Alternative Certification

Young male teacher with students.
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Teacher Preparation What Teacher-Preparation Enrollment Looks Like, in Charts
Enrollment dropped precipitously for a decade but is beginning to flatten out—and in some states, rebound.
Madeline Will, August 28, 2023
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5 min read
Jennifer Mojica works with students in her math class at Holmes Elementary School in Miami on Sept. 1, 2011. In a distressed neighborhood north of Miami's gleaming downtown, a group of enthusiastic but inexperienced instructors from Teach for America is trying to make progress where more veteran teachers have had difficulty: raising students' reading and math scores.
Jennifer Mojica, a Teach For America instructor, works with students in her math class at Holmes Elementary School in Miami on Sept. 1, 2011. The program helps staff low-income schools with young teachers, but it has shrunk along with the general teacher pipeline.
J Pat Carter/AP
Teacher Preparation Once a Big Player, Teach For America Tries to Regain Its Footing
A slimmed-down TFA is investing in tutoring programs and supports to keep members in the classroom.
Madeline Will, August 3, 2023
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11 min read
Conceptual illustration of stock shortage
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Recruitment & Retention Opinion A Better Plan for Addressing Teacher Shortages
Be careful that stopgap staffing solutions don’t endanger our long-term goals of placing experienced teachers where they are needed most.
Jonas Zuckerman, October 28, 2022
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4 min read
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Recruitment & Retention 5 Strategies States Are Using to Fill Teacher Shortages
After months of scrambling, states have settled on a handful of practices. But experts say some could weaken the quality of teaching.
Madeline Will, October 17, 2022
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6 min read
Illustration of outlined teacher in classroom.
F. Sheehan/Education Week and Getty
Teacher Preparation States Crack Open the Door to Teachers Without College Degrees
Citing vacancies, Florida now permits military veterans without a degree to teach, and Arizona will allow educators still in college.
Madeline Will, August 2, 2022
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5 min read
In this photo taken Sept. 1, 2011, Michael Darmas "high fives" a student at Holmes Elementary School in Miami. In a distressed neighborhood north of Miami's gleaming downtown, a group of enthusiastic but inexperienced instructors from Teach for America is trying to make progress where more veteran teachers have had difficulty: raising students' reading and math scores.
Michael Darmas, a Teach For America instructor, gives his student a high five in this 2011 photo taken at Holmes Elementary School in Miami.
J Pat Carter/AP
Teacher Preparation Alternative Certification Programs Are Booming. But Candidates Aren't Finishing
These non-university-based programs enroll more teachers of color and tend to be cheaper, but quality control remains a concern.
Madeline Will, June 7, 2022
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7 min read
Professional Development This State Is Reimagining How to Mentor Teachers in Alternative-Certification Programs
Eight Louisiana school systems are piloting an approach in which alternative-certification teacher candidates receive a full period of support from their mentor each day.
Madeline Will, December 20, 2018
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4 min read
Ashlee Clark, a chemistry teacher at Northwest Guilford High School, came to the job through Guilford County’s alternative-licensure program.
Ashlee Clark, a chemistry teacher at Northwest Guilford High School, came to the job through Guilford County’s alternative-licensure program.
Photos by Justin Cook for Education Week
Teacher Preparation Need a STEM Teacher? This District Trains Its Own
The Guilford County, N.C., district is one of a handful of districts nationwide that recruit, train, and license teachers for STEM classes.
Madeline Will, January 23, 2018
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9 min read
School & District Management TFA, Alternative Programs Marginally Better Than Traditional Teacher Prep, Study Finds
Students whose teachers were trained in alternative teacher preparation programs such as Teach For America perform slightly better academically than students whose teachers had traditional teacher training, according to a recent meta-analysis.
Liana Loewus, November 28, 2017
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3 min read
Teacher Preparation Some New York Charter Schools May Soon Certify Their Own Teachers
High-performing charter schools may soon be able to bypass typical certification requirements, a move charter operators say the dearth of qualified teachers makes necessary.
Brenda Iasevoli, September 6, 2017
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4 min read
Teacher Preparation 50 Years Later, Californians Can Get an Undergraduate Degree in Education Once Again
Aspiring teachers in California will now be able to major in education as undergraduates, which an unusual state law there has technically forbidden for more than five decades.
Liana Loewus, August 11, 2017
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1 min read
School & District Management Teachers Trained Through Fast-Track Program No Better or Worse Than Their Peers
Teachers prepared through a popular alternative certification program perform similarly to other teachers in their districts, despite having had a condensed training schedule, according to a recent federal study.
Liana Loewus, July 6, 2017
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3 min read
Teacher Preparation Number of Calif. Educators With Temp Credentials Doubled in Four Years
California issued more than 10,000 temporary credentials during the 2015-16 school year.
Emmanuel Felton, June 1, 2017
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1 min read
Teacher Preparation Arizona Is the Latest State to Drop Teacher Training and Experience Requirements
The legislation, which is like similar laws passed in Oklahoma and Utah last year, only applies to prospective educators with experience in fields "relevant" to the subject area they plan to teach.
Emmanuel Felton, May 16, 2017
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1 min read
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