Search results for: Accreditation

An essential component of teacher preparation is clinical practice that allows teacher candidates (TCs) to observe, reflect upon, test their ideas, and adjust and improve their methods in classrooms. Weaknesses in the structure and organization between coursework and clinical practice in teacher preparation programs often present barriers from fully achieving these goals. University–school partnerships have the potential to overcome these challenges and create spaces for mutually beneficial learning opportunities for all stakeholders. In this article, the authors identify six levels to illustrate the continua of work with schools in the preparation of TCs that describe how a program might move from current partnership practice to the kinds of partnership practice described by McDonald and colleagues and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). While developing partnerships with schools is work that has inherent challenges, the potential of this work to meaningfully transform the preparation of teachers is crucial.

This article aims to examine the field of teacher preparation in the current era of accountability and testing. The authors claim that policymakers try finding ways to improve teacher preparation, hence they use assessment tests. This article shows an evidence that teacher preparation is in the forefront in its use of outcome measures to gauge the effectiveness of its work. The authors suggest that nuanced use of these assessment measures, in ways that don’t over assume their validity, should be the approach taken as this innovation evolves.

The current research examines the relative effectiveness of universities and new program types using the diverse market in Texas. The authors examine program effectiveness through a framework integrating certificate pathways, organizational goals, and market incentives. The authors found that independent nonprofits have positive effects on student performance that are not explained by teacher sorting or program selectivity, and these effects only occur in math. Furthermore, independent nonprofits perform well with most high-risk populations but have no advantage with Black students, no presence on rural schools, and negative effects, and designated special education (SPED) students. The authors argue that these findings suggest that policy makers should proceed with caution when advocating for expanding or limiting any particular program type.

This article describes the results from surveys conducted by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council regarding the knowledge and skills of graduates from teacher education programs. The students, faculty, and cooperating teachers in a large national sample of accredited teacher education programs rated the graduates of the programs in the ‘more than adequate’ to ‘excellent’ range with regard to the graduates’ knowledge of subject matter, pedagogy, multicultural understanding, instructional technology, the graduates’ skill to teach caringly and effectively and their capacity to develop professionally in their careers. Marginally lower ratings were given for the institution’s commitment to the program, the program’s facilities and resources, and the student support services. These results also occur in varyingly high degrees within each of the 50 programs in the sample.