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I'm in favor of competition. If a school district wants higher standards for their teachers than some other school district, I think they should be allowed to have them.
Parents and business leaders would agree. The only folks who usually are against higher teacher standards are unions and teachers unwilling or unable to meet them. Most good teachers want the highest standards and the recognition that goes with having met them. That is why National Board Certification is so popular with many teachers. National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
I considered doing the National Board, but it is very different for a teacher in a regular classroom to structure a lesson to meet the standards and criteria. When you teach severe multiply disabled children, it is a little bit different. I went to the classes, and decided not to do the certification. It is alot of work, especially if parents don't want their children to be taped. And then you have to find someone to tape you teaching different aspects of the standard.
You do get incentives for this though, 10% raise for ten years in some states, re-imbursement for the costs, which can run about $3000, and you don't need to pay for a renewal license for ten years in most states.
I got my BA and initial teaching license in 1981 in Tennessee. Wanted to go home to WA, but WA didn't have reciprocity with TN. I needed a job, northern Idaho would work, so I applied for an ID license and what do you know...ID accepted my TN license and issued me a ID license. WA had reciprocity with ID, I re-applied to WA using my ID certificate and whaddaya know...I got my WA license.
Got a job offer in CA, used my WA license to get a CA license. Took a job in Alabama....they wouldn't recognize anyone--had to re-test there. Got it.
Moved to Oregon--they wouldn't accept anyone's license I had and said I had to take the Praxis although I had passed it in '81 when it was called the National Teacher Exam...and take a "teaching reading" course. Did that, got it.
Thought I might want to move to NM one day, got my NM license using the CA one.
I've often thought that one day if I have absolutely nothing else to do and money to blow on fees, I might just see if I can get licensed in every state using only other state's licenses and reciprocity...
There is too much difference in the quality of education between schools and states for a national certificate.
It would be inevitably watered down to a see-spot-run level for political reasons.
It works fine in Europe but they have no middle schools with ash trays masquerading as universities there.
The only folks who usually are against higher teacher standards are unions and teachers unwilling or unable to meet them.
The folks that are really against reciprocity are the people in charge of training teachers-- the universities. There is absolutely no difference in what on college teaches compared to the next--none of them prepare a teacher for the first day and first year on the job. Requiring additional course work to teach in a certain state is a way of funding job security.
The only folks who usually are against higher teacher standards are unions and teachers unwilling or unable to meet them.
The folks that are really against reciprocity are the people in charge of training teachers-- the universities. There is absolutely no difference in what on college teaches compared to the next--none of them prepare a teacher for the first day and first year on the job. Requiring additional course work to teach in a certain state is a way of funding job security.
Huh? Somehow I still belive the instruction level at say, Harvard, differs somewhat from that at say,South Alabama.
The only folks who usually are against higher teacher standards are unions and teachers unwilling or unable to meet them.
The folks that are really against reciprocity are the people in charge of training teachers-- the universities. There is absolutely no difference in what on college teaches compared to the next--none of them prepare a teacher for the first day and first year on the job. Requiring additional course work to teach in a certain state is a way of funding job security.
If you truly believe there is no difference between the quality of programs at the various teacher training programs:
Why does one pay to go to a more expensive one?
Why do they vary in the amount of time required at a school site to graduate?
Why do some like Virginia Tech require you to complete your undergraduate degree in content and your graduate degree in education for completion?
Why do they differ in the amount of educational research done by staff?
Why would anyone believe you actually have a solid education footing and are aware of educational reality?
Why would anyone believe...................
Why do they differ in the amount of hours required in major and out of major?
The only folks who usually are against higher teacher standards are unions and teachers unwilling or unable to meet them.
The folks that are really against reciprocity are the people in charge of training teachers-- the universities. There is absolutely no difference in what on college teaches compared to the next--none of them prepare a teacher for the first day and first year on the job. Requiring additional course work to teach in a certain state is a way of funding job security.
In your vast educational experiences you are saying you have never seen a new teacher prepared for the first day of school? Wow oh wow lurkers is that expression similar to your observations and experiences?
Huh? Somehow I still belive the instruction level at say, Harvard, differs somewhat from that at say,South Alabama.
It may differ, but I suspect it doesn't differ as much as you might hope - at least in the 'regular' teacher aspects, because that's really not what Harvard Grad School of Education's for. They're far more interested in principals and superintendents, though their reading program is very good and the counseling program is interesting.
You can get certified for middle and high school, but not elementary school, and they've recently added a 2 year program to their counseling area, so for the first time you can now get certified as a guidance counselor or a school adjustment counselor - but 5 years ago, you couldn't.
HGSE went through a 10 year period during which it turned out a total of 0 certified teachers, but that ended right before I went there, roughly 25 years ago. Since then, they've turned out a small number each year. The Teacher Education Program enrolls 35 in their one-year urban education program.
(I do think very highly of the program, itself - Kay Merseth is a wonderful teacher and director - but not all of what they do is at the same quality, and it always seemed to me that Harvard views the Ed School as an unwanted step-child (if even).)
It may differ, but I suspect it doesn't differ as much as you might hope - at least in the 'regular' teacher aspects, because that's really not what Harvard Grad School of Education's for. They're far more interested in principals and superintendents, though their reading program is very good and the counseling program is interesting.
You can get certified for middle and high school, but not elementary school, and they've recently added a 2 year program to their counseling area, so for the first time you can now get certified as a guidance counselor or a school adjustment counselor - but 5 years ago, you couldn't.
HGSE went through a 10 year period during which it turned out a total of 0 certified teachers, but that ended right before I went there, roughly 25 years ago. Since then, they've turned out a small number each year. The Teacher Education Program enrolls 35 in their one-year urban education program.
(I do think very highly of the program, itself - Kay Merseth is a wonderful teacher and director - but not all of what they do is at the same quality, and it always seemed to me that Harvard views the Ed School as an unwanted step-child (if even).)
OK-lets get down to what i DO know from personal expierence.
Level of instruction in ed. at UW-Madison is an order of magnitude over whats offered at the various other UW- schools which are mainly jumped up old State Teacher Colleges called UW-whatever for political reasons.
Probaly two orders really.
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