News Brief
Setting the State Stage for Improved Teacher Preparation
Education Next (Winter 2013) Smarick, AndyEducator-preparation policy is important to student learning by preparing educators ahead of time for the tough work ahead. In most states, education authority is within the department of education, but legislatures often make laws that deal with education, leaving the finer points of teacher preparation and credentialing to state education boards. The best way for educators to approach credentialing, according to Bellwether Education Partners' Andy Smarick, is to read the 2012 "Our Responsibility, Our Promise" report, written by current and former state chiefs convened by the Council of Chief State School Officers, with input from the National Governors Association and National Association of State Boards of Education. The report emphasizes the skills and knowledge learner-ready teachers and school-ready principals need to possess. A second document is the new set of draft standards for preparation-program accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation that identifies critical points of leverage necessary to improve teacher preparation, particularly through stronger clinical experience and tougher checkpoints in the preparation continuum. Smarick says some states are creating an alternate certification route for educators because the current systems are not working, and he notes that strong teacher professional standards, rigorous standards for and assessments of prep programs, and exacting rules on educator evaluations and certification are integral to that process.
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