Testimony of Jerry H. Robbins, Ed.D.
Dean, College of Education
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan 

108^th Congress
United States House of Representatives
Committee on Education and the Workforce
Subcommittee on 21^st Century Competitiveness

May 20, 2003

Chairman McKeon, Congressman Kildee, Congressmen Ehlers and Upton, Members of the Subcommittee, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am Jerry Robbins, Dean of the College of Education at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan, where I have served for 12 years. In addition, I have been dean of a college of education at two other institutions, for a total of 23 years in the deanship. I have 15 additional years in other higher education teaching and administrative roles. In addition, I’ve been a teacher and a principal.

The invitation to testify today is much appreciated. I would like to offer Eastern Michigan University as an example of a teacher preparation program at which most of the criticisms leveled in recent times do not apply. We are not unique; hundreds of such examples from around the country could be presented just as well.

Permit me to make three points: (1) EMU is big; (2) EMU represents quality; and (3) EMU is well connected to schools and other educational entities.

1. EMU is big.

At the time that Michigan State Normal School was founded in1849, we were the sixth such institution for the preparation of teachers in the country and the first west of the Allegheny Mountains.¹ Since that time, through several name changes, we have grown into a comprehensive metropolitan university of more than 24,000 students. We remain best known, however, for the size and quality of our programming in professional education. Part of our reputation stems from the fact that we were among the first institutions in the country to prepare teachers of physical education, among the first to prepare teachers in special education, and so on, and we have been doing those things, and many others, with quality for decades.

Eastern Michigan University is the nation's largest producer of educational personnel and among the largest producers of new teachers.² At any given time, we have about 4,000 students involved in professional education preparation. We prepare about 2,000 professional educators per year, including about a thousand new, first-time teachers. We are the nation’s largest producer of special education personnel³ and among the largest producers of school administrators,⁴ teachers of mathematics⁵, and teachers of science.⁶

Our initial teacher preparation program, always large, is growing rapidly. For example, the number of persons formally admitted to our initial teacher preparation program has grown from 1,000 in 1998-1999 to 1,438 for last year, a 44% increase in three years. During the same period of time, we increased from 40 to 56 (40%) the number of persons going into secondary mathematics teaching, from 56 to 88 (57%) the number of persons going into secondary science teaching, and from 146 to 150 (3%) the number of persons going into special education.

• I mention these statistics to illustrate our institutional commitment to addressing the perceived teacher and administrator shortage problem.

We are comprehensive. In professional education we offer programming that ranges from the bachelor’s degree through a certificate program for career changers, through extensive master’s degree programs, and culminating in programming at the specialist and doctoral levels. We prepare teachers in early childhood education, elementary education, middle grades education, secondary education (25 teaching fields), K-12 teaching fields (five teaching fields), and special education (eight teaching fields). In addition, we prepare school administrators and school counselors.

2. EMU represents quality.

External recognitions. EMU is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and has been ever since NCATE was created.⁷ We are approved by the Michigan Department of Education for the preparation of educational personnel.⁸

In addition, we meet all requirements of and have been officially recognized by 16 subject-area specialized professional organizations.⁹ Every five years, we undergo rigorous review by the Michigan Department of Education, subject field by subject field, against demanding criteria.¹⁰ We are in good standing in all instances.

Subject-matter requirements. All of EMU’s prospective teachers, irrespective of grade level or teaching field,¹¹ complete an academic major¹² and an academic minor.¹³ The academic majors and minors for teachers require at least as many (often more) courses in the subject field as is the case for liberal arts students in the same field, are at least as rigorous, and often require related course work from another field(s) that is not required for liberal arts majors.¹⁴

A prospective teacher in any field at EMU must take and pass the State’s required test in the field before being recommended to the Michigan Department of Education for licensure.

• I mention these points to dispel any concern that the teachers prepared by Eastern Michigan University are not at least as well prepared in subject matter–quantitatively and qualitatively--as any other undergraduate student at our institution.

External awards. Professional education programs at EMU have received nine national awards from five major professional organizations in relatively recent years.¹⁵

Distinguished students. Our students distinguish themselves in a variety of ways. Typically, about half of each year’s incoming group of EMU Presidential Scholars¹⁶ intend to become teachers. Hundreds of teacher preparation program students participate each year in the EMU Honors Program. It is a rare year that an EMU student is not the winner or a finalist in the state "student teacher of the year" competition.

