Alternative Certification

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
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
1 min read
Teacher Preparation Utah Lawmakers Look to Institute Test of Teaching Skills
The bill comes just months after education policymakers opened up the teaching profession to people with no teaching experience or training.
Emmanuel Felton, February 9, 2017
1 min read
Teacher Preparation Conn. Gives Contested Teacher-Prep Program the Green Light
The Connecticut Board of Education on Wednesday approved a controversial certification program that aims to put more minority teachers into the classroom.
Brenda Iasevoli, November 2, 2016
2 min read
Teacher Preparation States Loosen Teacher-Licensure Rules Amid Shortage Fears
Concerned about teacher shortages, state licensure boards across the country are making it easier to get certified to teach.
Emmanuel Felton, August 30, 2016
2 min read
Teaching Profession Opinion The So-Called Right to Teach
There is no "right to teach," in a public institution, for compensation. None. Nobody has the right to decide--hey! I think I'd like to work with children, mold their little minds. I'm smart! I'd probably be great--with no preparation or experience whatsoever. The "right to teach" and "teacher shortage" blah-blah masks a darker truth. We're not willing to solve problems--health care, clean water, racism, rampant childhood poverty, neglected schools--with hard work and investment in our collective future.
Nancy Flanagan, August 16, 2016
4 min read
School & District Management Gap Growing in Teacher-Turnover Rates: Research
Teachers coming from alternative programs leave the profession at higher rates than their traditionally certified peers, and that gap is growing, a study finds.
Stephen Sawchuk, June 27, 2016
5 min read
Teacher Preparation Teach For America Vows Recruitment Changes in Wake of Application Drop
TFA will streamline its application process in the wake of a third year of application declines.
Stephen Sawchuk, April 12, 2016
2 min read
Teacher Preparation Teacher-Preparation Enrollments Continue to Fall, But Less Steeply
Enrollments in teacher preparation are down by 36 percent from 2009, and completers are down by a quarter.
Stephen Sawchuk, March 22, 2016
1 min read
Kindergarten teacher Doris Velasquez works with student Jelisa Gastelum during a spelling lesson at Mervin Iverson Elementary School in Las Vegas. Velasquez, who was a stay-at-home mother and parent volunteer at the school, is in her first year teaching at Iverson.
Kindergarten teacher Doris Velasquez works with student Jelisa Gastelum during a spelling lesson at Mervin Iverson Elementary School in Las Vegas. Velasquez, who was a stay-at-home mother and parent volunteer at the school, is in her first year teaching at Iverson.
Ronda Churchill for Education Week
Teacher Preparation Faced With Deep Teacher Shortages, Clark County, Nev., District Looks for Answers
The Las Vegas-area district, along with state officials and stakeholders, has had to experiment with a number of increasingly urgent initiatives designed to tap new pools of potential teachers.
Anthony Rebora, January 25, 2016
4 min read
Teacher Preparation What I Learned in Reporting About Teach For America's 25th Anniversary
Some key themes from Education Week's series of stories looking at the venerable teacher-placement organization.
Stephen Sawchuk, January 19, 2016
4 min read
History teacher Derrick Sanders, a first-year Teach For America corps member in Dallas, congratulates his students on a job well done. TFA marks its 25th anniversary this year amid a host of new initiatives that raise questions about its future course.
History teacher Derrick Sanders, a first-year Teach For America corps member in Dallas, congratulates his students on a job well done. TFA marks its 25th anniversary this year amid a host of new initiatives that raise questions about its future course.
Brandon Thibodeaux for Education Week
Teacher Preparation At 25, Teach For America Enters Period of Change
Among other new initiatives, the famously protective organization has quietly begun devolving more authority to its 52 regions, some of which are pushing the boundaries of the group's model.
Stephen Sawchuk, January 15, 2016
17 min read
Teacher Preparation Bid to Spike Federal Teacher-Preparation Regs Fails
The fiscal 2016 spending bill doesn't include a policy rider to prevent the regulations from taking effect.
Stephen Sawchuk, December 16, 2015
2 min read
Teacher Preparation ESEA-Rewrite Bill Includes Controversial Teacher-Prep Provisions
A proposal in the Every Student Succeeds Act to allow states to set up independent teacher-preparation academies is raising some concerns.
Stephen Sawchuk, December 8, 2015
3 min read