The Career Development Program (CDP) has been a program option for teacher licensure at UNM for the past 10 years. Specifically, the program targets the non-traditional population of students: second career students and educational assistants. It is the product of a joint partnership between the Albuquerque Public Schools (APS), University of New Mexico (UNM), and the Albuquerque Teachers Federation (AFT). The essence of CDP is to support the professional development of the participant?s career within the educational community. The program has three overall goals:

1. To provide an innovative, superior quality teacher education experience to mid-career professionals which would result in the highest caliber graduates by: a) acknowledging the value of the professional adult learner?s previous educational and life experiences; and b) lessening some of the practical and financial barriers to entering elementary education by mid-career professionals.
2. To shift some of the financial resources of the post baccalaureate program to create an incentive program of scholarships for APS educational assistants who wish to become degreed.
3. To provide meaningful in-service opportunities to veteran district teachers by: a)increasing their participation in the preservice and induction experiences of new teachers; and b) providing release time for professional development and renewal.

The APS/UNM/ATF Partnership is a model collaborative program providing systematic opportunities for university faculty to work side-by-side with exemplary classroom teachers, counselors, and administrators in the preparation and support of teachers. The Partnership focuses its efforts along the entire continuum of teacher education from the recruitment of diverse groups (including educational assistants) into teacher education; mentoring pre-service teachers; providing induction support to new teachers; and developing networks and support for advanced professional development.

The goals of the Partnership are to

1. Improve the learning and development of children and youth through the creation and delivery of a continuum of quality professional development programs and activities for educators, ranging from the student teacher through the experienced teacher, counselor, and administrator.
2. Assist in defining and realizing the broader goals of both the Albuquerque Public School District and the University of New Mexico College of Education.

As a part of the APS/UNM/ATF Partnership, the CDP post-baccalaureate program consists of a 43-semester hour, 17-month sequence of integrated methods coursework with both pre-service and induction field experiences. Each January, a group of 24 post baccalaureate students begin a first semester which combines rigorous methods coursework and a structured "teamed apprenticeship" student teaching experience in an elementary classroom with a veteran mentor teacher. The pre-service component concludes in an intensive summer of supporting coursework. This is followed by the induction experiences of a "paired internship" in the fall and a "solo internship" in the second spring semester. Throughout the academic year weekly evening seminars accompany the apprentice and intern semesters. The design of the program provides opportunities for apprentices/interns to have maximum "hands-on" experience in elementary classrooms and school settings throughout the pre-service and induction experiences.

The CDP is a very dynamic process grounded in educational theory intended to blend with the practical experiences of the classroom settings. Apprentices/interns learn about children through the study of: child development, learning theory, learning styles, motivation, intelligence, critical thinking, socialization, culture, and diversity. The concurrent theory-to-practice opportunities in the design of the program ensures apprentice/interns opportunities for application of what they are learning about children, teaching and learning. This inherent scaffolding also provides many opportunities for the apprentices/interns to develop the skills for articulating their beliefs and the knowledge that supports their practice.

An Overview of the Partners Involved

Albuquerque Public Schools is one of the largest and most diverse districts in the nation with over 85,000 students and 10,000 employees. The Albuquerque Teachers Federation represents over 6,000 school employees in APS. UNM is the largest university in the state with about 25,000 students and 2,000 faculty. The College of Education has about 115 faculty, 2,400 undergraduate and graduate students, and graduates about a third of the state?s new teachers.

For more information concerning this presentation contact

Peter Winograd
University of New Mexico
Hokona Hall, Room 121
Albuquerque, NM 87131
Phone: 505-277-4533; Fax: 505-277-4661
Winograd@unm.edu

Rosalita Mitchell
University of New Mexico
Hokona Hall, Room 291
Albuquerque, NM 87131
Roalita@unm.edu

Sharon Olguin
University of New Mexico
Hokona Hall, Room 106
Albuquerque, NM 87131
Solguin@unm.edu

Teresa Kokoski
University of New Mexico
Hokona Hall, Room 234
Albuquerque, NM 87131
Kokoski@unm.edu

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