Our new teachers are heavily recruited. Each year, our teacher job fair attracts many hundreds of school district recruiters from all over the country, especially including Sunbelt states. Many of these recruiters come with contracts in their pockets, willing to sign on the scene. Others come prepared to pay signing bonuses, moving expenses, several months of apartment rent, and the like, especially for new teachers in high-demand fields, new teachers of color, new men teachers, etc. Each of our program completers could easily have her/his choice of three or four jobs.

Distinguished alumni. We are especially proud of our tens of thousands of alumni. I pay special tribute to the thousands of them who spent a career in the classroom, unsung heroes except to their students. But many of our alums have achieved national recognition.

These include former Congressman Carl Purcell, who was a teacher and principal before he entered political life; 24 recipients of the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award;¹⁷ 1992 National Teacher of the Year Thomas Fleming; 1989 National Superintendent of the Year James Wilsford; executives of Washington-based educational organizations,¹⁸ presidents of national professional organizations,¹⁹ a USA Today All-USA Teacher Team winner,²⁰ and a very large number of state-level recognitions, including "_______ of the year"²¹ not only in Michigan but several other states, chief state school officer, executive or elected leader of state-level professional organizations, and many others.²²

A recent alumnus. I am extremely pleased to recognize today one of our very recent alums who is in the audience. Mr. Sergio Garcia, who grew up in extreme south Texas, came to EMU several years ago to study to become a teacher. He completed his requirements this past December with a major in one of the sciences and a minor in bilingual studies. He is currently teaching science in a middle school in Ann Arbor, Michigan, completing the year for a teacher who is seriously ill, while he considers which of a number of highly attractive job offers that he will accept for a permanent teaching assignment. I invite members of the Subcommittee to question Mr. Garcia about his preparation program following this session.

Mr. Garcia represents so many aspects of our programming that we consider of importance–the need for more teachers of color,²³ more male teachers,²⁴ and more teachers in high-needs fields, such as his choices of science and bilingual education.

Admission requirements. But Mr. Garcia and his fellow students had to go through a rigorous process. First, he had to be admitted to Eastern Michigan University. EMU is not, under our mission, a highly selective institution. Nevertheless, EMU admissions requirements screen out those who do not show sufficient academic promise.

Along with all our prospective teachers, Mr. Garcia was required to take the same set of general education requirements–the equivalent of a year and a half of full-time study–as any other EMU student. These include required course work in English composition, speech, mathematics, the sciences, computer literacy, psychology, U.S. government, history, other social science areas, in cross-cultural or international studies, literature, the arts, and wellness/fitness.

When Mr. Garcia completed 56 semester hours of course work (about 40% of the total degree requirements), he became eligible to make formal application for admission to the EMU initial teacher preparation program. Up to this point, he and others similarly situated had been taking general education course work (along with EMU students in all fields), and some introductory course work in the major and minor teaching fields. All of this course work is provided by EMU’s College of Arts and Sciences; none of it is in the College of Education.

Mr. Garcia had to demonstrate a number of items as part of his application process: (1) completion of 56 semester hours of course work, (2) a grade point average of at least a 2.75,²⁵ (3) demonstrated competence in speech,²⁶ (4) sufficient ability in reading,²⁷ (5) sufficient ability in writing,²⁸ (6) sufficient ability in mathematical computation,²⁹ (7) successful completion of tuberculosis and speech/hearing screenings, (8) being free of any University conduct violation, and (9) being free of any University probation standing.

Each year, more than 200 students who make formal application to the EMU initial teacher preparation program are not admitted. They are advised to complete necessary remediation and to reapply or, often, to go into some career other than teaching and to take an appropriate major/minor for that direction.

Mr. Garcia was successful in his application for admission. He was now free to pursue his major and his minor and a sequence of course work in professional/pedagogical studies.

