Judy Johnson received her Doctorate in education from UCLA. A veteran educator, Johnson is currently Associate Director of the Los Angeles Educational Partnership. She may be contacted via email at jjohnson@lalc.k12.ca.us.

Improving Teacher Quality By Judy Johnson, Ed.D Los Angeles Educational Partnership The U.S. House of Representatives is currently considering the reauthorization of programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA)to continue and expand federal assistance to local school districts that will increase high quality educational opportunities for high-poverty students and their families. Last week LAEP Director of Programs Judy Johnson testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education, Training and Life-Long Learning, on the issue of teacher quality. The following represents selected highlights of the Testimony on Teacher Quality and Professional Development before the Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education, Training and Life-Long Learning, U.S. House of Representatives by Judy Johnson of the Los Angeles Educational Partnership, May 10, 1999,Frost Middle School, Granada Hills, California. A complete copy of the testimony is available from LAEP. What LAEP Believes We want to encourage an affirmative role by state and national policymakers in assuring that all students have access to quality teaching practices. Studies have established that teacher quality is one of the strongest determinants of student achievement. The emphasis on improving the preparation, certification, competencies, qualifications, and ongoing training of teachers is rooted in public concern about the disappointing educational achievement of many public school students, especially in large urban systems. The problem is amplified because students of color, particularly African-American and Latino children, have median standardized test results that are markedly lower than their white and Asian peers in many communities. Professional development and training for teachers is one of the most effective avenues for improving educational outcomes for all students. For the past fifteen years, local education funds (LEFs), such as the Los Angeles Educational Partnership, have been devoted to providing opportunities for public school teachers to enhance their teaching capacity and provide an environment in the school system for high learning and achievement for all children. I would like to place our views on teacher quality in the context of our goals for public education. First, LAEP believes that raising student achievement for all students is the most important challenge facing public education today. Resources and expertise at all levels of policymaking must be focused on engaging all children in the high level work, experiences and tasks they need to succeed in both the workplace and in life. Efforts and resources should be coordinated around a national purpose to elevate the achievement of all children, including those who always have been the intended recipients of Title I - poor children, low-achieving children, migrant children, children who are neglected or at-risk of dropping out, and limited-English proficient children. Second, LAEP believes that the public school is the single key institution that can prepare all children for the future. For many low-income children and communities in urban and rural American, the public school is the institution most important in assisting their entry into an educated citizenry essential to a viable democracy. Third, instead of viewing public education as the problem, LAEP views public education as the solution to assuring increased educational opportunities for all children. LAEP believes there is no alternative to achieving excellence for all than strengthening the public schools. Today, in order to be prepared for the needs of the next century, all students must be well educated. The United States has been extremely successful in assuring almost total access to public education for low-income Americans. Now we must close the achievement disparities between whites and low-income minorities as well. Preparing schools to face the challenges of a new century will require a complete rethinking of how our communities foster excellence in education as well as professional growth and excellence among public school teachers. LAEP believes a community-wide commitment is essential to providing education that expects high standards of performance from every student and at the same time provides the resources and tools required to achieve high standards. Schools must set high standards for student achievement, powerful teaching, parental support and community involvement. The study, "Breaking the Social Contract: The Fiscal Crisis in California Higher Education," recently conducted by the Council for Aid to Education and the Rand Corporation concluded that economic inequality in California is increasing along racial/ethnic lines with African-Americans and Latinos having the least access and lowest enrollment in postsecondary education. If the trend continues, more than one-third of California students trying to enter postsecondary education will be unable to do so by 2015. We also must both increase the resources to higher education institutions to provide access for all eligible students and at the same time redefine the appropriate level of education for all Californians to raise it from high school to some form of postsecondary training or education. To support this goal, expectations for K-12 student achievement must be high and their preparation for going beyond high school strengthened. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHER QUALITY LAEP believes that teacher quality and professional development are affected by three issues: (1) consistent and aligned standards for curriculum, teaching, and student assessment, (2) time to provide teachers adequate training in the standards, and (3) high quality professional development. First, consistent standards are the basis for a system of high quality education throughout the state. California is in the process of developing a system of state curriculum and teaching standards and students assessments. Curriculum standards have been developed for each subject area. Standards for the teaching profession are complete and standards for each subject area are being completed. The Stanford 9 test has been used now three years, with some variation in the assessment instrument. With the development of state standards for the teaching profession, LAEP adopted the standards for its programs. The California Standards for the Teaching Profession define teaching quality as: engaging and supporting all students in learning creating and maintaining effective environments