Improving Outcomes for California’s Minority Students: Can an Increased Role for Community Colleges in Teacher Preparat

1. Improving Outcomes for California’s Minority Students:Can an Increased Role for Community Colleges in Teacher Preparation • be Part of the Answer? • Presentation to the Harvard Civil Rights Project • October 23, 2003 • Nancy Shulock • Colleen Moore • Debra Solomon

2. Problem: Teachers for California’s Urban Schools • California’s Urban Schools Face: • Achievement gap • Teacher shortages • Lack of teacher diversity • Call for increased teacher quality • Research Question: • Can Community Colleges Play a Role? • Research Methods: • Literature review • Analysis of current developments and practices • Pipeline framework for evaluating potential impact of community colleges California State University, Sacramento

3. Why Turn to California’s Community Colleges? • They serve most students, especially minorities • Designed as key part of California higher education • Serve over 70% of Latinos and African Americans • Role will increase (growth, demographics, redirection) • They hold untapped potential to shore up pipeline • 1. Recruitment of diverse teacher candidates • 2. Support during lower-division years 3. Student success in transfer and completion of credential 4. Improve teacher placement and retention in high-need schools California State University, Sacramento

4. What Are the Challenges? Unclear role for lower division • No undergraduate teaching degree Complexity of transfer process • No common transfer curriculum • Campus-by-campus, course-by-course articulation Low transfer rates • Even lower among underrepresented minorities Poor academic preparation among students Budget constraints California State University, Sacramento

5. Analysis of Recent Developments • “Blended” Programs – Opportunity and Challenge • An emerging role for lower division • SB 81 requires articulation with community colleges • Focus on early field experience (Carnegie Challenge) • Lessons From Targeted Efforts/Programs: • Targeting paraprofessionals increases diversity and retention • Up-front financial support enhances completion and retention • Huge benefits from providing “home” for prospective teachers • Isolated successes depend on individual initiative, e.g., • Departmental partnerships • Basic skills learning communities California State University, Sacramento

6. Policy Recommendations • Recruitment • Include question on standard registration form ($) • Continue/expand special targeting programs ($$) • Lower Division Support • Expand “homes” for prospective teachers ($) • Enhanced/targeted counseling ($) • Successful transfer and program completion • Articulation ($) • Early field experience while at community college ($$) • Host upper division teacher prep on site ($$) • 4. Recruitment and Retention • Byproduct of good recruitment efforts – diversity • Partner with school districts – e.g., hiring compacts ($) California State University, Sacramento