Hitting the Jackpot . . . The second time around

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Hitting the Jackpot . . . The second time
around?

• David Tindall
• Paul Battle
• Oakland University

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Who are we?

• David Tindall, MA LLPC
• Paul Battle, MA LPC
• Oakland University
• Rochester, MI
• 17,000 students
• School of Education and Human Services
• Advise about 1700 undergraduate and graduate
  students in teacher education programs

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What we see at OU?

• Over 500 prospective post-baccalaureate (PB)
  students shopping for teacher education
  programs
• Attend information session
• Send in transcripts to be reviewed
• 31 other institutions in Michigan provide teacher
  education programs
• Others in the nation

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WHY?
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NCLB Act

• Created in 2001
• Purpose
• To close the achievement gap with accountability,
  flexibility, and choice, so that no child is left
  behind.
• Schools must be in line by the end of 2005-2006
  school year

• U.S. Department of Education, (2001, January).

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Highly Qualified

• Highly Qualified Teachers To be deemed highly
  qualified, teachers must have 1) a bachelor's
  degree, 2) full state certification or licensure,
  and 3) prove that they know each subject they
  teach.
• State Requirements NCLB requires states to 1)
  measure the extent to which all students have
  highly qualified teachers, particularly minority
  and disadvantaged students, 2) adopt goals and
  plans to ensure all teachers are highly qualified
  and, 3) publicly report plans and progress in
  meeting teacher quality goals.
• Demonstration of Competency Teachers (in middle
  and high school) must prove that they know the
  subject they teach with 1) a major in the
  subject they teach, 2) credits equivalent to a
  major in the subject, 3) passage of a
  state-developed test, 4) HOUSSE (for current
  teachers only, see below), 5) an advanced
  certification from the state, or 6) a graduate
  degree.
• High, Objective, Uniform State Standard of
  Evaluation (HOUSSE) NCLB allows states to
  develop an additional way for current teachers to
  demonstrate subject-matter competency and meet
  highly qualified teacher requirements. Proof may
  consist of a combination of teaching experience,
  professional development, and knowledge in the
  subject garnered over time in the profession.

U.S. Department of Education, (n.d.)
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Job Market

• Michigan trends
• Teachers flee Michigan to find jobs (Menard,
  2005)
• Front page headline from the Detroit News on
  5/22/05
• Approximately 5,000 new provisional certificates
  issued each year
• 50 become employed in Michigan schools (MDE,
  2005)
• National trends

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WHY?
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Research

• Surveyed 164 adults that attended our information
  sessions from December 2004 through September 2005

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Why become a teacher?

• Satisfaction 91
• making a difference in a childs life
• Convenience 53
• the best thing about teaching June, July and
  August
• Exploration 48
• Checking out my options for a new job
• Economics 4
• Teachers make great pay

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Demographics

• 47 were full-time employed
• 30 were between 20-30 yrs old
• 26 graduated with their bachelors degree within
  the last four years
• 12 hold graduate degrees

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Prior experience

• Even though this is their second/third time in
  college, still a number of students do not follow
  the career exploration activities we suggest,
  such as
• Job shadowing
• 26 never observed a classroom
• Informational interviews
• Any form of experience with children
• 6 had no experience with children

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PB Certification programs

• Do prospective PB students want a degree?
• Undergraduate options
• Graduate degree options
• What programs work for students?
• What students take into consideration?
• Course Flexibility
• Degree Earned
• Location

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How do you advise prospective PB students?

• Case Study

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Sandy

• Sandy has worked for 20 years in the business
  field. She earned her bachelor degree 15 years
  ago at a business school. After some self
  refection she realizes that she has not met her
  lifelong dream of becoming an elementary teacher.
  She has decided to investigate your program.
  After reviewing her transcripts, you explain two
  courses that could be used for a major, however
  it is a major that is not highly marketable at
  this time. She wants to quit her job in order to
  complete the program quickly. She has raised her
  two children, who are now 14 and 16. She reports
  she will need to be working by the time her
  eldest child graduates from high school so she
  can plan for his college program. Her family is
  from the area so she does not want to leave the
  area for employment. She wants to know what the
  market is for teachers locally.
• How do you advise Sandy?

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What do you do?

• How would you advise Sandy from here?

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Guidelines

• Be honest with the students
• Highlight alternatives
• What endorsements are more marketable?
• Encourage career research and job exploration
• Let the student make the decision

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Follow-up Survey

• Number one concern is the Job Market after
  completion (80)
• PB students are concerned of the demands of the
  program
• PB students continue to work 31 hours

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The Gamble?

• Do they hit the jackpot with a new career?
• Are they gambling against the odds?

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Side Pocket Bet

• Research shows
• Life experience (Glenn, 2003)
• Easily bring the real world into the classroom
• Teach hard to staff disciplines (MacDonald and
  Manning, 2002)
• Math, science, foreign languages and technology
• Transferable skills (Chambers, 2002)
• Communication skills, management of multiple
  projects, high work ethic, and analytical
  thinking
• Teaching makes up 4 of the civilian workforce
  (Ingersoll, 2003)

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• The real beneficiaries are the children and
  adolescents who will have in their classroom
  qualified individuals who made a deliberate
  choice to enter the teaching profession.
  (MacDonald and Manning, 2002)