Student science teachers from North Carolina State University get a lesson in natural selection by hunting for objects while hampered by various impediments. Teacher-education colleges are facing tough questions about the qualifications of their students and the quality of their programs. Massachusetts, which joined those ranks last year, became a national whipping post for teachers' colleges when 59 percent of candidates initially failed a rigorous new test of basic skills and subject mastery. In response, teachers' colleges are straining to prove that good candidates are passing through their doors. North Carolina is pushing to expand student teaching from the typical 14 weeks to a year.
Reformers point to a slew of problems overdue for correction.
More time on the front lines and more classes in the subject teachers will teach are high on the list. Districts must develop better ways to recruit, using everything from the Internet to bonuses or housing allowances to draw top candidates. And while states must ensure that licensing is rigorous, they need to open pathways for talented midcareer candidates to gain credentials without taking on heavy cost and time burdens. But if experts and districts are pointing fingers at the foundations laid in education schools, they're also examining the world that awaits teachers once they enter the classroom. Many new recruits, especially those fresh out of college, report feeling overwhelmed and underprepared.