There’s nothing that will turn over preconceptions in today’s IES report that found no difference between reading and math scores of students taught by teachers certified through traditional or alternative routes. The main conclusion is that there’s simply not that huge of a difference between traditional and alternative certifications.
Part of the reason the certification route [...]
All Posts Tagged: 'Teacher Certification'
I Hate the Way You’re Not Around
Magnitude
Expanding on something I alluded to in the post below about training and certifying teachers vs. attracting and selecting them: the way these issues are often discussed reveals one of the weak spots in the way research is applied to policy. Essentially, people don’t properly account for differences in magnitude.
All rational people want education policy [...]
g(t)?
Writing in the Boston Globe (per Matt Yglesias), Harvard economist Edward Glaeser cites Tom Kane’s research on teacher quality, saying:
The first step toward improving teacher quality is to attract more talented teachers. The second step is to improve teacher selection on the job, promoting the best and encouraging the worst to help society in some [...]
Teacher Certification Slug-Fest, Final Rounds
Days 4&5 of my back-and-forth on the merits of teacher certification are now posted at Edspresso. In all seriousness, less of a fight than an interesting conversation, for which my fellow debater deserves much credit. There are also some worthwhile extra perspectives in the comments section.
Teacher Certification Brouhaha
Day 3, at Edspresso. Ritchey and Carey duel over Teach For America, whether or not teacher certification has entered the 21st–or even 20th–Century. Carey lays down an evidentiary challenge.
Teacher Certification Ultimate Fighting Championship
Round 2 between me and David Ritchey, in the eight-sided ring.
Teacher Certification Smack-Down
I’m debating David Ritchie, Executive Director of the Association of Teacher Educators, over at Edspresso this week. The topic is teacher certification–he’s for, I’m against, although I think the debate will end up being a little more nuanced than that. Come have a look.
Sobering History
Israel. Lebanon. What’s going on? Yesterday, a group of us gathered around to debate what it all means. We agreed on some things, disagreed on others. I think we settled on the fact that the histories of these places are tied to other histories, including our own. And that to understand what’s happening today, we [...]
Teacher Policy: Backwards, Forwards, Upside-Down
A few years ago there was a great magazine advertisement that showed a picture of a napkin. On the napkin was written:
1. Build Computer.
2. Sell Computer.
Except someone had crossed out the “1″ and written in “2,” and then crossed out the “2″ and written in “1.” In other words, the business plan for Dell Computer [...]
ABCTE Teachers Performing Well, Aside From the ABCs….
Some interesting new findings were released last week about the effectiveness of teachers certified by the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE).
ABCTE provides an alternate, test-based certification for mid-career professionals who want to enter teaching but don’t want to endure the cost and the pain of taking countless hours of education courses. Such“fast [...]
Lowering Student Loan Default Rates: What One Consortium of Historically Black Institutions Did to Succeed 
College and Career-Ready: Using Outcomes Data to Hold High Schools Accountable for Student Success
03/19/10 | Ben Miller is quoted on college graduation rates and the NCAA Tournament in the Detroit Free Press.
03/19/10 | Linda Perlstein links to Education Sector's "College- and Career-Ready" event.
03/17/10 | Ben Miller's column on graduation rates and NCAA Tournament eligibility is mentioned on The Wall Street Journal's The Daily Fix.
03/17/10 | Kevin Carey's critique of Diane Ravitch's latest book is quoted in Doublethink's Conventional Folly blog.
03/15/10 | Ben Miller pens an op-ed for US News & World Report on using graduation rates to determine NCAA Tournament eligibility.