for student learning understanding and organizing subject matter for student learning planning instruction and designing learning experiences for all students continuously assessing student progress continuously developing as a professional teacher. Second, teachers must have time to fully understand and adapt their classroom work to the standards. Teachers have received limited professional development in standards based instruction to date. Since the standards are new, the entire profession must be trained in their requirements. California and its urban areas have seen a tremendous influx of new teachers, hired to meet population increases and classroom reductions, without the time to provide them - many with emergency credentials-the professional development required. Teaching to standards can be complicated. Curriculum standards must be broken down into lesson plans and strategies to reach all students, a process which is extensive for numerous curriculum standards. Third, professional development should be effective and useful to teachers. In the years that LAEP has worked with educators to develop teacher knowledge and skill, we have gained an understanding of how professional development expands knowledge and improves teaching skills. New teaching behaviors develop from forums that allow teachers to learn, discuss, practice and try new skills. Professional development relies on demonstration and coaching. Teachers must see their colleagues working with students and they must be coached on how to achieve the same results. Teacher learning is derived from the sharing of best practices in school-based, teacher-directed forums. Teachers meet in a community of colleagues to learn from one another. Theory and pedagogy should be taught in conjunction with specific curriculum content. When new knowledge is introduced close to the context of classroom application, it is more likely to be used by teachers. Teacher learning should reach beyond school walls to draw in talent and expertise for subject content, educational research on learning and teaching strategies. Learning should be tied to research that demonstrates a clear understanding of what affects students. Teacher learning takes place in schools that regard themselves as continuous learning communities and organize themselves to support student achievement. The role of coach/mentor should be encouraged and recognized through differentiated staffing roles. The Humanitas program is an example of how collaborative teacher professional development can lead to improved student achievement on a broad scale. The program was developed by a cross-disciplinary team of teachers whose goals were to make Humanitas curriculum relevant to urban students. Teachers worked together to develop challenging curriculum that linked history, English, art, math and science in themes that are relevant to students' lives. The program began in one high school and now has been adopted by 32 of the 49 high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The program has improved student achievement and increased the knowledge and skill of teachers. Humanitas is an example of professional development used successfully to develop a program that improves student achievement. However, the broad profession of teachers face a struggle in teaching to high academic standards simply because of the demands of the classroom. To facilitate the goal for teaches, they must have clear standards, time to learn and adapt their classroom work to the standards, and the training which allows them to continuously improve their work through collegial forums. LAEP Recommendations LAEP recommends that the Subcommittee consider policies and actions designed to support and improve teacher quality and professional development. Teaching Standards Consider creation of a temporary commission to establish Federal guidelines for high quality teaching leading to greater student achievement. Standards for teaching which already exist can be adapted or adopted by the commission. Encourage the states to adopt standards set by the commission or similar ones related to high quality teaching. Professional Development Continue federal support for K-12 reform and training/professional development of K-12 teachers. Tie federally funded teacher professional development to state and/or school district content standards and learning priorities of the schools. At the same time each school should be encouraged to set its own professional development schedule annually matching these goals. Evaluate and recognize exemplary professional development by its effects on teaching practices and on student achievement. Inform the public about the importance of continuous professional growth of educators and support states financially which extend the school year to offer more professional development. Recognize the role that intermediary non-profit community-based organizations can play in testing new models for teacher preparation and professional development and include these organizations as candidates for Federal funding and recognition, as appropriate. Teacher Leadership Provide incentives for differentiation of roles in the K-12 teaching faculty with teachers who meet high standards working on school time as coaches/mentors for every new teacher. Preparation/Certification of Teachers Support and highlight the best practices of teacher certification colleges and universities working collaboratively with public schools to provide teacher training at K-12 sites operating as "professional development schools." Recruitment/Retention of High Quality Teachers Highlight best practices in teacher recruitment and retention including the continuous support of new teachers in a "network" of colleagues who share their expertise and knowledge. Increase interstate/district agreements so that teachers with a credential in one state can move easily to another without losing their credential status and credit for the years worked or education level. Postsecondary Education As California leaders, encourage all Californians to pursue some form of postsecondary education or training. Reallocate public resources to reflect the growing importance of education to the economic prosperity and social well-being of the state/nation. Encourage the development and use of new educational technologies and distance learning in order to provide greater student access to postsecondary coursework and teacher preparation. Integrate education into the policy discussions about economic prosperity. LAEP appreciates the Subcommittee's consideration of the important subject of teacher quality and professional development. We encourage you to explore federal action to support and further teacher quality in California and in the nation.