Paths to Improving Teacher Education in the US: Promising Ideas and Supporting Evidence Robert E. Floden Michigan State University

Context for US Teacher Education  Decentralized system 1,300 institutions prepare teachers Most institutions operate multiple programs  Specific certifications  Different structures for varying entry characteristics (e.g., for career-changers)  Each state sets policies for Teacher preparation programs Teacher certification  Many paths to teacher certification Integrated undergraduate v post-graduate College-based v K-12 based v private firm Completed before hire v completed on-the-job

Directions for Teacher Preparation Reform  Change in program content Subject-matter preparation Pedagogical preparation Supervised field experience  Change in program structure Early entry into full-time teaching Program length Link to recruitment Induction and mentoring

Program Content: Subject-matter Preparation  For secondary-school teachers Require college major in subject to be taught Tailor preparation toward deeper preparation in secondary-school topics  For elementary-school teachers Require liberal arts major, rather than education major Tailor preparation toward deeper preparation in elementary-school topics

Program Content: Pedagogical Preparation  Shift toward subject-specific teaching methods Pedagogical content knowledge Common obstacles to student learning Subject- or topic-specific methods of instruction  Methods for teaching reading  Methods for teaching non-native speakers of English  Formative assessment

Program Content: Supervised Field Experience  Closer ties between preparation program and selected schools (Professional Development Schools)  Involvement of K-12 teachers in methods courses  Expanded time in K-12 schools

Program Structure: Early Entry into Full-time Teaching  In areas of teacher shortage, some schools hire on “emergency” licence  To reduce use of emergency license, institute “early-entry” certification: Appoint college graduates as classroom teachers before most pedagogical preparation 6-8 week summer program, focused on classroom management Additional preparation during first years of teaching

Program Structure: Change Program Length Shift from 4-year to 5-year program Place cap on number of “education courses” Base certification on examination, rather than program completion

Program Structure: Link to Aggressive Recruitment  Combine aggressive recruitment, focused selection, and compressed preparation  Hiring for difficult-to-staff schools  Incentives Financial: salary, tuition credit Early entry  Teach for America Elite image 2-year commitment  Teaching Fellows Salary supplement Reduction in MA tuition

Program Structure: Induction and Mentoring  Continue teacher education into first years on the job  Varying mixes of practical, emotional, academic  New Teachers Center expands from California to other states

Approaches to Promoting Change  National program accreditation  Institutional reform networks  Blue-ribbon commission recommendations  Governmental policies and programs

Promoting Change: Program Accreditation  All programs state-approved; some nationally accredited  Multiple models for linking national accreditation and state approval  National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education Judges program against national standard  Teacher Education Accreditation Council Audits evidence and arguments supporting program claims

Promoting Change: Institutional Reform Networks  Holmes Partnership Research universities and partner schools  Network for Educational Renewal University/school partnerships committed to Goodlad’s Agenda for Education in a Democracy  Teachers for a New Era/Learning Network Universities pursuing evidence-based improvement, collaboration, and university- based induction

Promoting Change: Blue-ribbon Commission Recommendations  National Academy of Education volume on teacher education curriculum  Reports from subject matter organizations  Rising above the gathering storm  Levine report

Promoting Change: Governmental Policies and Programs  State program requirement changes Additional coursework (e.g., in reading) Requirements for accreditation  Federal legislation Requirements for state reports on program quality  Promoting new paths to certification Test-based certification Approval of new providers

Support for Reform Ideas and Approaches  Arguments based on common sense  Professional judgment  Empirical studies

Support: Empirical Studies  Recent research reviews Evidence about effects of teacher preparation  American Education Research Association  General conclusion that the evidence is thin  Recent studies on some topics Induction Early-entry programs (including recruitment)

Evidence on Effects of Program Content  Subject matter preparation Most evidence for mathematics teaching  Teachers’ understanding still disappointing at the end of preparation  More study pays off, to a point  Pedagogical preparation Transferring skills to classroom challenging Subject-specific pedagogy has some payoff

Evidence about Early Entry Plus Recruitment  Two major studies of early entry combined with aggressive recruitment New York City Pathways  College-recommended; Teach for American; Teaching Fellows  Slight advantage for college-recommended in initial year Teacher for America experiment  TFA teachers perform as well as other teachers employed in schools Comparison is to preparation plus recruitment, not preparation alone

Evidence about Teacher Induction Nationally, over 80% of new teachers involved Factors effecting turnover  Mentor in subject area  Opportunities to collaborate with other teachers  Can reduce first-year turnover from 40% to 18%

Studies on the Horizon  NRC Panel on Teacher Preparation  IEA Teacher Education Development Study – Mathematics  Mathematical Education of Elementary Teachers  Use of state databases to compare results across institutions

Methodological Challenges to Estimating Effects of Pre-service Teacher Education Reform  Selection bias Colleges select students Students select colleges K-12 Districts select and assign teachers Teachers select districts  Teacher mobility

Paths to Improving Teacher Education in the US  Many ideas, with supporting rationales  Adoption and implementation highly varied, is a decentralized system  Procedures being developed for gathering more evidence  Inferences about effects of particular reforms still likely to depend more on judgment than on controlled empirical studies