20 May2024
Evaluating and Improving Teacher Preparation Programs
By Kenneth Zeichner
This article was written by Kenneth Zeichner, Ph.D., and Linda Darling-Hammond, Ed.D.
The National Academy of Education (NAEd) recently released a consensus study report, Evaluating and Improving Teacher Preparation Programs, which addresses the interconnectedness between the role of teacher preparation programs (TPPs) to both prepare teachers well and the larger policy supports necessary for the nation to meet the critical goal of recruiting, retaining, and equitably distributing a well-qualified workforce to ensure that all students are taught by well-prepared, culturally responsive teachers.
26 Jan2016
By Kenneth Zeichner
The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
In December 2015, I published an op-ed in the Washington Post in which I discussed my concerns with some of the teacher education provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). I focused my comments on a section within the law that gives states the authority to use some of their Title II funds to establish “teacher preparation academies.” These academies would, in my opinion, lower standards for preparing teachers and would also support a general downward spiral in standards beyond the academies that would weaken public education.
The academies provision is the most prescriptive option under Title II and could require states to change laws that would lower standards for teacher education programs. For example, if states choose to support teacher preparation academies, then they would not be allowed to place any “unnecessary restrictions on the methods of the academy” which includes requiring faculty to have advanced degrees or placing any restrictions on undergraduate or professional course work. While it is not certain that programs with lower standards would be funded under the academy provision, this option opens the door to that possibility.
