Shaky Methods, Shaky Motives: A Recap of My Critique of the NCTQ’s Review of Teacher Preparation Programs

Posted on June 17, 2014
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Preface
The following is based on my complete study published in the Journal of Teacher Education. This version leaves out some examples, technical points, and suggestions for an approach to evaluating preparation programs. Sage Journals has been kind enough to make the complete study available for free to the public for a one month period. The study can be found at:http://tinyurl.com/mhqjyn6
Introduction
After last year’s release of the NCTQ’s ratings of teacher preparation programs, headlines and leading remarks about US teacher preparation programs proclaimed: “Teacher prep programs get failing marks” (Sanchez, 2013); “University programs that train U.S. teachers get mediocre marks in first-ever ratings” (Layton, 2013); and, “The nation’s teacher-training programs do not adequately prepare would-be educators for the classroom, even as they produce almost triple the number of graduates needed” (Elliot, 2013).
Critics of traditional teacher preparation have used the report as evidence that US teacher preparation is completely broken and we need to radically change traditional university-based programs and/or abandon traditional programs in favor of marketplace of a wide array of providers. For example, Arthur Levine (2013) wrote:
The NCTQ described a field in disarray with low admission standards, a crazy quilt of varying and inconsistent programs, and disagreement on issues as basic as how to prepare teachers or what skills and knowledge they need to be effective. The report found few excellent teacher-education programs, and many more that were failing. Most were rated as mediocre or poor.
While the NCTQ critiques are not substantially different than many previous calls for reform, the current calls for reform come at a time of increased belief that public schools have failed, partially as a result of traditional teacher preparation programs and “we need to end the effective monopoly that education schools have on teacher training. Policymakers must foster a robust marketplace of providers from which schools and school districts can choose candidates” (Kamras & Rotherham, 2007).
NCTQ’s efforts have raised a number of concerns by researchers such that a wide array of critiques were posted and published after last year’s report, Even before the report was released, the concern was so great among teacher preparation personnel that most programs refused to Shaky Methods, Shaky Motives: A Recap of My Critique of the NCTQ’s Review of Teacher Preparation Programs | A "Fuller" Look at Education Issues: