69ý

Teaching Profession

U.S. Ed. Dept. Strives to Build RESPECT for Teachers

By Francesca Duffy — May 08, 2012 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

At a roundtable discussion in Washington on Monday morning, U.S. Department of Education officials led a roomful of undergraduate students and faculty from various colleges of education in South Carolina in a conversation about elevating the teaching profession. The students, who are part of the , a selective teacher-recruitment program that provides a four-year scholarship to students who want to become public school teachers in the state, were invited to comment on a laying out a vision for the future of the teaching profession.

The session was one of several events hosted this week by the department in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, and is part of the Administration’s proposed $5 billion program called the RESPECT project, which aims to engage teachers and principals across the country in rebuilding the teaching profession. RESPECT—Recognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence and Collaborative Teaching—is an initiative led by Teaching Ambassador Fellows, active classroom teachers who are working temporarily for the department to serve as the “voices of teachers.” The TAFs have held roundtables with thousands of teachers in the past year to get their feedback in shaping the vision document.

“A lot of policy tends to start up high and work its ways down, but this is the reversal,” Teaching Ambassador Fellow Greg Mullenholz said in introducing the event. “We are meeting with folks like you all, who are coming into the profession, and we want your perspective. It’s about building the policy here and driving it back up the pipeline.”

The idea behind this “grassroots policy initiative,” Mullenholz added, is to challenge both new and veteran teachers to take the ideas laid out in the vision document, as well as those that arise from these roundtable discussions on strengthening the teaching profession, share them with their colleagues back at their schools, and encourage other teachers to participate in the project’s . “It’s about whether the vision we present to you is the right one for the teaching profession,” said Mullenholz.

Prior to the start of the table discussions, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan made a brief appearance and took photos with the students. Acknowledging Teacher Appreciation Week, he spoke briefly about the importance of the teaching profession. “I don’t know what bigger difference we can make in education than the contributions that teachers make in the classroom,” he said.

At each of the five tables, students and professors shared their initial thoughts on the vision document. At one table, a student pointed out that the document referenced “effective” teaching, but did not include a clear definition of what that looks like. Other students thought there should be more emphasis on how to get the public to take the teaching profession more seriously. Another student cautioned against placing too much of an emphasis on the use of technology in the classroom, explaining that some South Carolina classrooms don’t even contain books for kids to use, let alone computers. “We need to first make sure every kid has access to basic books before we ask [the students] to become proficient in various kinds of technology,” she said.

Mullenholz also asked the students to give their feedback on the five “pillars” interwoven in the document, which he said derived from the various conversations that the TAFs have had with teachers from all over the country. They are: attracting top-tier talent into education; creating a professional career continuum; creating conditions for success; evaluating and supporting the development of teachers, and getting the best educators to the students who need them the most.

In reference to “creating conditions for success,” students suggested that the document include more ideas on how schools can engage families and communities so that teachers are better supported and motivated to succeed. A student in the group discussing “getting the best educators to the students who need them the most” chimed in that the student-selection process for teacher programs at colleges should be more competitive so that only the best candidates end up in classrooms. “Some people who apply to education schools don’t really want to be teachers, they just use it as a ‘crutch’ because they think it’s just so easy to teach,” he said.

The session ended with Mullenholz asking everyone at each table to come up with one word from the discussion that resonated with them, and that they will take with them into the classroom. Among others, the South Carolina fellows pointed to the words “collaborative,” “support,” “retain,” and “accountability.”

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by 
Assessment K-12 Essentials Forum Making Competency-Based Learning a Reality
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts working to implement competency-based education.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Teaching Profession Opinion Teacher Contracts Need to Change. And It’s Not Just About Money
If we want to retain effective teaches, we should increase teacher compensation—but we need to do it strategically.
Karen Hawley Miles & David Rosenberg
4 min read
Final Piece Of The Puzzle. Two people about to shake hands over trading a jigsaw puzzle piece needed for the solution.
iStock/Getty Images + Education Week
Teaching Profession The State of Teaching Teachers Say the Public Views Them Negatively
The perception coincides with teachers' low levels of job satisfaction.
2 min read
survey teachers static
via Canva
Teaching Profession Download Play Teacher TV Bingo and Spot All the Teacher Tropes
It's trope bingo; spot the common (and often annoying) mischaracterizations.
Image of bingo cards, a remote control, and a television.
via Canva
Teaching Profession Fictional Teachers on TV Can Skew Public Perception
Media tropes about teachers can give incoming educators and the public unrealistic expectations about the profession.
5 min read
Chris Perfetti, Lisa Ann Walter, Quinta Brunson, and Tyler James Williams play teachers on the ABC sitcom “Abbott Elementary.” Teachers say the show resonates with their experience.
Chris Perfetti, Lisa Ann Walter, Quinta Brunson, and Tyler James Williams play teachers on the ABC sitcom “Abbott Elementary.” Teachers say the show resonates with their experience, but researchers say many other portrayals of teachers are flawed.
Gilles Mingasson/ABC