UCR’s role in improving education and educational

opportunity

Thomas M. Smith

Dean & Professor

Graduate School of Education

University of California, RiversideOne of the most ethnically and economically diverse research universities in the country

Rated #2 by Washington MonthlySocial Mobility

Research

Community Service

U.S. News and World Report ranks the UCR GSOE:

76th in the country

10th in California

1st in the Inland Empire

What does the GSOE do?

Research includes:Reading acquisition and reading difficulties

Measurement and assessment STEM

Teacher quality and teacher labor markets

Behavior support practices, including multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS)

Families of children with disabilities, including autism

Higher education politics, policy and finance

Racial equities issues in higher educationAnd coming soon….STEM teaching and Learning!

Concerns about drop in enrollment in teacher education

NPR: Where have all the teachers gone? March 23, 2015

SOURCE: May 2015 presentation by Patrick Shields, executive director of SRI education; data from California Department of Education and Commission on Teacher Credentialing

California is Heading Toward a Teacher Shortage

UCR GSOE Teacher education enrollment

FY08/09 FY09/10 FY10/11 FY11/12 FY12/13 FY13/14 FY14/15 FY15/16

General Ed MEd 64 41 48 48 42 42 75 99

Teacher Credential Candi-dates

38 46 52 49 44 37 30 37

10

30

50

70

90

110

130

150

Num

ber o

f Stu

dent

s

Shortage is a bigger problem in some fields than others

Designated Shortage Areas FTEShortage

% of SubjectFTE Teachers

% of TotalFTE Teachers

Special Education including State Special Schools 4,540.3

26.9% 1.75%

Mathematics/Computer Education 2,214.6 10.4% 0.85%

Science 2,016.9 12.7% 0.78%

English/Drama/Humanities 2,024.2 8.5% 0.78%

PE/Health/Dance

903.2 7.4% 0.35%

History/Social Science 1,184.9 7.1% 0.46%

Other Specializations

967.9 6.8% 0.37%

Totals 13,858.3

5.34%

Source: California Department of Education, 2013-14

Teacher candidates by subject area

UCRCA

Racial/ethnic distribution of teacher credential students

CA UCR

White 51% 32%

Hispanic/Latino 26% 44%

African American 6% 4%

Asian/Pacific Islander 9% 14%

American Indian 1% 0%

Two or more races 7%

Other/decline to state 6%

Source: Annual Report Cardon California Teacher Preparation Programs for the Academic Year 2012‐2013 + UCR data

4 out of 10 beginning teachers quit in the first 5 years

Why do new teachers leave?

Ingersoll, R., Merrill, L., & Stuckey, D. (2014). Seven trends: the transformation of the teaching force. CPRE Report (#RR-80)

What does research tell us about teacher quality and retention?

Content knowledge alone does not necessarily lead to high quality teaching

Mentorship by a teacher in the same field can help reduce teacher attrition

Teacher professional development should be content-focused, on-going, and tied to what teachers are trying to accomplish in their classrooms

Don’t put new teachers in the most challenging schools

A supportive principal matters

Balance between accountability and autonomy in the classroom