, not only by
graduating highly prepared and proficient teachers, but also by
partnering with K-2 school district, and community colleges to
develop initiatives and alternate pathways to fill workforce
gaps, making teacher preparation programs more flexible,
accessible and affordable is key to recruiting and retaining
great teachers.
We are constantly addressing the needs of the market,
adapting and refining recruitment and retention efforts, and
ensuring we offer the flexibility students need to graduate on
time, and with some of the lowest college debt in the Nation.
We highly regard our responsibility to develop programs that
address educators' ongoing educational needs.
Furthermore, we work to address the market demand for
serving adult learners. Those who begin their education careers
at community colleges, as well as those who enter the
profession through an alternative pathway. I am immensely proud
to be part of that space, continuing the legacy of preparing
extraordinary teachers.
Of course, none of our accomplishments would be possible
without the support from the North Carolina General Assembly,
and the USE Board of Governors, and I am grateful to our State
Legislators and the taxpayers of North Carolina, who helped to
ensure that the USE system remains the economic engine of our
workforce and its exemplar for the Nation.
Thank you for holding the hearing with us today, and for
your commitment to supporting current teachers, and educators
of tomorrow. I appreciate the discussion and look forward to
your questions. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Spooner follows:]
Statement of Dr. Melba Spooner, Dean, Reich College of Education,
Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina
Chairman Bean, Ranking Member Bonamici, esteemed committee members
. . .
It is an honor and a pleasure to be with you all today, and I
certainly appreciate the opportunity to share the great work being done
at Appalachian State University and in colleges of education as we
recruit, retain, and equip educators to make meaningful contributions
both inside and outside of the classroom.
I would also like to extend a special appreciation to Dr. Virginia
Foxx. We are so proud to have you represent App State, and we
appreciate all the support you have provided to educators, schools, and
classrooms not only in North Carolina, but across the nation.
My name is Dr. Melba Spooner, and I have the honor of serving as
the dean of Appalachian State University's Reich College of Education
since 2016. I began my career in education as a teacher assistant and
had opportunities to serve as a classroom teacher and assistant
principal in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District in North
Carolina. I transitioned to a career in higher education at the
University of North Carolina at Charlotte, serving in various roles
including faculty member; assistant dean; chair of the Department of
Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education; and senior associate dean of the
Cato College of Education.
As a nationwide leader in professional education accreditation
efforts, I have served in leadership capacities at the national and
state levels on issues related to accreditation and policy. I am active
and engaged across the state in matters of policy and education
initiatives. I provided service on the North Carolina Teaching Fellows
Commission and am currently serving a second term on the North Carolina
Principal Fellows Commission. In 2019, I also served on the State Board
of Education Pre-K-12 Literacy Instruction and Teacher Preparation Task
Force.
It is important to note, at least for me, as I stand before you,
how very grateful I am for this moment. As a product of the P-12 public
education system and the public university system, I am proud to say
that I am a North Carolina public school educator.
I appreciate the opportunity to share some insights into the
enduring legacy of how we are preparing educators at App State. That
said, we are also constantly growing and changing how we do this
important work of recruiting, retaining, and supporting educators and
schools across the country.
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University
prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17
campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national
reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to high-quality,
affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000
students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio, and offers more than 150
undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses
and through App State Online.
For one hundred and twenty-five years, our university has been
focused on ensuring that anyone who had the desire to learn, and the
willingness to work hard, could have access to a great education.
Access, student success, and a high-quality education have been our key
pillars since our founders created a bold and ambitious vision for the
future of our region, and we remain focused on these founding
principles today.
Preparing quality educators was App State's founding mission since
its inception as a teacher's college and it is still in our DNA today.
Our graduates become leaders in their fields and in their communities,
inspiring the next generation of educators. One-third of App State
students are from rural areas, and one-third are first-generation
college students. A quarter of them graduate with absolutely no college
debt. Given the regional and statewide needs within rural settings,
high-need areas, and underrepresented populations, App State graduates
are primed to serve schools throughout the region, state, and nation.
With more than 10,000 graduates working in over 21 hundred schools
in North Carolina, the influence of App State's educator preparation
program is strong in every corner of the state. App State graduates
work in nearly every one of North Carolina's 100 counties. We are proud
that most of our alumni stay in North Carolina, contributing to their
communities through their leadership and service well after graduation.
App State is first and foremost attentive to the needs of the state
in terms of the need for great teachers. Investing in the work and
preparation of teachers is what we do, and we know that it takes strong
and rigorous academic programming, and it takes an intentional focus on
all aspects of what educators do for their growth and development as
teachers and leaders. Let me share just a few key highlights about the
university and things that set us apart so that you might have a better
understanding of the work that we do . . . have done . . . and will
continue to do:
We utilize research-based content and curriculum to prepare
candidates for the classroom. Coursework and aligned field experiences
focus on the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards of
Leadership, Content Knowledge, Classroom Environment, Facilitation of
Learning, and Reflection. Candidates learn and apply these standards
through a rigorous series of Professional Education courses. There are
also multiple opportunities to develop and implement instructional
practices while maintaining a safe and orderly environment, which
translates into classroom management of time and behavior.
Metrics are used to evaluate candidate effectiveness. These metrics
include multiple assessment points and instruments, which are
ultimately compared to graduate and employer survey data, as well as
state effectiveness measures. Results from these intensive assessment
protocols are used to set program goals for annual program planning and
continuous improvement.
In recent years, and more than ever, the examination of the
teaching of reading has become more and more important. App State's
teacher education students are immersed in a curriculum that is aligned
with the Science of Reading, and before they graduate, they are
required to be proficient in teaching literacy. To ensure their full
preparation, they are required to complete extensive coursework with
authentic field experiences. The fidelity of instruction of the Science
of Reading is continuously reviewed and evaluated by a Literacy
Framework Team consisting of literacy faculty and college leadership.
Recently, App State was selected as one of five institutions across
the UNC System to participate in a Literacy Innovation Leaders
initiative, which aligned educator preparation, teacher professional
development, and continuing education requirements with the Science of
Reading. In this endeavor, students in the elementary and special
education preparation programs were selected to participate as literacy
scholars. They completed the state-adopted Language Essentials for
Teachers of Reading and Spelling program, participated in literacy-
focused professional development alongside practicing in-service
educators, participated in a mentoring program, and informed the
college's redesign of literacy coursework and field experiences. These
Literacy Innovation Leaders served as a model for the rest of the
state.
Additionally, literacy education faculty also completed the
Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling program,
demonstrating how we engage together to make the ``student to
educator'' transition more seamless. Participation in this program has
also greatly informed our curriculum.
Appalachian State teacher candidates are expected to be classroom
and building-level leaders in the effective and ethical use of digital
technologies. This is emphasized not only in coursework but in a wide
range of opportunities for co-curricular professional development,
including the inclusion of micro-credentials specific to digital
learning. The college is engaged with other educator preparation
programs at the national level on strategies to help candidates utilize
technologies to these ends.
Because we know that it is important to have a deep understanding
of what the ``real world'' of teaching is all about, we provide
intentional and authentic experiences that we know candidates will
encounter when going into their schools and classrooms.
To successfully recruit, prepare, graduate and support exemplary
teaching professionals, we invest time in building partnerships and
collaborations with public schools across the entire state we are so
proud to serve. App State invests in partnerships with 71 public school
units across North Carolina. This allows us to provide a wide variety
of experiences for candidates in schools with student populations that
are representative of the citizens of North Carolina.
Teacher candidates have multiple field experiences throughout their
program. This continuum ensures candidates have these experiences early
and often. Throughout their early field experiences, approximately
1,000 candidates are engaged in North Carolina public schools each
semester.
An important aspect of the curriculum and associated field
experiences to note is the inclusion of a focus on classroom management
throughout the educator preparation program. During the course of the
candidates' preparation to become an educator, they are heavily
involved in classroom instruction and field experiences that allow them
to observe, learn, and practice a variety of classroom management
techniques. Each program has a specific focus on selecting, planning,
and utilizing materials, strategies, classroom management techniques,
and experiences based on the developmental and behavioral needs of
students.
Additionally, we require all of our teacher education students to
complete a series of 20 professional development activities, each
building on the one prior to it. This requirement not only enhances
their classroom learning and field experiences, it also ensures our
students understand the value and commitment to lifelong learning and
continuous professional development.
The pre-graduation requirements and post-graduation support we
provide have real significance nationwide. I am proud to report that,
for the eighth consecutive year, App State leads the nation in the
number of alumni who hold National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards credentials. Currently, 2,321 App State alumni nationwide
have earned this outstanding credential, which is the most respected
professional certification available in education.
By providing these authentic experiences and professional
development opportunities, our candidates are not just sitting in the
classroom and learning about teaching; they are going out and
practicing it. As one of our alums noted, ``Why Appalachian? Because it
provides rich academic experiences and preparation for all education
majors early on in our programs.''
At App State, we understand that making teacher preparation
programs more flexible, accessible, and affordable is key to recruiting
and retaining great teachers for North Carolina and beyond.
Scholar programs, like the North Carolina Teaching Fellows and App
State's Appalachian Community of Education Scholars, are another facet
of our curriculum. Not only do these programs help offset the financial
burden for students, they also help recruit educators in high-need and
high-demand areas.
The North Carolina Teaching Fellows program invests in North
Carolina students, teachers, and communities by providing affordable
and rigorous professional development alongside a teacher preparation
program. This program is known for producing and supporting high-
quality teacher leaders without student debt, which we all know is an
epidemic across our country and a massive concern among families across
the state.
App State has more than 150,000 alumni nationwide. Seventy-five
percent of them live in and contribute to North Carolina's economy. Our
most recent economic impact study shows that App State contributed more
than two point-two billion dollars to the statewide economy, with $573
million of that directly benefiting the economies of Watauga, Ashe,
Avery, Caldwell and Wilkes counties. We continue to increase access to
higher education by offering academic programs through traditional,
hybrid and online delivery modes to meet the needs of today's learners.
We have aligned our programs with the needs and critical workforce
shortages of Western North Carolina with the creation of multiple
pathways to enter the profession.
