Teachers: Students' Greatest Resource Remains Scarce Wednesday, March 1, 2017 Teachers: Students’ Greatest Resource ali Scarce (NAPS)—The role of teachers in children’s lives cannot be understated. Beyond children’s parents, their teach- er is often the primary adult influencer in their life. Yet, this essential role faces difficult setbacks as schools and districts across the country are tasked with stabilizing the teacher shortage while ensuring new teachers are prepared to meet the needsoftheir students. The Current State of K-12 Andy Drotos Ph.D., executive dean for the College of at Universi- ty of Phoenix, attributes the loss of new teachers to the lack of continuing teacher development, induction and other educa- tor support programs. “Weneedto focus on helping teachers grow professionally andbe reflective in their practice” In a recent University of Phoenix College of survey, more than three in five K-12 teachers cite mentorship programs that support teachers in their first few years of teaching as key in retaining talent. Forty-six percent of those survey respondents also indicate teacher induction programs designed to mentor and provide professional development as a way to grow the teacher talent pipeline. Drotossays while the teacher shortage can be attributed to many things—including baby boomerteachersretiring and insufficient resources—helping mitigate the teacher shortage begins with providing them with resources to seek coursework for recertification and to stay current in their field with the latest knowledge of howstudents learn. ‘The same K-12 survey found that just one-third of teachers say they havesignificanttraining in standards and assessment preparation and curriculum development. Supporting Teachers and Districts in the Changing Landscape Drotos addedthatdistricts need to becomesavvier with their resources to support their educators during this critical timein their career. “Thefirst few years of a teacher's careerarevital to his or her success. We need to create an environment where teachers are provided the training Goodteachersare vital in children’s lives—and good teachers can get better through professional developmentclasses. and mentoring to boost their confidence and effectiveness in the classroom” According to the same survey, some skills for which K-12 teachers say they are interested in pursuing more development include: e Technology in the classroom to embrace the latest development in technology and software applications Addressing student behavior issues with the skills necessaryto effectively manageclassrooms Curriculum andinstruction to help in curriculum analysis, design, develop- ment and implementation Teacherleadership thatutilizes collab- oration, mentoring and inclusion as a way to initiate and sustain change in their school community. University of Phoenix College of has been educating teachers and school administrators for more than 30 years. The College of provides bachelor’s and master’s degree programs for individuals who want to become teachers or current educators and administrators seeking advanced degrees to strengthen their professional knowledge. With education programsavailable throughout most ofthe U.S., the College of has a distinct grasp of the national education picture andpriorities for teacherpreparation. Faculty members on average bring more than 17 years of professional experience to the classroom. For more information, visit www.phoenix. edu/education. --- PHOTOS --- File: 20190731-160159-20190731-160157-85748.pdf.jpg --- FILES --- File: 20190731-160157-85748.pdf