Four out of 10 new public school teachers hired since 2005 came through alternative teacher-preparation programs, according to a survey by the National Center for Education Information, a private research group based in Washington. That’s up from 22 percent of new teachers hired between 2000 and 2004.
In addition, the survey found that alternative-route teachers are more in favor of using measures such as performance pay, elimination of tenure, links of student achievement to teacher evaluations, and market-driven pay to strengthen the teaching profession than are their traditionally prepared counterparts.
Nearly all teachers, regardless of certification route, support removing incompetent teachers without concern for seniority. And all teachers “are slightly more satisfied with general working conditions and are more satisfied with the status of teachers in the community than were teachers surveyed in 2005, 1996, 1990, and in 1986,” according to the survey.
The survey, released this month, also found that the teaching force is becoming younger, less experienced, and increasingly female.
