What Have We Heard?

In April 2020, Rodel issued a survey asking respondents to prioritize the immediate, short-term needs related to COVID-19 and the longer-term needs for when students and teachers return to school. As our previous blog summarized, the 859 respondents, most of whom were parents and educators, cited a range of education needs including from Wi-Fi, parent supports, mental health, clear communication, and learning materials.

Furthermore, 52% of survey respondents indicated that they represent, serve, or care for English Learners/students who speak a language other than English. The results support what members of the Delaware Hispanic Commission Education subcommittee have shared at its last two monthly meetings.

In addition to the general education needs for all students listed above, we heard that English learners specifically need:

• Access to certified English learner teachers, programs, tutors, and translator services
• Access to an adaptation of online/printed materials, programs, and learning management system, in both English and the user’s native language
• Parent support including translation, interpreter assistance, technological assistance, training on how to help students learn, such as:
  1. Translation and ‘drop in’ type virtual Q&A sessions with qualified staff (not necessarily their teacher) to answer their questions
  2. Help managing learning for families with more than one child
• Support to communicate with all English-speaking and non-English speaking parents on how schools will transition back to in-person schooling, i.e. identifying learning gaps, transition year info

Where To Go For Answers To Frequently Asked Questions

During our Delaware Hispanic Commission Education Committee meetings, members of the community have asked questions about the current status of education for ELs.

What resources exist to address the needs of ELs, their families, and educators?

The links below include suggestions from the Delaware Hispanic Commission Education Subcommittee.

Blog post by Shelley Rouser, Department Of Education Chair, Delaware State University, and Crystal Timmons, Director of Office of Clinical and Field Experiences, Delaware State University

Delaware State University (DSU) is one of the most diverse higher education institutions in America. We know a thing or two about diversity, and so do our students.

As we, members of the Education Department at DSU, train next generation of teachers, it is clear to see they tend to thrive in diverse settings. They also know to expect to enter into a teaching workforce that isn’t very diverse.

There are about 138,000 students in 220 schools in Delaware—56% of them are of color. The state employees about 9,600 teachers teach in Delaware schools—but only 17% of them identify as teachers of color.

SHELLEY ROUSER

•Department Of Education Chair, Delaware State University •Former Director of K-12 Initiatives and Educator Engagement, Delaware Department of Education •Former Supervisor, New Castle County Vocational Technical School District •Former Middle/High Social Studies Teacher

This is partly why we are excited to be at the table with other Delaware higher-eds, K-12 districts, Rodel, and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. Together, our goals include dramatically increasing the number of qualified and diverse teachers in Delaware schools.

Why do we need more teachers of color? Students are constantly, unconsciously asking questions about the world around them, including: Why they do not see themselves reflected in the profession? We know because we have seen it occur first hand in the classroom. There are other forces at work.

There is a famous photo of a 5-year-old African-American boy from Philadelphia who visited the White House with his family in 2009. The boy told President Obama, “I want to know if my hair is just like yours.” Obama obliged, and let the boy pat his head in the now-iconic moment.

Students want to see those models in society. How are we alike? Can I be a teacher just as you are? If DSU and our various partners succeed, we can break down more of those barriers as a society, and our little people will start to see themselves at the front of the classroom.

Recent data also tell us that we are not doing a good job of retaining the teachers of color we do have. After 2 years of teaching, teachers of color leave the field. Delaware only retains 50% of teachers of color in the same school after two years and 70% in the state, which is 10% lower than non-teachers of color.

There are many variables to unpack, but DSU is eager to dig in and work on strategies to improve teacher placement policies, and how we are supporting new teachers.

CRYSTAL TIMMONS

•Director of Office of Clinical and Field Experiences, Delaware State University •Former Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Florida •Former Supervisor, HR Duval County Public Schools •Former Fourth and Fifth Grade Elementary Teacher

To that end, DSU is proud to begin our teacher residency program—a natural evolution of our teacher prep offerings. Residencies offer a deeper experience for teachers-in-training. The yearlong experience (as opposed to joining a classroom for the spring semester) helps build confidence. A big part of learning becoming a teacher is setting up that solid foundation that’s set from the beginning of the school year.