Academic major/academic minor. In his major, Mr. Garcia completed a well-structured sequence of course work that was designed to meet the requirements of the National Science Teachers Association and the requirements in that field of the Michigan Department of Education. Subject-area requirements of the Michigan Department of Education for each teaching field are aligned with the Michigan Curriculum Frameworks. That is, teachers in any field are expected to master the advanced and expanded study of the material that their P-12 students are expected to learn. The same structure exists for the various teaching minors, as well.

Professional/pedagogical studies. In his professional studies, Mr. Garcia entered into a sequence of courses designed to meet the requirements of NCATE, of the Michigan Department of Education (through the Entry-Level Standards for Michigan Teachers, given in Appendix A), and of importance to the faculty at EMU.

First, he had to complete a cluster of courses that included human development, learning, the education of exceptional children, and a field experience that helped to tie together the university classroom instruction.³⁰

Phase I. Once he had successfully completed this cluster of courses, Mr. Garcia was permitted to move to Phase I of the initial teacher preparation program. This cluster includes our course "Schools in a Multicultural Society,"³¹ a course in curriculum and general teaching methods that generally apply to any teaching field, a course in assessment and evaluation,³² and a second structured field experience.³³

Phase II. Upon completion of the requirements of Phase I, Mr. Garcia was permitted to move to Phase II. This phase includes a course for all secondary teachers (two courses for elementary teachers) in the teaching of reading.³⁴ This phase also includes special course work in the applications of technology and multimedia to the prospective teacher’s field.³⁵ There is also a "special methods" course³⁶ and a third pre-student teaching field experience.³⁷

Connections: Arts and Sciences and Education. At EMU, we believe that "the preparation of teachers is a campus-wide responsibility."³⁸ Under our organizational structure, the responsibility for the delivery of general education for prospective teachers is almost entirely the responsibility of the College of Arts and Sciences. The responsibility for the delivery of the academic content of the major and the minor is also that of the College of Arts and Sciences.³⁹ With one key exception, the responsibility for the professional studies/pedagogy sequence is that of the College of Education. The exception is that of the "special methods" courses, which are housed in and taught by faculty members of the College of Arts and Sciences.⁴⁰

The "special methods" courses and the faculty members who teach them are special links between "content" and "pedagogy" and thus between the liberal arts faculty and the Education faculty. It is a linkage that is accomplished primarily through committees with membership from academic units all over the campus.

Student teaching. Upon completion of the course work and requirements in Phase II, Mr. Garcia and his fellow future teachers became eligible to apply for the capstone experience of student teaching.

There is a screening of students on a variety of criteria at the time of application to student teaching and not all applicants are accepted. Once accepted, students are placed with a highly-qualified cooperating teacher, with regular visits from and other communications with a university supervisor. Student teaching is a full-time, full-semester experience in a K-12 classroom.⁴¹

• The full-time, full-semester student teaching experience, coupled with three previous structured field experiences and experiences in the schools often associated with courses in the sequence, provides extensive opportunity for the teachers-to-be to try their skills under careful supervision.

Subject-field examinations. Between the time of substantial completion of the course work in the academic major and the academic minor and the time of application for recommendation for licensure, each student must take and pass the State’s subject-field examination in each field.

Alternative delivery systems. A large portion of our students at EMU, including in our teacher preparation program, must work to support themselves and their families. A large portion of our students commute for their education, rather than live on campus. To accommodate these students, we offer professional education course work on campus, not only from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. each weekday, but we have extensive Saturday and even Sunday course offerings. It is possible for many students to complete a portion of their program of studies on line. In addition, we offer course work in professional education at six locations other than Ypsilanti, all in southeastern Michigan.

Alternative audience. A special subset of our student body for initial teacher preparation is that of our "career changers." This group has grown rapidly in recent years. Last year, we admitted 534 such people to our initial teacher preparation program and they now make up about 1/3 of the student body for initial teacher preparation. These are persons with at least a bachelor’s degree and often a graduate or professional degree as well who have been in some other line of work and who have decided to become a teacher.

I am constantly amazed at the number and variety of these people. We have just admitted a physician to our program for next fall, and that is not the first physician we’ve had. In our program for preparing teachers, we have appreciable numbers of lawyers, social workers, accountants, retired military personnel, corporate executives, engineers, clergy, and numerous other occupational groups. At any given time, we have several students in our program who have Ph.D.’s in liberal arts areas.

