Don’t strip down training if you want to retain teachers, Iowa education leader says

Teacher shortages across the state have caused Iowa lawmakers to consider changes in teacher preparation and certification.

Bills being considered in the Iowa Legislature this session include:

The University of Northern Iowa is one of the state’s largest hubs of educator preparation, with 2,219 students last fall studying to become teachers, and an additional 313 students studying to become principals, school librarians and other education professionals.

The UNI College of Education graduates 450 to 500 teachers a year, said Benjamin Forsyth, director of educator preparation. The Gazette interviewed Forsyth recently about teacher training in Iowa and what he thinks about proposed changes.

Q: What is the traditional path to becoming a teacher?

A: The intention is you major in one of 23 different teacher education programs. Almost all of those programs are under 120 credits. We divide the coursework into four parts. The first part is content and instruction. The second thing you’re taking is field experience. No. 3 is professional core with the coursework devoted to understanding pedagogy, or how to teach. Methods of teaching is the fourth component. It gets at “This is how you actually design the lesson plan” and “Here’s how you work with lots of different students and still move along.”

When you complete a major in a teaching, the university says you have your bachelor’s degree. Then you send that information to the state to get licensed. A license gives you an endorsement to teach certain grades or subjects.

Q: How much field experience is required for UNI education majors?

A: Students have three field experiences before student teaching. Their first experience is some sort of observation. Are you sure you want to be a teacher? The second field experience is they go to a single class for 30 hours. They are expected to teach at least two lessons. In the third experience, which is 40 hours, they are expected to lead teaching for a week. By the time they are student teaching, they are in two different schools for eight weeks each or one single place for 16 weeks.

Q: A bill proposed in the Iowa Legislature would allow a person with a bachelor’s degree and three years of work experience to get 15 education credit hours and an internship before becoming a licensed teacher. What do you think?

A: We actually already have a program like that — RAPIL, or the Regents Alternative Pathway to Iowa Licensure. There’s another one that Morningside (University) runs as well. Essentially it’s for people who have gotten a bachelor’s in another field. The difference between an internship and student teaching is the internship lasts a full year and you get paid a salary.

Q: Do you have concerns about alternative paths to licensure?

A: My biggest concern about alternative licensure programs is they often short circuit how long it takes to become a teacher. That does get teachers into the classroom faster, but we find the less preparation and less mentorship — essentially scaffolding to help the new teacher along — they are more likely to leave the profession in the first couple of years.

Q: Gov. Kim Reynolds has proposed an apprenticeship so high school students could become paraeducators one year after graduation. She also supports a faster path for paraeducators to become teachers. What do you think about this idea?

A: I love it so much. Currently a lot of Iowa administrative code sets up what it takes to be a paraeducator and what it takes to become a teacher. It’s really hard to jump tracks. As a state and as a nation, there’s been a strong desire to make those two routes line up with each other. One of the ways you do that is recognize some of the field experience a paraeducator has had. We also know paraeducators are typically older. They’ve got more life experience. They are very invested in the school they are working at.

For a school to be able to turn that paraeducator into a licensed teacher solves a recruitment problem and a retention problem. To be able to start at high school is excellent. If we foster students who want to be teachers at an early age they are more likely to finish the deal.

Comments: (319) 339-3157; erin.jordan@thegazette.com