Together, we have decades of experience in the classroom, as well as amazing mentors along the way. Working with partners throughout Delaware, we know DSU can make a difference in the lives of all students and give new teachers the same strong start and support we experienced.

Rodel is committed to helping Delaware recruit, train, and retain a talented and diverse teaching workforce. A new project—funded by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and implemented by Rodel along with many of our partners—identified the Teacher Academy pathway as an opportunity to ensure every student in Delaware is exposed to high quality, well prepared, and diverse teachers throughout their educational journey.

So, I spent the day with Rodel Teacher Network member and William Penn Teacher Academy leader, Stephanie Diggins, to witness this program in real time and learn from the many individuals involved.

I arrived at the school early, earning me the chance to interview Kayla, a recent William Penn Teacher Academy graduate, who is currently studying elementary education at DelTech with the hope of teaching second or third grade in the future.

Kayla spoke passionately about the many important lessons she learned during her time in William Penn’s Teacher Academy like how to appropriately interact with students and classroom management. When the bell rang, Kayla packed up her laptop, grabbed her keys, and waved goodbye.

As she left, I remember feeling inspired by the fact that she still had a support system in Stephanie and the William Penn Teacher Academy. If there is one thing I have learned from working with the Rodel Teacher Council, it’s that having a support system is an essential factor in the teaching profession.

The hallways began rumbling and students—Edwin, Jalyn, Jessica, and Thomas—trickled into Stephanie’s classroom. However, they did not get comfortable or begin pulling out notebooks as I assumed they would. Instead, they eagerly stood by the door.

“They have tutoring today at New Castle Elementary,” Stephanie explained as we walked through the now silent hallway and climbed into the school’s vans parked by the football field.

Once we arrived, Edwin, Jalyn, Jessica, and Thomas were paired off with an elementary school student and tasked with completing a spelling or math worksheet.

One of the elementary students was visibly upset¾puffy red eyes, tear stained cheeks, and a deep frown. I was quite nervous for Thomas, the Teacher Academy student who was paired with him. The two of them moved to a nearby table and started working their way through the sheet of fractions.

While the pairs were hard at work, I took the time to speak with Stephanie about what the next five years of the William Penn Teacher Academy looks like through her eyes.

“Growth,” she declared. “Growth is a priority for me. I believe it’s the perfect way to get new teachers in the door. I take my students to speak about the program at middle schools so that we pique their interest early. And we’ve begun expanding to include early childhood education under the Teacher Academy program here so we can offer the full spectrum¾early ed through grade 12.”

In the distance, another bell rang and it was time to head back to William Penn. I peeked over again at Thomas and his student, hoping their situation had improved. Much to my surprise, it had.

The math assignment laid completed off to the side and the elementary student was chattering, waving his hands and arms around to emphasize his point.

It was quite impressive to see how Thomas was able to rationally approach the upset elementary student and completely pull a 180 in about 45 minutes.

Later in the day, I spoke with Thomas, who plans to attend college in New York and become a world languages teacher.

“You don’t always have a choice in whom you’re going to be teaching. What they are dealing with. Their personalities. Your classroom could be filled with a range of students. Learning on the go and being flexible makes me nervous about becoming a teacher so practicing now is important to me.”

In the blink of an eye, we were back at William Penn. As Edwin, Jalyn, Jessica, and Thomas, headed off to their next class, I was introduced to Kim Bolden, who is leading the charge of establishing the early childhood education program within William Penn’s Teacher Academy. A 26-year Head Start veteran, Kim’s passion for early childhood education led her to get more involved in this expansion effort.

“I jumped at the opportunity to help others explore the profession and introduce students to all aspects of it,” she expressed. “There is a misconception that early childhood education is babysitting but it is so much more. And I want to show the students that they need to know about brain science, curriculum, salary, and career longevity. My goal is for them to be well equipped to enter any center or go further in college after graduating from this program.”

The first cohort of early childhood educators will begin courses in the fall 2020.

My day with William Penn’s Teacher Academy was slowly drawing to a close. The last class of the day, the Teacher Academy Internship, requires students to participate in a minimum of 10 hours of classroom observation as well as an approximately 13-week internship in a Colonial School District classroom.