EMU’s numbers from this alternative audience are much larger than for any other institution around, at least in Michigan, so EMU is clearly the institution of choice for these people and we are delighted to have the experience and maturity that they bring to our program.

Urban Teacher Program. A very special subset of the "career changers" audience comes to us through our Urban Teacher Program in Detroit and Flint. These two troubled districts, not unlike many other urban districts in the country, are forced to staff classrooms with persons who do not hold credentials as fully-qualified teachers. We are working, 25-50 at a time in each location, with these "long-term permanent substitutes," many of whom are minority persons and deeply committed to helping urban schools, such to provide the course work and other services to help them become fully-qualified teachers.

International, national, and state. Time and space do not permit me to mention our educational connections around the globe.⁴² At the national level, as has been mentioned, we are accredited by NCATE⁴³ and our subject-area programs have been formally reviewed and approved by a large number of educational organizations.⁴⁴

Our College of Education meets the membership criteria for and holds membership in national organizations that are committed to quality in professional educator preparation. These include AACTE,⁴⁵ TECSCU,⁴⁶ and The Renaissance Group. Our faculty members and administrators hold individual memberships in hundreds of additional national organizations. We are similarly connected through organizations at the state level.

We are connected with other colleges of education through collaborative projects. Several of these relate to the use of technology in preparing professional educators.⁴⁷ However, we are part of an 11-institution consortium that is working on "Teacher Quality"–particularly the relationship between the elements of a teacher preparation program and the later learning outcomes of the K-12 students they teach. We are the prominent player in a consortium of six Michigan institutions that is providing on-line instruction to prepare teachers for children with autism. There are other state collaborative projects as well.

Local-area schools. However, our greatest and most important connections are with our local-area schools. Our faculty members are in dozens of school districts and hundreds of classrooms each year as they supervise pre-student teaching field experiences and the student teaching experience. They bring back what they see and hear to their classrooms and to our prospective teachers. We have a series of advisory committees, made up primarily of K-12 personnel.

C-SIP. For more than 20 years, the College of Education's award-winning Collaborative School Improvement Program ( C -SIP) structure has linked numerous EMU faculty members (from three colleges, not just Education) with dozens of local-area schools in three-year partnerships to help solve problems that the school has identified.⁴⁸

"Consociate" schools. We maintain a special partnership arrangement with an elementary school and a middle school in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and a similar special partnership with a senior high school in Farmington, Michigan. These highly successful partnerships are built around the concept of "finding all that we can do for each other but that doesn’t cost much money."⁴⁹

Funded projects. External funding is permitting us to provide special services to Latina girls in the Detroit area such as to encourage and assist them in courses in mathematics and science (and eventually into careers in related areas). Another project permits us to provide extraordinary support for new teachers of mathematics and science in several districts such as to encourage them to stay with teaching as a career. Yet another permits us to assist a very troubled inner city middle school in Hamtramck, Michigan. Many other projects have occurred in recent years for as long as the funding lasted.

Comer Project. We have many other partnership arrangements with schools, the most dramatic of which has been our ten years of experience with approximately 24 schools in Detroit as the "university partner" in the implementation of the Comer Schools and Families Initiative.⁵⁰ Over the past decade, dozens of EMU faculty members (including from such fields as Nursing and Social Work, as well as from Education) and many hundreds of EMU prospective teachers have had an opportunity to participate in the improvement of inner-city educational opportunities. While dramatic success has eluded us in some of these schools, the decade of work has been very successful in other instances.⁵¹

EMU is big, among a few hundred institutions in the country that, collectively, prepare most of the new teachers and other professional educators. EMU stands for quality. Our preparation program ensures that new teachers are well prepared in general education, in the content areas they will teach, and in the appropriate strategies for bringing about learning in all children. Our alums are highly successful and recognized for their competence. Our new teachers are highly recruited. The feedback that we get from employers and supervisors is quite good and, in any instance where it isn’t, we fix the matter. We hold virtually every external recognition of quality that is available. We always have been and intend always to be "well-connected" with our constituencies, especially the K-12 schools of Michigan.

We agree fully with this subcommittee that "ensuring the quality and effectiveness of teacher training programs is key to improving K-12 education in America." We feel that we at EMU are on the way to accomplishing this. We offer our support to this subcommittee and to the remainder of the Congress of the United States, as well as to the executive branch, as these important mutual goals are addressed.

Thank you.

APPENDIX A
EXCERPTS FROM
ENTRY-LEVEL STANDARDS FOR
MICHIGAN TEACHERS

FOREWORD

In 1988, the State Board of Education appointed a fifteen-member Professional Standards Commission for Teachers. Among its charges, the Commission is responsible for:

1. Investigating and recommending standards of professional practice to improve the quality of the teaching profession; and

2. Developing and recommending standards for the implementation of teacher internships, student teaching programs, or other clinical teaching experience for persons preparing to become teachers.

In response to these charges, the Commission directed its attention to the development of standards for beginning teachers, including those in the final or practice phase of the teacher preparation program.

The standards are drawn from an accumulation of research on best practices for teaching and are enhanced by input from a variety of professional educators, including teachers, administrators, teacher educators, and school board members. Each standard articulates basic or general knowledge and skills, interest and attitudes, and other attributes or dispositions expected of all beginning teachers, regardless of their subject area major or minor. Originally, six standards were developed for use as a guide to those involved in the preparation of teachers and may be used as a reference in the review and approval of teacher preparation programs.

In 1997, a referent committee, exploring the preparation needs of preservice teachers in technology, drafted a seventh entry-level standard, which focuses on technology. This proposed standard was distributed for public comment during spring 1997, and the feedback received was supportive of both the standard and of including it in the entry-level standards document. On November 13, 1997, the Professional Standards Commission for Teachers reviewed the work of the referent committee and recommended that the State Board of Education amend the existing Entry-Level Standards for Michigan Teachers to include a seventh standard on preservice technology. This recommendation was approved by the State Board of Education on July 1, 1998.

In an effort to increase understanding, the following seven standards of teacher performance have been identified and proficiencies are listed under each one. The proficiencies are not exhaustive, and may be conceptualized in different ways. The seven standards are:

The standards presented are undergirded by the belief that the success of education depends largely on the performance of practicing teachers, and the quality of a teacher’s professional performance depends heavily on the substance, scope, and quality of his/her initial preparation. It is also assumed that all teachers are responsible for their own professional growth and development, and that their outcome performance is the result of collaborative efforts among teacher training institutions, local school districts, and professional organizations.

Finally, the standards listed are the culmination of the initial phase of teacher preparation and the beginning phase of a career in which continuous growth and development are essential.

RATIONALE

This document describes entry-level standards for beginning teachers in Michigan. Each sets the foundation for and complements subject area proficiencies. These standards were developed because:

These standards are written in an effort to give direction to all who are involved in the preparation and support of beginning teachers. This document should not be considered an endpoint or a checklist, but as a beginning source of dialogue for the continuous improvement of the teaching profession.

STANDARDS AND RELATED PROFICIENCIES
FOR ENTRY-LEVEL MICHIGAN TEACHERS

Upon completion of an approved teacher preparation program in Michigan, a person recommended for the Michigan Provisional Certificate should have:

a. The abilities and skills necessary for effective communication (listening, speaking, writing, and reading);

b. A knowledge and appreciation of free inquiry in the humanities, the social sciences, the mathematical and natural sciences, and the arts;

c. A knowledge of the interdependence of the liberal arts and the ability to integrate knowledge from the liberal arts to analyze and synthesize ideas, information, and data;

d. The ability to discuss and debate the value of education in a free and pluralistic society, particularly the role of intellectual and ethical values;

e. An understanding of global and international perspectives;

f. An understanding of and respect for individual differences, including those of culture, race, gender, religion, and ethnicity, as well as humankind's shared heritage and environment;

g. An ability to understand and respect varying points of view and the influence of one's own and others' ethics and values;

h. An understanding of the impact of technology and its use for gathering and communicating ideas and information;

i. An understanding of the Constitutions and histories of the United States and Michigan;

j. An understanding of the market system for allocating resources;

k. An understanding of and respect for the role of the individual in a free society, including the importance of individual responsibility and respect for individual rights and values; and

l. An understanding of the similarities within our culture and their importance to the fabric of American society.

