Teacher Quality vs. Teaching Programs
Are Colleges Partially at Fault for Poor Teacher Performance?
Oct 24, 2009
Colleges are complaining that high schools are not teaching students what the colleges want. But, where did those teachers come from that are teaching the students? The teachers were educated at colleges that offer a teaching major and have an education department with professors of education. Obama calls ineffective teaching curriculums "cash cows."
Obama Calls for Complete Overhaul of Teacher Programs
Education curriculums are a team effort set by each department at a college. Department heads may chair the discussion but all members of the faculty usually have some input. The curriculum should be comprised of the most relevant, research-based information possible. Unfortunately, some colleges do evaluate the effectiveness of their education curriculum on an annual basis but keep the same classes year after year. Some of the classes have little relevance to what is currently needed for effective teaching today.
Complaints About Education Schools
Arne Duncan, President Obama’s Secretary of Education, served in Chicago schools as chief. It is there that he asked dedicated young teachers what was lacking in schools of education at the college level. They told him:
- Little hands-on teacher training in managing the classroom, especially for high-needs students.
- Not taught how to use data to improve instruction and boost student learning. [1]
How pervasive is the problem? A 2006 report by Arthur Levine, a former Teachers College president, states that three out of five education school alumni said they did not have the training they needed to be successful. [1] Can it be assumed then that the majority of new teachers entering schools feel poorly trained to deal with the issues coming toward them each day?
Which Colleges are Weak in Education?
Are schools of education ranked in any order? May students select a top program knowing they will be trained properly? No. Duncan states, "Most states and school districts don’t link the performance of teachers to their education schools to identify which programs prepare their teachers and which ones don’t. We should be studying and copying the practices of effective teacher preparation programs, and encouraging the lowest-performers to shape up or shut down," says Duncan.
Timing is Crucial in Improving Teacher Programs
President Obama and Sec. Duncan have a sense of urgency about this matter. Why? According to the Department of Education, 33% of seasoned teachers are baby boomers and will be retiring within the next four years. New teachers will be hired to replace them. How capable will they be to fill the shoes of the teachers they replace?
Obama’s goal is to have the highest percentage of college graduates of any other country by 2020. Where will these new teachers come from? Will they come from the top teacher colleges? How will anyone know if the programs are not measured by any rating system?
Presently, 25% of students do not even graduate but drop out of high school. Only half of those that do graduate from high school go to college. There is no time to be wasted in improving the training ground for teachers and providing them with the tools they need to be successful in the classroom.
[1] The Associated Press, "Call for overhaul at teacher colleges," October 21, 2009, msnbc.msn.com.
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