NEA Survey: Number of Future Teachers Reaches All-time Low

From http://neatoday.org/2016/03/15/future-teachers-at-all-time-low/

Survey: Number of Future Teachers Reaches All-time Low

By Mary Ellen Flannery

When Theresa Montaño first joined the faculty at Cal State Northridge, as a professor of bilingual education, her classes were packed with future teachers. “I’d have to turn students away,” she said.

Now, a little more than a decade later, says Montaño, “I’m actually having a hard time enrolling students in my undergrad education classes. And it’s not just my classes, or my campus — this is true across the CSU system.”

It’s true across the United States, too. In a 2016 national survey of college freshmen, the

number of students who say they will major in education has reached its lowest point in 45 years. Just 4.2 percent intend to major in education—a typical first step to becoming a teacher—compared to 11 percent in 2000; 10 percent in 1990; and 11 percent in 1971, according to data gathered by the UCLA’s Cooperative Institutional Research Program.

Take those numbers and add them to the poor rates of teacher retention in many public schools, and it equals a serious problem for students who all deserve a “caring, qualified and committed educator,” as NEA President Lily Eskelsen García says.

Earlier this month, Eskelsen García spoke to crowds at SXSW@edu, an annual conference of innovators and educators in Austin, Tex., about the shortage of teachers, especially teachers of color who constitute fewer than 20 percent of all U.S. teachers.

“There’s no question that something must change—and quickly. Baby boomers are retiring and the candidates who could fill their jobs are simply not there,” Eskelsen García wrote in a recent Lily’s Blackboard post.

But the solutions are no mystery, she added.

Increase pay for teachers, she urged. Make college affordable and broaden access to federal loan forgiveness programs for educators. (Senate Democrats’ RED Act would do this: Encourage your Senator to support it.) Recently, NEA Student Program Chair Chelsey Herrig, a future teacher who owes more than $30,000 in student debt, told Senators that she has many peers who would make great teachers, but asked, “Who can afford to teach if they’re tens of thousands of dollars in debt?”

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The Impact of NCLB

Respect also is a factor, says Richard Ingersoll, professor of education and sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. “The data consistently show us that a big issue is how much voice, how much say, do teachers have collectively in the school-wide decisions that affect their jobs? Are teachers treated as professionals? That’s a huge issue,” he told NEA Today last year.

In Montaño’s classes, her students—who are all ethnic minorities—tell her that K12 teaching looks uninteresting. “They were the generation of students under No Child Left Behind. Just think about that,” says Montaño. “They were the ones who say, ‘I remember my teachers. They had a manual, they opened it up, and they taught from it.’ All they knew were teachers who read out of these books, and there was no creativity. They’re saying they want to be creative.”

For Montaño, who along with other California colleagues won a multi-year grant from the NEA Foundation to develop a teacher pipeline program for ethnic minority students in the Los Angeles area, there are at least two solutions to the teacher shortage.

The first is revamping undergraduate programs so that faculty can help their students get skills and experiences in K12 classrooms as early as possible. The other critical thing is connecting future teachers to a teachers’ union, Montaño said. “Once we expose them to the K12 classroom, where they actually work with teachers and develop ethnic studies lessons, and once we expose them to the union, it seals it for us. They want to be teachers and union activists.”

Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science

see announcement at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2016/nsf16544/nsf16544.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES) Program Solicitation NSF 16-544 National Science Foundation Directorate for Biological Sciences Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering Directorate for Education & Human Resources Division of Human Resource Development Directorate for Engineering Directorate for Geosciences Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences Office of Integrative Activities Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposer’s local time): April 15, 2016 Design and Development Launch Pilots Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer’s local time): June 24, 2016 Design and Development Launch Pilots IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND REVISION NOTES Preliminary proposals and full proposals. Submission of a preliminary proposal is required for Design and Development Launch Pilots. Full Design and Development Launch Pilot proposals may be submitted by invitation only after the review of the preliminary proposal is completed. Any proposal submitted in response to this solicitation should be submitted in accordance with the revised NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 16-1), which is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 25, 2016. SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS General Information Program Title: Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES) Synopsis of Program: Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES) is a comprehensive national initiative designed to enhance U.S. leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) discoveries and innovations focused on NSF’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and broadening participation in these fields. NSF INCLUDES supports efforts to develop talent from all sectors of society to build the STEM workforce. The initiative aims to improve the preparation, increase the participation, and ensure the contributions of individuals from groups that have traditionally been underrepresented and underserved in the STEM enterprise, including women, members of racial and ethnic groups, persons with disabilities, and persons with low socio-economic status. Significant advancement of these groups will result in a new generation of promising STEM talent and leadership to secure our nation’s future in science and technology. The grand challenge of broadening participation in STEM is to transform the STEM enterprise at all levels in order to fully engage the nation’s talent for the ultimate improvement of the STEM enterprise. As a comprehensive national initiative, NSF INCLUDES aims to address the various complex equity and inclusion-related challenges and opportunities that characterize the nation’s cultural and linguistic diversity, with a specific emphasis on the aforementioned groups. The goal is to achieve national level impact and progress toward STEM inclusion. Viewing this challenge as a social innovation problem, NSF is particularly interested in using approaches to scaling and growth such as collective impact, networked communities and strategic partnerships. The objective is to develop networks that involve representative organizations and consortia from different sectors that are committed to a common agenda to solve a specific STEM inclusion problem at scale. The long-term goal of NSF INCLUDES is to support, over the next ten years, innovative models, networks, partnerships, and research that enable the U.S. science and engineering workforce to thrive by ensuring that women, blacks, Hispanics, and people with disabilities are represented in percentages comparable to their representation in the U.S. population. In FY 2016, NSF seeks proposals for Design and Development Launch Pilots to catalyze the formation of NSF INCLUDES Alliances. Cognizant Program Officer(s): Please note that the following information is current at the time of publishing. See program website for any updates to the points of contact. Bernice T. Anderson, telephone: (703) 292-5151, email: banderso Janice Cuny, telephone: (703) 292-8900, email: jcuny Tasha R. Inniss, telephone: (703) 292-4684, email: tinniss Mark H. Leddy, telephone: (703) 292-4655, email: mleddy Julio E. Lopez-Ferrao, telephone: (703) 292- 5183, email: jlopezfe James L. Moore, telephone: (703) 292-7082, email: jamoore Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s): 47.041 — Engineering 47.049 — Mathematical and Physical Sciences 47.050 — Geosciences 47.070 — Computer and Information Science and Engineering 47.074 — Biological Sciences 47.075 — Social Behavioral and Economic Sciences 47.076 — Education and Human Resources 47.083 — Office of Integrative Activities (OIA) Award Information Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant Estimated Number of Awards: 30 to 40 In FY 2016, 30 – 40 NSF INCLUDES two-year Design and Development Launch Pilot Projects awards will be made. Anticipated Funding Amount: $12,500,000 In FY 2016, approximately $12.5 million is available to fund 30 – 40 NSF INCLUDES two-year Design and Development Launch Pilot Projects at levels up to $300,000 each. Eligibility Information Who May Submit Proposals: The categories of proposers eligible to submit proposals to the National Science Foundation are identified in the Grant Proposal Guide, Chapter I, Section E. Who May Serve as PI: The PI must hold a permanent position at the lead institution. The PI must have experience in leading distributed teams and organizations. Collaboration for impact in STEM relevant activities is desirable but not required. Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: An organization may serve as the lead institution on only one Design and Development Launch Pilot proposal. Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or Co-PI: 1 An individual may serve as a PI on only one (1) Design and Development Launch Pilot proposal. An individual may serve as the Co-PI on up to three (3) Design and Development Launch Pilot proposals. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions A. Proposal Preparation Instructions Letters of Intent: Not required Preliminary Proposals: Submission of Preliminary Proposals is required. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. Full Proposals: Full Proposals submitted via FastLane: NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, Part I: Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) Guidelines apply. The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg. Full Proposals submitted via Grants.gov: NSF Grants.gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov Guidelines apply (Note: The NSF Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the NSF website at: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgovguide) B. Budgetary Information Cost Sharing Requirements: Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited. Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Not Applicable Other Budgetary Limitations: Not Applicable C. Due Dates Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposer’s local time): April 15, 2016 Design and Development Launch Pilots Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer’s local time): June 24, 2016 Design and Development Launch Pilots Proposal Review Information Criteria Merit Review Criteria: National Science Board approved criteria apply. Award Administration Information Award Conditions: Standard NSF award conditions apply. Reporting Requirements: Standard NSF reporting requirements apply. TABLE OF CONTENTS Summary of Program Requirements Introduction Program Description Award Information Eligibility Information Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions Proposal Preparation Instructions Budgetary Information Due Dates FastLane/Grants.gov Requirements NSF Proposal Processing and Review Procedures Merit Review Principles and Criteria Review and Selection Process Award Administration Information Notification of the Award Award Conditions Reporting Requirements Agency Contacts Other Information I. INTRODUCTION Diversity – of thought, perspective, and experience – is essential for excellence in research and innovation in science and engineering.1 Full participation of all of America’s STEM talent is critical to the advancement of science and engineering for national security, health, and prosperity. America’s STEM talent pool has a competitive advantage when it is enriched by diversity of perspectives and approaches, which in turn enriches knowledge across STEM. African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, women, persons with disabilities, and persons with low socio-economic status are underrepresented in various fields of science and engineering across all levels – from K-12 to long-term workforce participation.2 Inclusion of talent from all these sectors of American society is necessary for the health and vitality of the science and engineering community and its societal relevance. NSF Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES) is a comprehensive initiative to enhance U.S. leadership in science and engineering discovery and innovation by proactively seeking and effectively developing STEM talent from all sectors and groups in our society. The overarching goal of NSF INCLUDES is to create a sustainable collaborative process for the inclusion in STEM of women, members of racial and ethnic groups that have been underrepresented in STEM, persons with low socio-economic status and people with disabilities. NSF INCLUDES will improve the preparation, increase the participation, and ensure the contributions of individuals from groups that traditionally have been underrepresented in the STEM enterprise. NSF INCLUDES aims to mobilize communities concerned with STEM opportunities to bring renewed focus and effective collaboration to solving broadening participation challenges at scale. Collective commitment to specific objectives for inclusion is necessary for impact at scale in STEM. This initiative will leverage investments from NSF programs and projects focused on broadening participation, building on lessons learned, best practices, and proven mechanisms for achieving success.3 4 Collaborative alliances spanning both education levels and public and private sectors, and including new partners, will need to be developed, expanded, organized and built by leveraging state-of-the-art knowledge on scaling of social innovations. For example, the collective impact approaches that incorporate key success determinants of common agenda, shared measurements, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communications, and backbone support organizations have the potential to yield large-scale progress towards NSF INCLUDES’ goals. While the latest knowledge from the science of broadening participation provides a strong foundation, novel systems approaches and designs for achieving scale are critical for advancing diversity and inclusion in STEM.5 6 7 NSF INCLUDES will fund new research, models, networks, and partnerships that lead to measureable progress in diversity and inclusion in STEM, and have the ability to scale to the national level. The multi-year goals of NSF INCLUDES are to: Synthesize and build the research base for broadening participation and foster the spread and adaptation of proven effective practices. Support the identification, development and attainment of a set of shared goals and objectives developed by stakeholders, including those from specific STEM disciplines, which are essential for achieving inclusion in the nation’s scientific workforce and in high quality STEM learning opportunities. Support local/regional and discipline-specific or crosscutting multi-stakeholder partnerships and networks (NSF INCLUDES Alliances) and support an NSF INCLUDES National Network.