The Plain Dealer explores an important issue: teacher skills.

A growing body of research argues that education schools — despite some exemplary exceptions — produce inadequately prepared teachers.

The issue is crucial because educators agree that having a quality teacher in the classroom is the single most important factor in a child’s education.

In fact, research shows that students who have three ineffective teachers in a row will score as much as 50 percentage points lower on standardized tests than students who have three effective teachers in a row, said Stanford University professor Linda Darling-Hammond.

Also: Read the insightful commentary to the article.

Research questions quality of teacher education

Additional resources:

Alternative Paths to Teacher Certification (This article explores different appraoches to teacher certification.)

Teaching at Risk: A Call to Action (2004) (This report proposes a strategy to upgrade, fundamentally, the U.S. teaching profession. It includes recommendations for improving methods of recruitment, training, assessment, support and compensation.)

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One Response to “The Next NEO: We can improve how teachers teach”

  1. J Murray Says:

    That’s a pretty obvious finding. I have met many people with “Master’s” in Education who couldn’t spell, formulate a complex idea, or construct a complete sentence. The public education establishment (and it’s unions) is a guild run to restrain trade for the benefit of its members.

    What is really interesting, is the phenomenal growth in alternative education. Someone should research that, and spend some time understanding why so many parents are turning their backs on the public education establishilnment.

    I’m enrolling my son in Stanford University’s on-line education program for gifted children. The sad thing is that I already am taxed heavily to pay for schools.