Professional Development Report Roundup

Preparing Teachers

By Stephen Sawchuk — November 13, 2012 1 min read
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The Memphis Teacher Residency produces teachers that outperform the average veteran teacher in Tennessee with students in grades 4-8, and in mathematics and science specifically, according to an analysis of teacher-preparation programs released this month by Tennessee’s higher education commission.

The MTR, a 3-year-old program that couples an intensive, yearlong apprenticeship for teachers with slimmed-down coursework requirements, and, in social studies, Freed-Hardeman University, in Henderson, were the only two preparers to show positive effects on student achievement and had no negative scores in any subject.

Tennessee officials based their conclusions on a value-added measure that links growth in student achievement to the graduates of particular teacher-preparation programs.

A version of this article appeared in the November 15, 2012 edition of Education Week as Preparing Teachers

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