High-Quality Teacher Preparation Programs

There is substantial evidence that teachers who have a solid foundation both in pedagogy and subject matter at the undergraduate and/or graduate level are more effective teachers and have a positive influence on their students' achievement.

In order to train the kind of teachers who are grounded in subject matter as well as teaching knowledge, the place to begin is in high-quality preparation programs that are rigorous and thorough. In this era of higher standards and increasing numbers of students with diverse learning needs, teachers need to be able to organize and present subject matter so that all of their students can understand and learn. To help teachers incorporate new standards, methods, and concepts into their teaching, the changing education landscape encourages collaborative efforts among teachers, and teacher learning as a career-long process.

Seven exemplary teacher education programs are examined in the three-volume set of Studies of Excellence in Teacher Education (2000), edited by Linda Darling-Hammond. The seven programs are located at:

• Alverno College (Milwaukee, WI)
• Bank Street College (New York, NY)
• Trinity University (San Antonio, TX)
• University of California at Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)
• University of Southern Maine (Gorham, ME)
• University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA)
• Wheelock College (Boston, MA)

Dr. Darling-Hammond, ( Doing What Matters Most: Investing in Quality Teaching , 1997, p. 30), notes several features that put programs such as these at the forefront of the field:

• a common, clear vision of good teaching that is apparent in all coursework and clinical experiences;
• a curriculum grounded in substantial knowledge of child and adolescent development, learning theory, cognition, motivation, and subject matter pedagogy, taught in the context of practice;
• extended connected clinical experiences (at least 30 weeks) which are carefully chosen to support the ideas and practices presented in simultaneous, closely interwoven coursework;
• well-defined standards of practice and performance that are used to guide and evaluate coursework and clinical work;
• strong relationships, common knowledge, and shared beliefs among school- and university-based faculty; and
• extensive use of case study methods, teacher research, performance assessments, and portfolio evaluation to ensure that learning is applied to real problems of practice.

Another mark of a high-quality program is accreditation by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). ny states require their teacher education programs to be accredited by NCATE, while other teacher preparation programs have chosen to meet NCATE's standards . See where accredited schools, colleges, and departments of education are located around the country, click here .

In its initial report, What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future (1996, p. 35), the National Commission on Teaching & America's Future highlights an innovative district-level teacher preparation program, the Cincinnati Initiative for Teacher Education (CITE). CITE is a five-year preservice teacher education program designed to graduate fully qualified teachers capable of delivering instruction in a variety of settings and to diverse student populations. To ensure that its teachers are prepared to meet the challenges of a diverse student body, CITE's program includes:

• Two degrees, two majors . Teachers receive a bachelor's degree in their discipline as well as a bachelor's degree in education, to ensure a solid intellectual grasp of both.
• A fifth-year internship . A full-year internship combines a half-time teaching responsibility with coordinated seminars under the joint supervision of campus- and school-based faculty.
• Professional practice schools . A group of professional practice schools with a shared vision work with CITE's partner, the University of Cincinnati, to provide the settings for students' fieldwork assignments and internship placements.

Students conduct observations, fieldwork, and tutoring in professional practice schools beginning in their second year. During the fifth year, they are assigned and paid as half-time intern teachers, working with experienced lead teachers in professional teams. The teams include other teachers, school-based university faculty, and interns, who usually number six or eight to a building.

Selected readings on teacher preparation:

Andrew, M. & Schwab, R. L. (1995 Fall). Has reform in teacher education influenced teacher performance? An outcome assessment of graduates of eleven teacher education programs. Action in Teacher Education, 17 (3), 43-53.

Ball, D. L. (2000 May/June). Bridging practices: Intertwining content and pedagogy in teaching and learning to teach. Journal of Teacher Education, 51 (3), 241-247.

Darling-Hammond, L. (1997). Doing What Matters Most: Investing in Quality Teaching . New York: National Commission on Teaching and America's Future.

Darling-Hammond, L. (1999) Teacher Quality and Student Achievement: A Review of State Policy Evidence . Seattle: Center for the Study of Teaching Policy, University of Washington.

Darling-Hammond, L. & Sykes, G. (Eds.) (1999). Teaching as the Learning Profession: Handbook of Policy and Practice . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Darling-Hammond, L. (Ed.) (2000). Studies of Excellence in Teacher Education . Three volumes. Preparation in the Undergraduate Years. Preparation in a Five-Year Program. Preparation at the Graduate Level . Washington, DC: AACTE Publications. Copyright 2000 by the National Commission on Teaching & America's Future.

Goodlad, J. (1990). Teachers for Our Nation's Schools . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Hartzler-Miller, C. D. (1999 Fall). Learning to teach teachers in a standards-based program: When experience isn't enough. Action in Teacher Education, 21 (3), 88-101.

Holmes Group. (1986). Tomorrow's Teachers: A Report of the Holmes Group . East Lansing, MI: Author.

National Association of State Boards of Education. (1998). The Numbers Game: Ensuring Quantity and Quality in the Teaching Work Force: The Report of the NASBE Study Group on Teacher Development, Supply, and Demand . Alexandria, VA: Author.

National Commission on Teaching & America's Future. (1996). What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future . New York: Author.

Rodriguez, E. M. (1998). Preparing Quality Teachers: Issues and Trends in the States . Denver: State Higher Education Executive Officers.