Alternative Routes Attracting Unlikely Candidates

Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Although tremendous differences exist in the features of alternative-certification programs that are now operating across the country, new research shows that they are attracting people who would not have entered teaching otherwise.

Findings just released here by the National Center for Alternative Certification show that 47 percent of those who are taking an alternative route said they would not have pursued a teaching career if it weren’t for such programs.

For many candidates, the most attractive part was that they could begin teaching right away while they simultaneously completed the requirements for their credentials. Eighty-six percent said being a “teacher of record” in a classroom was a very helpful...