URI’s Feinstein College selected as lead institution in AACTE 2022 consortium to overcome barriers to a diverse teaching workforce – URI News

Kingston, RI – October 18, 2021 – The Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies at the University of Rhode Island will represent the state as a leading institution in the American Association of Colleges for Teacher EducationConsortium for Research-Based and Equitable Assessments, an initiative funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which engages 14 states in a study of state-level testing and qualifying scores for entry into educator preparation programs.

URI will work with the Rhode Island Department of Education, Rhode Island College, Central Falls School District, and Pawtucket School Department to review state data and practices, and participate in quarterly meetings to inform guidelines and recommendations for defining the qualifying cores for the preparation of educators. program entry and exit.

The consortium will run quarterly throughout 2022 and will examine the processes and considerations that states use to determine qualifying cores, and how to refine them to attract potential teacher candidates.

“It is essential that educator preparation programs check the barriers that deter the most diverse applicants from the teaching profession,” said Danielle Dennis, Acting Dean of Feinstein College. “We look forward to working with colleagues across state and nationally to dismantle policies that disproportionately impact candidates of color and develop processes that instead draw those candidates to the field.”

Qualification scores for standardized tests, initially implemented after Brown v. Board of Education (1954) to Block black educators from the profession, disproportionately excluding prospective teachers of color, even when white and non-white applicants have similar grade points.

The consortium will also investigate the decision-making process for establishing passing marks, assessment criteria and barriers that discourage prospective teachers of color from successfully passing the assessment, namely exam costs, bias and metrics. unreliable.

Participants will also discuss the successes and challenges of their state’s entry and exit requirements and consider system changes to diversify the teaching workforce while preparing quality teacher candidates.

Other educator preparation programs led by the consortium include Cal State University San Bernardino; Wilmington University; Indiana Bloomington University; University of Louisville; University of Saint-Thomas; Lindenwood University; University of Western New Mexico; University of North Carolina Charlotte; Ohio University; Claflin University; University of Tennessee Knoxville; Texas A&M University System; University of Wisconsin Whitewater.

For more information visit www.aacte.org.