Across the nation, there is a workforce deficit in the high-needs
areas of special education and STEM education, and northwest North
Carolina is no exception. The geographic limitations of the region in
which App State sits have prompted schools and districts to regularly
request STEM and special education graduates from App State; further,
the deficit has resulted in a myriad of initiatives and articulations
to fill the workforce gaps. The college collaborates with the
Foundation for Public School Children's Teacher Cadet Program and the
state's Department of Public Instruction's Teaching as a Profession
Career and Technical Education Program to support partners in
developing programs to fill the persistent teacher shortage throughout
the state and region. Appalachian State has trained and partnered with
almost 30 Teacher Cadet instructors in northwest North Carolina, and
the college provides mentors, college access resources, and hosts
Future Educator Days.
We are constantly examining our recruitment efforts and ways of
retaining individuals in our respective programs, as well as offering
flexible, alternative (and traditional) pathways to meet the needs of
individuals who are preparing to be educators and to keep them in the
``pipeline'' and progressing toward a degree and/or teaching
credential. We have and continue to develop programs to address
educators' continuing education needs and non-traditional enrollment
pathways, including partnerships with community colleges and P-12
school districts.
We are constantly responding to the needs of the market, adapting
and refining our recruitment and retention efforts and ensuring we
offer our students the flexibility they need to graduate on time, with
some of the lowest college debt in the nation. One-third of App State
students are from rural areas, and one-third are first-generation
college students. A quarter of them graduate with absolutely no college
debt.
An example of this is a collaborative partnership with Caldwell
County Schools and Caldwell Community College as part of the North
Carolina Educator Pipeline Collaborative. The four main goals of the
Collaborative are to (1) Identify and understand the work of successful
partnerships and programs; (2) Develop a framework for effective
teacher preparation partnerships across K-12, higher education, and
workforce development that work to recruit, prepare, support and retain
a diverse, high-quality educator pipeline; (3) Support a cohort of
teacher preparation partnerships in developing programs that meet their
context and community needs; and (4) Share findings and recommendations
with school districts, institutions of higher education, and state
leaders to promote best practices and advocate for policies and
programs that will have a lasting impact on the teacher pipeline.
This initiative can help to remove barriers and enhance and extend
efforts to recruit, prepare, and retain highly qualified teachers.
Additionally, they incentivize and support candidates to take advantage
of the Associates Degree in Teacher Preparation at the community
college and transfer to a four-year institution to complete their
bachelor's degree with an initial teacher license credential. Further
collaborations with districts and community colleges to develop similar
pathways are ongoing.
Through the Aspire Appalachian co-admission program, we provide a
seamless pathway for students enrolled at partner community colleges to
leverage their associate's degrees into bachelor's degrees at App
State, receiving dedicated academic and financial aid advising
assistance from both their community college and App State. We continue
expanding this program and are on track to have agreements in place
with nearly 30 community colleges by the end of this year.
Also, College Access Partnerships, or CAP, enhances relationships
with rural schools, including recruitment efforts and engagement with
diverse and underserved communities. CAP is made up of several large
federal and private grant programs which include: GEAR UP (Gaining
Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), Upward
Bound, Young Eisner Scholars, College Advising Corps, and Empowering
Teacher Learning. Its core mission is to build strategic partnerships
to strengthen local communities through college access and success. The
support that CAP and the college's Public School Partnerships provide
to western North Carolina works to reduce barriers and access to higher
education. Thus, solidifying a pathway for future educators.
Educator preparation programs are working diligently to respond to
the recruitment and replacement needs of schools by increasing
opportunities for non-traditional candidates through residency
licensure and graduate certificate programs. For example, we offer
seven programs for graduate certificate and residency licensure
candidates that lead to an initial license, which include STEM areas,
special education, and elementary education.
Recently, the college expanded its undergraduate program at the new
App State at Hickory campus to include an initial licensure program in
elementary education. This will provide opportunities for first-year
and transfer teacher education candidates. With six community college
campuses within one hour of the Hickory campus, transfers in that
region will have greater options to complete their bachelor's degrees
and initial teaching license.
Partnerships and collaboration are imperative in recruiting and
ultimately supporting and graduating strong teachers to engage in the
teaching and learning processes in classrooms. A very strong focal
point and aspect of teacher development and support at App State is the
intentionality of our partnerships at many levels and with multiple
constituents--we cannot and do not just stay on the mountain.
Candidates in educator preparation programs have the option to
return to their home district in which there are MOUs for student
teaching, allowing them to give back to their local communities. This
also supports district partners' recruitment efforts, including ``grow
your own'' initiatives.
In 2016, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a law requiring
the UNC Board of Governors to establish laboratory schools aimed at
improving student performance in low-performing schools and to provide
demonstration sites for the preparation of future teachers and school
administrators.
Universities within the UNC System that operate a laboratory school
partner directly with local school districts to promote evidence-based
teaching and school leadership, while offering real-world experience to
the next generation of teachers and principals. UNC System Laboratory
Schools serve every part of the UNC System mission--teaching, research,
and public service.
Currently, at App State, we are developing an apprenticeship
program at the university's laboratory school, which will attract and
support non-traditional students to the profession. By targeting
transfer students from community colleges who have completed an
associate's degree in Teacher Education, we will provide the
opportunity for them to stay in their local communities to finish their
bachelor's degree. The paid apprenticeship program will provide hands-
on experience to candidates in real classroom settings at the
laboratory school. Apprentices will work alongside experienced
educators to observe, assist, and gradually take on increasing
responsibilities in teaching all while completing teacher preparation
coursework. The goal is to provide flexible and accessible
opportunities for transfer and non-traditional students.
Equally important is leading the way to be innovators in
reimagining education. One example in which we are doing this is
through the work that is happening at the laboratory school, which is
operated by App State. Our school, which is a public kindergarten
through fifth-grade elementary school, has implemented a strategic
staffing model that is reimagining the roles and responsibilities of
educators. Moving away from the one-teacher, one-classroom model, the
lab school is challenging the status quo and rethinking what school can
and should look like for students and teachers. This has included
restructuring teaching positions with a focus on workforce design and
moving to a model that embraces co-teaching and team-based, distributed
expertise.
We have also redesigned the school's master schedule to protect and
increase the amount of time for instructional blocks. This led the lab
school to implement a four-day instructional week. Teachers and
students report to school five days a week, but each Friday is an
Enrichment Day for students. Students are engaged in tutoring,
interventions, and personalized andexploration-based learning to
support their academic needs and growth. They also attend clubs and
choice activities allowing them to explore their curiosities and
interests. The Enrichment Days are facilitated by App State and local
community members. Teachers do not have instructional responsibilities
on the Enrichment Days, but they are heavily engaged inco-planning,
analyzing student learning data, and their own professional learning
and growth.
The laboratory schools are places where we can imagine
possibilities and turn them into realities both in terms of curriculum
development and enhancement for teacher education preparation and for
practicing teachers and children. But we must not keep it to ourselves
or limit it to just our laboratory school students and educators. We
are in the process of establishing a Center for Re-Imagining Education.
The work of this office will initially focus on scaling and replicating
the innovative work that is currently happening in the App State
laboratory school. This is hard work. We are asking teachers and school
leaders to fundamentally think differently about what teaching and
school should look like. This work is necessary if we want to meet the
needs of today's students and their families. Serving as an incubator
for making changes in schools and educator preparation programs alike,
the Office for Reimagining Education will add value by fostering a
culture of innovation, empowering educators, enhancing student learning
experiences, and contributing to the overall advancement of education
in a rapidly changing world. Laboratory schools inform the work of our
educator preparation programs, and our educator preparation programs
inform the work that is happening in laboratory schools. As we
reimagine schools, we are also reimagining how we prepare future
teachers and administrators at App State.
Recruiting is important. Equally important is retaining teachers.
This is accomplished through supporting individuals throughout their
programs of study as well as upon their completion as they enter the
classroom as beginning teachers. As you know, supporting and engaging
with new and beginning teachers is essential. It is important to make
the transition from pre-service to in-service as seamless as possible.
An example of this is the New Teacher Support Program, which provides
coaching and professional development for beginning teachers in their
first three years. The goal of the program is to improve beginning
teacher effectiveness and promote teacher retention, both of which
contribute to student achievement.
Through the work that has been described from the examples shared
with you today, you can see App State is intentionally focused on
eliminating barriers to preparing highly qualified and effective
educators.
From its start as a regional teacher's college to its present-day
status as one of North Carolina and the nation's leading teacher
education programs, App State is committed to recruiting, preparing,
supporting, and placing highly qualified teachers in schools.
Our alumni embody the spirit of determination. They strive to make
every classroom not just better--but the best it can be for the
students they teach and work with each day.
As one alum noted, ``The Reich College of Education supported my
academic growth and development as a pre-service teacher while
nurturing a passion for teacher leadership through the plethora of
student engagement opportunities. They provide the infrastructure for
more than student success, but also for teacher success, which is the
epitome of what a teacher preparation program should do.''
As Dean of App State's College of Education, I am immensely proud
to be part of continuing App State's legacy of preparing extraordinary
teachers. Of course, none of our accomplishments would be possible
without the support we receive from the North Carolina General Assembly
and UNC System Board of Governors. I am grateful to our state
legislators and the taxpayers of North Carolina who help ensure that
the UNC System remains the crown jewel of our state, the economic
engine of our workforce, and an exemplar for the nation.
Thank you so much for allowing me to share with you today all the
great work being done at App State (and specifically how to enhance and
increase the number of teachers in today's schools and classrooms) as
we prepare tomorrow's education leaders to make meaningful
contributions inside and outside the classroom. Thank you!
______
Chairman Bean. Dr. Spooner, you did great, thank you so
much, and I appreciate the insight. Mr. El-Mekki, thank you so
much. You are recognized. Welcome to the Committee.
STATEMENT OF MR. SHARIF EL-MEKKI, CEO, CENTER FOR BLACK
EDUCATOR DEVELOPMENT, ELKINS PARK, PENNSYLVANIA
Mr. El-Mekki. Thank you so much, Chairman Bean, Ranking
Member Hayes, and esteemed members of the Committee on
Education and the Workforce. Thank you for the opportunity to
address you on the critical need to increase educator diversity
to better serve all students.
My name is Sharif El-Mekki, I am the Founder and CEO of the
Center for Black Educator Development, dedicated to rebuilding
the national black teacher pipeline. As an educator and a
principal, I realized that many students rarely encounter
teachers who look like them. This disparity is a national
crisis.
Research consistently shows that all students benefit from
a diverse teaching workforce. Teachers of color bring unique
perspectives that enrich learning environment serve as role
models, reduce stereotypes, and foster cross-culture
understanding.
For students of color, having teachers who share their
backgrounds leads to improved student performance, higher
graduation rates, and increased college enrollment.
Studies show that black students who have one black teacher
by third grade are 13 percent more likely to enroll in college,
and if they have 2, that spikes up to 32 percent. For white
students, exposure to diverse educators prepares them for a
multi-cultural society and it enhances problem-solving and
critical-thinking skills.
Despite black students making up about 15 percent of the
student population, black teachers comprise only about 7
percent of the teaching workforce. This gap reflects systemic
barriers that prevent black individuals from entering and
remaining in the profession. Students with disabilities from
marginalized communities face compounded challenges.
Diverse educators are more likely to implement inclusive
practices, and advocate for all students, fulfilling the
promises of the Individuals with the Disabilities Education
Act, IDEA, and unfortunately, there is a significant shortage
of special education teachers exacerbating disparities for
students with disabilities.
Several barriers hinder the recruitment and retention of
diverse educators, the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified
teacher shortages, enrollment in teacher preparation programs
have dropped significantly, disproportionately affecting
educators of color in high need areas like special ed.
The high cost of teacher preparation programs and unpaid
student teaching, disproportionately impacts candidates from
low-income communities. Lack of mentorship, professional
development, and leadership pathways leads to higher attrition
rates amongst educators of color.
At the Center for Black Educator Development, we introduce
teaching as a viable and esteemed career path early, through
high school academies, pre-apprenticeship programs, and the We
Need Black Teachers Campaign.
We develop mentorship programs, offer professional
development, and ensure educator programs equip teachers to
support students with disabilities effectively.
We advocate for scholarships, stipends and access to loan
forgiveness programs to alleviate financial burdens, and
importantly, we push for paid training opportunities,
understanding that unpaid periods can be prohibitive for
individuals from low-income backgrounds.
Allow me to share the store of Amir Williams, a 2024
graduate who participated in our programs, both in high school
and in college. Upon graduation, he was hired to teach at his
alma mater. As one of only two black men in his teacher prep
program, our support provided him with the community, network
and skills necessary for him to be successful.
His journey, and many others, exemplifies how supportive
rigorous pathways can lead to successful outcomes without
lowering professional standards.
We also host the annual Black Men in Education convening,
the largest gathering of black male educators in the country,
bringing together over 1,000 educators for professional
development workshops, discussions and networking.
I extend an invitation for each of you to attend our
upcoming event in November. Educator diversity is essential for
educational equity and excellence. By bringing diverse voices
into our classrooms, we enrich the learning environment for all
students, especially those from marginalized communities, and
students with disabilities.
I urge this Committee to support Federal programs like the
Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence, that directly
address educator diversity.
Invest in innovative, rigorous, alternative pathways that
offer accessible and paid routes into teaching, and systems
that improve the working conditions once they get into the
schools, and support organizations and coalitions like the
Women and Teachers of Color, and National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards.
Enhanced IDEA implementation by preparing educators to meet
the needs of students with disabilities, and addressing
shortages in special education teachers, and address financial
barriers by providing financial support during training
periods, loan forgiveness and scholarships.
Together, we can build an education system that reflects
our country's rich diversity and upholds the promise of equal
opportunity for every child. Thank you for your time and
dedication to this critical issue. I look forward to your
questions.
[The Statement of Mr. El-Mekki follows:]
Statement of Dr. Mr. Sharif El-Mekki, CEO, Center for Black Educator
Development, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
Introduction
Chairwoman Foxx, Ranking Member Bobby Scott, and esteemed members
of the Committee on Education and the Workforce:
Thank you for the opportunity to address you today on a matter that
is pivotal to the future of education in our nation--the imperative of
increasing educator diversity to better serve all students. Imagine a
young student stepping into a classroom and seeing a teacher who not
only understands their cultural background but also reflects their own
aspirations--a mentor who can guide them through shared experiences.
This is the transformative power of educator diversity. My name is
Sharif El-Mekki. I have more than 25 years of experience as an educator
and advocate, I serve as the founder and CEO of the Center for Black
Educator Development. Our mission is to rebuild the national Black
teacher pipeline and, more broadly, to enhance educator diversity
across the country.
The Critical Need for Educator Diversity
I was lucky enough to have dozens of teachers of color throughout
my PK--12th grade education. However, once I became a teacher, the
parents of my students often told me I was the only Black man to ever
teach their children. Later, as a principal, I realized that the lack
of teacher applicants of color was not just a problem in Philadelphia,
where I was a principal for 16 years, it was a national crisis.
Research has consistently demonstrated that all students benefit from a
diverse teaching workforce. Teachers of color bring unique
perspectives, experiences, and cultural understandings that enrich the
learning environment for all students. They serve as role models,
reduce stereotypes, and foster cross-cultural understanding.
For students of color, having teachers who share their racial or
ethnic background can lead to improved academic performance, higher
graduation rates, and increased college enrollment. Research shows that
students of color who have at least one teacher of color may perform
better on standardized tests and are less likely to face disciplinary
actions. For white students, exposure to diverse educators helps
prepare them for a multicultural society and global workforce. Studies
also indicate that white students show improved problem-solving,
critical thinking, and creativity when they have diverse teachers.
At the Center for Black Educator Development, we are deeply focused
on the need to increase the number of Black teachers in this country.
Specifically, studies have shown that Black students benefit
significantly from having Black teachers. Black students who have even
one Black teacher by third grade are 13% more likely to enroll in
college. With two Black teachers, that likelihood increases to 32%.
Black teachers serve as role models, mentors, and advocates who
understand the cultural and social contexts of their students,
fostering a sense of belonging and boosting academic achievement.
However, despite Black students comprising approximately 15% of the
student population, Black teachers make up only about 7% of the
teaching workforce. This disparity is not just a statistical concern
but a reflection of systemic barriers that prevent Black individuals
from entering and remaining in the teaching profession.
Impact on Students with Disabilities
It is also crucial to recognize the intersectionality of race,
ethnicity, and disability. Students with disabilities, particularly
those from marginalized communities, face compounded challenges in
accessing quality education. The Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) ensures that students with disabilities are
entitled to a free appropriate public education tailored to their
individual needs.
Educator diversity plays a vital role in fulfilling the promises of
IDEA. Diverse teachers are more likely to implement inclusive practices
and advocate for the needs of all students. They bring cultural
competencies that can enhance the educational experiences of students
with disabilities, ensuring they receive equitable support and
opportunities. Conversely, Black students with Black teachers are less
likely to be erroneously referred to receive special education
services.
Moreover, there is a significant shortage of special education
teachers, particularly among educators of color. According to recent
studies, special education teachers of color are leaving the classroom
at higher rates due to systemic challenges and a lack of support. This
shortage exacerbates the disparities faced by students with
disabilities in marginalized communities, highlighting the urgent need
to address this issue.
Challenges in Building a Diverse Educator Workforce
Despite the clear benefits, significant barriers hinder the
recruitment and retention of diverse educators. The COVID-19 pandemic
has exacerbated teacher shortages across the nation.
According to the American Association of Colleges for Teacher
Education (AACTE), enrollment in teacher preparation programs dropped
by an additional 20% since 2020. This decline disproportionately
affects educators of color and those in high-need areas like special
education.
Special education faces one of the highest teacher shortage areas.
The U.S. Department of Education reported a 17% vacancy rate in special
education teaching positions in 2022.
Teachers of color in special education are leaving the classroom at
higher rates due to systemic challenges and lack of support.
The high cost of teacher preparation programs and certification
exams disproportionately affects candidates from low-income
communities. Teacher candidates are often required to complete unpaid
student teaching experiences, which can last several months. For many,
the inability to earn an income during this period creates an
insurmountable barrier to entering the profession.
Teacher candidates are often required to complete extensive unpaid
student teaching assignments, sometimes lasting up to a year. For
individuals from lower-income backgrounds, this loss of income is a
significant barrier. A study by the Economic Policy Institute found
that unpaid training periods contribute to the lack of diversity in the
teaching profession.
Many institutions express a commitment to diversity but lack
effective strategies to attract candidates from underrepresented
backgrounds. Recruitment efforts often fail to reach potential
educators of color and those interested in special education.
Once in the profession, educators of color frequently encounter
environments lacking in mentorship, professional development, and
pathways to leadership positions. This lack of support contributes to
higher attrition rates.
Alternative Pathways to the Teaching Profession
In towns and cities across the nation, schools face the pressing
challenge of teacher shortages and a lack of diversity among educators.
To address these issues, communities are turning to innovative,
alternative pathways to bring passionate, qualified individuals into
the classroom--pathways that maintain rigor and competitiveness without
lowering the threshold of becoming an educator.
Imagine a dedicated paraprofessional who has spent years assisting
in classrooms, building relationships with students, and understanding
the unique needs of their community. Programs like the collaboration
between College UnBound and the Equity Institute are turning this
scenario into reality by providing meaningful support for teaching
assistants to earn their bachelor's degrees. This initiative has seen a
staggering 400% increase in applications and boasts a 97% retention
rate for participants. Such success stories highlight how investing in
local talent not only fills teaching positions but also enriches
schools with educators who are deeply rooted in the communities they
serve.
Similarly, the National Center for Grow Your Own is making
significant strides by offering technical assistance to state and local
education agencies interested in launching ``Grow Your Own'' (GYO)
programs in partnership with educator preparation providers. These
programs tackle staff shortages head-on and build long-term pipelines
for future teachers and school leaders. By removing financial barriers
and providing paid training opportunities, GYO programs attract
aspiring educators who might otherwise be unable to pursue this career
path, leading to higher retention rates and increased diversity among
educators.
