NYSTC Statewide Highlights

New York State Teacher Center Mentor Academy!

The New York State Teacher Center Statewide Leadership Team is collaborating with Learning Forward to present the NYS Teacher Center Mentor Teacher Academy which is a customized, multi-day, blended learning experience for districts seeking to provide beginning teachers with an experienced, knowledgeable mentor. The program is for skilled teachers who are ready to mentor colleagues in their first three years in the classroom by applying a mentoring framework to support beginning teachers in growing their practice.

The scope and sequence of New York State Teacher Center Mentor Academy in partnership with Learning Forward is aligned directly to the five key areas of best mentorship practices.

The year-long program consists of 16 hours of summer learning and 2 to 3 hours per month during the school year (45 CTLE hours)

There are currently 40 teachers from across the state participating in this program. At the conclusion, they will be ready to share the content with any new teacher in NYS!

Please click here to see the flyer that was sent in May 2021.

NYS Teacher Centers Approved to Offer SWD Certification Extension Programs for Grade Levels and Subject Areas!

In June of 2018, the NYS Regents approved a new certification pathway for NYS special educators interested in extending their existing certification to address the growing shortage of certified special education teachers in NYS.

In 2020, changes to requirements to teach subject areas were also enacted. Teacher Centers have worked with NYSED to develop and offer the necessary training to meet these requirements as well.

Teacher centers help to address the shortage of certified special education teachers in the state as the only professional organization sanctioned to provide specific course work that allows these teachers to address the needs of students in multiple special education settings and grades.

Currently, Teacher Centers are the ONLY approved provider of either of the extension series!

For complete details on both series, please check out the SWD Educator Extension Series page.

Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education - NYS Teacher Center Equity Challenge!

Through programs such as the statewide Equity Challenge, Teacher Centers are committed to helping educators develop instructional strategies that embrace students’ cultures, languages and life experiences to equitably meet their needs.

The NYS Teacher Center Equity Challenge is designed to provide educators with an opportunity to explore resources focusing on how education is impacted when inequitable systems exist. Teacher Center Directors and their designees were encouraged to participate in this initial offering of the Equity Challenge to learn about inequities that exist in education and consider ways in which this learning can be best utilized in their individual Centers.

The Challenge is a 20-week program focusing on 10 equity related topics including: Personal Identity; Race & Equity; Exploring Bias; Privilege; Being an Ally; Racism; and Microaggressions. Content for each topic includes videos, infographics, reading materials, "stretching your thinking" activities, reflection and call to action.

An example of a weekly topic can be found here.

For more information on this program, please contact your local Teacher Center.