Recorded on May 27, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact every facet of education. While the ongoing focus of the pandemic’s impacts centers on student learning, social-emotional needs, and adaptation to online instruction, significant questions remain about how the pandemic will affect the next generation of teachers.

Teacher candidates are currently facing the historic challenge of learning how to teach with little to no time in the physical classroom. In this archived webinar, presenters from four teacher preparation programs shared how they adapted their programs to meet the current climate and the learning needs of their candidates.

This archived webinar:

• Highlights the work of WestEd’s Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant partners, including universities, districts, and a county office of education, in their preparation of new teachers during the pandemic.
• Focuses on recruitment, clinical practice, professional development, and induction supports.

Presenters

Teacher Residency for Rural Education/Tulare County Office of Education (Recruitment):

• Donna Glassman-Sommer serves as the Executive Director for the California Center on Teaching Careers, located at Tulare County Office of Education. She was a Teacher, Principal, and Administrator for New Teacher and Leadership Development.
• Marvin Lopez, MBA, has been with Tulare County Office of Education for almost 20 years and is currently a Program Coordinator.  Mr. Lopez is a key player in multiple state and federal projects, teacher preparation programs, and use of technology for teacher recruitment, selection, and retention.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (Clinical Practice):

• Megan Guise is a professor of education at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Her grant work and research interests focus on enhancing coteaching implementation, developing effective models for professional development, and providing feedback on teaching.
• Sarah Hegg is a grants manager working with the School of Education at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Her grant work and research interests focus on defining & enhancing the coteaching model, increasing the diversity of teacher recruitment and developing professional development to support clinical practice.

California State University, Bakersfield/Citizen Scientist Project (Professional Development):

• Brittney Beck is an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education and Director of the Citizen Science Project at CSU Bakersfield. Her work builds the capacity of teachers and students to apply C-STEAM competencies to identify and address issues of community concern.
• Jesus Esquibel is the Assistant Director of the Citizen Scientist Project and Director of the Math Science Teacher Initiative at CSU Bakersfield. His work builds capacity for interdisciplinary C-STEAM curricula and pedagogy in K-12 and higher education contexts.

Fresno Unified School District (Induction):

• Traci Taylor has been working for Fresno Unified School District for over 16 years as an educator.  Ms. Taylor currently serves as the Director of Teacher Development and is the current Project Director for multiple Residency Grants as well as oversees programs to support the growth and development of Veteran Teachers.
• Jeanna Perry has been working for Fresno Unified School District for over 15 years as an elementary and secondary teacher, Instructional Coach at an elementary school site, a Teacher on Special Assignment (TSA) working on developing district-wide professional learning on Common Core curriculum, and a Coordinator for the Fresno Teacher Residency Program.

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