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16 COLLEGES & GRADuate Schools ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ DECEMBER 2006New Educator Conference Focuseson Hope in Challenging TimesBy Richard KaganTeachers, school administrators, and studentsgathered for a stimulating day-long conferenceat The City College of New York’s School ofEducation held recently. The conference, entitled:The New Educator: Building and SustainingLearning Communities in Challenging Times,drew between 400-500 people, from across-theboardin the education community in the NewYork City metropolitan area. The conferencewas presented by CCNY’s School of Educationin Honor of its 85th anniversary of the oldestpublic school of education in New York City andThe New Educator Journal. Opening remarksand keynote addresses were held in The GreatHall in Shepard Hall, 138th St. and ConventAve., in Manhattan.Dr. Sonia Nieto, Professor Emerita of Language,Literacy & Culture, School of Education gavethe conference’s opening Keynote address on“Teaching, Activism, And Caring: New Roles forNew Educators.” Pedro Antonio Noguera, Ph.D.,Professor in the School of Education at New YorkUniversity, gave the closing address.Dr. Jean Maude Anyon, Professor of Educationand Social Policy, Doctoral Program in UrbanEducation at the Graduate Center of CUNYwas the featured speaker. Numerous panelswere presented throughout the day ranging fromInteractive Workshop: How to Support and RetainNew Teachers to Examining Teacher Preparation:Does the Pathway Make a Difference?Beverly Falk, editor of The New Educatorhoped the conference would be a source of supportespecially for young teachers. “I hope thatyoung teachers feel a sense of community, feel asense of professionalism, get ideas and strategiesfor how to sustain themselves through the longhaul of what it means to be a teacher,” said Falk.Dean Alfred S. Posamentier, School ofEducation, CCNY thought the conference wasa timely opportunity “when we need to reflectupon our mission, which is urban education—preparing teachers for the urban environment,urban setting.”Dr. Nieto based her talk on findings from her2004 study, “Why We Teach: The Project.” Sheinterviewed 21 teachers from elementary, middle,and high schools to learn about their experiencesof what it means to be teacher. Dr. Nieto presentedsome sobering facts and statistics about the challengesfacing new educators today. She noted that20 percent of new teachers leave during the firstfew years of teaching. Nearly half of new teachersin urban school leave the profession withinfive years. She stated that a 40 percent turnoverof new teachers is expected within the next fiveyears, the highest rate since at least 1990. TheU.S. Census Bureau estimates that by the year2050, people of color will be over 50 percent ofthe total U.S. population. Now, teachers of colorcomprise about 11 percent of the teacher population.And, the percentages of African-Americanteachers have gone down in the last severaldecades, according to Dr. Nieto. “Most troublingof all,” states Dr. Nieto, that many new teachersreport that they’re not prepared to teach childrenof a different color from themselves.In a day when students are “taught to the test”in overcrowded classrooms, in run-down schools,the challenges facing new educators are daunting.What can teachers do? They can and do make adifference reports Dr. Nieto. She cites a widelynoted study that students assigned to severalhighly effective teachers had significantly greatergains in achievement than those assigned to lesseffective teachers. What qualities do good teachershave? According to Dr. Nieto, they possess adeep knowledge of the subject matter, a familiaritywith a pedagogical approach, strong communicationskills, and effective organization skills.Dr. Noguera’s stirring final keynote addresswas drawn from his personal experiences as aneducator. He spoke of letting students fall by thewayside and of the importance of providing acaring, focused, and considered approach to eachstudent which gives them hope. Dr. Noguerareminisced about being in his 20’s and visiting analternative school in Berkeley, California wherehe was an assistant to the Mayor of Berkeley.He went into the school one day and foundmost of the kids in the parking lot—only twoor three were in the classroom. He asked theteachers at the school how everything was going.“Fine, it’s all right,” they replied. “You don’tbother them (the students) they don’t bother us.”Dr. Noguera was so concerned about the state ofaffairs at the school that he quit his job with thecity of Berkeley and went to work at the school.He helped turn the school into a genuine alternativefor kids who had been written off.Dr. Noguera clearly stated that “the problem isnot the children.” “The problem is the way wetreat the children.” Dr. Noguera said that educatorsneed to go the extra mile in finding out abouttheir students, what matters to them, what theylike to do “after school. You can break certainpatterns if you want to, it takes a lot of effort, itdoesn’t just happen,” said Dr. Noguera.#Visit www.EducationUpdate.comRanked 16 on Yahoo’s engine for “education newspaper”.New Psy.D. inClinical PsychologyUnion Institute & University is pleased to announce its new Doctor ofPsychology (Psy.D.) Program in Clinical Psychology. The Program trainspsychologists to become skilled practitioners and informed scholars, and thelow residency feature makes it highly accessible to working adults.Ask about our focus in social justice and family psychology.Apply online: www.tui.eduCall us: 800.486.3116, ext. 200Or email: DoctoralAdmissions@tui.eduOffering:B.A. • M.A. • M.Ed.M.A. in PsychologyM.F.A. • Psy.D. • Ph.D.We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds.Cincinnati Center 440 East McMillan Street, Cincinnati, OH 45206Brattleboro Center 3 University Way Suite 3, Brattleboro VT 05301The Art of TeachingMaster’s Program Small seminar classesconnecting theory withteaching practice, leadingto a Master of Sciencein Education Student teaching andfieldwork in tri-statearea public andalternative schools Students prepared forcertification in EarlyChildhood, Childhoodor dual certification Students of diversebackgrounds andexperiences areencouraged to applyPart-time/full-time studyand financial aid availableFor information contact:Sarah Lawrence College Office of Graduate Studies1 Mead Way, Bronxville, NY 10708(914) 395-2371 x236, grad@slc.edu or visit us atwww.sarahlawrence.edu/teaching