THIS WEEK’S STORY ON IN-dustry educational programs in Florida high schools (p. 15) underscores not only the importance of teaching students, but also of providing the teachers themselves with the resources and training they need to foster learning in the classroom.
Numerous past installments of this column have emphasized the importance of investing in the education of students and teachers, particularly within the public school system. Instruction in science and the arts is critical to developing a skilled workforce to meet the creative and high-tech rigors of the new millennium. Many experts attribute the current shortage of qualified American visual effects and CG artists to shortcomings in public arts and science education, from elementary to high school. As chronicled in SHOOT, this shortage has led to increased hiring of foreign artisans facilitated by an interim hike in visa limits.
Thankfully, influential pockets of higher education in the U.S. are beginning to realize their responsibilities in advancing the state of public schooling. The American Council on Education, a group consisting of 1,800 college presidents, has released a report urging colleges and universities to make the improvement of teacher training a top priority. For decades, many universities have intentionally kept specialized higher education detached from public education. But that wall is slowly coming down, as experts now insist that universities play an active role in helping to strengthen public schools.
The American Council on Education has recommended that institutions of higher learning actively recruit more students to become teachers; require their faculty members to be held more accountable for what teacher candidates know about classroom subjects; and function as strong public advocates of improvement in the quality of teaching at public schools.
If universities and colleges don’t embrace these practices, they will by default be accomplices to promoting a sorely lacking public school system. How deficient is public schooling? According to the American Council on Education, unqualified math and science teachers are currently instructing about half of the nation’s children. This sad state of affairs was described in the Council’s report as representing "a reprehensible form of public-sanctioned malpractice."
A growing number of teachers lack the proper credentials. For example, approximately 10 percent of California’s 280,000 public school teachers are in the classroom on emergency teaching permits. California university and college chancellors and presidents are tentatively scheduled to attend a summit next month to discuss the ways in which they can help elevate the level of teacher training.
The stock and trade of many prestigious universities and colleges is to educate and groom professionals—be they lawyers, doctors, business executives, engineers and the like. But somehow, over the years, teachers haven’t been on that list—or at least not as high a priority as other career professionals. Ironically, teachers are arguably the most vital professionals we can cultivate; their impact on society is exponential. Teachers can positively affect youngsters. Teachers can have a profound and positive influence as they engage our kids in the process of learning. And teachers can play an integral role in developing a skilled, viable workforce, which is crucial to the health of a nation’s economy.
The last point was further documented in a study released last week by the California Council on Science & Technology, which suggests that the state government initiate several measures in order to maintain California’s standing as a leader in technology. Three of the eight lead recommendations are that the state do the following: Encourage more students to pursue teaching careers; expand teacher training in the California State University and University of California systems; and impose reasonable yet more exacting minimum training standards for public school teachers.
