Teacher Prep Express

Here’s what I read on Ed Week:

The state Board of Regents on Monday approved a reform plan for teacher preparation that would place far more emphasis on classroom experience.

OK. Few would argue that giving pre-service teachers more time in the classroom is a bad thing.  In my work with graduate students in a teacher prep program, I find that more time in classrooms, in front of classrooms, and talking about classrooms the better.  But then, I read this:

It also would streamline the process for experts in other fields to become teachers and allow cultural institutions and research centers to award teaching degrees.

Streamline means “speed things up” and cultural institutions and research centers means, well, who knows.  This is concerning.  Pre-service teachers need more time in classrooms, not less.  Speeding up the teacher preparation process might very well put more under-prepared adults in classrooms with our students most in need.  Not a recipe for success, I worry.

Some more specs from Ed Week include:

The reforms proposed Monday would:

• Base evaluations of prospective teachers far more heavily on classroom performance, through both live and videotaped monitoring.

• Reduce the academic requirements for professionals in other fields who want to become teachers and can demonstrate their expertise by passing rigorous subject-area tests. Their training would then focus on teaching skills.

• Allow cultural institutions, research centers and nonprofit organizations to certify teachers. Colleges and universities dominate that role and would continue to be key players.

• Offer bonuses of as much as $30,000 to teachers in shortage areas who accept positions in high-needs schools. Steiner said there is a “deep need” for teachers in science, technology, math, engineering, special education and English as a second language.

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