Kudos to the North Carolina Association for Colleges of Teacher Educators for their strong statement calling out the history, current issues, and future consequences of the draft teacher licensure and compensation plan being laundered through PEPSC.
PEPSC plan promoters have written off the concerns of Educator Preparation Programs (EPP) as sourced in EPP’s self-interest to preserve their programs. However, the preservation of EPPs is in the best interest of NC’s public school students and anyone who wants to become a teacher.
Courses on child & adolescent development, pedagogy, classroom management, assessment, and many more led by field experts are irreplaceable experiences that best prepare the high quality teachers students deserve.
Yesterday’s press conference led by NCAE featured three teachers who entered the profession through a current alternative pathway of lateral entry/residency (Yes, North Carolina, they do exist!). Folks who enter the classroom on this pathway are usually career-changers who lead classrooms while learning how to best lead those classrooms.
They testified to the support offered by EPPs as they worked on obtaining their full professional license while teaching full time. They also testified to the difficulties in entering a classroom without this initial preparation and that the alternative pathway is not preferable to the traditional programs offered by EPPs which include supervised student teaching and course preparation prior to leading a classroom.
Watch that press conference here
Any time an allegation toward educator groups accuses them of focusing on their own bottom line, it’s laughable. If we prioritized our own bottom lines there would be no teachers with a salary schedule that looks like this:
The nerve of PEPSC plan promoters to attack the Educator Preparation Programs that have supported the teacher pipeline with programs preparing folks on the traditional student teaching path and alternative pathways like lateral entry/residency is further proof that they’d rather undermine our strengths instead of focus on improving weaknesses.
In addition to the suggestions offered by EPPs, you can find NCAE’s full position statement on this issue here.
Superintendent Truitt, Board Chair Davis, and other PEPSC promoters:
Where is the self-dealing condemnation for SAS who stands to financially gain from this plan through the expanded use of EVAAS? EVAAS is mentioned 15 times in the PEPSC draft proposal and is one pillar of the plan’s evaluation system to determine which teachers get to obtain and keep their licenses.
Where is the self-dealing condemnation for Bloomboard or DigiLearn as potential microcredential mini-lesson vendors?
Our college and university EPPs are the strongest pillar of our public school systems. Why are you supporting a plan that opens the door for corporations to skim off the education budget at the expense of supporting EPP programs that offer the best preparation and retention of teachers?
Superintendent Truitt: before launching attacks at the legacy of our EPPs, mind your own legacy of those who donate to your campaign, and as education advisor to former Gov. Pay McCrory during a period known for passing policies to dismantle public education.
There’s a better path to filling our pipeline. Join the over 4,000 North Carolinians who have already signed NCAE’s petition to support pipeline policies that work: link.ncae.org/ExperienceMatters4NC
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