The students—Amanda, Mallina, and Thomas—submitted their observations forms and selected their internship classrooms as I peppered them with my final questions for the day.

“Why do you want to become a teacher?” Mallina smiled and shared, “My mom was a teacher. And I was the type who played school with my friends on the playground. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher so I’m going to Delaware State to study middle level education and receive my certification.”

“What would you tell someone who is considering the Teacher Academy pathway?” “Just go for it,” Amanda said with a laugh. “It gives a full view of what it’s like to be a teacher and helps you figure out if this is really the right path for you to take.”

The bell rang one last time and my whirlwind day with the Teacher Academy at William Penn was over.

Similar to most projects at Rodel, connecting with the work in person leaves a lasting impression. If what I witnessed at William Penn’s Teacher Academy is indicative of the efforts around the state, then I am confident future investments in this program will benefit Delaware students for generations to come.

Rodel Teacher Council members Tim Brewer (Hodgson Vocational Technical High School) and Tara Saladyga (Delcastle Technical High School) serve as instructional technology coaches in their school building.

Every day, they collaborate with fellow teachers to help them improve professional development and incorporate evidence-based practices into the classroom so students achieve success in and outside of the classroom. We caught up with Tim and Tara to discuss teacher preparation, support, and development in Delaware. Read on for three insights from our conversations.

1) Technology in the classroom, while a blessing, can quickly overwhelm novice teachers.

TIM: It’s an overwhelming gauntlet. An experienced teacher can take 15-20 seconds to go in and upload a file or enter a grade, whereas somebody new could take a whole hour to get into the system, save the right passcode, and all that other stuff.

Yes, the younger teachers are tech savvy and that is great but it is still a boatload of information and time. Time that can make them feel like they are not making any progress on other things like building relationships or lesson planning.

TARA: I always equate [learning new technology] to drinking from a fire hose. You have to be able to log into (special education software) IEP Plus, you have to be able to log into e-school, you have to be able to log into our intranet, you have to be able to log into Schoology and Google.

It’s a lot getting all those accounts set up for new teachers and getting them comfortable with each one. You can’t automatically assume they know what they’re doing.

2) When it comes to supporting teachers, everyone requires something different. (Especially CTE instructors who took alternate routes to becoming teachers.)

TIM: Honest to God, when I first started teaching, nobody showed me how to operate the copier. They just assumed I knew how to. My lesson was all planned out but I just couldn’t print the materials to bring it to life.

TARA: I did not go to school to become a teacher. I earned a bachelor’s of science and worked as a scientist for many years. I now work with CTE instructors who now stand where I once was.

These individuals are intelligent, talented, and passionate about passing down their trade knowledge to students, but struggle with “education or academic speak” as we call it. Even just the term “pedagogy,” they’ve never been exposed to that word until they moved into the classroom. And let’s not even start with the acronyms.

As a coach and mentor, the support I offer them is different from the support I offer those who have studied teaching.

3) With the right supports, the teaching profession can take leaps and bounds forward.

TIM: Introducing new teachers to the classroom before school starts is crucial. If the state would allow the districts to bring in experienced teachers and novice teachers during the summer as an onboarding process, then that would be a step in the right direction.

The experienced teachers could actually run the new teachers, especially the ones right out of college, through classroom scenarios like adding your grades, categorizing and weighting your grade book, responding to coworker or parent emails… all that kind of crazy stuff.

I know, especially Wilmington University, tries to mimic as much of what’s going to take place your first year in teaching. And I think they’re really doing a good job with that because at least the new teachers that are coming in, they are better prepared.

TARA: If teachers—doesn’t matter if they are new to the profession or been in it many years—know that they have a support system in place, be it coaches, colleagues, administrators, if they feel supported, I feel like that goes so far.

Any place you work, you’re going to have a bad day. But if you feel supported and heard and you know that there is going to be somebody in the building to help you, you’re less likely to leave for a different job and I think that is just huge.

If teachers feel like they’re out on an island all by themselves, it’s not sustainable. Not in this profession. There is absolutely no way you can just lock yourself in your classroom and expect to survive.