Teacher Preparation Solutions: Rumbling for Quality Just Won't Do

The educational policy and education research debate embedded in new teacher preparation and certification policy has been very contentious. Stumbling for quality, as Walsh (2001) puts it, or fighting or rumbling for quality, just won't do any longer. The goal now should be to come up with solid solutions for the preparation and certification dilemma. That is the purpose of this article, but first I will provide a brief overview of the issues. My analysis is focused on the following: U.S. Department of Education mandates, State of Florida Education mandates, the policy rumble for and against alternative certification and traditional teacher preparation, the subsequent research rumble, and coverage about proposed solutions. Subsequent to the analyses, I will formulate a new list of recommended solutions and offer a conclusion exemplifying how all this furor has affected one art education teacher preparation program.My interest in the certification and preparation issue began 3 years ago. Due to the mind-numbing barrage of teacher preparation mandates at the time, both nationally and at the state level, at the time, both nationally and at the state level, it seemed students needed an attorney to make certain that all state-mandated requirements were being met so they would be cleared for graduation. To further complicate matters, states and districts started developing shortcut alternative routes and temporary certification options to address the problem of teacher shortages. In light of these changes, some very serious questions have arisen about the quality in teacher preparation, the content and purposes for alternative certification, and the effect all of this has on educational institutions and student learning.When this article is published, I will have been a faculty member in a College of Education for 10 years. My perspective as an art educator provides a somewhat different view on these preparation issues, because from my experience as a student at all levels, I can distinctly remember enjoying art and art education courses much more than the educational foundations and methodology courses. I would not hesitate to say that many students today share the same sentiment. From my view, I do not necessarily disagree with the argument for a strong background in the discipline and content area, and a focus on fewer education courses. Finding a balanced position with the age-old concern about the "what" (a teacher's subject competence) and "how" (a teacher's competence in communicating that subject) of teaching found in the current national, state, and local teacher preparation debate is crucial. An awareness and fulfillment of these preparation concerns should be the foundation for undergraduate and graduate programs and any alternative certification mechanism.Federal ChangesAs we all know by now, the No Child Left Behind Act ot 2002 (NCLB) reauthorized the Elementary and secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The one feature in this gigantic act we are most interested in emphasizes and defines teacher quality as a major factor in improving student achievement. Rod Paige (U.S. Department of Education, 2002b), former secretary, U.S. Department of Education, states, "We know that a highquality teacher is the single most significant factor on how well students achieve" (p. 1). The NCLB Five Year Strategic Plan (USDOE, 2002d) has six goals, the second of which is to improve student achievement. Objective 2.4 focuses on improving teacher and principal quality and seeks strategies for reducing barriers for highly qualified individuals, thus improving the quality of teacher education programs. The plan also encourages strong preparation in art and science departments supposedly to guarantee strong content knowledge. A predominant emphasis is being placed on teachers knowing what to teach. Associated with this call for reform of traditional teacher training provided by colleges of education is a focus on development of what is thought to be innovative expansions of alternative routes to teacher licensure. …