Residents at the Alder Graduate School of Education dive into
immersive, hands-on training by working directly in the schools where
they will eventually teach. Guided by experienced mentors, these
residents blend theory with practice, preparing them to become
effective educators from day one. The program's impact is evident, with
90% of residents expressing strong positive evaluations of their
experience.
Another inspiring example is the City Teaching Alliance, where
teacher residents earn a master's degree from a higher education
partner, receive dual certification, and benefit from personalized
support. Importantly, these programs maintain high standards of rigor
and competitiveness, ensuring that the quality of education is upheld.
The results speak volumes: 91% of participants who complete the program
continue to teach, and 90% report that the program equipped them with
the necessary skills to be effective in the classroom.
On a federal level, initiatives like the Augustus F. Hawkins
Centers of Excellence Program play a crucial role in advancing educator
diversity. By providing grants to strengthen teacher preparation
programs at Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) Historically Black
Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions
(MSIs), the Hawkins Program ensures that educators of color are well-
prepared to meet the demands of today's classrooms. Continuing to fund
and support these programs is essential for cultivating a teaching
workforce that reflects the rich diversity of our student populations.
By embracing these alternative pathways, which are both rigorous
and accessible, we are not only addressing immediate challenges but
also laying the foundation for a more inclusive and effective
educational system. It is a collective effort that recognizes and
nurtures talent from within our communities, ensuring that every
classroom is led by an educator who is both highly qualified and deeply
connected to the students they teach.
What the Center for Black Educator Development Is Doing
Of course, I would be remiss if I did not talk about what we are
doing at the Center for Black Educator Development. Simply put, we are
driving revolutionary approaches to rebuild the educator pipeline and
increase diversity within the teaching profession.
We introduce teaching as a viable and esteemed career path to
students of all backgrounds early in their educational journeys.
Through high school teaching academies, learning communities, and
initiatives like our Teaching Academy pre-apprenticeship programming
and our national #WeNeedBlackTeachers campaign, we ignite interest and
provide foundational knowledge about the teaching profession. By
engaging students from a young age, we cultivate a passion for
education and empower them to envision themselves as future educators.
We develop mentorship programs that connect new educators with
experienced mentors who share similar backgrounds or experiences. Our
professional development offerings focus on leadership skills, cultural
competency, and inclusive practices. By fostering supportive
relationships and a community of practice, we enhance retention and
career advancement for educators of color.
We ensure that our educator preparation programs equip all teachers
with the skills to support students with disabilities effectively. Our
training emphasizes inclusive practices and collaboration with special
education professionals. By preparing educators to meet the diverse
needs of all students, we uphold the principles of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and promote educational equity.
Recognizing the financial barriers that often deter candidates from
underrepresented groups, we advocate for scholarships, stipends, and
access to loan forgiveness programs. Through partnerships with
educational institutions and philanthropic organizations, we provide
financial support to alleviate economic burdens, making the teaching
profession more accessible to diverse candidates. Importantly, we also
advocate for paid training opportunities for teacher candidates,
understanding that unpaid training periods can be prohibitive for
individuals from lower-income backgrounds.
We actively advocate for policies that promote educator diversity
and support programs like the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of
Excellence. Through collaboration with policymakers, educational
leaders, and community stakeholders, we seek legislative action that
provides the necessary resources and framework for systemic change. Our
advocacy efforts aim to create sustainable impact at local, state, and
federal levels.
The Story of Imere Williams
Allow me to illustrate the impact of our work with the story of
Imere Williams, a 2024 graduate of West Chester University. Imere
participated in our paid teacher pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship
programs during high school and throughout his college years. Upon
graduation, he was hired to teach at his alma mater.
For students like Imere--one of only two Black men in his teacher
preparation program--our ongoing engagement provided support and a
network of other young Black men aspiring to lead their own classrooms.
He navigated the challenges of a less diverse teacher college with the
backing of a community that understood his experiences. Our programs
offered him early exposure, clinical experiences, and financial support
that encouraged him to join the critical profession of teaching.Imere's
journey exemplifies how alternative pathways that are rigorous and
supportive can lead to successful outcomes without lowering the
standards of the profession. He is one of dozens of Black youths who,
through our high school and college programming, received formal
invitations to join this critical profession. Organizations like ours
play a critical role in this ecosystem by not only rebuilding a Black
Teacher Pipeline but also strengthening it and addressing its many
leaks.
Black Men in Education Convening
I also want to mention that we host the largest gathering of Black
educators in the country annually--the Black Men in Education Convening
(#BMEC2024). The event occurs in November each year and brings together
more than 1,000 Black educators from across the country for workshops,
panel discussions, and networking opportunities in Philadelphia. This
conference, a platform for celebrating achievements, highlights best
practices, and offers space for social-emotional well-being,
reinforcing the importance of Black male educators in the teaching
profession.
I would be delighted to formally invite each of you to attend our
upcoming event on [insert dates], at [location]. Your presence would
underscore the importance of this issue and provide an opportunity to
engage directly with educators who are making a difference in
classrooms across the nation. We will send additional information
following this testimony.
Conclusion
The pursuit of educator diversity is not merely a matter of
representation; it is a critical component of educational equity and
excellence. By bringing a multitude of voices and experiences into our
classrooms, we enrich the learning environment for all students--
especially those from marginalized communities and students with
disabilities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the challenges we face,
leading to increased teacher shortages, particularly in special
education. Financial barriers, such as unpaid training periods,
continue to deter talented individuals from entering the profession.
Through intentional efforts and innovative programs that maintain high
standards, we can overcome these obstacles.
Imere's story is a testament to what can be achieved when systemic
barriers are dismantled and supportive pathways into the teaching
profession are established. Organizations like ours play a vital role
in rebuilding and strengthening the Black Teacher Pipeline, addressing
leaks that often deter talented individuals from pursuing careers in
education.
I urge the Committee to take decisive action by:
Supporting Federal Programs: Expand funding and support
for initiatives like the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence that
directly address educator diversity.
Investing in Alternative Pathways: Encourage the
development of innovative programs that offer flexible, accessible, and
paid routes into teaching, ensuring they remain rigorous and
competitive without lowering professional standards.
Enhancing IDEA Implementation: Ensure that the principles
of IDEA are fully realized by preparing educators to meet the needs of
students with disabilities and addressing the acute shortages in
special education teachers.
Addressing Financial Barriers: Implement policies that
provide financial support for teacher candidates, including stipends
during training periods, loan forgiveness, and scholarships, to make
the profession accessible to individuals from lower-income backgrounds.
Our collective commitment to these strategies will have a profound
impact on the lives of students across the nation. Together, we can
build an education system that reflects the rich diversity of our
country and upholds the promise of equal opportunity for every child.
Thank you for your time and dedication to this critical issue. I
welcome any questions you may have and look forward to the possibility
of your attendance at our upcoming Black Men in Education Convening in
November.
______
Chairman Bean. Nailed it. Thank you so much, Mr. El-Mekki,
thank you very much. Our final witness is Dr. Greg Mendez,
welcome to the Committee, and you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF DR. GREG MENDEZ, PRINCIPAL, SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL,
MESA PUBLIC SCHOOLS, MESA, ARIZONA
Mr. Mendez. Good morning. Thank you, Dr. Foxx, Chairman
Bean, Ranking Member Bonamici, and members of the Committee.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. As a
high school principal, I have witnesses firsthand what the
traditional methods of teacher prep programs are struggling to
meet the evolving needs of not only our students, but the
demands of educators as well.
The current model of teaching where one teacher works
individually with a group of learners in a classroom, or a
small box inside of a larger box that we call school, promotes
unrealistic expectations by assuming individual teachers
working in isolation can meet the needs of all students.
Unfortunately, the teacher prep programs not only promote
this, but exacerbate it, by selling the idea that one person
can do the job of many and meet the needs of all students.
Today I will discuss my story about building team-based models
in schools, and their benefits as well as some concerns
associated with the current traditional teacher prep programs
that limit our ability to hire a workforce to meet the needs of
our students.
Restructuring our learning environments is necessary to not
only meet the demands of students, but the working conditions
in which our teachers work as well. Developing team-based
models was our entry point. This model emphasizes working in
teams, a specialization in skills and pedagogy, and pathways
for community members to contribute to a learning environment.
When we began to think about team-based teaching in our
school a few tenants were established. No. 1, a team will have
multiple adults with distributed experience. No. 2, they will
share a roster of students. During our first iteration of
building teams, we noticed our teachers collaborating more,
solving problems, working synergistically at deeper levels to
improve the outcomes for not only students, but their own
working conditions.
We saw an increase in job satisfaction, innovation, and
perhaps most important, on-the-job professional development. As
we partnered with Arizona State University and their initiative
called The Next Education Workforce, we were able to have a
thought partner in what the design of our teacher workforce
could be.
To that end, we began to place student teachers on teams at
our school. In short, our student teachers who were on teams,
grew as professionals, and were more prepared to meet the
demands of a 21st Century student body than teachers who were
not on teams. This is a good start. However, there's a lot of
work to be done. As I interview teachers year in and year out,
it is evident that teacher prep programs are still producing
teachers that are suited for a one teacher, one classroom
model.
A few areas that stand out to me. There is a focus on
scripted one-size fits all lessons, and there is a focus on
specific grade level and content area only. These constraints
present problems when trying to hire educators, especially in a
team-based model. Instead of being able to hire a specialized
teacher in project-based learning, differentiated assessment,
competency-based learning, and placing them on a team, I am
confined to hiring simply a 9 through 12 math teacher.
Because of this approach, teachers who are training in the
traditional prep programs are expected to be all things to all
kids. This simply is not possible. Teachers are often ill-
prepared and graduate from a program with a strong passion for
content knowledge, but not a continuum of teaching skills.
We are reaching to improve programs. No. 1, focus
certifications on skills and pedagogy, rather than rigid grade
level bands and content areas only. Specialization in critical
areas such as literacy, numeracy, assessment design, real world
application, relevancy, and designed thinking prepare student
teachers to work collaboratively, reflecting the realities of
the job today.
