Washington Post, 12/5/15
The title should be enough to get your full attention....Kenneth Zeichner (a professor of teacher education at the University of Washington-Seattle) writes regarding the soon-to-be approved Every Student Succeeds Act that will replace No Child Left Behind. The quotes below from Zeichner illuminate the potentially serious implications of this “hidden provision” on teacher preparation programs.
Read on, or for the full essay, click HERE: Kenneth Zeichner essay
- Provisions in the legislation for the establishment of teacher preparation academies are written to primarily support non-traditional, non-university programs such as those funded by venture philanthropists.
- The teacher preparation academies that would be created under the legislation will be required to prepare teachers to serve in “high-needs” schools.
- the provisions still serve to reduce standards for teachers prepared through the academies and will widen inequities rather than reduce them.
- The most troubling aspect of the new legislation in regard to teacher preparation is its attempt to lower standards for teacher education programs that prepare teachers for high-poverty schools.