Education Commons^™

No. 13, January 2024: Bilingual Teacher Residencies In California: Findings And Recommendations For Policy And Practice, Elvira G. Armas , Ed.D., Magaly Lavadenz , Ph.D.

Education and Policy Briefs

This research brief presents a study that explores one type of teacher residency program, bilingual teacher residencies (BTRs). The Center for Equity for English Learners at Loyola Marymount University (LMU CEEL) partnered with the Californians Dedication to Education Foundation (CDEF) to investigate BTRs participating in CDEF’s California Teacher Residency Lab (The Lab). To expand the knowledge base around bilingual teacher residencies and provide policy and practice recommendations, researchers conducted interviews with a sample of BTR grantee program leaders to capture and analyze their perspectives regarding BTRs based on their implementation phase and context. Four key findings emerged: (1) Bilingual Teacher …

No. 12, October 2023. The Impact Of The Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program: Expanding Opportunities To Grow The Profession, Linda R. G. Kaminski , Ed.D., Magaly Lavadenz , Ph.D., Elvira G. Armas , Ed.D.

Education and Policy Briefs

This research brief presents a study on the Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program (BTPDP), a legislature-approved initiative to help California schools meet the growing demand for bilingual teachers in alignment with increasing state policies promoting multilingualism. The BTPDP funded eight grantees to support their preparation and professional development of bilingual educators. The study examines the BTPDP implementation from 2017-2021 to document trends in program impact and develop policy and program recommendations that address bilingual teacher shortages. Key findings revealed successes in increasing the bilingual teacher workforce as well as challenges that must be addressed to ensure the state’s vision can …

Are The Teachers Alright?: High School Teachers’ Use Of Emotional Labor Strategies In The Covid-19 Context And Its Effect On The Profession’S Sustainability, Nina C. Benegas

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Teacher burnout during the pandemic has resulted in a mass exodus of teachers that, compounded with consistently low enrollment in teacher preparation programs, has caused a severe and catastrophic teacher shortage. This qualitative study investigated teacher perceptions of pandemic-related workload and emotional stress and their effects on job satisfaction and burnout. The dissertation study consisted of semi-structured interviews of sixteen current or former high school educators who taught before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings suggest a wide range of disruptions to teachers’ preexisting professional responsibilities and additions to what has been considered to constitute a teacher’s typical workload, particularly: …

An Exploratory Study Of Bilingual Teacher Residencies In California., Magaly Lavadenz, Ph.D., Elvira G. Armas, Ed.D

Practitioner Journal Articles

This research brief presents a study that explores the underexamined area of bilingual teacher residencies (BTRs) in California. The authors build upon research on teacher residencies to better understand the perspectives of program leaders- those who implement BTRs in Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs). The study describes the program leaders’ insights into the implementation of BTRs at various stages of development and implementation based on the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s (CTC) funding phases from 2018 to 2023. Four findings are highlighted: 1) Forging New Relationships to Build on Community Cultural and Linguistic Wealth, 2) …

The California English Learner Roadmap Toolkit For Institutes Of Higher Education (Ihes): (Re)Designing Educator Preparation Focused On Equity For English Learner/Multilingual Students, Anaida Colón-Muñiz, Ed.D., Magaly Lavadenz, Ph.D., Elvira G. Armas, Ed.D.

Reports

The California English Learner Roadmap Toolkit for Institutes of Higher Education was developed to address the education of English Learner and Multilingual students in California’s current university credentialing programs for teacher education, counseling, and educational administration/leadership. The purpose of this Toolkit is to: (1) provide a context for California’s university and other professional credentialing programs’ obligation to engage in reflection and (re)design processes that prioritize preparation of candidates who are well-equipped to serve culturally and linguistically diverse students in preschool–12 settings; (2) delineate the process and results of an examination of the alignment between the standards for Teacher Education, School …

Ensuring Equity And Excellence For English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography For Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of over 350 annotations from both recent and seminal literature (released between 1984–2021) that have significant implications for research, policy, and practice for English learner (EL) linguistic, social, and academic achievement. This annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence for ELs.

The authors provide a comprehensive selection of works focused on theory, research, and practice. The annotations are a result of purposeful searches of 23 topics in empirical and theoretical articles …

Perceptions Of Academic Self-Concept: Testimonios Of Junior High School Latinas, Ernestina Aguilar

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Eurocentric and marginalizing schooling practices hinder Latino student persistence in US Schools. Furthermore, an intentional focus placed on Latinas uncovers compounding layers of oppression permeating the educational system. Through an analysis of testimonios, this qualitative critical narrative study better understands the schooling experiences and academic self-concept of seven Latina junior high students. Guided by Latino Critical Race (LatCrit) and Intersectionality Theories, it contributes to understandings of how Latina youth experience the transition from elementary to junior high school and how they perceived themselves as scholars. Testimonios were captured through a three-part series of semi-structured videoconference interviews. Data analysis utilized tenets …

Applying Rerum Novarum Towards The Academic Service-Learning (Asl) Reflection Process For Promoting Ethical Leadership In Post-Secondary Students, Henry J. Davis

Journal of Catholic Education

Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum is considered one of the first major works to introduce Catholic social thought on a global level. A key message undergirding Rerum is the concept of supporting the needs of others, leading to empowerment and self-sufficiency. The purpose of this study was to create a list of reflection prompts informed by Rerum for post-secondary students to consider and apply towards their academic service-learning experiences. Through qualitative analysis, three main themes related to Rerum’s key message were identified: (a) opportunity to obtain resources; (b) intrinsic right to continual resources; and, (c) communal support of families …

Utilizing Comparative Education As A Platform For Deepening Student Engagement With Catholic Social Teaching: An Exploratory Case Study In Study-Abroad, Bryan Meadows

Journal of Catholic Education

Central to the mission of Catholic higher education are the themes of Catholic Social Teaching (CST). This contribution to the Education in Practice section recounts a 15-week undergraduate course that deepened student engagement in CST themes through comparative education studies and a study abroad experience to Japan. A detailed description of the course main segments draws on artifacts of student coursework and post-interviews. The contribution of comparative education is that students are provided a platform upon which they can explore deeper, underlying principles to individual CST themes. This contribution further provides practitioners step-by-step guidance in how to develop similar learning …

Catholic Education And The Idea Of Curriculum, Leonardo Franchi, Robert Davis

Journal of Catholic Education

Critical reflection on the curriculum offered in the Catholic school is a valuable addition to wider dialogue on the nature of education and schooling. It enables the Church’s educational agencies to offer a distinctive vision of education to the diverse range of students who freely participate in its educational ventures. In Catholic thinking, education is the study of humanity and its achievements. The curriculum of the Catholic school speaks to internal and external audiences and is a bridge uniting the Catholic worldview with other intellectual traditions.

Cultivating Catholic Classroom Communities During Remote Teaching, John L. Beltramo, Krizia Layam, Julia Lucas, John Schmitt

Journal of Catholic Education

In this COVID-era study, Catholic school teachers report the challenges that they experienced in supporting classroom communities during remote instruction, as well as the strategies that they enacted to address such challenges and make robust relationships with and among remote students. While teachers engaged in remote teaching, they were also studying in a Catholic Master of Arts in Teaching program, where they participated in weekly Freirian culture circles – structured dialogues designed to help teachers identify problems of equity and collectively devise appropriate responses. The teachers found that classroom community was hindered by a lack of in-person affordances, socioemotional stressors …

Leveraging Equity And Excellence For English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Leveraging Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography is comprised of 100 annotations from both recent and seminal literature (released between 1994–2018) that have significant implications for policy and practice for English learner (EL) schooling and academic achievement. The purpose of this annotated bibliography is to serve as a resource for educators and advocates who are working for equity and justice for ELs. The Center for Equity for English Learners conducted a review of empirical and theoretical articles from peer-reviewed journals, as well as books, book chapters, and reports from leading scholars in the field. This annotated bibliography …

No. 9, September 2021: Leaders’ Perspectives On The Preparation Of Bilingual/Dual Language Teachers, Magaly Lavadenz, Ph.D., Jongyeon Ee, Ph.D., Elvira G. Armas, Ed.D., Grecya V. López, M.S.Ed.

Education and Policy Briefs

This research and policy brief uplifts findings from a 2020 survey of 223 California school district leaders. Findings regarding the preparation of beginning bilingual/dual language educators indicate that leaders rated teachers’ linguistic competencies in two languages as the most important ability, followed by teachers’ understanding of bilingualism and biliteracy development and linguistic pedagogical knowledge. Respondents rated beginning bilingual teachers’ preparation to meet the needs of their districts/schools as “moderately well” (M=3.1 out of 5). The brief concludes by identifying policy recommendations for state and local levels as well as for institutions of higher education policies and practice in this statewide …

Manteniendo La Chispa: Testimonios Of Latina Veteran Urban Teachers, Monica K. Valencia

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

As the student population in U.S. public schools becomes more diverse, with an increase of students of color and from low socioeconomic backgrounds, it is critical that the opportunity gaps in our education system are addressed to provide an equitable education for urban youth. To mitigate these gaps, there is a need for an experienced urban teacher workforce, but urban schools face staffing challenges that make this difficult. There is an exceptional need for Latina/o teachers, who demonstrate positive impacts on Latina/o students, the largest minority population nationwide, however, the retention rate amongst Latina/o teachers is lower than that of …

Lessons From The Field: Catholic School Educators And Covid-19, Kierstin M. Giunco, Myra Rosen-Reynoso, Audrey A. Friedman, Cristina J. Hunter Phd, Charles T. Cownie Iii

COVID-19 and Catholic Schools

Teachers are regularly tasked with planning for long-term academic and formative goals for entire classes and individual students. This planning involves designing and developing effective routines, creating detailed lesson plans, and tracking authentic assessment of students. Skilled teachers are accustomed to predictable expectations and outcomes in the familiar contexts of classrooms; yet, COVID-19 undermined the ability of teachers to plan. Using a case study and narrative analysis approach, this paper examines how 32 urban Catholic school teachers experienced the transition to remote instruction. Data analysis produced a template broadly aligned with Rush et al’s (2014) framework for effective, emergency, online …

A Spiritual Vision For Catholic Educator Prep In A Time Of Disruption: A Reflective Essay, Angela T. Moret, Ronald R. O'Dwyer S.J.

Journal of Catholic Education

This essay reflects on the spiritual lessons learned as a Catholic graduate-level teacher prep program guided novice teachers through the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We observed the importance of articulating a clear spiritual vision rooted in scripture, history, and personal experience. The guiding spiritual lens has been the Emmaus story which helps us look to the past and to the future as we form and support early-career educators in Catholic schools.

In This Spirit: Helping Preservice Teachers Thrive During The Pandemic Through Adaptation And Change, Novea Mcintosh, Rochonda Nenonene

COVID-19 and Catholic Schools

“New times demand new methods”, William Joseph Chaminade. These words reflect the lived experiences of two faculty women of color, identified as Afro Caribbean and African American scholar practitioners in education at a Marianist university. We share our different narratives of the experience from the dual lens of social emotional learning and culturally responsive pedagogy with our classes and students as they thrived during a pandemic. Included in these narratives will be a discussion of the continued community building process, exploration of efforts to learn more about the teaching profession, social justice and advocacy as we learn about others, and …

Covid And Clinical Practice: Now Is The Time To Engage Future Educators, April K. Buschelman

Journal of Catholic Education

After a tumultuous end to the school year, it is more important than ever to cultivate new teachers in the field of education. Combining the experience of veteran teachers with the eagerness and adaptability of students in clinical practice (student teaching) a new form of co-teaching may emerge for the fall semester that covers both in classroom and virtual classroom options. Student teachers experienced the student side of virtual learning during the spring semester and are able to offer valuable insight and knowledge for school communities. This article provides five guidelines for how teachers can mentor clinical practitioners during the …

In This Spirit: Helping Preservice Teachers Thrive During The Pandemic Through Adaptation And Change, Novea A. Mcintosh Ed.D, Rochonda L. Nenonene Ph.D.

Journal of Catholic Education

“New times demand new methods”, William Joseph Chaminade. These words reflect the lived experiences of two faculty women of color, identified as Afro Caribbean and African American scholar practitioners in education at a Marianist university. We share our different narratives of the experience from the dual lens of social emotional learning and culturally responsive pedagogy with our classes and students as they thrived during a pandemic. Included in these narratives will be a discussion of the continued community building process, exploration of efforts to learn more about the teaching profession, social justice and advocacy as we learn about others, and …

A Spiritual Vision For Catholic Educator Prep In A Time Of Disruption: A Reflective Essay, Angela T. Moret, Ronald R. O'Dwyer S.J.

COVID-19 and Catholic Schools

This essay reflects on the spiritual lessons learned as a Catholic graduate-level teacher prep program guided novice teachers through the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We observed the importance of articulating a clear spiritual vision rooted in scripture, history, and personal experience. The guiding spiritual lens has been the Emmaus story which helps us look to the past and to the future as we form and support early-career educators in Catholic schools.

Covid And Clinical Practice: Now Is The Time To Engage Future Educators, April Buschelman

COVID-19 and Catholic Schools

After a tumultuous end to the 2019-2020 school year, it is more important than ever to cultivate new teachers in the field of education. Combining the experience of veteran teachers with the eagerness and adaptability of students in clinical practice (student teaching) a new form of co-teaching may emerge for the fall semester that covers both in classroom and virtual classroom options. Student teachers experienced the student side of virtual learning during the spring semester and are able to offer valuable insight and knowledge for school communities. This article provides five guidelines for how teachers can mentor clinical practitioners during …

Sobrato Early Academic Language (Seal) Model: Final Report Of Findings From A Four-Year Study, Center For Equity For English Learners, Loyola Marymount University, Wexford Institute

Reports

The Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) Model Research and Evaluation Final Report is comprised of three sets of studies that took place between 2015 and 2019 to examine the effectiveness of the SEAL Model in 67 schools within 12 districts across the state of California.

Over a decade ago, the Sobrato Family Foundation responded to the enduring opportunity gaps and low academic outcomes for the state’s 1.2 million English Learners by investing in the design of the SEAL Model. The SEAL PreK–Grade 3 Model was created as a whole-school initiative to develop students’ language, literacy, and academic skills. The pilot …

Rigorous And Meaningful Science For English Learners: Urban Ecology And Transdisciplinary Instruction, Elvira G. Armas, Ed.D, Gisela Obrien, Ph.D., Magaly Lavadenz, Ph.D., Eric G. Strauss, Ph.D.

Practitioner Journal Articles

This article describes efforts undertaken by two centers at Loyola Marymount University—the Center for Equity for English Learners (CEEL) and the Center for Urban Resilience (CURes)—in collaboration with five southern California school districts to develop and implement the Urban Ecology for English Learners Project. This project aligns with the 2018 NASEM report call to action to (1) create contexts for systems- and classroom-level supports that recognizes assets that English Learners contribute to the classroom and, and (2) increase rigorous science instruction for English Learners through the provision of targeted program models, curriculum, and instruction. The article presents project highlights, professional …

Preparing Catholic Educators To Educate And Evangelize In 21st Century Schools, Action Research Of An Analysis Of Educator Preparation Program Requirements Including Professional And Pedagogical, Relational, Formational And Evangelistic Education For P-16 Students (Profess), Mary K. Mcvey Dr., Susan R. Poyo Dr.

Journal of Catholic Education

Abstract

The preparation of effective, knowledgeable and caring educators whose mission is to serve society through direct contact with and instruction of students, is the topic of this action research. We sought to determine how we as a teacher preparation program within a dynamic Catholic university could ensure that our Catholic identity was truly evident and nurtured in our teacher candidates as they prepare to engage in the extremely important job of offering what is a universal right to an education to PK-12 students, in a variety of learning environments. The analysis of this teacher preparation program included a review …

Tolkien’S Allegory: Using Peter Jackson’S Vision Of Fellowship To Illuminate Male Adolescent Catholic Education, Adam P. Zoeller, Thomas E. Malewitz Ph.D.

Journal of Catholic Education

With many of the Catholic student population disengaged from regular ritual experiences their working vocabulary of the prayers and knowledge of the Church is limited. A beneficial bridge for many of these disconnected students, specifically male adolescents has been the use of storytelling in connection to Catholic themes to lay the foundations of ritual and deeper concepts through a more familiar setting. Through media literary, multi-modal instruction and Scripture exegesis adolescents can begin to recognize, understand, and feel a connection with the severity of the sacrifice of the Apostles in following Jesus of Nazareth. This article will offer some insights …

Supporting Continued Academic Success, Resilience, And Agency Of Boys In Urban Catholic Alternative Middle Schools, L. Mickey Fenzel, Kathy D. Richardson

Journal of Catholic Education

The persistent inequalities in urban public education in the U. S. that have left far too many Black and Hispanic male students behind with respect to academic skill development, high school graduation, and college success have led Catholic groups to provide alternative secondary school models to advance the academic and career success of urban students. One of these initiatives is the NativityMiguel model school, the first of which opened in New York City in 1971. The present study examines the lived experience, with respect to benefits of this education on the subsequent academic and career successes, of male graduates of …

Self-Efficacy And Stem Career Interest In Black And Latino Middle School Students: A Study On The Next Generation Science Standards, Whitney Mccormick

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

With only 11% of the current Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) workforce being Black and Latino men and women, there is a crisis of underrepresented individuals in STEM fields. The construction of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the mantra “all standards, all students,” represents an attempt to increase access to science for more students, and increase their self-efficacy about STEM subjects, as low self-efficacy is cited as one of the main causes of disinterest in STEM subjects. This study examined the relationship between students’ self-efficacy in STEM fields and their career interests, specifically in a population of …

No.7, March 2019: Bilingual Teacher Residency Programs In California: Considerations For Development And Expansion, Magaly Lavadenz Ph.D., Elvira G. Armas Ed.D., Natividad Robles

Education and Policy Briefs

Public interest, research and policies about dual language education and the multiple benefits of bilingualism and biliteracy have led to shortages of bilingual education teachers in the state and nation. School districts and educator preparation programs are actively looking for pathways of bilingual teacher preparation to meet local demands for more dual language programs. Modeled after medical residencies, teacher residencies are deeply rooted in clinical training, typically placing residents in classrooms with experienced teachers in high-needs schools where they are supported in their development. Teacher residencies allow for the recruitment of teachers, offer strong clinical preparation, connect new teachers to …

Addressing Teacher Shortage: A Historical Policy Study On Teacher Credentialing In California, Liza Moritz Mastrippolito

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Teacher education enrollment has decreased 74% since 2013. Simultaneously, attrition rates have increased, with 20-50% of new teachers quitting within the first five years. These combined factors have brought California into a new teacher shortage, necessitating fast-track pathways to credentialing. Fast tracks and lowering of requirements often result in teachers not being prepared to teach as they begin their careers, and as data illustrates, children in high-poverty communities of color are those who are predominantly taught by non-credentialed teachers. This dissertation is a historical policy study on how educational policies enacted in California to address shortage have affected the supply …

School Improvement In The Digital Age: A Study Of The Alliance For Catholic Education Blended Learning Pilot, Anthony J. D'Agostino, Monica Kowalski

Journal of Catholic Education

This article presents a description of the Alliance for Catholic Education’s (ACE’s) approach to and experience of implementing a pilot blended learning and school improvement initiative in five Catholic schools in three U.S. (arch)dioceses. Program evaluation data is summarized, including results of teacher surveys measuring increases in perceptions of knowledge of and attitudes toward components of the model. The project description and findings offer a model for other Catholic schools considering introducing blended learning approaches as part of school improvement efforts.