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I have been thinking about this for awhile. I went back to school as an adult because I want to finish my degree and teach. I go to the university in my area because this is where I live, for now, but I have absolutely NO intention of teaching in Illinois.
Why is it that a person who graduates from an accredited institution cannot immediately teach anywhere in the US where he/she gets a job? Really, wouldn't it be easier if there was one, standardized Teacher Education curriculum that all colleges could follow? It makes no sense to me that I can get a degree that will allow me to teach anywhere in Illinois but if I wanted, for instance, to go one mile over the border into Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, I would have to go through the whole involved (not to mention potentially expensive) process of obtaining a teaching license for that state.
I'm sure the argument could be made that if this were the case then all the teachers would flock to areas where the pay is higher, and I suppose that could be true. But in reality, when we live in such a mobile society, doesn't it make sense to have a teaching license be valid everywhere?
In the absence of national certification for initial entry in the profession there is no vehicle to create a common certification. Do you really think states are going to give up their right determine certification? Do you really think the DOE wants to propose legislation giving them the right to usurp state certification power? Do you really think congress would approve it? Would any such certification reflect what is now the most stringent or most lenient certificaton?
This was one of the reasons I decided against going to college to become a teacher. I wouldn't want to do any job where you have to take a test and get a new license to move to another state. It's not just teaching that's like this.
Last edited by city_data91; 09-03-2009 at 09:39 PM..
In the absence of national certification for initial entry in the profession there is no vehicle to create a common certification. Do you really think states are going to give up their right determine certification? Do you really think the DOE wants to propose legislation giving them the right to usurp state certification power? Do you really think congress would approve it? Would any such certification reflect what is now the most stringent or most lenient certificaton?
This is why I am asking. I don't know why it doesn't exist, nor do I know what some of the arguments against it might be. I understand that certain states might not want to give up their standards, but just like everything in education, standards and schools change over the years and we adjust. What I don't understand is why- since this is one country - there is not one teaching standard. If I get a teaching degree in England I can teach anywhere in England, not only in the area that I earned my degree. It seems strange that a valid degree from an accredited institution in, say, New York, is essentially invalid in Florida.
Yes, I think it would be better if your certification worked everywhere. But I suppose it's impossible when different states have different curriculums? You don't have to necessarily start over when you move though. Here is a document I found:
This is why I am asking. I don't know why it doesn't exist, nor do I know what some of the arguments against it might be. I understand that certain states might not want to give up their standards, but just like everything in education, standards and schools change over the years and we adjust. What I don't understand is why- since this is one country - there is not one teaching standard. If I get a teaching degree in England I can teach anywhere in England, not only in the area that I earned my degree. It seems strange that a valid degree from an accredited institution in, say, New York, is essentially invalid in Florida.
There tends to be downward mobility of certification from the most stringent states to the least etc. The issue is moving from the least stringent to the more stringent. If is fairly easy to obtain certification elsewhere if you have Massachusetts certification. Surrounding states will often have similar requirements and a resulting reciprocity. States set standards that work for the. One of the major variable areas is Praxis scores. You would be hard pressed to tell Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania etc that they had to lower their Praxis standards. Also the states require different tests. What is strange that states don't even have the same organizational level certifications. Some states do and other states don't have middle school certification.
The issue here isn't so much the degree, but certification. In many cases, the institution college/university where you get your degree will encourage or require that you obtain certification in the state in which that institution is located. However, it's not the college or university that controls state certification standards. You could also, theoretically, graduate with a degree in education and not seek licensure in any state at all.
Many states do have reciprocity with other states with regards to teacher certification. It looks like WI, MO, and IA would accept an IL certification (http://www.jflalc.org/upload/336.pdf (broken link)). There are provisional terms that you must meet in some cases, however.
As for a standardized teacher training curriculum, this takes away student choice. As a pre-service teacher, I was happy to choose the graduate school that reflected my interests and values the most.
Same reason a concealed weapons permit is not always valid in another state. Same reason a law license is not valid in another state. You don't have to go back to law school, but you do have to take the bar exam for the state in which you wish to practice law.
Congress has usurped enough power from the states as it is (in my opinion, a violation of the 10th Amendment). We don't need them to create a national teacher certification.
If one state wishes to recognize a teaching certificate from another state, great. If not, too bad. We are a nation of 50 sovereign states that have the right to secede if their state rights are infringed upon by the federal government. There are several states that have passed resolutions putting the Obama Administration on notice that if he steps on their toes, there will be trouble.
Same reason a law license is not valid in another state. You don't have to go back to law school, but you do have to take the bar exam for the state in which you wish to practice law.
No, usually you don't.
And there is a multi-state bar exam, though it is not enough to be admitted to other bars.
Is the quality of teaching candidates equal across states? The quality of newly certified teachers? The quality of education programs? The quality of students going into education in the different states? The quality of high school graduates that provides the pool of future teachers? Not all states have enough programs to meet their teaching needs and are dependent on neighboring states, others aren't. If you produce a surplus of teachers you can artificially raise the bar in order to raise measured achievement results for certified teachers. If you are not producing enough teachers and artificially raise the bar you are lowering your already small pool. The goal ought to be to produce the maximum number of highly qualified teachers ( by standard measurement) and that progress is not uniform across the states.
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