Mitigating First Year Burnout: How Reimagined Partnerships Could Support Urban Middle Level Teachers

Given what we know about new teacher attrition—most teachers leave within their first five years in the field—specialized support during early years of teaching is critical. But should this support look different across different contexts and grade bands? What does supportive teacher education and induction look like for middle level educators preparing to teach in urban settings? This essay describes steps taken to design a cross-institutional, collaborative 3-year residency program for K-8 educators, and speaks to the importance of reimagined co-teaching, critical, and cross-institutional partnerships in middle grades teacher education. The authors urge readers to consider how to implement similar modifications in their own spaces to create powerful, collaborative middle grades teacher education and induction

RECLAIMING OUR PROMISE: VICTORIOUS NARRATIVES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES NAVIGATING THE SCHOOL-TO-PRISON NEXUS

The school-to-prison nexus (STPN) disproportionately targets African American students for school suspension and expulsion, which increases their risk of future incarceration (Heitzeg, 2016). The nexus metaphor describes how students transition from education spaces to the criminal justice system through punitive policies such as zero tolerance discipline (Meiners, 2007), and practices of criminalized control and over-surveillance that reinforces prison-like school structures (Stovall, 2016). Thus, interrupting the social injustice of the STPN calls for a collaboration between K-12 schools and university-based teacher education programs that prepare classroom teachers. In this qualitative narrative inquiry study, I examine the victorious narratives of three African American men who traversed K-12 education and incarceration spaces and seek higher education as an act of agency and resistance to the long-term disenfranchisement of the STPN. Drawing on a constellation of theoretical frameworks including critical race theory, the carceral state, and experience, I gathered their stories to shift the narrative around the STPN and to inform critical praxis in teacher education programs

The Effectiveness of Urban Teacher Education Programs: Listening to the Voices of Cooperating Teachers

The cooperating teacher has long been referred to as the most significant person in the education of teacher candidates. However, the voice of the cooperating teachers has been largely missing in teacher education evaluation research. Our study focused on obtaining feedback from the cooperating teachers about the effectiveness of our teacher education programs in emphasizing our college’s conceptual framework focused on social justice and equity. This mixed methods study utilized survey data from cooperating teachers over two academic years. The early childhood education (ECE) cooperating teachers gave significantly higher ratings to their programs than the middle secondary education (MSE) cooperating teachers. Cooperating teachers perceived extensive field experiences, effective supervisory support, and clear and consistent communication from faculty as a strength of the ECE programs. The MSE programs which were rated lower than the ECE programs were perceived as needing improvement in the structure of field experiences and in communication of expectations from the university

Growing potatoes

Caption title.Digitized 2006 AES MoU

Implementação estadual do edTPA em preparação para testes de alto risco: Um estudo de métodos mistos das preocupações dos coordenadores do edTPA

