Deans for Impact (DFI)

As the 2024-25 school year begins, our Executive Director Valerie Sakimura previews how we’ll partner with educator-preparation programs, leaders, policymakers, and mission-aligned organizations to ensure all students access well-prepared teachers. https://lnkd.in/dG2Xwt9W

“How about a story? Spin us a yarn.” In Walk Two Moons (my forever favorite YA novel), these words from protagonist Salamanca Tree Hiddle’s grandfather inadvertently unlock a masterpiece of a story-within-a-story as they embark on a trip across the country in pursuit of truth, exploration, and human connection. Last week at our Deans for Impact (DFI) External Affairs team retreat in Denver, we quite literally spun yarn on a wall as we dreamt up all the ways stories connect us, both as human beings and as colleagues brought together by a shared vision for all students to access well-prepared teachers. I relish our remote work, and that makes me appreciate even more the few and precious opportunities we get to spend time in person. There’s nothing quite like the energy of sitting in small meeting rooms surrounded by every color of post-it notes, markers, Jolly Ranchers, notebooks, and eight flavors of Kettle Head Popcorn, imagining all the ways we can demystify systems change in teacher preparation through stories of possibility. Grateful to my colleagues Patrick Steck, Geoffrey Carlisle, Valerie Sakimura, and Amy Wooten for this time together to dream big dreams, challenge one another, experiment with wild popcorn combinations, and spin yarn together.

Five years ago this month, teacher educators from six educator-preparation programs gathered in a hotel conference room in Austin, TX and puzzled together over the extent to which a lesson plan about lima beans was grounded in a scientific understanding of how students learn. That session anchored the inaugural convening of DFI’s Learning by Scientific Design Network (LbSD). Over the next five years, we’ve supported 14 #edprep programs across 3 cohorts to comprehensively redesign their programs – from coursework to clinical experiences – to be anchored in principles of learning science. What have teacher educators learned from these efforts to transform teacher preparation? How have they brought in their #K12 partners? What’s next as they work to sustain and scale this work to ensure all aspiring teachers center evidence-based instructional practices in their teaching? Former DFI staff member Sarah McKibben Montana helps us look back at the first two cohorts of LbSD and highlights key lessons and takeaways from participants Louisiana Resource Center for Educators, National Louis University, American University, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and University of Missouri-Saint Louis for this critical networked improvement effort. https://lnkd.in/dUNnX5hc

Last summer, The Pathways Alliance, of which DFI is co-founder, released the National Guidelines for Apprenticeship Standards for K-12 Teacher Apprenticeships - comprehensive guidelines approved by the U.S. Department of Labor for building, launching, and sustaining high-quality educator apprenticeship programs. Today, 41 U.S. states, DC, and Puerto Rico are actively engaging in creating Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Programs. Along with the National Center for Grow Your Own, we are leading the National Registered Apprenticeship in Teacher Educator-Preparation Program Collaborative (EPP Collaborative), a community of 75 programs across 32 states (and growing) that brings transparency and shared best practices to #edprep. By providing opportunities for future teachers to earn while they learn through an affordable, high-quality pathway into the teaching profession, Registered Teacher Apprenticeships are one innovative approach to address the need for a more diverse, well-trained teacher workforce. (Pictured: DFI and Pathways Alliance members and partners at the signing of the NGS into approval at U.S. Department of Education in July 2023)

Please join us in welcoming Geoffrey Carlisle to our team as Policy & Communications Manager! Bringing 13+ years of teaching, policy, and research experience, he’ll be contributing to our growing national and state-based efforts to champion policies to attract, prepare and support a diverse educator workforce: https://lnkd.in/d28VknBY Get to know Geoff and our team: https://lnkd.in/dBvMRbXr

We’re grateful to have officially kicked off our Learning by Scientific Design (LbSD) Network partnership with Virginia State University and HOPEWELL CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS! Together, VSU and Hopewell are building an apprenticeship program partnership to prepare teachers in elementary and special education placements. Our visit was a powerful opportunity to build a shared vision for effective teaching practices grounded in a scientific understanding of how students learn. Through this network, we’re committed to equipping every aspiring and novice teacher with the knowledge and skills they need to elevate student learning and success. Learn more about the third cohort of LbSD: https://lnkd.in/gieJENTb