By experiencing teaching in teams during their preparation,
aspiring teachers can learn to leverage the strength and
expertise of their colleagues, enhancing their own learning,
and create more opportunities for working adults in our
community to obtain specializations and contribute to the
learning experience without undergoing an exhaustive
preparation program.
These are all transferrable across grade levels and content
areas, broadening the impact, and expanding the pool of
educators. By moving toward specialization, and creating
pathways for our community members to contribute, the
conditions to build a more robust and effective teacher
workforce can begin.
When school reform or redesign is on the table, school
leaders often create and establish lofty goals. However, author
James Clearwood states, ``You don't rise to the level of your
goals, you fall to the level of your systems.'' As such, a more
intentional focus should be placed on improving our teacher
prep programs if you want to improve our outcomes for our
students and teachers.
In closing, I ask that you consider the potential of team-
based teaching models in schools and support the effort to
transform teacher prep programs for the benefit of our
educators, our students, and the future of our educational
system. Thank you.
[The Statement of Mr. Mendez follows:]
Statement of Dr. Greg Mendez, Principal, Skyline High School, Mesa
Public Schools, Mesa, Arizona
Good morning, Chairwoman Foxx, Chairman Bean, Ranking Member
Bonamici, and members of the committee:
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. As a high
school principal, I have witnessed firsthand where the traditional
methods of teacher prep programs are struggling to meet the evolving
needs of not only our students, but the needs of educators as well. The
current model of teaching, where one teacher works individually with a
group of learners in a classroom, or a small box inside of a larger box
that we call school, promotes unrealistic expectations by assuming
individual teachers working in isolation can meet the needs of all
students. Unfortunately, the teacher prep programs not only promote
this, but exacerbate it as well by selling the idea that one person can
do the job of many and meet the needs of all students.
Today, I will discuss my story about building team-based models in
schools and their benefits, as well as some concerns associated with
the current traditional teacher preparation programs that limit our
ability to hire a workforce to meet the needs of our students.
Restructuring our learning environments is necessary to not only
meet the needs of the students, but the working conditions in which our
teachers work as well. Developing team-based models was our entry
point. This model emphasizes working in teams, a specialization in
skills and pedagogy, and pathways for community members to contribute
to the learning environments.When we began to think about team-based
teaching in our school, a few tenets were established:
1. A team will have multiple adults with distributed expertise.
2. Shared roster of students.
During our first iteration of building teams, we noticed our
teachers collaborating more, solving problems, and working
synergistically at deeper levels to improve the outcomes for not only
students, but their own working conditions. We saw an increase in job
satisfaction, innovation, and perhaps most important, on the job
professional development.
As we partnered with Arizona State University and their initiative
called the Next Education Workforce, we were able to have a thought
partner in what the design of our teacher workforce could be. To that
end, we began to place student teachers on teams at our school. In
short, our student teachers who were on teams grew as professionals and
were more prepared to meet the needs of a 21st century student body
than teachers who were not on teams.
This is a good start. However, there is work to be done. As I
interview teachers year in and year out, it is evident that teacher
prep programs are still producing teachers that are suited for a one
teacher, one classroom model.
A few areas that stand out:
1. There is a focus on scripted, one-size fits all lessons.
2. The focusing is on a specific grade level and content area
only.
These constraints present problems when trying to hire educators,
especially in a team-based model. Instead of being able to hire a
specialized teacher in project-based learning, differentiated
assessments, or competency based learning, and placing them on a team,
I am confined to hiring a 9-12 general math teacher.
Because of this approach, teachers who are prepared in the
traditional teacher prep programs are expected to be all things to all
students. This simply is not possible. Teachers are often ill-prepared
and graduate from a program with a strong passion for content
knowledge, but not a continuum of specialized teaching skills.
Where can we improve teacher preparation programs?
1. Focus certifications on skills and pedagogy rather than
rigid grade-level bands and content areas only
2. Specialization in critical areas such as literacy, numeracy,
assessment design, real world application, relevancy, and
design thinking.
3. Prepare student teachers to work collaboratively, reflecting
the realities of the job today. By experiencing teaching in
teams during their preparation, aspiring teachers can learn to
leverage the strengths and expertise of their colleagues,
enhancing their own learning.
4. Create more opportunities for working adults in our
community to obtain specializations and contribute to the
learning experience without undergoing an exhaustive
preparation program.
These are all transferable across grade levels and content areas,
broadening the potential impact and expanding the pool of educators. By
moving towards specialization, and creating pathways for community
members to contribute, the conditions to build a more robust and
effective teacher workforce can begin.
When school reform or redesign is on the table, school leaders
often create and establish lofty goals. However, author James Clear,
states, ``you don't rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the
level of your systems.'' As such, a more intentional focus should be
placed on improving our teacher prep programs if we want to improve our
outcomes for students and teachers.
In closing, I ask you to consider the potential of team-based
models in schools, and support the efforts to transform teacher
preparation for the benefit of our educators, our students, and the
future of our educational system.
Thank you.
______
Chairman Bean. Dr. Mendez, thank you very much. All our
panelists, you did great, and under the Committee Rule 9, we
will now give you some questions to further explore the
discussion of the teacher shortage, is there a problem in
America? We will talk about that. Under the 5-minute rule, I
now recognize myself for 5 minutes.
Toss up, is the warning light on? Do we have to do
something different? Anybody want to jump in? Is that true? We
have got to change.
Dr. Basile.
Ms. Basile. 100 percent.
Chairman Bean. 100 percent, so the warning light on we have
got to do something different because it is not working right,
right now. Principal Greg, you are on the front line. Are you
having a hard time hiring teachers and keeping them there?
Mr. Mendez. Yes, every day. I think being able to find
qualified teachers who wanted to do the job, and it is very
challenging, how or when we do get them, we do get them into
model, we do believe we are retaining them at a higher rate.
They are enjoying their profession, but getting their foot in
the door has been a definite challenge.
Chairman Bean. Very good. Now, both you and Dr. Basile both
have talked about teams. What does that mean? If I am a
student, what will that mean? Does that mean there are two
teachers coming in, or multiple teachers coming in? What will I
notice the difference as a student? Anybody?
Dr. Basile.
Ms. Basile. We define teams as at least two teaches sharing
a roster of students, right? A double roster. We talk about it
like this. In what happens right now as you take a group of
students, you say here are your 25 kids, your 25 kids, your 25,
or maybe 30 or maybe 60, depending on where you live.
We hope, right, that every one of those teachers are the
same, and every kid is going to get the same kind of
experience, and they are not, because one of those teachers
might be a brand new teacher. One of them might be an emergency
teacher. One might be somebody who came in, who was an engineer
coming back, and somebody might have 15 years of experience.
What we are saying in teams is how do all those people
then, those four people because which one do you want for your
kid? Do you want all of them? How do you look at kids, that
same group of kids, look at the variance of those kids, the
needs of those kids, and now build teams of adults around those
kids that address the needs, teams of adults that have
expertise that address the needs.
Chairman Bean. If I am in the classroom it could be Ms.
Jones 1 day. It could be Mr. Rogers the next day. They are
interchangeable as heads of the teaching?
Ms. Basile. You are in a classroom, and you have all four
teachers.
Chairman Bean. Right. There are four, yes, there are four,
and they are coming, and when you are not teaching, and you are
part of the team and you are not teaching, what are you doing?
Ms. Basile. You are always teaching.
Chairman Bean. You are always teaching.
Ms. Basile. You are just grouping. You have a small group.
You have a different small group. You are always teaching.
Chairman Bean. Okay.
Ms. Basile. Or you are planning, but you are always
working.
Chairman Bean. Your high school utilizes this method, Dr.
Mendez. Is it working? Is that working, to have multiple
teachers for each class?
Mr. Mendez. Yes. I think the first impact that happens is
by wrapping, like at our school, our teams are five teachers
and a special education teacher, so six total, around 150 kids,
180 kids maximum. If you are in that roster the first thing
that happens is the students are known.
One of our goals in our district is to know every kid by
name, serve them by strength and graduate them ready for a
college career community. With that, with having a team, a
student getting known is No. 1. Meeting their needs is No. 2,
but those teachers are collaborating, they are co-creating and
co-designing lessons, and learning experience for students.
At times there are multiple teachers in the room. At times
there is not. It still is high school. Algebra, we taught at
algebra, world history is world history, government is
government, however, the impact is that teachers collectively
can share their expertise to design better learning experiences
to honestly meet the needs of all kids. When we say all kids,
we do mean all kids, 10-4.
Chairman Bean. No, 10-4. It is working. It is good. I would
imagine when I am part of a team I think everybody does better,
and I see that, and that is, I know, a complaint of teachers. I
am not supported. I am by myself. I want to have somebody. No,
this is something that we all need to explore the team
approach.
Dr. Spooner, we have been told, or at least it is hard for
folks that are not--that are experts in their field, but are
not coming to the educational path they want to teach. Like if
you know Bill Gates wanted to teach computers, or Elon Musk
wanted to teach science, that they would not--they just could
not come in the classroom, the barriers are so high to people
who have expertise and want to give back.
Is that true? What can we do to welcome Elon Musk and Bill
Gates to the teaching arena?
Ms. Spooner. I would say that is true in many instances. We
do have opportunities, and we are working through some
possibilities, and again, strategically we need to think about
what it for the children in the classrooms is that they need to
know, before we begin looking at experts in disciplines.
For example, we have built certificate programs where
individuals can come into the profession, such as Bill Gates,
or someone who may have a mathematic major.
Chairman Bean. Is it too hard right now? Would you say it
is too hard? Is that an area we need to look at to make it
easier for?
Ms. Spooner. It is an area, yes. It is an area that we all
need to look at to make sure that we are doing--the word
``streamlining'' was used, to make sure that we are
streamlining, working with individuals to meet the needs of--
or, meet their experience needs, and what that looks like in
the classroom, and develop more streamlined programs, so that a
person comes into the profession not doing a 4-year, but doing
maybe a----
Chairman Bean. Noted. No, no, you made your point.
Ms. Spooner. Yes.
