Opinion
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor

Ed. Colleges Provide Value

November 13, 2018 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

In a critique of teacher education (“Teachers Colleges: The Weakest Link,” November 1, 2018), Marc Tucker states that “schools of education are the weakest link in our public education system.” He writes, “It is not clear to me what our future teachers learn in their schools of education that is of any value to them when they begin teaching.”

I welcome constructive criticism but, I must say, I found little that was constructive or accurate in this blog post.

Community colleges and colleges of education provide immense value and opportunities for those who aspire to be teachers. As a dean of a college of education, I meet regularly with other deans of colleges of education from around the country through The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. I have witnessed firsthand how today’s colleges of education are preparing teachers quite differently than they did a decade ago. In a national strategy to prepare effective teachers, AACTE and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation continued to support a reimagined clinical model of educator preparation.

This clinical model requires students to co-teach with established professionals and complete sustained, yearlong clinical experiences in teaching. Instead of relying on course-based outcomes, teacher candidates and pre-K-12 teachers are actively and positively impacting their students’ learning. The clinical model can’t work without the support of teachers, principals, and superintendents. The Report of the AACTE Clinical Practice Commission frames the definition of clinical practice and offers several model protocols. This is a framework to build, maintain, and sustain a clinical partnership, which joins the needs of a college or university and local pre-K-12 schools in the preparation of highly effective educators to meet the needs of all learners.

AACTE features model teacher education programs in its Research-to-Practice Spotlight Series. The spotlight series aims to not only celebrate successful programs but also provide models of exemplary practice for other institutions in the nascent stages of partnership formation.

Tucker is right in recognizing the challenges that the entire system of education faces. Playing the blame game is easy, but it is also unproductive. I invite him to spend some time in today’s schools and colleges of education. I think he would find, as I do, there is a lot that has changed and much to be proud of.

Renée A. Middleton

Dean of the Patton College of Education

Ohio University

Athens, Ohio

A version of this article appeared in the November 14, 2018 edition of Education Week as Ed. Colleges Provide Value

Events

Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Federal Webinar The Trump Budget and Schools: Subscriber Exclusive Quick Hit
EdWeek subscribers, join this 30-minute webinar to find out what the latest federal policy changes mean for K-12 education.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar
End Student Boredom: K-12 Publisher's Guide to 70% Engagement Boost
Calling all K-12 Publishers! Student engagement flatlining? Learn how to boost it by up to 70%.
Content provided by KITABOO

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Profession Data Average Teacher Pay Increased Again This Year—Sort of. See How Your State Fared
Inflation is taking a bite out of teachers' paychecks, according to new state-by-state salary data.
3 min read
A kindergarten teacher works one-on-one with a student during a small-group math activity.
A kindergarten teacher works one-on-one with a student during a small-group math activity.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Teaching Profession How These 4 Teachers Go Above and Beyond for Their Students and Colleagues
During Teacher Appreciation Week, we showcase inspiring examples of committed teachers.
8 min read
Jessica Arrow, a play-based learning kindergarten teacher, talks with her students about squirrels during class at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H. on Nov. 7, 2024.
Jessica Arrow, a play-based learning kindergarten teacher, talks with her students about squirrels during class at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H. on Nov. 7, 2024.
Sophie Park for Education Week
Teaching Profession Teachers Share the Weirdest Teacher Appreciation Week Gifts They've Ever Gotten
These presents range from the unexpected to the unforgettable.
1 min read
Collage of images: ash tray with cigarettes, partially eaten muffin, toilet paper, cockroaches, a pineapple and a rock.
Liz Yap/Education Week and Canva
Teaching Profession Opinion My Grandson Is Becoming a Teacher. Here's What I Want Him to Know
Larry Ferlazzo, who retires from teaching at the end of this year, offers guidance for new and veteran educators.
4 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week