10 Dec2013
New Issue of JTE: Politics of VAM, Finnish Context for Teacher Prep, NCTQ Critique, and More Now Online
The January/February 2014 issue of the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) is now available online. See what Volume 65 Number 1 has to offer—without waiting for the mail delivery!
- In this month’s editorial, JTE‘s editors at Penn State University announce the 2014 Editorial Review Board and outline the highlights of this issue’s articles.
- “The Effects of Teacher Entry Portals on Student Achievement” classifies North Carolina public school teachers into 11 predominant “portals” of entry into the profession and estimates their effects on students’ test score gains. The gains are generally higher for students of teachers prepared through in-state, public undergraduate programs—but Teach for America corps members seem to be more effective in STEM subjects and at the secondary level.
- “The Politics and Statistics of Value-Added Modeling for Accountability of Teacher Preparation Programs” adds to the studies published in last year’s theme issue on value-added modeling (VAM), looking at the reliability and usefulness of VAM in evaluating preparation programs. Using Texas’ model, the study finds statistical reliability but reveals sensitivity to criteria for accountability and other factors. The authors highlight the importance of considering policy goals and stakeholder perspectives when using VAM for program accountability.
- “Seeking New Perspectives on the Development of Teacher Education: A Study of the Finnish Context” analyzes four studies in Finnish settings to investigate the resources for and obstacles to reforming university-based teacher preparation. Chief among the challenges are reforming teacher educators’ professional identity, competition across fields within the department, and tensions between individual and organizational development.
- “Disclosure of Information About English Proficiency: Preservice Teachers’ Presumptions About English Language Learners” shows that preservice teachers who are not aware of students’ English-learning status tend to misinterpret language problems as disability—resulting in inappropriate referrals to special education. This study found that giving detailed information to preservice teachers about students’ English proficiency increased the teachers’ likelihood of recognizing and appropriately addressing the cause of students’ difficulties.
- “Shaky Methods, Shaky Motives: A Critique of the National Council on Teacher Quality’s Review of Teacher Preparation Programs” is a commentary recounting the serious flaws in the recent review of teacher preparation programs by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). The article questions the motives of NCTQ for producing a report that employs these “shaky methods,” and it suggests alternative strategies that would lead to a more relevant report card for programs.
Although the general public has online access only to abstracts of each JTE article, AACTE members may access the full text by logging in to the AACTE web site and then clicking through to the JTE site hosted by SAGE. Click here to get started!
Tags: advocacy, alternative routes, assessment, data, global issues, inclusion, JTE, program evaluation, program improvement, research, teacher quality
