Research Base for the UCSC MA/Credential Program Design and Curriculum

The UCSC Master’s and Teaching Credential (MA/C) Program design was inspired by the vision to support the development of educational leaders who have both expertise in teaching as well as the dispositions, knowledge and skills to identify and disrupt biases, inequities and injustices in the schools, districts and communities in which they serve, and who are reflective practitioners committed to learning throughout their careers. The design of the program was informed by research, recommendations from professional organizations such as the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the Learning Policy Institute, and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, as well as aspirations for equity and social justice. 

Though tremendous efforts have been expended over the last decades to develop a stronger research base for teacher education, the National Research Council (2010) asserts that while there is scant empirical evidence to support conclusions about the effectiveness of specific approaches to teacher preparation, the recommendations of professional organizations are aligned with the empirical work that does exist. And though empirical research is limited, we do know that teachers’ effectiveness is related to the preparation that they receive (Darling-Hammond, Holtzman, Gatlin, & Heilig (2005), and therefore much attention has been given over the span of this program to refine our processes and practices to ensure the highest quality of preparation. Our program is characterized by: (a) strong curriculum tied to clinical practice, (b) extensive field experience, (c) a cohort model, and (d) teaching as ongoing inquiry into practice.

Strong, Curriculum tied to Extensive Clinical Practice

Darling-Hammond et al. (2006) maintain that all teachers need both strong content knowledge (i.e., the California State Content Standards, curricular frameworks) and a deep understanding of how people learn and develop. Candidates in all credential areas begin our program with rigorous instruction in the foundations of teaching and learning in a diverse society, child and adolescent development, and the social foundations of education. Then, working in cohorts to develop the knowledge and expertise specific to the various content domains, candidates delve deeply into their specific disciplines: mathematics, science, English language arts, social sciences, and multiple subjects. Candidates also take coursework to developed their understandings and teaching abilities to serve special populations and English learners (Bunch, 2013). 

Clinical practice is vital to the development of effective teachers, providing the context in which to apply learnings from coursework on research, theory and methods, under the guidance and support of Cooperating Teachers (CTs) and university-based teacher supervisors (Horvath & Caulfield, 2016; Oakes, 2018). UCSC MA/C candidates begin their placements on K-12 students’ first day of school and continue through to the end of students’ last day, with increasing responsibility and time in the classroom as the year progresses. Practice is also developed within student teaching seminars that meet throughout the year to support candidates’ learning and development. The result is that candidates’ learning is grounded in clinical practice and interwoven with the learning of academic content (Oakes, 2018). 

Research demonstrates that quality mentors are significant in the development of new teachers. CTs play a vital role in nurturing and assisting our teacher candidates to develop the knowledge and skills they need to be effective (Horvath & Caulfield, 2016; Téllez, 2008). Our program seeks CTs, many of whom are graduates of our program, whose beliefs and practices align with our mission and vision for teacher leadership in serving underserved student populations. Additionally, we encourage partnerships with schools that develop expertise among all participants, such as our Elementary Science Program, that structures opportunities for our teacher candidates to work alongside classroom teachers to collaboratively develop NGSS-aligned science units. Such strong relationships with our partner schools is essential to our vision.

Cohort Model

Darling-Hammond, Wei, & Andree (2010) contend that in high-achieving countries, teachers learn specific ways to teach given content for particular learners. We strive to achieve this by tailoring candidates’ learning experiences in small cohorts for the research and theory, methods, and student teaching seminars. 

Teaching as Inquiry

Finally, as evidenced on our website and in our Student Handbook, a vital thread throughout our program is to support candidates to become reflective practitioners who are committed to ongoing learning throughout their careers. Munthe and Rogne (2015) and Schleicher (2012) contend that the most important objective of teacher education is support teachers to become effective learners, inquiring into their own practice, throughout their careers. Darling-Hammond (2016) holds that such an “inquiry stance” is critical to the development of teaching expertise that results in greater student learning, and is also consistent with research conducted internationally on effective teacher education (Munthe & Rogne, 2015). Our capstone project, the Becoming an Educator Essay, supports teacher candidates to reflect on and tie together their learnings from coursework, student teaching seminars, the various program events such as the Inquiry and Equity workshop offered in collaboration with the Central California Writing Project, and field placements to support the development of ongoing learning, improvement and inquiry. 

References

Barnes, H. L. (1987). The conceptual basis for thematic teacher education programs. Journal of Teacher Education, 38(4), 13-18.

Bunch, G. C. (2013). Pedagogical language knowledge: Preparing mainstream teachers for English learners in the new standards era. Review of Research in Education, 37(1), 298-341.

Darling-Hammond, L. (2012). Powerful Teacher Education.: Lessons from Exemplary Programs. John Wiley & Sons.

Darling-Hammond, L. (2016). Research on teaching and teacher education and its influences on policy and practice. Educational Researcher, 45(2), 83-91.

Darling-Hammond, L., Holtzman, D. J., Gatlin, S. J., & Heilig, J. V. (2005). Does teacher preparation matter? Evidence about teacher certification, Teach for America, and teacher effectiveness. Education Policy Analysis Archives/Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas, 13, 1-48.

Darling-Hammond, L., Wei, R. C., & Andree, A. (2010). How High-Achieving Countries Develop Great Teachers. Research Brief. Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education.

Horvath, V., & Caulfield, R. (2016). Preparing teachers in today’s challenging context: Key issues, policy directions, and implications for leaders of AASCU Universities.

Munthe, E., & Rogne, M. (2015). Research based teacher education. Teaching and teacher education, 46, 17-24.

Oakes, J. (2018). 2016 AERA Presidential Address: Public Scholarship: Education Research for a Diverse Democracy. Educational Researcher, 47(2), 91-104.

Schleicher, A. (2012). Preparing Teachers and Developing School Leaders for the 21st Century: Lessons from around the World. OECD Publishing. 2, rue Andre Pascal, F-75775 Paris Cedex 16, France.

Téllez, K. (2008). What student teachers learn about multicultural education from their cooperating teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(1), 43-58.