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How New York Teacher-Prep Programs Are Strengthening Literacy Instruction
Liza Kostreva
Categories: Literacy, Learning by Scientific Design, Pathways into Teaching
As someone who has had the privilege of supporting teacher preparation and instructional programs, I’m deeply familiar with the misconceptions that educator-preparation programs (EPPs) face. In different spaces I’m in, I’ve heard people less proximate to the work describe EPPs as slow to change, lagging behind, or disconnected from the realities of today’s PK-12 classrooms. I’ve seen organizations review a limited set of artifacts and make broad conclusions about faculty and their work. In reality, preparation is deeply complex. Preparing people to teach well and deeply understand how to create strategies responsive to student learning while juggling a myriad of relationships is difficult, and getting it right takes a ton of work.
As with any field, EPPs are not a monolith. At DFI, I get to work with programs that consistently challenge generalizations by demonstrating proactive interest in honing their craft. These programs engage with one another, partner with PK-12 to build stronger systems of teaching and learning, and adapt as new research evolves about how learning happens. Some of the most meaningful moments to me are when faculty learn from one another and leverage their collective expertise to strengthen what future teachers experience in their preparation. That’s no truer than what I’ve experienced in DFI’s work with the faculty in the New York Path Forward Educator Preparation Program Pilot initiative.
Through this statewide effort to transform literacy instruction, DFI has supported faculty from educator preparation programs at CUNY and Touro University to ensure that new teachers enter classrooms prepared to teach all children to become proficient learners.
In our first year of the initiative, we supported faculty to do a deep review of their courses, identifying strengths and opportunities to improve alignment with evidence-based literacy practices. What stood out to me was their eagerness to engage with this work from day one. One participant reflected: “Your (DFI facilitators) ability to connect the science of reading to practical applications in our courses was both valuable and energizing. The training brought clarity to the key principles we should embed in our foundation courses, and I look forward to continuing this learning with you.”
Here are a few themes that have continued to stand out to us across this partnership with faculty in NYC EPPs:
1. Working across institutions has generated new collaborative energy for instructional improvement work.
By creating intentional spaces for faculty to convene with colleagues from other programs, as well as with PK-12 district leaders and classroom teachers, new connections and bridges form. We’ve seen candid conversations, energizing problem-solving, and organic collaborations grow out of these spaces. In one example, faculty had conversations during learning walks in K-12 schools with school leaders and teachers, which revealed that new teachers often arrive unprepared to use screening and diagnostic data to plan instruction. Faculty responded by collaborating to develop a new assignment where candidates analyze grade-level student data sets and design targeted intervention lessons, practices that mirror what schools expect of teachers on day one.
2. Connecting faculty with PK-12 partners has strengthened the bridge between preparation and practice.
Throughout the year, we facilitated faculty visits to PK-12 schools to observe evidence-based literacy practices in real-time with teachers and students and hear directly from administrators and teachers about the opportunities and challenges. In one visit, faculty observed students sounding out letters in a phonics lesson and witnessed the confidence and joy students gained when those letters came together as new words they could read accurately and fluently. They were able to see first-hand the incredible impact that effective phonics instruction can have on students’ development as proficient readers. This experience empowered several faculty members to revise their coursework and add opportunities for candidates to build knowledge of phonics, and practice planning and implementing explicit phonics lessons, to help teacher candidates improve instructional practices in this critically important area.
3. Prioritizing practice-based opportunities for future teachers helps ensure they’re better prepared with the knowledge and skills they’ll need in real classrooms.
Coursework helps future teachers understand the content and ‘why’ behind instructional practice. It also offers opportunities for essential, frequent , scaffolded opportunities for candidates to apply what they’re learning, receive coaching and feedback, and refine the complex craft of teaching. From simulations that let candidates practice decision-making in realistic scenarios, to opportunities like small-group and one-on-one tutoring of NYC students, faculty have reimagined assignments and opportunities to embed more practice throughout the arc of preparation. After one of the initial working sessions, a faculty member from Touro University stated, “I’m already starting to translate my learning into revisions to content that is aligned to structured literacy and assignments that are more practice-based in my courses.” That work and commitment to providing ‘real-world learning experiences’ for teacher candidates has only continued and deepened throughout our partnerships with participating faculty.
Related: America Has a Million Untapped Tutors. Here’s How to Activate Them (The 74)
"The training brought clarity to the key principles we should embed in our foundation courses..." - New York Path Forward pilot participant
And it is important to recognize that this work is challenging—but working through the tough pieces is part of what makes this work meaningful and durable. The partnership between DFI and these NYC-based EPPs reveals what’s possible when programs are involved early and meaningfully in statewide literacy work. That investment choice shapes the buy-in, trust, and commitment to enact meaningful, sustained change that can strengthen educator workforce development initiatives for the long haul and ensure teacher candidates are better prepared to take on the roles and responsibilities required in their classrooms.
