Q & A
Dr. LaConti Bryant @LaContiBryant
The Teacher Certification Challenges and Changes and How It Impacts Public Schools
@LaContiBryant
Dr. Mike Robinson: Is the best way to solve the teacher shortage crisis to lower the requirements for teacher certification?
Dr. LaConti Bryant: Absolutely not. Teaching is a combination of art and science. There is a shortage of African-American lawyers and doctors. However, there is no conversation about lowering the expectations to increase the number of African Americans in both of those respective fields. Teachers must complete a rigorous program of study and assessments in their specific teaching area to prove that they have the basic tenets of content mastered before teaching.
Additionally, teaching is one of the career fields that require a degree. Many educators often go above and beyond the call of duty and obtain advanced degrees to continue improving their instructional practices. There is a need for innovative recruiting methods and conversations centered on teacher retention as part of the plan to help alleviate the teacher shortage. While many Texas school districts offer various incentives to recruit teachers, there is minimal conversation centered around retaining teachers. Money alone is not enough of an incentive to retain teachers.
Dr. Mike Robinson: To what extent would an increase in teacher pay and better work conditions address the teacher shortages facing many school districts?
Dr. LaConti Bryant: Increase in teacher pay and better work conditions would positively impact teacher morale, but it would not be a lasting impact. The issues and challenges that teachers face have gotten to the point of exasperation and have become a systemic issue. There needs to be a systematic change to address the teacher shortage. Teachers have been devalued to the point of being viewed as over-educated babysitters rather than highly educated professionals capable of making instructional decisions and adequately performing their jobs. The area of Texas I live in has an average teacher salary of 65k, but teachers are tired and exasperated by the many miscellaneous duties that are required to perform in addition to contractual requirements. While this is a temporary fix, more work must be done to tackle the teacher shortage.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Should the State Department of Education determine the criteria for teacher certification, or should the local school districts?
Dr. LaConti Bryant: I believe the State Board of Education should determine the minimum requirement for teacher certification. With any initiative or expectation, there have to be checks and balances. The State Board of Education has the role of setting the minimum requirements for teacher certification. School districts can add, not take away from, those expectations. For example, teachers need certification in EC-6th grade to teach elementary school in Texas. Based on the demographics that are served, school districts expect teachers to have an additional certification in the area of English as a Second Language (ESL). Even though the state set the basic expectations, school districts elevated their expectations based on the population of students that will be served.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Do you believe Praxis exams hinder educators of color?
Dr. LaConti Bryant: Research conducted by the National Education Association and Pew Research have both argued that historically teacher certification exams are culturally biased, thus creating a barrier for highly qualified educators. It has been purported that this is intentional to force black teachers out of the profession. This is not a new notion but is becoming more burdensome due to the diversification of public schools. Highly qualified teachers are denied the opportunity due to an assessment.
Additionally, speaking as a teacher certified in Texas, several factors have to be examined in addition to the biased nature of the Praxis exam. First, the educator preparation program's adequacy and ability to adequately prepare students for the Praxis exam and examine the consequences for programs with high failure rates. Teaching candidates cannot bear the brunt of accountability alone for certification. These candidates make a monetary investment in their futures and potential careers to become a teacher. Therefore, there needs to be some accountability directed towards programs in terms of their ability to prepare teachers for certification.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What do you say to those who see the high standards for teacher certification as a way to ensure the best educators are leading the classrooms?
Dr. LaConti Bryant: First, I will address this from a global perspective. Internationally school systems in Finland and China have a highly selective process of selecting more vital teachers for the field of education. The competition is fierce, but so is the selection process. The goal is to recruit and retain high-performing teachers focused on student outcomes. For example, there may be 200 applicants in China, but only 20-30 seats are available for teaching programs. There should not be any wavering when setting high expectations for teachers.
Also, it is essential to follow up and follow through to ensure that teachers continue to build instructional capacity and cultural competency to effectively engage the diverse student body. The missing component that is rarely discussed is schools having systems of high-quality, job-embedded professional development in concert with a focused collaboration based on student data and the instructional needs of the teacher that provides an avenue for teachers to continue to build their instructional capacity and promote positive student outcomes.
Dr. LaConti Bryant earned her Ed.D in Educational Leadership from Liberty University in 2017. Her research is specifically focused on the areas of instructional coaching/mentoring, collaboration, and job-embedded professional development. Dr. Bryant has worked with teachers and administrators with creating professional learning communities that are conducive to positive results in student achievement and teacher development. In addition, Dr. Bryant has over 10 years of classroom experience as a classroom teacher and instructional coach. Prior to entering public education, Dr. Bryant served in the United States Army as a paralegal for 5 years stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Bamberg, Germany, and Fort Hood, Texas.
