Student Teaching in the United States National Council on Teacher Quality

The stakes in student teaching are high Student teachers only have one chance for the best possible experience Student teaching will shape their expectations for their own performances as teachers Mediocre student teaching experiences, let alone disastrous ones, cannot be undone Reason for the Review

Study Subjects 134 institutions Approximately three per state 93 were public (69%) 41 were private (31%)

Methodology Stratified random sample Institutions were not asked if they wished to participate Institutions could not opt out Provided institutions multiple opportunities to submit their own documents

Review of state teacher education policies School district contracts that governed student teaching Website review Survey of local school principals from schools providing placements Student teaching handbooks Data Sources

Document Selection Memoranda of understanding to document partnerships Descriptions of clinical practices Criteria for selection of cooperating teachers and supervisors

Selected Criteria Responsibilities of the field placement coordinator Criteria for selection of school placements Process by which the institution evaluates placements to see if any aspect of the school or cooperating teacher’s performance merits discontinuation Location of programs not overseen by the institution

Relevance of the Documents “Although the existence of these documents does not provide fail-safe evidence that a program is in fact well run, the absence of such documents certainly suggests that it is poorly run...”

Standard 1 The student teaching experience, which should last no less than 10 weeks, should require no less than five weeks at a single site and represent a full-time commitment.

Standard 2 The teacher preparation program must select the cooperating teacher for each of its placements.

Standard 3 The cooperating teacher must have at least three years of experience.

Standard 4 The cooperating teacher must have the capacity to have a positive impact on student learning.

Standard 5 The cooperating teacher must have the capacity to mentor an adult, with skills in observation, providing feedback, holding professional conversations, and working collaboratively.

Findings 1) Institutions are routinely exceeding the capacity of school districts to provide a high-quality student teaching experience – and exceeding the demand for new hires.

Findings 2) While the basic structure of many student teaching programs is in place, too many elements are left to chance.

Findings 3) Institutions lack clear, rigorous criteria for the selection of cooperating teachers – either on paper or in practice.

Findings 4) Institutions convey a strong sense of powerlessness in their dealings with school districts.

Findings 5) Institutions do not take advantage of important opportunities to provide guidance and feedback to student teachers.

Performance on 5 Standards 7% Model Program – Oklahoma State University, Florida Gulf Coast University 18% Good – University of Texas – Austin, University of Arizona 49% Weak – University of Northern Iowa, Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, Luther College 25% Poor – Iowa State University, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, College of William and Mary

Report Recommendations 1)Shrink the pipeline of elementary teachers into the profession. 2)Institutions must make the role of cooperating teacher a more attractive proposition to classroom teachers.