Academy for Educational Development

Harry Hellenbrand knew it wouldn’t be easy to implement Teachers for a New Era, a project that is reshaping the way teachers in the United States are prepared for the classroom.

He knew the three central components of the project—using data on student achievement to guide teacher preparation, involving arts and sciences faculty in the design of teacher-preparation coursework, and considering education a clinical practice area much like medicine—could ruffle some feathers at California State University, Northridge, where Hellenbrand is provost.

But the challenges he encountered were unexpected. “The biggest challenge we’ve had to face is cultural," he noted.

Differences in how faculty from colleges of arts and sciences and colleges of education relate to each other, and how they relate to the staff at their partnering K-12 schools are issues people “skirt around” in meetings, said Hellenbrand. But AED is working with the faculty to discuss and overcome those challenges.

“The thing that has been most useful for us is that AED is uniquely skilled in helping groups converse among and between themselves,” said Hellenbrand. “Having outside entities is important because there is an objective observer who understands the topic.”

California State University, Northridge, is one of 11 colleges and universities participating in the Teachers for a New Era program. AED advises each of the campuses on how to implement the project’s core tenets effectively. Another 30 campuses are involved in the Learning Network established by the project.

“We can get technical advice, reports, and models,” said Hellenbrand, adding that just having those resources isn’t as good as having a person visit the campus, observe the work, and give advice. “I think that is the dimension that makes AED stand out.”

 
  See how AED is helping to reshape teacher education. 

For more information about the Teachers for a New Era project, contact Ivan Charner.