In the spring of 2011, Pittsburgh Public Schools selected its first 38 recruits for a new teacher residency program. Nearly 1,000 candidates had applied for the year-long program, which included active teaching service combined with mentoring, professional certification, and a salary of $39,000—in return for a commitment to teach in the Pittsburgh public school system Read more about Behind the Collapse of a Teacher Residency Program[…]
The Speak Up 2012 Survey for America’s Future Teachers starts next week! The survey, hosted by Project Tomorrow, a national education nonprofit, will be hosting this special online survey beginning March 12 and running through May 11, 2012. The survey is for students in teacher preparation programs (including career-changers in alternative certification programs) to get Read more about Speak Up![…]
Earlier this month, the US Department of Education released its most recent report on teacher preparation programs and initial credentialing of new teachers across the country. The report compiles data collected from states from 2008-10, and seeks to map out things like the number of students enrolled in teacher prep programs and their demographics, successful Read more about Department of Education Releases Report on Teacher Prep and Credentialing[…]
The National Association for Alternative Certification (NAAC) has issued two calls: one for pilot sites, and one for reviewers. The NAAC is looking to test a new set of standards, called “Quality Indicators,” or QI, developed by NAAC, Project KNOTtT, and The Ohio State University. The QIs are designed to be tools for program assessment Read more about The National Association for Alternative Certification Wants YOU![…]
Last month, Wendy Kopp of Teach for America and Dennis Van Roekel of the National Education Association discussed their thoughts on ways to improve the teaching force in the US in an article that appeared in USa Today. “As [education] leaders…we know from experience that great teachers are made, not born…Unfortunately, not all teachers are Read more about Three Ways to Improve America’s Teachers[…]
The Center for American Progress released a report last week focused on the 12 first-round Race to the Top (RTT) winners’ progress on teacher preparation and accountability systems. RTT winners are required to meet several goals, such as linking student achievement and growth data to their teachers; tie this information into teacher prep programs; publicly Read more about Getting Better at Teacher Preparation and State Accountability[…]
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has proposed a new rule with regard to admission to teacher preparation programs: a minimum GPA. There are 32 teacher preparation programs in the state, and students would now need to have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (a B average) to be eligible for admittance. According to estimates, this would make Read more about Iowa Governor Proposes Minimum GPA for Teacher Candidates[…]
The New Teacher Project has changed its official name to its acronym, TNTP, and has announced several other important changes to the organization. Launched in 1997, TNTP has expanded its partnerships and training to 20 cities across the country, and has trained more than 46,000 new teachers. However, given the current educational climate, TNTP has Read more about The New Teacher Project is Now TNTP: Reimagine Teaching[…]
Education Week is offering a free, live webinar on improving teacher education programs across the country. The live webinar, moderated by Stephen Sawchuk of Education Week, will feature Deans Mari Koerner (Arizona State University) and Deborah Loewenberg Ball, (University of Michigan). From Education Week: University-based teacher education remains the engine of teacher preparation in the Read more about Free Webinar: Deepening and Strengthening Teacher Education[…]
For-profit, online colleges have been ramping up the development and execution of alternative teacher certification programs over the past couple of years. The state of Texas, particularly, has seen a dramatic rise in the number of for-profit alternative certification programs. These programs, lasting from three months to two years, “are booming despite little more than Read more about For-Profit Teacher Certification on the Rise[…]
A new teacher evaluation law in Indiana is causing concern among prospective and certified teachers. The new evaluation system includes measures of student performance that carry significant weight in the overall evaluation structure. Teachers who formerly welcomed student-teachers into their classrooms are now hesitant to do so. “They’re saying, ‘We’re not having a student teacher Read more about New Evaluations Systems May Threaten Student-Teaching Programs[…]
ASCD Express is seeking short essays on the theme “Supporting Preservice Teachers.” From ASCD:“The learning trajectory from college education student to classroom teacher—and “master of her own universe”—is pretty compressed. Inevitably, much about education must be learned on the job. But can universities better prepare future teachers? If so, how? Are education schools so worried Read more about Call for Papers: Supporting Preservice Teachers[…]
The Center for Education Data & Research (CEDR) has released a study that examines teacher preparation programs in Washington State, in an effort to determine a link between program efficacy and teacher effectiveness. Comparing data between teacher’s initial endorsements and student achievement on state math and reading tests, the study found that teacher prep programs Read more about Assessing Teacher Prep Based on Student Achievement[…]
Deborah Loewenberg Ball, dean of Michigan’s School of Education, recently unveiled TeachingWorks, a wing of the School of Education that will focus on “raising the standards for practice as a classroom teacher by transforming how teachers are prepared and supported.” The details of the eventual character of TeachingWorks is still unclear (the full site is Read more about University of Michigan Launches “TeachingWorks”[…]
Last month, the Obama Administration released its plan for “recruiting, preparing, and retaining great teaching talent.” In his forward to the plan by Secretary Duncan writes: “Some of our existing teacher preparation programs are not up to the job. They operate partially blindfolded, without access to data that tells them how effective their graduates are Read more about Obama Administration Releases Plan for Teacher Education Reform and Improvement[…]
Last week, National Louis University in Chicago collaborated with Groupon to offer an unheard-of deal: a 57% discount on a teacher prep course. The course, “Introduction to the Profession and the Craft of Teaching” was offered for $950 and covers topics such as “trends and debates in the teaching profession” and “how the K-12 sector Read more about Go Get Your Groupon! and Become a Teacher?[…]