a. Apply knowledge of human growth, development, and learning theory;

b. Expand cognitive, affective, physical, and social capacities of students for the development of the "whole person";

c. Discern the extent to which personal belief systems and values may affect the instructional process, e.g., love of learning; the belief that all students can learn; the belief that all students should be treated equitably; the role of expectations in affecting achievement;

d. Demonstrate appropriate classroom management and disciplinary techniques to ensure a safe and orderly environment which is conducive to learning;

e. Plan instruction to accommodate diversity, e.g., cultural, racial, and social diversity;

f. Plan instruction to accommodate various backgrounds of students;

g. Use multiple approaches to appropriately assess student abilities and needs to plan instruction;

h. Create inclusionary environments for students with exceptional needs and abilities; and

i. Use various kinds of literacy to promote access to knowledge, e.g., numeracy, graphics, printed text, computers, and electronic media.

a. Create learning environments that promote critical and higher order thinking;

b. Help students access and use information, technology, and other resources to become independent learners and problem solvers;

c. Use high expectations for optimal achievement to foster excellence in all students;

d. Practice teaching as both an art and a science;

e. Integrate and transfer knowledge across subject areas and encourage the same among students;

f. Engage students in practical activities that demonstrate the relevance, purpose, and function of subject matter; and

g. Access and use updated information and procedures.

a. Plan and use different cognitive, affective, and psychomotor strategies to maximize learning and to accommodate differences in the backgrounds, learning styles, aptitudes, interests, levels of maturity and achievement of students;

b. Use a variety of teaching methodologies and techniques, e.g., lectures, demonstrations, group discussions, cooperative learning, small-group activities, and how to assess one's effectiveness in utilizing them;

c. Involve and work effectively with all support personnel to maximize opportunities for student achievement and success;

d. Involve and work effectively with parents and/or guardians to maximize opportunities for student achievement and success;

e. Differentiate between assessment and evaluation procedures and use appropriate procedures; and

f. Define and accept the legal and ethical responsibilities of teaching, e.g., student retention, corporal punishment, truancy, child abuse, managing conflict, first aid, least restrictive environment, health, and communicable disease.

a. Identify and use current research in both the subject field and in other areas of practice in the profession;

b. Exercise good judgment in planning and managing time and other resources to attain goals and objectives;

c. Maximize the use of instructional time by engaging students in meaningful learning experiences;

d. Demonstrate an understanding of the economic, social, political, legal, and organizational foundations and functions of schools;

e. Accept teaching as a lifelong learning process and continue efforts to develop and improve;

f. Interact successfully with other teachers, parents, students, administrators, counselors, and other support personnel to benefit students and to advance one's own professional development;

g. Discuss and debate the evolution of education and the teacher's role in a changing society; and

h. Engage in meaningful self-evaluation and reflect on the professional practice of colleagues.

a. Use community and home resources to enhance school programs;

b. Design learning activities that involve representatives of volunteer groups, civic and social organizations, and public services agencies;

c. Demonstrate knowledge of the various communities in which the teacher is a member, including the professional community and local, state, national, and international communities;

d. Involve professional educators, support personnel and other stakeholders in collaborative and cooperative planning, decision-making and implementation, in order to improve educational systems at all levels; and

e. Interact with parents to maximize the learning of students at school, home, and in the local community.

a. Design, develop, and implement student-learning activities that integrate information technology for a variety of student grouping strategies and diverse student populations;

b. Identify and apply resources for staying current in applications of information technology in education;

c. Demonstrate knowledge of uses of multi-media, hyper-media, telecommunications, and distance learning to support teaching/learning;

d. Demonstrate knowledge about instructional management resources that assist in such activities as writing and updating curriculum; creating lesson plans and tests; and promoting, reinforcing, and organizing data regarding student performance;

e. Use information technologies to support problem solving, data collection, information management, communications, presentations, and decision-making including word processing, database management, spreadsheets, and graphic utilities;

f. Demonstrate knowledge of equitable, ethical, legal, social, physical, and psychological issues concerning use of information technology; and

g. Use information technology to enhance continuing professional development as an educator.