About four of every 10 applicants are admitted to medical schools in Kentucky, according to state Council on Postsecondary Education records. Education experts say the difference shows that not enough emphasis is given to attracting the best and brightest to the field. Not enough is being done to make sure that people who will be teachers are the very best.
Standards are similar in most Southeastern states with only Louisiana requiring less.
Most students admitted to Kentucky teacher-prep programs have GPAs higher than the minimum. However, most of them first spend a year or two in a general education program that often includes some of the school's least difficult courses. Leib thinks emphasis should be placed on the exiting teacher, rather than the entering student. The key is that they come out as the very best teachers. Most colleges and universities also require writing samples and interviews.