UMD News

Director of Public Relations:
Susan Beasy Latto, slatto@d.umn.edu
315 Darland Administration Bldg.
1049 University Drive
Duluth, MN 55812
(218) 726-8830 Cell: (218) 348-5688
Fax: (218) 726-7413

February 19, 2004

Contact:
Susan Beasy Latto, UMD Director of Public Relations slatto@d.umn.edu 218 726-8830
Jackie Millslagle, Associate Dean, UMD College of Education and Human Service Professions jmillsla@d.umn.edu 218 726-7191
Paul Deputy, Dean, UMD College of Education and Human Service Professions pdeputy@d.umn.edu 218 726-6537
Linda Distad, President, MACTE lsdistad@stkate.edu 651 690-6798

UMD faculty have high level of classroom experience, and are actively engaged with Duluth area P-12 schools through collaborations & partnerships.

Background directly contributes to the academic achievement and healthy development of children and youth in Minnesota

The Minnesota Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE) has filed a report to the Minnesota legislature entitled "Involvement of Minnesota Teacher Education Institutions with P-12 Schools". The report is in response to the Higher Education Omnibus Bill of 2003.

Based on the data collected, MACTE reports that:

• 93% of faculty respondents have held or currently hold a state teaching license.
• 57% of faculty respondents currently hold a teaching license in Minnesota.
• 95% of faculty respondents have had teaching experience in P-12 schools.

UMD College of Education and Human Service Professions Dean Paul Deputy says he is very pleased with the results of the study and believes it accurately reflects the background of experience of the UMD Education Department faculty. He states, "The depth of experience of our UMD faculty in pre-school through 12th grade education provides a strong framework for preparing young teachers entering the profession. This background also accounts for UMD's strong involvement with the Duluth area schools and outreach programs."

Minnesota teacher education programs are actively involved in P-12 schools through partnership schools and districts, and by including P-12 school practitioners in teacher education programs.

These reciprocal relationships and the efforts of P-12 and higher education faculty strengthen both P-12 education and teacher education. P-12 partnerships include professional development schools, multifaceted partnerships, and friendships.

Minnesota teacher education programs involve P-12 practitioners in their programs to enhance the quality of preparation through the involvement of people with special expertise, to seek input and ownership of pre-service and in-service curricula, and to provide special professional development opportunities for P-12 practitioners to refine their practices and to teach them to others.

Results of the surveys indicate that almost all teacher educators in Minnesota have held teaching licenses, have a high level of classroom experience, and are actively engaged with P-12 schools through collaborations and partnerships. This background directly contributes to the academic achievement and healthy development of children and youth in Minnesota

The data for the report derived from two sources: 1.) the Faculty Experience Survey of MACTE's twenty-nine member institutions and their education faculties with questions specifically directed to the issues in the legislation and 2.) the Annual MACTE Institutional Report that MACTE conducts each fall of its member institutions. The data from these two sources confirm a high level of involvement of teacher educators and programs with P-12 education in Minnesota.

All data cited in this report is displayed on MACTE's Measures of Teacher Quality in Minnesota (MTQM) website, available for the public at http://www.mnteachered.org/.

The Higher Education Omnibus Bill of 2003 states:
The Minnesota Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is requested to collect data from each of its member institutions that measure the involvement of teacher education programs and their faculty with Minnesota K-12 schools. The data shall include at least: current Minnesota licensure status of faculty, K-12 teaching experience of college faculty under that licensure within the last five years, descriptions of college and faculty collaborations with K-12 teachers and students, and information on other projects involving higher education in K-12 schools. The data was presented to the education policy and finance committees of the legislature on February 15.

For specific information on background, policies, and procedures at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) please contact:

Jackie Millslagle, Assoc Dean, UMD College of Education & Human Service Professions jmillsla@d.umn.edu 218 726-7191
Paul Deputy, Dean, UMD College of Education and Human Service Professions pdeputy@d.umn.edu 218 726-6537

The following is a list of MACTE representatives: