In the June "Kappan," Marc Tucker summarized the "Tough Choices" report, the sequel to a report issued in 1990 by a predecessor group, which attributed the nation's low productivity growth in the 1970s and 1980s to inadequate American schools. The authors critiqued it and charged Tucker with trying to stampede policy makers into adopting reckless…

Teacher preparation and licensing are constantly under attack from both national and state policy makers. The extraordinary reporting requirements imposed on university-based teacher preparation programs through Title II of the Higher Education Act and the promotion of "alternative routes" to teacher licensure by the federal government…

The quality of the teacher in the classroom is the most important factor in raising student achievement, as Linda Darling-Hammond noted, and educators should offer their students nothing less than well-trained and well-supported teachers. Providing high-quality teachers is of particular importance in low-income communities of color, where the most…

"A Nation at Risk" sounded the call for school improvement and offered recommendations for bringing it about. "No Child Left Behind" was even more prescriptive in its approach to raising student achievement. However, as the author of this article points out, for all their recommendations and strategies, both reform efforts neglect the essential…

Looking back, the author sees that she misjudged how one becomes an educational expert. She thought it had something to do with thoughtful experience, deep thinking, reflective practice, and the study of theory and research. And maybe there was a time when that was true. But today it seems that the less one has studied education, the less one has…

In this article, the author takes a close look at alternative certification programs and is convinced that, because they vary so extremely in their requirements, all of them cannot possibly be producing highly qualified teachers. Here, he talks about Non-University Certification Programs (NUCPs). These are alternative certification programs that…

The training profession is not an easy one for teachers to enter because of the credibility gap that exists between education and business. Resumes must be written for the business of training and must emphasize those skills and experiences that would be applicable to business rather than to teaching. (Author/IRT)

Promotes the use of basic skills testing in the certification of new teachers and the recertification of veteran teachers. Presents the belief that better teaching will result from mandated teacher testing. (MD)

A comparison of a modern teacher certification exam with one administered more than a century ago suggests that teachers in 1876 were required to exercise a greater range of mathematical skills, concepts, and principles. (Author)

NCLB's emphasis on seeing to it that all classrooms are staffed by highly qualified teachers is commendable. Teacher competence is the most important factor in student learning. The ability to define that competence had been gradually emerging from research and policy making before NCLB, but the law, unfortunately, is loosening its grasp on a…

Establishing expectations for teachers, identifying deficiencies, providing assistance, and documenting the process are not always effective. School boards, administrators, and teacher unions must commit themselves to making teacher dismissals a realistic option. Otherwise, current reform efforts will consist more of rhetoric than substance. (MLH)

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and Texas teacher training institutions are squaring off because of Texas SB 994, a law that eliminates undergraduate degrees in education and caps required credit hours in undergraduate teacher education courses. This article interviews Carl Parker, Hendrik Gideonse, Mary…

Educational reformers always attack the teacher instead of the school administrators. The improvement of education does not lie in firing teachers but may lie in recertifying administrators and looking at the teachers of teachers. (MD)

Proposes a radical change in teacher preparation that abolishes college and university departments of education and requires prospective teachers to demonstrate adequate preparation based on the courses they take and on their scores on examinations. (MD)

Poses an extended list of practical questions left unanswered by Myron Lieberman in his proposal (EA 519 376) for the creation of educational specialty boards to recognize outstanding teachers. (PGD)