[Vision2020] RE: Half of teachers quit

[Jerry Weitz]

Here's a maybe a part of the solution to help teacher retention.   Dr.Linda 
Darling Hammond of Stanford University worked on helping retention rates 
for some time.   What worked was modeling educational practices that 
professions or even the trades (apprenticeships) have done.  That is having 
the  students of education become involved with students very early during 
their training under careful supervision by an experienced 
professional.  Think of it this way. When say a  surgeon is trained two 
things occur:  The didactic followed by practice (patient contact). If an 
ed. student is not inclined/interested/talented in the pursuit, then the 
student can simply change directions or pursue something else--- all very 
early, rather than find out during the first part of their careers.

MSD-UI College of Education talked about this concept when I was on the 
Board.  I thought that if this were to occur, the "magic"of a medical 
school format would benefit the recipients --the k-12 students and the 
education students. The master teachers would then become the chiefs or 
attending. Grand rounds for challenging students (treatment dilemmas), 
etc.  Of course, pay and working environment (where the professional is in 
control) would have to change.   jerry