Chairman Bean. Thank you very much.
Ms. Spooner. Thank you.
Chairman Bean. Thank you all for questions. Let us go to
the Ranking Member now from the great State of Connecticut, Ms.
Hayes, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you. Thank you to our witnesses for being
here today. I would first like to note that I am a teacher, and
teaching is a profession, not an arena, not something that
people just show up and start to do the job. It takes a
tremendous amount of training, of skill, of practice, of
pedagogy in order to do it.
I have read all of your testimony, and I have heard you
today, and I agree with you all about the need to fully fund
IDEA, about teacher shortages, about paying in some of these
programs, but there was something that I did not hear that I
would like to focus my attention on today.
As I said, I am a teacher. I went through traditional
teacher preparation programs. My undergraduate degree was in
history and secondary education. In my State, a master's degree
is required, so I went on to get a master's degree in
curriculum instruction. Then went on to get an advanced degree
in education, which is required in Connecticut to be a
department head, an administrator or principal.
I had 9 years of teacher preparation training at teacher
preparation colleges, and one of the things that was lacking
from all of that training, and I bring this up today because
this is a hearing on equipping--properly equipping America's
educators. That was trauma informed instructional practices.
I could have never been prepared in all of those 9 years of
training for the death of peers of my students, having to be a
grief counselor for school shootings. I was in the classroom
when Sandy Hook occurred just eight miles down the road from
us. I was in the classroom on 9/11.
Students coming in with families that are struggling with
addiction, divorce, moving, all of those traumatic experiences
gravely impacted students' ability to learn. Trauma has a
significant impact on the ability of students to learn and
behave in the classroom and interact socially. It can also lead
to lower academic performances, more school absences, and an
increased dropout rate.
Too often I saw my colleagues referring students for
discipline, as opposed to getting to the root cause of the
trauma, and the environments that they were growing in that
were prohibiting them from thriving. Trauma informed education
can help schools identify, address and manage traumatic stress.
It can also include examining the impacts of factors, such
as racism, poverty and community violence. Mr. El-Mekki, thank
you so much for being here. My question is for you. What
measures can be taken to provide professional development for
teachers, so that they can better support students who have
faced traumatic experiences?
Additionally, what are some of the barriers we see to
providing those things? It has been my experience that many
people enter the profession bright-eyed and optimistic, and are
worn out after a few short years, not because of the academic
rigor, but because of all of the other things that they have no
control over.
Mr. El-Mekki. Absolutely, and thank you for raising this
very important point. My 26 years as a teacher and a principal
were all in three Title I schools. The ability to provide
support, both to the teachers, as well as the students,
included social workers and counselors, and ongoing
professional development, and while we were in the classroom.
I was also in the school during 9/11, but it would also
push that beforehand we need people who are aware of that in
the educative prep programming. Many of them have not been in
that space for a pretty long time and are ill-equipped at times
to prepare teachers and other staff to enter schools that need
this additional support.
One of the ways that we look at this at the Center for
Black Educator Development is we have high school students
engaging in that already because it is a pre-apprenticeship,
they are teaching first, second and third graders who may
experience many of the things that you already have spoken
about.
Receiving the coaching, the mentoring and the professional
development as early as 9th grade, to think about what does
this mean, and how does it mean? They have also become stronger
advocates for themselves about what they need as current
students, but they are clear eyed, and focused, as they
matriculate through not only high school, but then choosing
college, and continuing to work with us as college students.
This kind of professional development training and support
bolsters the education, and children have to be well in order
to learn at high rates.
Mrs. Hayes. I appreciate that. I appreciate you talking
about the full spectrum, and not just one class, or one
training, but ongoing efforts. I introduced the Supporting
Trauma Informed Instructional Practices Act, which authorizes
grants designed to help schools improve how they address the
complex needs of students coping with devastating adverse
childhood experiences, such as parental addiction, abuse, or
witnessing violence.
The bill will develop or improve prevention, screening,
referral, treatment and support services to students, while
providing professional development to teachers, school leaders,
specialized instruction support personnel, and mental health
professionals.
These are the types of things that have to be included in
any teacher preparation program that is attempting to prepare
student teachers for what they will experience in the
classroom. My time is expired, with that I yield back.
Chairman Bean. Thank you very much. Let us go to the great
State of Utah, where Mr. Burgess Owens is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. Owens. Thank you. Thank you so much. First of all, I
want to say how much I appreciate what you guys are doing.
Innovation is a powerful concept if something is needed so well
in this particular industry. I have been reminded that it was
Horace Mann who was the father of public education, who passed
away 20 years before Alexander Bell said the words, ``Hello,
Watson.''
That Hello, Watson has now, because of innovation, risk,
and a free market, has now turned into our smart phone.
Unfortunately, the public education is still doing what Horace
Mann did in the old days. This is so important, and we realize
this is a national security issue. What you guys are doing, you
are leading out in terms of how our country will come back and
be competitive in the end, in one of the areas we need to be
very, very competitive.
Thank you so much for that. Dr. Basile, your testimony, you
recommend that State and local government rewards school
systems whose innovation leads to demonstratable improvement in
learning outcomes. What do you think rewards to the school
systems should consist of?
Ms. Basile. I think there are two things here. One is we
are thinking about innovation. First of all, every part of
government needs to give schools permission to be innovative.
They cannot hold them back, they need to let them do the kids
of things, the kind of structural and systemic changes we're
talking about here.
Two is that they need to support them financially to make
sure that these things can happen, that change can happen, that
innovation can happen. This is not without some financial
support.
Mr. Owens. Okay. One of the things that I meant to mention
also in every industry, a free market rewards success, and it
also gets rid of failure. We need to bring this to this
industry. How can we--and I woud like to get this suggestion.
How can we--or is there some system in which we could start
rewarding those who truly are good at their occupation, that
they can literally make enough money that income is not their
issue, like every other industry we have out there. There is no
cap.
At the same time, find ways that those who are not doing
their job find something else to do. Any suggestions, Dr.
Basile, with that?
Ms. Basile. It is a good question. I do not know that I
have a good answer at this time.
Mr. Owens. Can anybody address that? I know this is
something that is so unique and different with this industry
that we have not addressed yet. We talk innovation, this is the
time to breakout of the old school way of thinking. How can we
bring the best in the world, the best in our country to this
industry if they love teaching, but they just cannot afford to
do it?
Any suggestions out there of how State and local government
collaboration?
Mr. El-Mekki. I hesitate to suggest that teachers and
educators are going to make as much as people make in a free
market, however I would say that salary is a tremendous issue.
It should not cost money. You should not go into debt to lead a
classroom. You should not go into debt to lead a school.
This is absolutely critical. The other part I would say
that we are talking about teachers, but one of the most
important levers to ensure that teachers are effective, is
highly effective principals. There are only 100,000 public
school principals in this country. They could all fit in Penn
States Football Stadium. If we cannot get that right, both with
the salary, the training, the ongoing coaching and mentoring,
it is going to be a lot harder to support the three and a half
million teachers, and the 50 million students.
I would say salaries and loan forgiveness, paid student
teaching, all of these things, as well as just better designed
working environments. That takes money, it takes investment to
create. Teachers should not be isolated. They should be
coached, mentored.
When I first became a teacher, I was on my way to law
school. I decided to become a teacher because some had pointed
the impact that it could make. I had an instructional coach,
and I had an in-house mentor. Those are two investments that
allowed me to flourish.
Mr. Owens. Okay. Okay. I understand because my dad was a
college professor 40 years, my mom was a teacher. I know the
excitement, the passion that those who have this in the
profession. We need to start thinking differently. I do believe
there has been ways, like every other industry in our country,
that free market could be brought into this.
We have to figure out a way to break out of this mindset.
We have too many good people leaving the profession to do
something where they could afford to have a life. We have
people that would literally come out of different
organizations, different corporations if they could afford to
stay within this industry and do the very best for our kids.
Again, it is a different way of thinking, but we have a
chance. Now, we are talking innovation, let us kind of put
everything on the plate. Let us think differently than we have
the last 150 years. It is time to leave the Horace Mann era and
come to where we are now looking at smart phone concepts and
ideas, and breaking the system that has not been working for us
for so long. With that, I want to yield back. Thank you. Thank
you so much you, guys.
Chairman Bean. Thank you very much. Let us go to the great
State of California, Representative Kiley, you are recognized
for 5 minutes.
Mr. Kiley. I thank you, Mr. Chair, for holding this year, a
very important topic. The reality is we need to be doing a lot
more to support our teachers, and I say that not just because I
was a high school teacher, my mom was a special ed teacher, but
because any educator, or parent or student for that matter can
tell you that the most important thing when it comes to driving
educational success is having a highly effective teacher in the
classroom.
Right now, the system is not working the way it should, or
at least it is not getting enough folks into the classroom and
keeping them there. 86 percent of public schools have said they
struggled to hire teachers for this school year, and 16 percent
of teachers left their school between the 2021 and 1921-'22
school year.
In fact, enrollment in teacher education, teacher
preparation programs is just 70 percent of what it was a decade
ago, and you know, it is understandable why in some sense,
often preparing to be a teacher, going through a certification
program, requires years of expensive schooling, and then once
you do ultimately get in the classroom, teachers often do not
get paid what they should.
We definitely need to have alternate pathways into the
classroom, as several of the witnesses are making possible, but
then the other side of it is retention. I mean I think that for
all the years of prep that is often necessary to become a
teacher, then once you are in the classroom all too often
teachers are just left to fend for themselves. There is not the
level of professional development that is needed.
I think it is under appreciated what a challenging task
being a teacher is, what a demanding form of leadership it is,
where you are placed in front of 30-some young people who may
have a lot of things on their mind on any given day, other than
what you want to teach them, and so just the classroom
management aspect of it, and then actually being able to impart
knowledge when you have people at varying different levels of
proficiency.
It could also be isolating, since you are spending hours
and hours a day without the collaboration of other adults, and
then, even once the school day is over, teachers could spend
hours grading papers, getting detailed feedback, and again, not
necessarily getting the compensation they deserve.
Then in addition to all of that, we are living in a rapidly
changing world where the purposes of education were the nature
of the economy, the demands of our workforce are changing quite
rapidly. All of that serves to really put the challenges that
we face or make the challenges that we face quite urgent.
I am encouraged to see some of the ideas at this hearing.
One other thing I will mention is that there are also
opportunities. Just the last couple days, Open AI released its
new advanced voice assistant, which you know, anybody now on
their phone could effectively have a personal tutor with
limitless knowledge that is specifically tailored to your level
of proficiency.
These tools--Khan Academy is also incorporating it into its
offerings. They can also be used for things like grading, for a
lot of the things that make teaching challenging, scaffolding,
they can be of assistance. Now, none of that is to say, and to
deny the teacher student relationship is absolutely
fundamental.
I think that the question for the folks here, maybe for the
principal as well as for our witnesses who run teacher prep
programs, if you want to weigh in as well, is how should we
think about these tools when it comes to preparing the next
generation of teachers?
Ms. Spooner. Thank you so much. I am sorry--okay. Thank you
so much for your question. You are absolutely on target in
terms of the ever-changing landscape of which we find
ourselves, and that is part of the need that we are looking at
in terms of we run a kindergarten through fifth grade
laboratory school, which means we have children in that
building every day all the time.
Immersing our candidates, No. 1, into that schooling, into
other schools, so that they practice, and they see the work,
but it starts with teacher preparation. In terms of our
curriculum redesign, our constantly looking at how we look at
that, and the technologies that we use, and utilizing those
technologies to develop and help design the work that we do,
but also to support that, not take it from the work of the
teacher.
Because as you have indicated, the teacher student ratio,
or relationship is so critical. Thank you.
Mr. Mendez. Just support to your point, working in a team,
having that expertise spread out across a team of teachers,
somebody who is well versed in AI, or the technology you are
speaking of to improve the outcomes for students is very
important. If we can get to a lot more kids, much more quickly
if that's spread out across teams, and somebody has that
experience within that group, or within that school to affect
the outcome of kids.
Ms. Basile. Let me just also add around the technology
piece, because I think it is absolutely right on. We need
technology, and we need it in the right ways. We need
technology just to power learning. We need technology to
actually power teams of teachers so they can work together. We
need technology that can also power systems and change systems.
Most data systems, H.R. systems are built around one teacher,
one classroom models.
Those systems also need to change, and I believe that AI
can have a big part to play in all of that. It is broader than
what is just happening in classrooms. It is the entire system
and how AI can support the entire system in so many different
ways, and help us do what we do so much better.
Mr. Kiley. Thanks very much. I yield back.
Chairman Bean. Thank you very much, and thank you. Let is
go to the Chair of the Education and Workforce Committee from
the great State of North Carolina, it is Dr. Virginia Foxx. You
are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mrs. Foxx. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Dean Spooner, thank you
for your testimony about the work you are doing at the State
and local level in North Carolina to equip great teachers. I
have long believed the most important work in schools happens
at the State and local level.
You touched on this briefly in your testimony. Could you
talk a little bit more and keeping in mind I have got two other
questions to ask. Could you talk more about how you learn from
local communities about their teacher workforce needs?
Ms. Spooner. Absolutely, thank you. We have a very strong,
and this is something that is deep in the DNA of our
university, and also our program. Partnership, meaning that
means you meet collaborative. You meet face to face. You go
into the community, with the superintendents, with the
partners, that is an advantage that I have at Appalachian to be
able to sit with them at a minimum, a quarterly basis.
We also have begun to pull in more of the community college
partners, Presidents of community colleges to work, so it is an
intentional purposeful work that we do to collaborate to learn
from them so they can learn from us. We build it together.
Mrs. Foxx. Thank you very much. Dr. Basile, I enjoyed my
visit very much to Arizona State and am really excited about
what you are doing as well as Appalachian State in terms of the
teacher preparation programs. You have developed a number of
connections with neighboring schools.
There is a focus there also on working at the local level.
How do you build trust with these districts, and convince them
to move away from the one teacher, one classroom model?
Ms. Basile. Change moves at the seed of trust. We say that
all the time. We also encourage people to start small, all
right, so we are not walking in, and we are not telling them
what to do and saying here is how you change your entire school
at one time. We say look, start with one team. Find a really
good leader, find a really good team of teachers that are
really interested in this, who understand what we are trying to
do, and you start there.
What happens after that is really pretty amazing, because
what we have seen in schools, they start with one team, and by
the end of the year everybody is in teams because people look
in and say I want to work that way as well. It is helping us to
retain teachers. It is helping right now that all of the data
that we are getting back, teachers are more satisfied.
We are seeing better retention numbers. We are seeing some
early, early, early student return on student data that is
positive. All the indicators are positive, and that is helping
us to build that level of trust.
Mrs. Foxx. Thank you. Dr. Mendez, as I mentioned to you
before, we know that the key to a successful school is a good
principal who hires good teachers, and parental involvement.
Please tell us more about how you manage the relationships with
your teachers. When you started to move away from the one
teacher, one classroom model, how did you ensure teachers would
buy into the changes?
Mr. Mendez. Thank you. To kind of echo Dr. Basile there, we
started with a small team, first and foremost. We spent a lot
of time reading, discussing, looking at research around the
power of proximity, the power of collaboration with teachers,
and once we found a group to start working together, they
become the marketing firm for the change that's happening on
the campus, and those teachers begin to speak about their
working conditions, helping other students more, how their
students are more engaged.
With that, we were able to expand our teams beyond where we
were, and we are up to teamed 9th, 10th and 11th grade this
school year. We are still working on 12th grade because each
kid has their own path to graduation. That is where we started,
and I think there is power when teachers start to work together
and collaborate.
I think I will say outside of when teachers work together,
teachers are amazing people, and it is an amazing profession.
When you allow them the agency to work together, and really
hone in on their skills and their passions for education, you
know, the possibilities are endless.
Mrs. Foxx. Thank you. It is not a mystery to me it seems
that we have had difficulty in the last few years recruiting
people to go into teaching. I have often mentioned that we put
an adult in a room with 30 kids, lock the door, and say you are
in there all day long all by yourself handling these students.
Again, it should not be a mystery. I do not know very many
people who want to go into that kind of environment. What you
all are doing, and you have all mentioned collaboration. You
have all mentioned teams, and if you look around in the private
sector, you see the word teams. You see the word associate. You
see the word collaboration constantly.
I think it is very exciting that we are seeing this new
approach to preparing people to teach by doing the things you
are doing. Really focusing on the real world, what is it going
to be like to do classroom management in addition to exposing
the students to the subject matter. I am very excited about
what we are hearing today from the teacher preparation, from
Dr. Mendez, in terms of what is going on.
I think that we are learning a lot, and that the world is
learning a lot, that what we need to be doing to have effective
teachers, so thank you all very much, and thank you, Mr.
Chairman, for your indulgence.
Chairman Bean. Thank you, Dr. Foxx. Let us go back to the
great State of California, where Representative DeSaulnier is
standing by, and he is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. DeSaulnier. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for
giving me an opportunity. It has been my privilege in the three
decades or more that I have been in elected office, starting
with city council to become friends and part of the disability
community. I spent a lot of time with special needs, special
education, teachers, young people in California.
There was a time when I was in the State legislature where
Governor Brown, and we developed a formula to help. It was
called Local Control Formula. Billions of dollars reallocated
to give school districts more discretion, rather than have the
State overly manage very different communities in a large
State.
I had a superintendent I had great respect for in a medium-
sized district, tell me I can take all this extra money and put
it into my special needs community, and it still would not be
enough. My question, Mr. El-Mekki is the GAO just did a report
that it has gotten worse to try to attract people to go into
teaching in general, and retain people, particularly for this
community that is grown with challenges around developmentally
challenged students and population, autism, and other things.
That GAO says it has 15 percent of the student population
in the United States, is in this category, but we cannot get
young people to go into teaching in general, but particularly
into this community. Then we get these wonderful people that we
all have had the good fortune to be able to work with, who want
to go in this field, and they burn out.
The retention is more challenging than actually getting
people to go into the field. Given that, that it has been
difficult all along, and IDEA was a wonderful idea by Congress
many years ago. I have had administrators complain about how
much time they spent doing the paperwork in IDEA, but would
like more discretion just to solve the problem, along with the
oversight that is completely reasonable for Congress to ask for
in our role in this community.
Could you just maybe enlighten us with the GAO report of
the challenges that you see that have only seemed to be getting
worse for this particular community, and the needs for this
community, for both attracting good teachers, but retaining
them, and what we need to do to accomplish that goal to attract
many of these wonderful young people who go into the field, and
then retain them, and give the support they need, so these kids
can be successful, and we change the curve.
Mr. El-Mekki. Yes, thank you for that question. Very
important component of this ecosystem. I would echo what some
of my colleagues mentioned, the pre-work is really the
preparation. We encourage our apprentices to become dual
certified. Whatever their content is, but then also adding
special ed as a dual certification.
Some are extremely interested but say they cannot afford
the additional classes. The one thing is on the front end, to
help and actually incentivize, more and more teachers to become
dual certified. We know that the student population is becoming
more and more diverse.
That includes students of special needs. To be able to
serve them well, as well as doing other work, not only requires
them to be prepared, but also to have the support within
schools. Again, as my colleagues have emphasized, having that
one classroom, and one teacher, trying to not only think about
the 30 students that were mentioned, but also 30 diverse needs
within that classroom is extremely challenging for one person
to do, no matter how gifted they are.
On the front end, preparing them, but then also making sure
that the support continues throughout, because the support for
a teacher is also support for the student. We believe in
student centered approaches, that are teacher supportive.
Having aides and assistants, and other colleagues supporting
that work. Having policies that support students with special
needs as well, and making sure that they are not being
marginalized, making sure that they are reaching their optimal
levels of achievement.
All of these things require investment on the front end,
but then continuous. Too often the training, the professional
development that our teachers receive is a one-shot deal.
Mr. DeSaulnier. The current Superintendent of Public
Instruction California, Tony Thurman, is a friend from the same
community I represent. I have known him for a long time. His
predecessor was one of my best friends. When we talk about this
in a big State like California, with a lot of diversity, the
bureaucracy of trying to get that--just what you described, and
then the own sort of administrators' perceptions, given the
shortfall in funding is a real challenge.
