A Longitudinal Comparative Study of Alternative and Traditional Teacher Education Programs in Israel: Initial Training, Induction Period, School Placement, and Retention Rates

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to compare alternative teacher education programs in English as a foreign language (EFL), biology, and mathematics to traditional programs in the same subjects. To do this, we analyzed data on all of the students who studied in the aforementioned programs during 2009 and 2010 in the largest college of education in Israel—a total of 91 students from the alternative and 74 from the traditional programs. The study used administrative data provided by the college and by the Ministry of Education. The study examined the following aspects: performance during initial training, success during the induction period, retention rates in the first 5 years of teaching, and the characteristics of their placement in schools. Findings indicate great variation among the 3 alternative programs. Of the 3, only the mathematics program exhibited high rates of entry into teaching and high retention rates. The programs in English, both alternative and traditional, produced the lowest percentages for both graduates and teacher retention. Additional findings reveal the tremendous difficulties faced by the education system to recruit, train, prepare, and finally, retain high-quality teachers within the system.