Alternative Certification Is an Oxymoron

By Arthur E. Wise and Linda Darling-Hammond

Alternate routes to teacher certification have spread across the country like dandelions in a suburban yard. The idea is popular at both the federal and state levels. President Bush's education plan encourages states to pursue alternative certification, while noting that "we must have well-prepared teachers." More than 30 states have already introduced initiatives under this rubric, although these initiatives are as different from one another as they are from any state's "regular" certification route.

Some alternate routes to certification are master's-degree programs designed to recruit nontraditional entrants into rigorous, graduate-level programs that lead to full teacher certification. These are "alternatives" in the sense that they provide an option to the traditional undergraduate teacher-education program, which is designed primarily for 18- to 21-year-olds.

Others are alternative certification procedures, which diverge substantially from regular standards of preparation and entry. Many of these require that candidates spend a few weeks taking coursework during the summer (ranging from 90 to 200 "clock hours"), followed by full employment in the classroom, where candidates are supposed to be supervised. Some allow immediate entry into the classroom without even this modest orientation. A few require additional study on the side; others do not. In some cases, training is provided by colleges; in others, local school districts may provide the training. In either event, the total amount of preparation is less than that required of traditional teacher trainees--generally the equivalent of two to four college courses rather than the 10 or more required for a regular certificate in most states--and it does not...