Dr. LaConti Bryant: Absolutely not. Teaching is a combination of art and science. There is a shortage of African-American lawyers and doctors. However, there is no conversation about lowering the expectations to increase the number of African Americans in both of those respective fields. Teachers must complete a rigorous program of study and assessments in their specific teaching area to prove that they have the basic tenets of content mastered before teaching.
Additionally, teaching is one of the career fields that require a degree. Many educators often go above and beyond the call of duty and obtain advanced degrees to continue improving their instructional practices. There is a need for innovative recruiting methods and conversations centered on teacher retention as part of the plan to help alleviate the teacher shortage. While many Texas school districts offer various incentives to recruit teachers, there is minimal conversation centered around retaining teachers. Money alone is not enough of an incentive to retain teachers.
Dr. Mike Robinson: To what extent would an increase in teacher pay and better work conditions address the teacher shortages facing many school districts?
Dr. LaConti Bryant: Increase in teacher pay and better work conditions would positively impact teacher morale, but it would not be a lasting impact. The issues and challenges that teachers face have gotten to the point of exasperation and have become a systemic issue. There needs to be a systematic change to address the teacher shortage. Teachers have been devalued to the point of being viewed as over-educated babysitters rather than highly educated professionals capable of making instructional decisions and adequately performing their jobs. The area of Texas I live in has an average teacher salary of 65k, but teachers are tired and exasperated by the many miscellaneous duties that are required to perform in addition to contractual requirements. While this is a temporary fix, more work must be done to tackle the teacher shortage.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Should the State Department of Education determine the criteria for teacher certification, or should the local school districts?
Dr. LaConti Bryant: I believe the State Board of Education should determine the minimum requirement for teacher certification. With any initiative or expectation, there have to be checks and balances. The State Board of Education has the role of setting the minimum requirements for teacher certification. School districts can add, not take away from, those expectations. For example, teachers need certification in EC-6th grade to teach elementary school in Texas. Based on the demographics that are served, school districts expect teachers to have an additional certification in the area of English as a Second Language (ESL). Even though the state set the basic expectations, school districts elevated their expectations based on the population of students that will be served.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Do you believe Praxis exams hinder educators of color?
Dr. LaConti Bryant: Research conducted by the National Education Association and Pew Research have both argued that historically teacher certification exams are culturally biased, thus creating a barrier for highly qualified educators. It has been purported that this is intentional to force black teachers out of the profession. This is not a new notion but is becoming more burdensome due to the diversification of public schools. Highly qualified teachers are denied the opportunity due to an assessment.
Additionally, speaking as a teacher certified in Texas, several factors have to be examined in addition to the biased nature of the Praxis exam. First, the educator preparation program's adequacy and ability to adequately prepare students for the Praxis exam and examine the consequences for programs with high failure rates. Teaching candidates cannot bear the brunt of accountability alone for certification. These candidates make a monetary investment in their futures and potential careers to become a teacher. Therefore, there needs to be some accountability directed towards programs in terms of their ability to prepare teachers for certification.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What do you say to those who see the high standards for teacher certification as a way to ensure the best educators are leading the classrooms?
Dr. LaConti Bryant: First, I will address this from a global perspective. Internationally school systems in Finland and China have a highly selective process of selecting more vital teachers for the field of education. The competition is fierce, but so is the selection process. The goal is to recruit and retain high-performing teachers focused on student outcomes. For example, there may be 200 applicants in China, but only 20-30 seats are available for teaching programs. There should not be any wavering when setting high expectations for teachers.
Also, it is essential to follow up and follow through to ensure that teachers continue to build instructional capacity and cultural competency to effectively engage the diverse student body. The missing component that is rarely discussed is schools having systems of high-quality, job-embedded professional development in concert with a focused collaboration based on student data and the instructional needs of the teacher that provides an avenue for teachers to continue to build their instructional capacity and promote positive student outcomes.
Dr. LaConti Bryant earned her Ed.D in Educational Leadership from Liberty University in 2017. Her research is specifically focused on the areas of instructional coaching/mentoring, collaboration, and job-embedded professional development. Dr. Bryant has worked with teachers and administrators with creating professional learning communities that are conducive to positive results in student achievement and teacher development. In addition, Dr. Bryant has over 10 years of classroom experience as a classroom teacher and instructional coach. Prior to entering public education, Dr. Bryant served in the United States Army as a paralegal for 5 years stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Bamberg, Germany, and Fort Hood, Texas.