Even though we--as you just described it, deploying those
best practices is another big challenge in big areas. Any
response to that?
Mr. El-Mekki. I would say that there are places, I am sure,
that are doing well, and those--the strategies at our goal
level have to be magnified and exemplified, and used as
exemplars, and then the incentives to replicate that can
continue. I think too often there are bright spots, but those
bright spots are often disconnected from the discourse around
the country happening particularly in states like California,
that are so large, so diverse.
Mr. DeSaulnier. I appreciate that.
Mr. El-Mekki. I would just also say just bringing in people
from the community, they are often not invited into the
profession.
Mr. DeSaulnier. Um-hmm. I appreciate that. Mr. Chairman,
thanks for indulging me. I yield back.
Chairman Bean. Very good. Thank you so much. If you are
just joining us, this is the Subcommittee on Early Childhood
Elementary and Secondary Education. We are talking about the
teacher shortage that America is facing. It is in every State.
The teacher retention challenge is in every State.
We are expecting our Ranking Member in just a few minutes,
and as we wait on her coming, she is here. Breaking news. Yes.
She is here, so Ranking Member, right on time, so Ranking
Member, welcome back. You are recognized for any questions.
Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Bonamici. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and thank
you to the witnesses. I have not figured out how to be in more
than one place at a time. I was talking about the very
important issue of childcare. Thank you again, Chair Bean, and
for accommodating me.
I am really encouraged by some of the innovative policies
and programs that exist to recruit and retain educators. One of
those promising approaches is the Grow Your Own Program, in
which young people from local high schools are recruited to
become educators in their communities. It is especially
valuable in high need and underserved districts.
In Oregon, the Education Advancement Council has developed
local and regional partnerships with districts and
universities, and they provide grants for these Grow Your Own
Programs, and in the most recent cycle 29 districts and
universities received grants, and were able to support career
pathways into education.
Mr. El-Mekki, what role do Grow Your Own Programs play in
reducing barriers to entering the teaching profession? How can
these programs most effectively prepare aspiring teachers for
the realities of the classroom?
Mr. El-Mekki. Yes, absolutely. I think Grow Your Own is one
of the inspiring innovations that can occur. We need to make
sure that Grow Your Own also has a standard because
unfortunately it is beginning to mean a lot of different things
for a lot of different people. We celebrate the work that
National Center for Grow Your Own is doing in helping with
states and districts who work on figuring out how to build
long-term pipelines for future teachers.
Removing financial barriers, providing paid training, and
ongoing support. I think for high schools that is the bulk of
our work, and I think about the 17 black men educators who were
highly effective. We were doing well, relatively good looking,
and none of us had been invited into the profession until after
we had graduated from college.
Ms. Bonamici. Can I just ask if there are some key policy
changes that could expand this and other innovative models to
make them successful?
Mr. El-Mekki. Absolutely. One is further investing in
career and technical education for high school students. We
have voc ed for every other career. U.S. Labor Department has
started looking at teaching as a workforce. That is critical,
and we have to continue to do that.
To ignore, to have--we need the welders, we need the
carpenters, we need all the other things, but we also need
teachers----
Ms. Bonamici. Absolutely.
Mr. El-Mekki [continuing]. Who will eventually do that. To
invite them into the profession early on, give them career
technical credit, as well as doing enrollment credit,
partnering with the IAGs to be able to have dual enrollment
credit, as well as CTE. One of the biggest levers----
Ms. Bonamici. A lot of conversations about those two issues
in this Committee over the years.
Mr. El-Mekki. Absolutely. That CTE investment.
Ms. Bonamici. Appreciate that. I also want to bring up
before my time expires, the issue of educator compensation. We
want the best and the brightest to become educators, but
research shows that compensation has had a pretty dramatic
effect on whether individuals choose to become teachers, as
well as how long they remain in the profession.
Unfortunately, many teachers earn much less than similarly
educated professionals, and many--some even need to rely on
public assistance programs to make ends meet. According to the
Learning Policy Institute, in 2023 in Oregon, the average
annual teaching starting salary was about $40,000.00.
When compared to similar educated professionals in the
State, teachers earned significantly less, and that's
unacceptable. Dr. Mendez, I understand that in Arizona you have
a significant pay gap between teachers and other similarly
educated professionals.
How does low compensation for teachers affect your ability
to recruit and retain high quality teachers? Then, Mr. El-
Mekki, if you could add how increased compensation might help
improve teacher recruitment and retention, including for
teachers of color.
Mr. Mendez. Thank you for that. I think first and foremost
for us I know in our community, and we want to make sure that
we create an environment that teachers want to be in, first and
foremost. If that does not exist, we are not going to attract
anybody to come in and teach for us anyway.
Now, in terms of compensation, I leave that to the people
above my pay grade in my district, and in our State, and I
think the people in those communities have the right to be
represented, and consider what is best for their community, and
their local context.
For me, as far as teachers coming into the profession, you
know I did it as well. I was a special education teacher, and I
got in the profession. I knew what the salary scale was when I
signed up, and I remember getting in because I wanted to help
children.
I wanted to help a community out, and so knowing that I
think it is really about the environment we create for
teachers, and we have noticed that with a better environment,
teachers are sticking around, and over the long haul, a lot of
them do pretty well.
Ms. Bonamici. I do not doubt--I know educators are
passionate, and often times they understand, and they are in
the profession because they love teaching, because they want to
make a difference in the students' lives. Then when you look at
things like if they have their own kids, look at the cost of
childcare, look at the costs, and if they have student loan
payments.
It is just not going to pencil out, and for a job that is
this important, we really do need to focus on compensation, and
Mr. El-Mekki, the clock has run out, but could you just say
would increased compensation help recruit diverse teachers?
Mr. El-Mekki. It would. It would support that tremendously.
It is so important that we actually added that into our
programming. Students who take our CTE course and then decide
to become teachers, we provide a $40,000.00 investment in them.
That is us, just a small nonprofit, $40,000.00. $20,000.00
while they are matriculating through college, that will help
reduce costs, but then when they get to their fifth year of
teaching, we give them a $20,000.00 retention stipend, just to
be able to augment the low starting salary that many of them
will have.
Ms. Bonamici. Understood. I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Bean. Thank you, do not go too far, Ranking Member
because we are about to begin closing statements, and I yield
to you for a closing statement, or thought.
Ms. Bonamici. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, once
again, thank you to the witnesses for being here, and
discussing this really important topic. I know we want students
of all ages, from the youngest, I'm a big supporter of
investments in early childhood education, so when students get
to kindergarten and beyond, they are prepared.
We want all students from the youngest, to those nearing
graduation to get a high-quality, well rounded education that
prepares them for whatever path they take in life. For many of
them that path might be a passion for teaching, but we need to
make sure that they have a good, smooth path to get there that
is not going to burden them with significant debt or concerns.
To accomplish that, we have to--we must recruit and retain
and support educators. As we have discussed today, this country
has struggled with teacher recruitment and retention for many
years, and of course the COVID-19 pandemic did not help any.
In fact, it created new and unforeseen problems in our
education system, exacerbated existing challenges. Educators
have been speaking about for decades. I remember talking with
educators during that time, and how incredibly frustrated and
concerned and worried they were for their students, the health
of their students, the health of their students' families, and
not knowing what to do, and wanting to do their best, but it
was incredibly challenging navigating those tough years.
I hope we can continue discussing innovative ways to
improve teacher recruitment and preparation, so educators have
the skills and the support they need, and students get the
quality education they deserve. Thank you again for being here,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Chairman Bean. Thank you very much, Ranking Member.
American, we have driven the education vehicle into the shop,
and we have held our breath. What is the mechanic going to say?
Is it a total rebuild, as you know, what is the outlook? How
much is it going to cost? The mechanics of education are before
us, America.
The good news is they have not recommended that we need a
rebuild, just a tune-up with a heavy dose of innovation. If you
want a second opinion, we have got a second, a third and a
fourth opinion that have all said America, your education
system needs innovation. It sounds like, Dr. Basile, you have
said early numbers are in, and it is making a difference.
Teacher burn out, we did not even--I lost track of my time
too. I wanted to talk about day 3,000 versus day 1. It is in
your written testimony. Burn out is a big deal, and you feel
like you are alone making it. You are not making a difference,
and you are just tired. What you all recommended is something
that America needs to take a look at.
The Federal Government does not control education, it is
local, it is states. If you are watching America, ASU--your
choice. ASU, Arizona State, or Appalachian State has innovative
ways that they are making a difference, the team approach.
Dr. Mendez, Principal Greg, as I call him, you can attest
that it is making a difference. Teachers feel empowered as well
as know that they are supported, and so it is something to
explore, something to explore, and I encourage school systems
across America, let us take a look. Maybe this is our answer of
handling the challenges coming before.
Here are two great things to me, and I am a salesman. One
is it does not pit winners and losers against each other.
This--a team approach, everybody wins. Students win, but
teachers win, and we are all on the same team of making big
changes for our education system, so everybody is a win.
The other thing is I know--I know it is always better to
have more money than less money, but that was not the theme.
You did not all say we need massive amounts of new money. This
is existing money, but just using innovation, so that is
something that is very exciting. America's education system, if
you are listening, maybe this is something we need to explore
without the massive price tag that many times that people come
before us.
Panelists, I had pretty high expectations for you. I said
that you all were going to be all-stars in education reform,
and you delivered, and in fact you exceeded expectations, so I
am delighted for each of you to come. Many people do not know
it is your own dime, and it is your own time to be here, and so
thank you for coming forward.
Hopefully, we've sparked the interest of America to call
you and to learn more. You have given us great information that
is part of our record, and people can Google that to learn more
as well. With that, I am looking around. Am I able to--are we
ready to hit this on that? Is that okay to do?
Thank you so much for everybody tuning in here. We have got
a great crowd here to do. I thank everybody for coming, and
without objection, there being no further business, the
Subcommittee stands, and this hearing is now adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:39 a.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]