UIC-CC CETP

UIC—Community College Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation

Over the past year, recruitment and retention efforts focused on three project areas: building a database, implementing recruitment and retention mechanisms, and developing new programs to attract new teacher education candidates. Many of the efforts discussed in the following sections have been jointly funded by the NSF Collaborative and by the Big City Teacher Preparation Initiative. The Big City Initiative is funded by private non-profit agencies, such as Polk Brothers and the MacArthur Foundation, and is directed by Dr. Victoria Chou, Dean of the College of Education, at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The first recruitment and retention project was to develop a database. 

Building a Database

The NSF Collaborative and the Big City Initiative jointly developed and funded the development of a UIC teacher education database of current students and recent graduates, as understood in relation to the needs of CPS and the issues of urban education. Dr. Joshua Radinsky of Big City directed the development of the general teacher education database. Dr. Carole Mitchener of the NSF Collaborative directed the development of a math and science teacher education database.

Last year CPS reported that across all areas, UIC supplied more teacher new hires than any other Chicago-area college (see Appendix B). Of the 202 UIC graduates hired last year by CPS, 62 were hired in predominantly Latino schools and 52 in largely African American schools. It also appears that Latino graduates were most likely to take jobs in predominantly Latino schools (37/50), with African American graduates taking jobs in predominantly African American schools (12/15). These data also reveal fewer African American hires (15) as compared to Latinos (50), which is generally reflective of the ethnicity of the UIC teacher education population. Of these 202 hires, only one was in secondary math and one in secondary chemistry, with 3 identified, but not certified, as biology teachers.

In fall, 2000, UIC had 954 students pursuing education degrees with teaching certification (see Appendix C). Of the 954, 55% were white, 24% Latino, 8% African American, and 8 % Asian. Approximately 1/3 were graduate students (341), and 2/3 were undergraduates (613). In addition, there are at least twice as many secondary math students (44) as secondary science (18), with 13 in chemistry and 5 in physics. Of the 172 undergraduate elementary education students, 46 were math concentrators and 18 science concentrators, with 15 in biology, two in chemistry and one in physics. 

Of the 613 undergraduate teacher education students, 383 students (62%) transferred from another institution. Of those 383 transfer students, 248 (65%) of them transferred from community colleges. Therefore, 40% of undergraduate teacher education students transfer from a community college. Four of the six community colleges in the NSF Collaborative are in the top 10 community college feeder institutions. Listed in order of largest number of student transfers for fall, 2000, they are William Rainey Harper College (23 students), Triton College (20), Harold Washington College (16), and Oakton Community College (11). 

One of the most striking findings regarding the community college data has to do with elementary education students. Close to 50% of the undergraduate elementary education students transfer from a community college. While these students are not necessarily math or science concentrators, the vast majority of them complete their science and math general education course requirements at community colleges. This highlights the importance of the introductory community college math and science courses in the preparation of CPS or urban teachers. It also highlights the importance in urban areas of fostering relationships between two-year and four-year higher education institutions and faculty. As for secondary math or science education students who transferred from community colleges, there were 12 in math and 3 in chemistry.

Key Points from Database Analysis:
 

1.Latino and African American graduates are more likely to take jobs in schools with similar racial and cultural student populations.
2. Contrasting an 8% African American UIC teacher education student population with a 59% African American Chicago Public Schools student population, the need to increase the number of African American teacher education students becomes critically apparent.
3. With only 18 students in secondary science teacher education, the recruitment focus on secondary science at the undergraduate and graduate levels becomes a top priority.
4. Given the high number of biology concentrators at the elementary level, it seems likely that there is a need to reopen the secondary biology certification option.
5. With approximately 40-50% of our elementary education students taking their math and science courses at community colleges, it is critical to foster the relationships between community college and UIC faculty around such areas as course content and instruction, as well as performance assessment of science understanding.

Implementing Recruitment and Retention Mechanisms

This year, three different math and science education recruitment and retention mechanism were developed and, in many cases, implemented. Those three mechanisms involved recruitment fairs, a centralized information website, and a summer internship opportunity.

In the fall, 2001, recruitment fairs were held at UIC and Triton College and Oakton Community College. All three fairs advertised math and science teacher education specifically. These fairs were collaborative efforts, with four community colleges participating in the UIC fair, and UIC participating in the community college fairs. The community college liaisons actively promoted the fairs, including through their campus Future Teachers of America clubs. Truman and Olive-Harvey also indicated an interest in holding similar recruitment fairs. These fairs are to be annual fall events.

Of the 31 persons attending the UIC recruitment fair, 17 were interested in undergraduate programs and 14 in graduate. Eleven were interested in elementary education and 18 in secondary, with 2 undecided. Of the 11 elementary, 7 were interested in math and 2 in science (both biology), with 2 undeclared. As for the 18 secondary, 9 were interested in math and 9 in science (2 biology, 4 chemistry, 2 physics, and 12 undecided). One person was interested in computer science.  Follow-up calls are now in progress. The goal is to enroll a minimum of 5 new candidates in the secondary science education program. 

The recruitment fairs served as a reminder that there is no substitute for direct faculty contact and referral. The most productive advertising means was through faculty, followed by flyer advertisements and email announcements. Community college faculty drove students to the fair. Of the 31 who attended the fair, 17 came from community colleges, 7 came from UIC, and 2 from CPS. The level of collaboration from all participating parties, and in particular from the community college liaisons, was striking. The relationships between UIC and community college faculty that developed at the Faculty Development Workshops were a contributing factor in the success of this fair.

As of February 2001, a UIC Science and Math Teacher Education website was announced (www.uic.edu/educ/mathsci). The website is designed to recruit new math and science teacher education candidates, and to serve as a resource for current students, recent inductees, and experienced teachers. The site is divided into three sections: degree programs with certification, professional resources, and professional development opportunities. While serving as a helpful reference, the website also functions as a central organizing mechanism for program options across UIC colleges and for resources across the Chicago area. Given the existence of a teacher education database, future changes include creating an interactive communication link on the website that will include the capabilities of asking questions, sharing information, and receiving announcements. 

Recently, the opportunity became available to recommend UIC math and science teacher education students for a summer internship program at Fermilab, a Department of Energy National Laboratory. This is a pilot program with the National Science Foundation Collaboratives for Excellence in Teacher Preparation. The 10-week summer internships are designed to provide preservice teachers of math and science with educational training and research experience working with Fermilab scientists. At this time, 4-5 UIC preservice teachers have been selected by UIC faculty to apply for the internship. Developing more internship and scholarship opportunities is a greatly needed part of our recruitment and retention efforts. The internship moves us in this direction.
 

Developing New Programs

To address critical shortages, UIC is developing, and in one case already implementing, three new alternative certification programs in math and science teacher education. The first, the UIC Chemistry & Physics Endorsement (CAPE) Program, is an additional endorsement program for certified CPS teachers. The second and third are middle school math and science programs for persons who already hold an undergraduate degree, and who want an initial teaching certificate and to teach in CPS. All of these programs have been developed in cooperation with the Chicago Public Schools.

The CAPE Program offers CPS teachers a route to earn chemistry and/or physics endorsements. The Polk Brothers Foundation, as part of the Big City Initiative, funds it. This opportunity is especially targeted for general science or biology certified teachers seeking to retool or add to their repertoire. Teachers enrolled in the program take 10 or more hours in either chemistry or physics at UIC and receive free tuition. To complete the endorsement, students must have an additional 14 semester hours in the physical sciences for a total of 24 semester hours. The coursework is offered after school hours and on weekends. Dan Miltner of Big City is the CAPE Director.

The first year of the CAPE program offered only chemistry. While the first year admitted 10 teachers (8 African American and 2 white), four finished (2 African American and 2 white). This is the second year and the outlook has improved. The focus this year is physics, and 22 teachers enrolled (11 white, 6 African American, 2 Asian, 1 Latino and 2 other). NSF Collaborative members are advising and teaching in the CAPE program. Don Wink is working with the chemistry program, and Antonio Pagnamenta, a UIC professor who participated in the Faculty Development Workshop, is working with physics. 

Efforts are underway to develop two new alternative certification programs with CPS in middle school math and science education. These proposals are in the development and approval stages. Under recent Illinois State Board of Education alternative certification provisions, CPS is working with local Chicago universities to offer alternative certification programs in areas of critical shortage, which include math and science education. Given CPS requirements and contributions guidelines, each program is separately negotiated. The CPS requirements include a one-year program time limit that includes an eight-week summer student teaching requirement and a full-time teaching assignment. CPS is offering guaranteed student teaching and full-time placements, first-year teaching salaries, tuition reduction, and an assigned mentor for all alternative certification candidates. 

With funding largely from the UIC Provost, with contributions from Big City and NSF, UIC is developing two middle school alternative certification programs, one in math and one in science. Each program will accept a cohort of approximately 12 students. Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree, and have successfully completed a substantial amount of coursework in math or science. Admission requirements also include passing basic skill and content-area exams. Upon completing the 7-course program, students receive a one-year alternative certificate, which after an additional year of successful teaching converts into a four-year initial Illinois certificate. Students may also continue coursework and complete a UIC master’s degree in education. The math program begins in the summer of 2001, and Dr. Kathryn Chval of Big City will direct the math program. 

The science program begins in the summer of 2002. This next year, 2001-2002, will be spent planning the program, working with mentors, and designing evaluation and research components. The intent is to rethink science teacher education from a more experiential perspective that draws upon pressing issues facing urban education. As a result, most coursework will be offered onsite and rely on a teacher-as-researcher seminar approach, making the teachers’ inquires about practice a primary force in driving the curriculum. Since these teachers will be placed in CPS schools in areas of greatest need, it is important to form and foster supportive learning communities, consisting of UIC faculty and students, CPS-assigned mentors, and Chicago community leaders. These are some of the key ideas that will inform the development of this new program. Drs. Carole Mitchener and Maria Varelas, both of the Collaborative, will serve as Co-Directors.