Every student will be taught by a highly qualified teacher. No one who cares about education would argue with this goal. Most policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and parents put teacher quality at the top of the agenda when they talk about improving education and raising student achievement.
But when it comes to answering the question “What is a highly qualified teacher?” no such agreement exists. What qualities make a difference: expert content-area knowledge? classroom management skills? understanding of children's development? excellent communication abilities? a warm, caring personality? knowledge of pedagogical methods and strategies? classroom experience? Without agreement on the answer, we may find it difficult, if not impossible, to reach the goal of putting a high-quality teacher in every classroom.
Two new reports, both released in June 2002, offer different perspectives on the definition of teacher quality. Meeting the Highly Qualified Teachers Challenge: The Secretary's Annual Report on Teacher Quality was issued by the U.S. Department of Education on June 11. Two days later, Educational Testing Service announced the release of A National Priority: Americans Speak on Teacher Quality, which examined the results of its national survey of the U.S. public's attitudes about the quality of the teaching force.
The following highlights from each report suggest that official federal policy and public perception are at odds about how to improve teacher quality.
Meeting the Highly Qualified Teachers Challenge
- Research clearly shows that teachers' verbal and cognitive abilities are important determinants of student achievement, particularly at the elementary school level.
- Recent research suggests that subject-matter background has a positive effect on student performance. High school math and science teachers who have a major in the subjects they teach obtain better results than out-of-field teachers, and an undergraduate major in math and science has a greater positive effect on student performance than certification in those subjects.
- In contrast, teachers' knowledge of pedagogy, degrees in education, and amount of time spent practice teaching—“the requirements that make up the bulk of current teacher certification regimes”—are less clearly linked to student performance. “There is a great deal of contention surrounding the evidence on these components,” says the report.
- Today's teacher certification systems erect barriers that keep individuals with solid content knowledge and high cognitive ability out of teaching. Research shows that students enrolled in schools of education are “not as accomplished as other university students.” The report theorizes that highly able students are repulsed by the rigidity of teacher training programs combined with these programs' lack of intellectual rigor.
The Secretary's report proposes a new model for teacher preparation and certification. It envisions a system in which certification regulations will be kept to a minimum, attendance at schools of education will be optional, and unpaid practice teaching will be optional. In place of these requirements, states will develop challenging assessments to measure candidates' verbal ability and content knowledge, and they may require content-area majors for prospective teachers. “In sum, a model for tomorrow would be based on the best alternative route programs of today.”
Meeting the Highly Qualified Teachers Challenge: The Secretary's Annual Report on Teacher Quality is available on the Department of Education Web site:www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/News/teacherprep/index.html. Print copies are available at (877) 433-7827 or (800) 872-5327.
A National Priority: Americans Speak on Teacher Quality
Democratic pollster Peter Hart and Republican pollster Robert Teeter conducted this survey in May 2002 for Educational Testing Service. They surveyed parents of school-age children, other adults, educators, and education policymakers about their attitudes on education reform and the quality of the nation's teaching force.
- Skills to design learning experiences that inspire/interest children (42 percent);
- Enthusiasm for the job (31 percent);
- A caring attitude toward students (26 percent);
- A thorough understanding of the subject (19 percent);
- A lot of involvement with parents (16 percent);
- Several years of experience as a classroom teacher (6 percent); and
- An advanced degree from a good school of education (4 percent).
When asked about the keys to improving teacher quality, survey respondents again appeared to disagree with the Secretary's report. The most frequently cited barrier to teacher quality was that “colleges turn out good teachers, who then leave the profession because of salaries and working conditions” (50 percent). The second most-cited barrier was “unresponsive administrations that do not support good teachers who have not left” (37 percent). Only 14 percent of the poll respondents listed “good students not attracted to teaching” and “low entry standards for teacher education” as problems.
- 93 percent favored testing teachers on knowledge of subject/teaching skills.
- 91 percent favored continued training programs for teachers.
- 83 percent favored increased salaries for teachers, even if it meant paying higher taxes.
- 73 percent supported testing student achievement and holding teachers and administrators responsible for learning.
A National Priority: Americans Speak on Teacher Quality is available from Educational Testing Service. Contact Kevin Gonzalez, (609) 734-1617; kgonzalez@ets.org.
—Reviewed by Deborah Perkins-Gough, Senior Associate Editor, Educational Leadership
