Panel: Teacher prep. needs major restructuring

11-16-2010

Blog by Stephen Sawchuk/Education Week

Teacher preparation needs to be organized in such a way that student-teaching and other "clinical" experiences in schools are prioritized, with coursework and other requirements embedded in and supplementing the on-the-job work, according to a report issued this morning by a high-powered panel of teacher-educators, teacher-quality experts, policymakers, and practitioners. Such "sweeping changes," the report says, means the whole field of teacher education needs nothing less than a top-to-bottom restructuring, the report says. The panel was convened earlier this year by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, a group that accredits about half the nation's ed. schools. Among its recommendations, the report says that school districts need to be much more involved in teacher preparation, investing in partnership with local education schools to design programs that prepare teachers in response to the district's circumstances and with an eye on student learning. In its recommendations, the report touches on a lot of hot-button issues. It says, for instance, that increased accountability for programs that prepare teachers should include consideration of test scores among other factors. (more…)

Also: Atlantic Journal Constitution, Washington Post

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