CCSESA Recruitment & Retention Efforts

CCSESA’s Legislative Information Session Highlights Recruitment Research

 
Calling for greater ethnic and racial diversity in teaching and school leadership, CCSESA co-hosted a legislative information session with the Learning Policy Institute, the California Association of African – American Superintendents and Administrators (CAAASA), and the California Center on Teaching Careers (CCTC) to discuss successful recruitment strategies.

Assemblymember Kevin McCarty provided opening remarks, and County Superintendents Jim Brescia (San Louis Obispo) and Anne Campbell (San Mateo) showcased CCSESA’s latest Research Committee briefs on Teacher Recruitment by presenting substantive, low-cost solutions employed by successful LEAs. CAAASA’s President-Elect, County Superintendent Michael Watkins (Santa Cruz), provided compelling context in his overview of African American enrollment data in CSU and UC schools, the cost barriers for beginning teachers, and the need for greater diversity in all ranks of the educational system.

CCTC’s AVATAR hologram demonstration was also a hit at the Capitol. These motion-activated holograms are one of the many hooks that the Tulare COE-based CCTC is using to attract math and science-focused millennials to teaching. University math and science departments across the state will be peppered with these holograms that play a 30-second pitch to become a teacher, and then direct potential candidates to the new interactive site that links with EdJoin (https://californiateach.org/), as well as to their local recruiter’s office.

Reflecting further commitment to recruiting and retaining teachers in hard-to-staff areas, the Governor’s January budget proposes $100 million in one-time funding to address the state’s need for special education teachers. The Teacher Residency Grant program would provide $50 million in competitive grants to LEAs to develop new or expand existing teacher residency programs that recruit and retain education specialists. The Local Solutions Grant program would provide $50 million to LEAs to develop and implement new, or expand existing, locally identified solutions that address a local need for special education teachers. CCSESA will continue to provide updates on these potential grant opportunities as state budget discussions progress.

CalED Grant Awards Announced

 
Last week, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the California Center on Teaching Careers (based out of Tulare COE) announced the CalED grant awardees. This is a competitive grant funded in the 2017-2018 state budget to support principals and other school leaders, and for activities that result in new credentials authorizing teachers to provide instruction in special education, mathematics, science, and bilingual education. Of the 26 recipients, eleven county offices of education are among the awardees. (View notification announcement here.)

Grants reflect the important role COE’s are playing. On Monday, February 5, CCSESA will be co-hosting a legislative information session with the Learning Policy Institute, the California Association of African – American Superintendents and Administrators (CAAASA), and the California Center on Teaching Careers to discuss successful recruitment strategies. County Superintendents Jim Brescia (San Luis Obispo) and Anne Campbell (San Mateo) will highlight the recent CCSESA Research Committee’s report on Teacher Recruitment. The session will also include proven recruitment techniques that have encouraged greater ethnic diversity, as well as state policy recommendations to address this crucial issue. (cacountysupts.org/recruit)

More detail regarding the funded CalED projects will be forthcoming in February. CCSESA will continue to provide updates when available.

Successful, Low-Cost Recruitment Strategies Featured at Recent PASSCo Meeting

 
CCSESA’s latest Research Committee briefs on Teacher Recruitment were a hit at the November Personnel Administrative Services Steering Committee (PASSCo) meeting. San Luis Obispo Superintendent of Schools Jim Brescia highlighted numerous no-cost and low-cost strategies that LEAs use to successfully recruit staff. The research sample included 21 LEAs from 10 different counties that represented a diversity in geography, demography, and financial need, and had also filled at least 90% of their teaching vacancies in the past two years.

Donna Glassman-Sommer, Executive Director of the CA Center on Teaching Careers (CCTC) later told the group that the strategies she saw outlined in the report were an affirmation of the last 15 years of successful recruitment efforts conducted by the recruitment centers. Glassman-Sommer and her team also presented an update on CCTC activities, which included showcasing a recruitment video on the benefits of teaching in Northern California (available here).

Each county HR administrator walked away with paper copies of the reports; several administrators announced their intent to share with district superintendents and district HR directors before the end of the year. Explore the successful low-cost recruitment techniques here.

CA Teaching Shortage Highlighted at the 39th Annual CCAC Conference

 
Districts and counties all over California are kept humming due to the work of credential counselors and analysts who ensure students are taught by appropriately credentialed teachers, at all grade levels, in all subject areas. Last week, over eight hundred of these analysts showed up in force to the largest annual professional development opportunity for credentialing each year, the 39th Annual Credential Counselors and Analysts of California (CCAC) Fall Conference. Given the key role that county offices play in the state’s credentialing system, it was not surprising that 150 of the attendees were staff from county offices.

