Opinion
College & Workforce Readiness Letter to the Editor

Tough Conversation Needed On Teacher Training

January 28, 2014 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

In his letter to the editor (“Indiana Dean Questions NCTQ Research Standards,” Jan. 8, 2014) Gerardo Gonzalez, a professor and dean at Indiana University’s school of education, questioned the results of the recent National Council on Teacher Quality teacher-preparation study.

As educators in Indiana, alumni of three Indiana teacher-preparation programs, and current Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellows, we felt compelled to respond. Rather than focusing on the methodology of the NCTQ study, teacher-preparation programs should voluntarily and publicly report the outcomes of their programs.

Arguing over methodology removes focus from what we, as practitioners, know is important: ensuring educators are adequately prepared from their first day in front of students. We know this is currently not the case.

Just as we are held accountable for our students’ performance, traditional and nontraditional teacher-preparation programs alike should be held accountable for their teachers’ performance. Accreditation councils should apply tighter standards on the programs they accredit.

For public colleges and universities, states should require public reporting of alumni survey data and evaluation outcomes for alumni of preparation programs. While programs resistant to accountability may claim that they have little control over outcomes once students leave, we as educators could make the same argument about our own students. We feel responsible for students’ performance in our classrooms and their achievement once they leave. Teacher-preparation programs should feel that same sense of responsibility for their alumni.

It is time for a tough conversation about teacher preparation, but it should not get lost in a fight about research methodology. We would like to challenge Dean Gonzalez to take the lead in creating a framework that holds preparation programs accountable for their graduates’ performance. Greater accountability for preparation programs is essential in ensuring that students have access to high-quality, effective educators. We know we can do better.

Natalie Merz, Jacob Pactor, Jennifer Rogers

Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellows

Indianapolis, Ind.

Caitlin Hannon

Executive Director

Teach Plus Indianapolis

The founder and chief executive officer of Teach Plus, Celine Coggins, serves on the advisory board of the National Council on Teacher Quality.

A version of this article appeared in the January 29, 2014 edition of Education Week as Tough Conversation Needed On Teacher Training

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
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
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

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

College & Workforce Readiness Explainer Students With Undocumented Parents Have Hit a FAFSA Road Block. Here Are 3 Options
A FAFSA expert provides advice for a particularly vulnerable group of families.
4 min read
Social Security benefits identification card with 100 dollar bills
JJ Gouin/iStock/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness Infographic Students Feel Good About Their College Readiness. These Charts Tell a Different Story
In charts and graphs, a picture unfolds of high school students’ lack of preparedness for college.
2 min read
Student hanging on a tearing graduate cap tassel
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness How International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement Programs Compare
Both the IB and AP programs allow students to earn college credit in high school. Though how the program operate can differ.
1 min read
Marilyn Baise gives a lecture on Feng Shui and Taoism in her world religions class at Riverview High School in Sarasota, Fla., on Jan. 23, 2024.
Marilyn Baise gives a lecture on Feng Shui and Taoism in her world religions class at Riverview High School in Sarasota, Fla., on Jan. 23, 2024.
Zack Wittman for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Dartmouth and Yale Are Backtracking on ‘Test-Optional’ Admissions. Why That Matters
The Ivy League schools say test scores help them make better decisions, but most schools are keeping tests optional.
6 min read
Image of a bank of computers in a library.
baona/E+