February 18, 2009
Who Will Teach Our Children?
Arthur Levine
President, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
Minutes of the 19th Meeting of the 67th Year
At 10:15 AM at the Friends Center, President George Hansen called to order the 19th meeting of the 67th year of the Old Guard. Donald Edwards led the invocation. Joseph Giordmaine read the minutes of the February 11 meeting. Seymour Meisel introduced Charles Gray; Ruth Miller introduced Sybil Stokes; James Deneen introduced his wife, Thalia Deneen.
Robert Varrin announced a change of program for the meeting of March 11. Joseph Bolster will meet the nominating committee at the back of the at the close of today's meeting.
Announcement was made of the death of member James Pendergrass on February 3 at the age of 90. Having joined the Old Guard in 1985, his term of membership was among our longest. The Old Guard observed a few minutes of silence in recognition of his memory.
Our next meeting on February 25 will be held in the Convocation Room of the Friends Building at 10:15 AM. The speaker, Neil Rudenstein, former President of Harvard University, will address the topic, "American and International Higher Education: Is There a Crisis?''
James Johnson introduced the speaker, Arthur Levine, the sixth president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and formerly the president and professor of education of Teachers College, Columbia University. Announcing his intention to address the topic, From Where Do We Get Our Teachers? Doctor Levine launched into a review of the problems and possibilities in the preparation of teachers for American public schools.
Our current cohort of teachers is fewer than 4 million, but we need to recruit 2 million new teachers during the next ten years, due to a number of factors. These include: the phenomenon of the boomer generation, a bulge that continues to lead the population growth; a population movement to the southern and western sections of the country; an unprecedented influx of immigration; and the persistent problem-losses by attrition.
Attrition begins during the college years where half of the undergraduates who start out to become teachers never do. Over a period of five years we lost from the profession more than 40% of those who started their careers as teachers. Those who do teach confront the fact that their positions offer the lowest rewards in salary and in status among graduates with a similar amount of preparation.
Although recognizing that American teacher education is inadequate and lacks focus, Dr. Levine sees signs of promise in such programs as Teach For America, which attracted applications from 15% of Yale graduates. He thinks the stimulus program will have a beneficial effect and was encouraged by a study of adults (aged 25 to 55 years) in that 42% responded positively when asked would they consider becoming a teacher.
Arthur Levine concluded his presentation with a review of the work of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation where plans include the development of a Rhodes Scholar in Teaching'' to attract the best and the brightest, focus on such areas as math and science, mentoring programs for beginning teachers, and attempting to have an impact by concentrating their efforts in two states.
Respectfully submitted,
William Summerscales
Robert Varrin announced a change of program for the meeting of March 11. Joseph Bolster will meet the nominating committee at the back of the at the close of today's meeting.
Announcement was made of the death of member James Pendergrass on February 3 at the age of 90. Having joined the Old Guard in 1985, his term of membership was among our longest. The Old Guard observed a few minutes of silence in recognition of his memory.
Our next meeting on February 25 will be held in the Convocation Room of the Friends Building at 10:15 AM. The speaker, Neil Rudenstein, former President of Harvard University, will address the topic, "American and International Higher Education: Is There a Crisis?''
James Johnson introduced the speaker, Arthur Levine, the sixth president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and formerly the president and professor of education of Teachers College, Columbia University. Announcing his intention to address the topic, From Where Do We Get Our Teachers? Doctor Levine launched into a review of the problems and possibilities in the preparation of teachers for American public schools.
Our current cohort of teachers is fewer than 4 million, but we need to recruit 2 million new teachers during the next ten years, due to a number of factors. These include: the phenomenon of the boomer generation, a bulge that continues to lead the population growth; a population movement to the southern and western sections of the country; an unprecedented influx of immigration; and the persistent problem-losses by attrition.
Attrition begins during the college years where half of the undergraduates who start out to become teachers never do. Over a period of five years we lost from the profession more than 40% of those who started their careers as teachers. Those who do teach confront the fact that their positions offer the lowest rewards in salary and in status among graduates with a similar amount of preparation.
Although recognizing that American teacher education is inadequate and lacks focus, Dr. Levine sees signs of promise in such programs as Teach For America, which attracted applications from 15% of Yale graduates. He thinks the stimulus program will have a beneficial effect and was encouraged by a study of adults (aged 25 to 55 years) in that 42% responded positively when asked would they consider becoming a teacher.
Arthur Levine concluded his presentation with a review of the work of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation where plans include the development of a Rhodes Scholar in Teaching'' to attract the best and the brightest, focus on such areas as math and science, mentoring programs for beginning teachers, and attempting to have an impact by concentrating their efforts in two states.
Respectfully submitted,
William Summerscales