"Over the last decade, the number of people studying to become teachers each year in Tennessee has declined a stark 25%. While many societal shifts have contributed to these dynamics, we must ensure our pipeline of quality teachers is robust enough to serve all students well." Educator-preparation leaders and DFI Impact Academy fellows James McIntyre (Belmont University College of Education), Sharen Cypress (Freed-Hardeman University), Matt Cheek (Nashville Teacher Residency), Ellen Mcintyre (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) co-authored an op-ed in the Tennessean calling on state leaders and policymakers to strengthen the teacher pipeline by: 1?? Embracing a clear, comprehensive vision for educator preparation.? 2?? Making strategic investments to attract quality future teachers.? 3?? Enacting bold innovations and supporting novice teachers. These strategies can help foster more accessible, high-quality pathways into teaching, ensuring that all #PK12 students access well-prepared teachers.? Grateful to be in partnership with leaders who are leveraging their voices to champion solutions that contribute to stronger outcomes and experiences, for both students and teachers. Read the full op-ed here: https://lnkd.in/dTfsfugt

Last week, we brought together teacher-educators across the 10 educator preparation programs in the first two cohorts of our Learning by Scientific Design Network for our inaugural Research Forum. They shared research on integrating cognitive science principles into educator preparation and collaborated on ideas for future research collaborations. Our featured researcher-educators included: ?? Meixia Ding, Temple University College of Education and Human Development who explained how she leverages learning science principles like effortful thinking in teaching fundamental math ideas in elementary school ?? Natalie Bolton, University of Missouri-Saint Louis, who spoke to how she assesses candidates’ knowledge of learning science ?? Andrea Foster, Sam Houston State University, and Kristi Martin, Ball State University - Teachers College, who shared on how learning science impacted teacher candidates’ thinking about math and science instruction ?? Shannon S. Hammond, PhD, Eun Kyung Ko, kathleen kotel, Xiuwen Wu, National Louis University, who examined the impact of learning science instruction on teacher candidates’ perceptions and effectiveness in student teaching ?? Brandy Quinn, Texas Christian University, who is focusing on the social-emotional side of cognitive science by integrating social, emotional, and moral skills with traditional academic instruction Learn more about our LbSD network: https://lnkd.in/drfxiqr5 Grateful for the continuing research and work that our LbSD Network has inspired and ignited among current and former participants! ??

Every year, 600,000 aspiring teachers enroll in teacher-preparation programs with optimism, motivation, and joy in making a lasting impact on the lives of their students. Leaders in educator preparation play a critical role in setting up this next generation of teachers for success. From building strong community partnerships to grounding instruction in a scientific understanding of how students learn, their decisions have far-reaching implications for cultivating a diverse workforce of joyful, confident, and high-quality educators. We’re proud to be supporting the 17 leaders in our ninth cohort of Impact Academy to foster more accessible, high-quality pathways into teaching. Through the year-long fellowship, these leaders will engage in cohort-based learning sessions, 1:1 coaching, peer consultancies, and other meaningful opportunities to strengthen #edprep programs – so that all students access well-prepared teachers.? Learn more about our newest Impact Academy fellows: https://lnkd.in/g2HGvvFi? The application for our 10th cohort opens soon. Sign up to be notified: https://lnkd.in/dgfNWjHn

“It’s also helped me reflect on my own teaching practice. I have to consistently ask myself the question, ‘Why are we actually doing this?...Are we doing it because it’s best practice? Are they quality questions that both meet the objective and deepen student thinking?’” -Evie Beall-Cottrell, social studies teacher, mentor teacher, and Learning Science Consortium participant. For many new teachers, the transition from an educator-preparation program into their first years of teaching can be overwhelming. That’s why having a strong pre-service to in-service support system, with mentor teachers like Beall-Cottrell, is crucial in building their efficacy and confidence, both in the early years and in the long-term. Through the Learning Science Consortium, in partnership with Frederick County Public Schools and Hood College, we’re making sure that every aspiring and novice teacher receives the quality, evidence-based instructional support system they need to engage all students in rigorous, affirming learning experiences. Hear more from Beall-Cottrell, teacher-candidate Jazmin Colon, and other participants in the Consortium to learn about the community-wide impact of this critical work: https://lnkd.in/gzsKbd-Q