James C. Ross, President, Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities
When city Schools Chancellor Harold O. Levy launched an exclusive program with CUNY to fast-track new teachers into the system, he failed to take into account the myriad ways other colleges and universities are successfully addressing New York's extreme teacher shortage.
The joint program is recruiting candidates with bachelor's degrees in math, science and Spanish with the promise of paid tuition and guaranteed jobs in city schools. After only one summer in an intensive preparation program, participants will begin teaching full time in city schools.
There is a desperate need to fill the positions of the tens of thousands of educators leaving city schools for retirement, higher-paying school districts or other careers. But Chancellor Levy's solution has one regrettable flaw: By forming an exclusive relationship with CUNY, he ignores the many contributions to successful teacher recruitment, certification and retention made by other colleges and university schools of education in the New York City area and upstate.
Independent colleges and universities are quietly and effectively engaged in a host of partnerships with New York City schools. These programs prepare and support beginning teachers as they face the challenges that drive one of every two new teachers out of city schools within five years. And since the city is prohibited from employing any uncertified teachers after 2002, these partnerships are more crucial than ever to the future of city schools.
Whether they come from independent colleges or state-supported universities, New York City teachers - and their students - benefit from a rich and diverse array of partnerships, such as:
* Pace University's Professional Development School sends Pace undergraduate elementary education students to urban schools to work closely for three years with experienced teachers who serve as their mentors. Twenty-one Pace students are now learning about the students, curriculum and community in Community School District 10.
* Ithaca College's partnership with Frederick Douglass Academy sends student-teachers to the once-troubled Harlem school that is now a national success story. Field placement prepares these education students to teach in urban multicultural schools.
* Fordham University's two-year partnership with Bronx Community School District 12 is helping uncertified teachers to complete a teacher preparation program, earn master's degrees and qualify for state certification in elementary education.
* New York University's Professional Development Laboratory assists teachers in city schools at all stages of their careers. The School of Education collaborates with the New York City Board of Education, the United Federation of Teachers and the private sector to support teachers' professional development in 10 community school districts, Brooklyn high schools and alternative high schools.
Independent colleges and universities are advancing the quality of the teaching in New York City schools - and therefore the quality of education for students throughout the five boroughs. Their collaborations with public education can only encourage future teachers to work in city schools.
As the recruitment of new teachers continues, Chancellor Levy would do well to build upon these partnerships. They can provide the strength on which to build better public schools for all.