What We're Reading: Week of August 1, 2022
Happy Friday! This week, we’re reading about how Oakland USD is tackling recruiting and retaining high-quality educators, coverage of the AccelerateED program, the resurgence of high school apprenticeships, and more. Have a great weekend!
Dual Enrollment
More High School Students Are Taking College Classes. But Not Everyone Gets the Chance., EdSurge
Dual-enrollment programs help nearly 1.4 million high school students take college courses each year. But as dual enrollment grows across the country, access to the option is not distributed equally, according to a new report produced by nearly two dozen higher ed researchers and experts, with funding from the Joyce Foundation.
Higher Education
Leveling the Playing Field for Social Capital, Inside Higher Ed
One emerging higher ed trend is a slate of educational technology interventions that promise to bolster students’ social capital. A recent paper from the Christensen Institute discusses that landscape and says the tools can help campus administrators measure and understand the extent of their students’ social capital and expand them for the neediest students.
Project-Based Learning
TEACHER VOICE: With hands-on activities, my chemistry students are building cities of the future, Hechinger Report
Four years ago, Gabrielino High School chemistry teacher David Cameron found my game-changer: a design-based, cross-curricular learning methodology rooted in principles of social justice and the physical world. It assumes what he has found to be true: that all types of learners have the capacity to become creative and critical thinkers.
Student Supports
Few Black men become school psychologists. Here's why that matters, NPR
Black men in the U.S. are more likely to be professional football players than public school psychologists. It's a startling statistic. But for Chase McCullum, a Black man who became a school psychologist over a decade ago, it's just reality.
Teachers
Educator’s View: How My Ohio District is Recruiting and Retaining Black Teachers, The 74 Million
Having at least one Black teacher in elementary school reduces the chances of dropping out by 29% among low-income Black students and by 39% for very low-income Black males. Black students who have just one Black teacher by third grade are 13% more likely to enroll in college, while those who have two Black teachers are 32% more likely. However, Black classroom teachers make up only 7% of the entire workforce, even though Black children make up at least 16% of the student population.
Oakland, with among lowest ratio of fully prepared, rightly assigned teachers, has a strategy to address teacher churn, EdSource
Oakland Unified School District has created Grow Your Own, with teacher residencies, an after-school pipeline and a teacher development program for middle school teachers. It is providing mentoring and resources for all new teachers and, starting this year, will pay for new teachers’ credentialing fees and assessments.
Work-Based Learning
We’re Hiring, Especially If You’re in High School and Want an Apprenticeship, Bloomberg
With almost two openings for every person looking for work, US companies are increasingly tapping high school students for skilled jobs. As a result, apprenticeships are seeing a renaissance after failing to gain a foothold over the past few decades.