About 240 of the 750 new teachers in Baltimore public
schools this fall are working toward basic certification in
elementary or secondary education and master's degrees in
teaching, thanks to a partnership among The Johns Hopkins
University's Graduate
Division of Education, Teach for America and the
Baltimore City Teaching Residency program.
The new generation of teachers began studying at Johns
Hopkins over the summer. Both Teach for America and the
Baltimore City Teaching Residency program have arrangements
with Baltimore City Public Schools to recruit teachers
whose education course work is then provided by Johns
Hopkins. Most of the teachers are working toward a
39-credit-hour master of arts in teaching degree; the
part-time program takes two to three years to complete. In
addition to successfully completing their course work,
teacher candidates must also pass the state's Praxis I and
II tests to receive their certification.
The Baltimore City Teaching Residency is providing 155
incoming teachers with the skills to become effective
instructors and to improve student achievement. Its
participants are primarily professionals who are changing
careers to become teachers. They come from a variety of
backgrounds, including business, public relations, law and
social work. While working on their master of arts in
teaching degrees, the candidates receive extensive support
from Johns Hopkins faculty members and supervisors. The
current class is the largest group in the four-year history
of the partnership.
Another 85 teachers are teaching in Baltimore City
through the Teach for America program, a national corps of
recent college graduates from all academic backgrounds who
have committed to two years of teaching. The goal of the
partnership with Johns Hopkins is to develop teachers who
will provide quality education opportunities to low-income
students.
Through course work and intensive support systems,
faculty members at the Graduate Division of Education are
helping the new recruits become effective urban educators
who can combine their strong content knowledge with best
practices in teaching and learning.
"There is much for a beginning teacher to know about
child development, effective planning, instructional
strategies, assessment standards and working
collaboratively with others in the school and community,"
said Elaine Stotko, chair of the Department of Teacher
Preparation at JHU's
School of Professional Studies in Business and
Education. "By working collaboratively with the
Baltimore City public schools, Johns Hopkins helps to
provide the very important and necessary support integral
to the success of beginning teachers and ultimately the
academic achievement of the children they instruct."
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