WASHINGTON — An organization of state school chiefs issued a report they described as a “call to action” Monday for states to hold teacher preparation programs more accountable for student achievement.
The reform effort—part of a larger movement taking place in various areas of public education—calls for being “highly selective” about who is admitted to teacher preparation programs, rewarding exemplary programs, and potentially shutting down those that are deemed ineffective.
The looming changes will demand the attention of college and university administrators at the highest level, leaders of the reform effort said.
“This is not about schools of education, but will require attention of presidents and provosts,” said Gene Wilhoit, retiring executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, or CCSSO, which issued the report, titled “Our Responsibility, Our Promise: Transforming Educator Preparation and Entry into the Profession.”
“You can no longer have a poorly delivered program that is delivering outcomes for students that are inferior,” Wilhoit said during a briefing on the new report. “The worst thing you can do is ask a person to enter a profession, poorly prepare them and then blame them” for failure, he said.
So far, 25 states have signed on to the reform action, led by the CCSSO Task Force on Educator Preparation and Entry into the Profession.
The 38-page report is intended for state education leaders but has broad implications for colleges and universities.
