Toledo, Ohio. Chris Myers, candidate for Toledo Public Schools Board of Education, proposes the establishment of a Young Educators Society (YES) chapter in Toledo to encourage our children to enter the teaching profession. YES works with local business and university communities to encourage minorities, males and all students to become teachers, and nurtures them in the process.
Date: Thursday, October 11, 2007
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Place: TPS Administration Building
420 East Manhattan (under the southwest-side overhang in case of rain)
The media is respectfully requested to be present.
Myers has been active in his support for improving TPS for several years including audio taping all board meetings and creating Web sites like http://www.ideasfortps.com and http://www.tpssearch.com to help inform and engage TPS stakeholders.
I thought they already had a "future teachers of america" thing going, at least they did back when i was in school.
The NEA (teachers union) sponsors the Future Teachers of America and really does most of the work. The Young Educators Society is more of a partnership between the universities and school districts and the universities are very active in the program. Unions do participate in the YES program, but it is a partnership between the different groups than run by one. They have the same mission but different ways of implementing it.
According to a recent article in Newsweek, men in the teaching profession are at an all time low and minorities are not proportionally represented, earning only 33% of the degrees conferred.
This is a major national issue and certainly one that Toledo, alone, cannot fix. But Toledo can take positive steps to encourage students to go into the teaching profession.
As I've stated throughout my campaign, my first priority is academics. One aspect of this priority is to provide academic options for students to pursue. I've already proposed the creation of a business academy. And the district currently has a technology academy and construction career academies. So why not create a program to encourage students, especially males and minorities, to go into the teaching profession?
When elected, I will work to establish a Toledo chapter of the Young Educators Society. YES, was started in South Carolina. The state of Michigan has an active Young Educator Society where the universities and school districts partner to provide programs for students. The University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, and Wayne State all have partnerships with schools to assist students who are interested in the teaching profession. I became acquainted with YES through my work with the University of Michigan School of Education and have seen the number of students participating in the program as well as the positive impact it has had.
YES connects colleges of education with current students to help students get their foot in the door while providing support, including for enrollment and matriculation. The programs are a partnership between the school district and the universities. I've previously stated that I'll work to establish and enhance the district
And what it doesn't mention is whether or not the program has a quantifiable impact. Do school districts that partner with YES have increased retention rates of new minority and male teachers? If YES has an impact on bringing and retaining people who usually forego education careers, then it sounds like a good idea. But if the benefits are minimal compared to the costs of the program, then why bother? The money could instead go to fund programs intended to get women and minorities into STEM careers, which is an even larger concern IMHO than the diversity of teachers.
---------
"When I say your dumb name, please stand up briefly, but then quickly drop to your knees and forsake all others before me." -Ignignokt
The costs are minimal and nothing that the community (businesses, universities, or other community groups) could not pick up, but what not a better way to fill STEM teaching careers, especially for local school districts and universities to have a group of students who have expressed an interest in teaching. I see it as a an essential part of that.