Improving the Preparation of Teachers

Abstract

any policy-makers and educational critics believe that teacher education is ineffective. Educational research, however, refutes that belief. Teachers who earn more credit hours in professional education obtain higher ratings from supervisors and have higher student test scores than teachers with fewer credits in professional education; supervisors rate the effectiveness of graduates of colleges of education more highly than graduates from liberal arts or other non-education majors, and teachers with regular state certification receive higher supervisor ratings and have higher student achievement than teachers who do not meet certification standards (Ashton & Crocker, 1986; Darling-Hammond & Sclan, 1996). Despite compelling evidence of the effectiveness of teacher education, states continue to reduce certification requirements and hire teachers who do not meet certification standards. These practices no doubt contribute to students' academic failure. Furthermore, these policies exacerbate inequities in the quality of education offered lowincome children in comparison to children from more economically advantaged homes. Teachers without regular certification are more often assigned to teach in schools with predominantly low-income children and children of color than are regularly certified teachers. For example, in 1991, about 33% of the new teachers assigned to teach mathematics, science, social studies, and special education were ineligible for certification in those fields, but students in urban schools had only a 50% chance of being taught by a certified mathematics or science teacher (DarlingHammond & Sclan, 1996). At least 40 states have alternative certification programs. Some of these programs require teachers to take only a few weeks of training before assuming responsibility for a class. In 1991, 20,000 teachers-5% of the new teachers hired-held alternative certi-