Spring 2004
Beyond Rhetoric
page 1
| 2 |
3 | 4 |
5 | 6 | 7
| 8 |
9 | 10 |
11 |
MUCH OF THE RECENT FOCUS on teacher preparation
and quality can be traced to the Bush administration's No Child
Left Behind initiative, which seeks to improve student achievement,
in part by ensuring that all students have a "highly qualified"
teacher by 2005-'06. The legislation defines "highly qualified"
as those teachers who have demonstrated subject-matter competency
and who have obtained a credential, or are enrolled in a preparation
program leading to a credential. Regulators with the California
Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the state Board of Education
— pressured by teacher unions, school boards and scholars,
among other interest groups — are working out the details
of precisely defining such standards and how and when to implement
them.
|
UCLA
supplied more credentialed teachers to the Los Angeles Unified
School District than any other teacher-preparation program
... outpacing even California State University campuses, which
collectively consitute the largest producer of teachers in
the state.
|
Similarly, researchers for the Center for the Future of Teaching
and Learning cite "a debate within the state about the significance
of formal teacher preparation and credentialing and the adequacy
of alternative routes" to teaching. They advocate more stringent
standards for teacher preparation. "We contend that a basic
credential is only a starting point for becoming an accomplished
professional ready to help all of his or her students meet rigorous
academic standards," says the center's 2003 report.
That's a view generally endorsed at UCLA. "No teacher goes
out there fully developed," says Dorr, who adds that it is
imperative that teachers have access to institutional support and
continuing education.
Whatever the outcome of the ongoing debate over standards and
teacher preparation, UCLA Teacher Education Program administrators
say they're sticking with their mission to prepare teachers for
the urban schools where the need is greatest. While continually
seeking ways to improve the program, administrators say they have
no immediate plans to shift away from a two-year, full-time program
that integrates a study of teaching methods with fieldwork. "That
won't change," asserts Franke. "We believe very strongly
that students need to understand theories about the best way to
reach kids."
<previous>
<next>
|
