Friday, April 14, 2000
Teacher program praised as model
UC students add year of practice
BY James Pilcher
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A former banker who is making a career change, JoAnn Forte Battle knew the mere 10-week student-teaching stint most education students undergo before they get their college degree wouldn't help her make up for lost time.
So she chose the University of Cincinnati's Initiative for Teacher Education (CITE), which requires students to get a bachelor's degree in a subject other than education and then spend a full fifth year as a part-time teacher.
“I now consider myself a teacher, and wouldn't think about going into a classroom without this experience,” said Mrs. Forte Battle,40, who is on track to become certified in June. “I've been through the whole experience — parent conferences, disciplining kids, everything. You just don't get that as a student teacher.”
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ABOUT CITE
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• What: University of Cincinnati's Cincinnati Initiative for Teacher Education.
• Number of interns: 120.
• Participating districts: Cincinnati Public Schools, West Clermont Local School District (some interns also work in other districts with no compensation).
• How it works: UC students seeking teaching certificates must first get a four-year bachelor's degree in another subject. During their fourth year, seniors will start taking classes in teaching methods and get a short stint as a student teacher.In their fifth year, students work a half-day as a teacher for the entire school year, also taking methods classes in the evening.
• Annual stipend: Approximately $10,000, although it varies from year to year. Interns also are offered graduate scholarships to bring the total compensation to about half the salary of a first-year teacher. A first-year teacher's salary in CPS is $29,885.39.
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Source: The University of Cincinnati College of Education; Cincinnati Public Schools.
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The five-year-old CITE program today will become part of a national discussion on teacher preparation. The American Federation of Teachers is scheduled to release a report calling for major overhauls of teacher colleges nationwide at the Education Writers Association meeting in Atlanta.
In its report, AFT highlights the CITE program as an example of what schools should consider when making reforms.
AFT, a national teachers' union, commends CITE for its cooperation among UC, Cincinnati Public Schools and the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers — the local AFT representative.
Some of the 120 interns currently in the program also teach in the West Clermont district, and any UC student wanting to obtain a teaching certificate must go through the program.
“In the old model, a senior might get into a 10-week program, but may only get three weeks of actual teaching time in front of the classroom,” said UC education professor Ron Sterling. “This not only gives them valuable experience, but it lets them know exactly what to expect over the course of a year.”
The fifth-year interns work a half-day throughout the school year in their own classrooms, building continuity with the same students. They are paid a stipend of about $10,000 — about a third of CPS' first-year salary — and have the same responsibilities as a regular teacher.
UC also offers graduate scholarships to supplement the compensation package to bring the total to about half a full teachers' salary.
“I wish they had this when I came through,” said Jamie Beirne, a 44-year-old English teacher at CPS' Hughes Center and a mentor to interns at the school. “I switched to teaching just 10 years ago, and it would have been nice to come out with the experience of a second- or third-year teacher like these students do.”
Mrs. Forte Battle said she wouldn't have been able to join the program without the stipend. And she said the program is not only making her a better teacher out of college, CITE also will make her more marketable.
“My goal is to be a CPS teacher and work in the urban setting, and now, I'm actually looking at a greater earning potential than I was making at the bank,” said Mrs. Forte Battle, who has already received her bachelor's in African-American studies. “Plus, I'll already know exactly what I'm getting into.”
According to UC officials, about 80 percent of CITE graduates have gone on to become full-time teachers, while the average of other Ohio teaching schools is about 40 percent.
Another benefit of CITE is its ability to weed out those who are not cut out for teaching, said UC education professor Keith Barton.
“We get five or six who say this is not at all what they expected and drop out every year, and that's great,” he said. “Not only do they have something to fall back on with their degree in something else, but they won't be burned out after two years.”
According to a 1996 survey of new teachers by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, about 75 percent of incoming education students are still teachers three years after graduation.
Because the program is relatively new, numbers on UC's program aren't yet available.
UC professors also say that weekly classes with interns show what's really going on in classrooms, closing the gap between teaching theory and reality.
UC intern Jennifer Kist says she could take over a classroom full-time tomorrow, if need be.
“I am confident I can teach in any setting, in several styles,” said Ms. Kist, 23, of White Oak, who teaches second and third grade at Becker Elementary in the North College Hill district. “I don't get the stipend that others do ... but this has only made me want to teach even more.”
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