NCTQ Criticizes Preschool Teacher Prep in New Report
Last week the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) released a new report offering the council’s assessment of how well teacher preparation programs are preparing preschool educators. Again relying on course descriptions and syllabi for its evidence, NCTQ paints a predictably bleak picture, saying the “review of these programs shows little evidence of quality training focused on the needs of the preschool classroom.”
For this report, NCTQ reviewed 100 programs in 29 states and chose not to identify which programs were included in the review. Accompanying the report is a set of resources that include policy recommendations for states and school districts, outlining what NCTQ calls “essentials for a great preschool teacher prep program,” and a guide for would-be teachers, outlining what NCTQ believes they should look for in a teacher prep program.
NCTQ released this report ahead of its anticipated October 2016 Teacher Prep Review, an annual report rating individual teacher preparation programs (although NCTQ opted not to issue a review in 2015). In anticipation of this year’s release, AACTE has updated resources – including the Institutional Response Kit – that will assist members in reviewing their rating and developing an appropriate response. AACTE will continue to provide updates as they become available.
If you have any questions or if you would like to share information on your experience with NCTQ, please contact me at zvanhouten@aacte.org.
Tags: early childhood education, research, teacher quality