This study examined the implementation of high-stakes adoption of edTPA® in one state in the year prior to consequential use of edTPA scores for teacher licensure. Using a mixed methods design, we investigated concerns of coordinators who were responsible for edTPA implementation in their institutions. We utilized the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) to understand edTPA coordinators’ Stages of Concern, the nature of the challenges they faced, and the professional development opportunities that alleviated their concerns. Based on the CBAM survey, the most common Stage of Concernfor edTPA coordinators was Management.Coordinators’ interviews revealed the nature of their concerns at different stages and how the size of their institution and supportive resources at particular times may have played a crucial role in shaping the edTPA roll-out in their institutions. The use of the CBAM framework enabled edTPA coordinators (a) to understand their own concerns about the high-stakes policy, (b) to articulate the complexities involved in implementing edTPA initiatives, and (c) to underscore the importance of relating concerns to appropriate professional development opportunities and support for themselves as well as their faculty. Este estudio examinó la implementación de la adopción de edTPA® de alto riesgo en un estado previo al uso consecuente de los puntajes de edTPA para la licencia de maestros. Usando un diseño de método mixto, investigamos las preocupaciones de los coordinadores responsables de implementar edTPA en sus instituciones. Utilizamos el Modelo de adopción basado en la preocupación (CBAM) para comprender las etapas de preocupación para los coordinadores de edTPA, la naturaleza de los desafíos que enfrentaron y las oportunidades de desarrollo profesional que alivian sus preocupaciones. Según la investigación de CBAM, la etapa de preocupación más común para los coordinadores de edTPA fue la gestión. Las entrevistas con los coordinadores revelaron la naturaleza de sus preocupaciones en diferentes etapas y cómo el tamaño de su institución y los recursos de apoyo en ciertos momentos pueden haber jugado un papel crucial en la definición de la implementación de edTPA en sus instituciones. El uso del marco CBAM ha permitido a los coordinadores de edTPA (a) comprender sus propias preocupaciones sobre la política de alto riesgo, (b) articular las complejidades involucradas en la implementación de iniciativas de edTPA, y (c) subrayar la importancia de relacionar las preocupaciones con oportunidades apropiadas para el desarrollo profesional y el apoyo para ellos mismos y la facultad.Este estudo examinou a implementação da adoção de edTPA® de alto risco em um estado do ano anterior ao uso consequente das pontuações de edTPA para licenciamento de professores. Usando um design de métodos mistos, investigamos as preocupações dos coordenadores responsáveis pela implementação do edTPA em suas instituições. Utilizamos o Modelo de Adoção com Base em Preocupações (CBAM) para entender os Estágios de Preocupação dos coordenadores da edTPA, a natureza dos desafios que enfrentaram e as oportunidades de desenvolvimento profissional que atenuaram suas preocupações. Com base na pesquisa da CBAM, o estágio de preocupação mais comum para os coordenadores da edTPA foi o gerenciamento. As entrevistas dos coordenadores revelaram a natureza de suas preocupações em diferentes estágios e como o tamanho de sua instituição e os recursos de suporte em determinados momentos podem ter desempenhado um papel crucial na definição da implementação do edTPA em suas instituições. O uso da estrutura CBAM permitiu aos coordenadores da edTPA (a) entender suas próprias preocupações sobre a política de altos riscos, (b) articular as complexidades envolvidas na implementação de iniciativas da edTPA, e (c) sublinhar a importância de relacionar as preocupações às oportunidades apropriadas de desenvolvimento profissional e apoiar a si e ao corpo docente

Diagnostic performance of anti-Zika virus IgM, IgAM and IgG ELISAs during co-circulation of Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses in Brazil and Venezuela

BACKGROUND: Serological diagnosis of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is challenging because of the antibody cross-reactivity among flaviviruses. At the same time, the role of Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) is limited by the low proportion of symptomatic infections and the low average viral load. Here, we compared the diagnostic performance of commercially available IgM, IgAM, and IgG ELISAs in sequential samples during the ZIKV and chikungunya (CHIKV) epidemics and co-circulation of dengue virus (DENV) in Brazil and Venezuela. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Acute (day of illness 1-5) and follow-up (day of illness ≥ 6) blood samples were collected from nine hundred and seven symptomatic patients enrolled in a prospective multicenter study of symptomatic patients recruited between June 2012 and August 2016. Acute samples were tested by RT-PCR for ZIKV, DENV, and CHIKV. Acute and follow-up samples were tested for IgM, IgAM, and IgG antibodies to ZIKV using commercially available ELISAs. Among follow-up samples with a RT-PCR confirmed ZIKV infection, anti-ZIKV IgAM sensitivity was 93.5% (43/48), while IgM and IgG exhibited sensitivities of 30.3% (10/35) and 72% (18/25), respectively. An additional 24% (26/109) of ZIKV infections were detected via IgAM seroconversion in ZIKV/DENV/CHIKV RT-PCR negative patients. The specificity of anti-ZIKV IgM was estimated at 93% and that of IgAM at 85%. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings exemplify the challenges of the assessment of test performance for ZIKV serological tests in the real-world setting, during co-circulation of DENV, ZIKV, and CHIKV. However, we can also demonstrate that the IgAM immunoassay exhibits superior sensitivity to detect ZIKV RT-PCR confirmed infections compared to IgG and IgM immunoassays. The IgAM assay also proves to be promising for detection of anti-ZIKV seroconversions in sequential samples, both in ZIKV PCR-positive as well as PCR-negative patients, making this a candidate assay for serological monitoring of pregnant women in future ZIKV outbreaks

Achieving a quantum smart workforce

Interest in building dedicated Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE) education programs has greatly expanded in recent years. These programs are inherently convergent, complex, often resource intensive and likely require collaboration with a broad variety of stakeholders. In order to address this combination of challenges, we have captured ideas from many members in the community. This manuscript not only addresses policy makers and funding agencies (both public and private and from the regional to the international level) but also contains needs identified by industry leaders and discusses the difficulties inherent in creating an inclusive QISE curriculum. We report on the status of eighteen post-secondary education programs in QISE and provide guidance for building new programs. Lastly, we encourage the development of a comprehensive strategic plan for quantum education and workforce development as a means to make the most of the ongoing substantial investments being made in QISE.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl