Evaluating Teacher Preparation

U.S. News and World Report has recently partnered with the National Council for Teacher Quality (NCTQ) to "rank" the nation's teacher education programs. While Schools and Colleges of Education are open to valid and rigorous external review, recent experiences with NCTQ have shown that this organization fails to adhere to even the most rudimentary practices in valid research design. NCTQ is, in effect, grading teacher education programs based solely on syllabi and handbooks, ignoring the most fundamental component of actual program effectiveness--the success of graduates once in the classroom and their impact on student learning. The fact that NCTQ has stated that it will not be evaluating alternative certification program clearly identifies a primary agenda and bias of this association.

Various professional organizations in the state of Illinois, and across the country are collaborating to share a consistent message that "enough is enough." We look forward to the continued dialogue on best practices in program evaluation and the opportunity to embrace rigorous and fair external review. We also look forward to hearing from our constituents what teacher education programs are doing right--and areas where we need to improve--so that we can work together in enhancing the educational opportunities for ALL children.