Middle States Steering Committee Meeting Minutes

January 31, 2008

12:30 – 2:00 pm

Room W1007

Present: Christa Acampora, Phil Alcabes, Eija Ayravainen, Lynn Chancer, Sandra Clarkson, Conan Freud, Jill Gross, Joyce Hitchcock, Kelle Jacob, Manfred Kuechler, Joan Lambe, Mary Lefkarites, Annemarie Nicols-Grinenko, Roger Persell, David Potash, Vita Rabinowitz, John Rose, Helena Rosenblatt, Andrea Savage, Richard Stapleford, Franklin Steen, Bill Williams, Jason Young  Guest: Dean David Steiner, School of Education

1. Comments and questions with Dean David Steiner (School of Education)

Dean Steiner pointed out that 1) the School of Education is up for accreditation renewal in 2009 (NCATE, separate from Middle States); 2) there is no longer a BA in Education allowed in New York, but students must have a permitted major in addition to their education credits; 3) 11 new faculty have been hired and there are 9 searches underway (20 new faculty = almost 50% of total) 4) the Hunter programs in childhood and early childhood education are among the largest; and 5) that the Hunter program for education of the deaf and blind is one of only two in the state. He described the new conceptual framework of the School of Education, which has always had a focus on clinical preparation of teachers rather than on research. Institutions focusing mainly on educational research tend to produce relatively few classroom teachers, whereas Hunter provides the New York City school system with a substantial number each year. To improve the classroom performance of new teachers, videotapes of students who are doing their student teaching will be analyzed and their performance discussed. “Value added in the classroom” will become a graduation requirement. The videotapes will be sliced up, and the slices will be indexed so that several ways to teach math, for example, can be viewed on screen.

Q from Jason Young (Faculty WG) about the balance between teaching and research in the evaluation of faculty for tenure. Steiner: The old requirement was 4 refereed journal articles, but the new requirement is a combination of traditional journal articles and situational research (testing, curriculum development). The eclectic mix encourages research that comes back to help improve teaching, and this type of research is often supported by state/federal grants. For example, one faculty member is helping to produce a new math curriculum.

Q/Comment from Kelle Jacob about how student reviews of faculty are assessed also peer review. Steiner: Videotaping of faculty teaching is  encouraged, but not compulsory.

Q/Comment from Richard Stapleford: Since there is no education-only major for those specializing in early childhood education, there should  be some coordination between the School of Education and the School of Arts and Sciences about what subjects are most suitable for those planning to teach early grades. Many take English, but this may not always be the most satisfactory. What should be done about this?

Comment from David Potash: Ten or fifteen years ago the English Language Arts program was very active and often used for this. With changes in the faculty etc. this is no longer the case.

Comment from Steiner: Staten Island has an interdisciplinary major; something like this could be worked out that would cover the subjects important for those planning to teach early grades.

  Q/Comment from Jill Gross: How long was the previous mission statement for the School of Education in place, and what was the process whereby the new one was created?

Steiner: It was created for NCATE; there were meetings with representatives from the departments to create a draft. The draft went back to the departments, was revised, and then approved by about 75% of the faculty.

Q from Roger Persell: What is the relationship between the School of Education and doctoral programs?

Steiner: EdDs are sometimes weak. There is a CUNY Graduate Center program in urban Education, but there are no natural cross-appointment possibilities. Research-oriented new faculty would want graduate students if they were to come.

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The impetus for the use of education technology (video taping etc.) came from  students. There also needs to be more study of why students leave the program. Entrance/graduation tracking is done, but it is not always clear why students have left in the middle. In assessing student teaching, it has become clear that performance skills are often lacking.

Comment from Kelle Jacobs: Assessment is more specific and controlled in education because of the relatively strict accreditation requirements for teachers.

2. General Announcements

The Steering committee will continue to meet regularly Thursdays 12:30 – 2:00 in Room W1007, with lunch provided. Dean Shirley Clay-Scott (Arts & Sciences) plans to attend the next meeting (February 7). The Middle States public website should be up and running within a week. Committee members were urged to attend the Faculty Senate meeting on the 6^th; each WG (other than Gen Ed) should provide a question for discussion at the Senate meeting. Working Groups need to work on scheduling open meetings.