A high-profile new study has painted a bleak picture of the teacher-education field, saying that the majority of education schools offer low-quality programs that fail to prepare aspiring teachers for the classroom. Among other things, the report—by the former president of Teachers College, Columbia University, Arthur E. Levine—contends that most teacher-education programs have low admission and graduation standards, lack a cohesive approach to preparing educators, and have failed to keep pace with issues facing the nation’s school system today.
What’s your view? How effective are teacher-education programs today? What changes need be made? How best can new educators be prepared for the classroom?