The three-day conference offered newly designed introductory, advanced, and program series tracks. Sessions were led by staff from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), the California Department of Education (CDE), and others, and were designed to build upon each other with interactive discussions, real world activities, participant knowledge sharing, and collaboration.

In the keynote address, credential counselors and analysts were referred to as the front line of defense against the California teacher shortage. Donna Glassman-Sommer, from the Tulare County Office of Education and Executive Director of the CA Center on Teaching Careers (CCTC) challenged conference participants to inspire potential teaching candidates by talking about the merits of teaching in all interactions with staff. Everyone can help elevate the teaching profession and dispel myths; Glassman-Sommer encouraged analysts to counsel staff on Provisional Internship Permits, Short Term Staff Permits, and even substitute teachers to complete the necessary steps needed towards gaining full credentials. Local education agencies (LEAs) can also apply for the CalED grant opportunity, which provides grants to LEAs who aim to attract and support the preparation and continued learning of teachers, principals, and other school leaders.

Those with any doubts about the dire teacher shortage in California needed only to peek into the most widely attended session on “Staffing in Short Supply and the Teacher Shortage.” With nearly 400 people there for the advanced series, senior staff from the CTC went into heavy details on Education Code and requirements for emergency permits, local assignment options, special education certifications, and employer responsibilities.

Additional information and presentations from the conference can be found here.

Center to Use Cutting Edge Technology to Attract Teachers

 
This month, the California Center on Teaching Careers (CCTC), based out of Tulare County Office of Education, is unveiling its new virtual digital portal or “vortal,” to both attract teachers, and provide much needed support to permitted teachers already on a credentialing path.

Candidates who are familiar with the popular job site EdJoin will already have insider access to the vortal since the sites are linked with the same user names and passwords. The site offers an enhanced experience for candidates, who build their profile by checking off milestones and accomplishments. With content developed by California’s universities, CCTC, and other partners, users will have a customized experience that outlines their next steps towards gaining a credential. (Explore the vortal here).

But that’s not all; to attract top talent, university math and science departments across the state will be peppered with holograms that play a 30-second pitch to become a teacher. Tailored to math and science focused millennials, these motion-activated holograms will deliver a crucial message to potential teachers: teaching is a rewarding career and California’s students need math and science educators. The message will conclude with clear next steps for the passerby – a QR code will direct them to the vortal, as well as their local recruiter’s office.

Seven County Offices of Education are already heavily involved in these efforts: Tulare, Shasta, Sonoma, Ventura, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego. With their local context in mind, each county office has identified the top priorities and opportunities to recruit and retain teachers to their local schools.

Local Education Agencies (LEAs) also have the opportunity to address teacher recruitment and retention issues in their local areas by taking advantage of the new California Educator Development (CalED) Program. The CCTC, in conjunction with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), has more than $9.4 million to issue at least 30 one-time grants to LEAs in the amount no less than $100,000, and not more than $1,250,000 per grant. Grant recipients must provide an equal match of funding and may include one or more, or any combination of school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools. The request for proposals can be accessed here and proposals must be submitted by October 27, 2017 by 5:00 PM.

As communications continue to unfold, CCSESA will keep you apprised of new information regarding this important initiative.

California Educator Development Program

 
A new program established in the 2017-18 state budget is the “California Educator Development (CalED) Program”. Under this program, the California Center on Teaching Careers, which is operated by the Tulare County Office of Education, shall issue one-time grants to successful applicants through a competitive grant program to:

• Support principals and other school leaders;
• Result in new credentials authorizing teachers to provide instruction in special education, mathematics, science and bilingual education.

Grant recipients must provide “an equal match of resources for any funding received…”. Grant recipients may include one or more, or any combination of, school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools.

The Center on Teaching Careers shall implement the program in consultation with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The full text of the Education Code establishing the new program is available here.

Budget Funds Second Cohort for Classified Teacher Training Program

 
The 2017-18 state budget includes $25 million to fund a second cohort of participants in the California Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program. The grants will be awarded by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) for up 1,250 participants at a rate of up to $4,000 per participant per year.

In 2016-17 there was funding for 1,000 participants and proposals for 5,582 participants were submitted. Grant awards went to 25 local educational agencies (LEAs) to provide this program. Of those LEAs, eleven were county offices of education that received funding for 610 (61%) of the 1,000 participants.

CCSESA will again be working with the CTC and the California School Employees Association (CSEA) to make sure that county offices can access these funds to support this important pipeline for future teachers.