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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 399 254 SP 036 909 Kirkpatrick, David W. AUTHOR Rethinking Teacher Certification. TITLE Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy INSTITUTION Alternatives, Harrisburg, PA. PUB DATE 92 NOTE 6p Viewpoints (Opinion/Position Papers, Essays, etc.) PUB TYPE Information Analyses (070) (120) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Educational Change; Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education; Teacher Burnout; *Teacher Certification; Teacher Education; Teaching (Occupation) ABSTRACT The original rationale for state teacher o certification regulations was that they afforded the public a measure of protection against frauds and incompetents and against the capriciousness or low standards of local school boards. However, recent evidence (1985) shows that there is not much difference in quality and effectiveness between certified and noncertified teachers. Problems in the area of teacher certification include low standards (virtually all aspirants clear the certification process); significant personnel losses (7 out of 10 education majors do not take teaching jobs); high attrition rate (half of those who enter teaching leave the profession within five years); and skills imbalance (for example, in Texas, in 1991, two future teachers were graduated qualified to teach calculus, but 500 were prepared to coach football). Suggested changes to the certification process include: (1) a national teaching certificate, for which teachers would voluntarily apply; (2) an examination system with high standards; (3) a 10-year moratorium on certification requirements during which schools could hire college graduates with majors in academic subjects whether or not they took education courses; (4) hiring teachers from unconventional sources; and,(5) flexible certification. (Contains 24 references.) (MAR) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** RETHINKING TEACHER CERTIFICATION ISSUE BRIEF by David W. Kirkpatrick Policy Alternatives The Commonwealth Foundation for Public 600 North Second Street Suite 300 Harrisburg, PA 17101-1032 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL Improvement Office of Educational Research and HAS BEEN GRANTED BY ES INFORMATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE ( EIC) CENTE reproduced as This document has been organization received from the person or originating it been made to improve 0 Minor changes have reproduction quality. TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES stated in this docu- Points of view or opinions represent official ment do not necessarily INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) OERI position or policy. 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE BR for Public Policy Alternatives RETHINKING TEACHER CERTIFICATION support for the whole concept of cer- THE PROBLEM such certificates should confer no ad- tification comes not from the college vantage over competitors other than the weight which may be attached to professors of education ... but from the Certification of teachers, including teachers' associations which count few both pre-service requirements that their testimony by public opinion."4 college professors of any kind among lead to certification and in-service re- Nearly 150 years later a model of that quirements during the teacher's car- their membership. These organizations approach is being developed, as a nat- have been able to muster the necessary eer, have been longstanding problems ional board prepares a voluntary eval- political fire-power to contain attacks in public education. 1 Evidence shows uation system. that there isn't a great deal of dif- from those who would radically reform ference between the quality and effec- certification regulations. "5 In the interim, however, the accepted tiveness of noncertified teachers and theory has been that a process man- those who are certified. 2 A 1953 report That, by itself, need not be a problem, dated by government will result in bet- since everyone has a right to defend said there were no known studies that ter qualified educators than would their interest. But such a defense showed the certification process is otherwise be the case. The irony is that effective, and a 1985 update of that should be based on some evidence, not this theory has been applied only to just repeated assertions about the report repeated that claim.3 public school educators. There are no necessity to maintain "quality," which such requirements for educators in itself is not defined. As suggested, it nonpublic schools, or in higher educa- has been pointed out time after time THE THEORY tion, including even higher education that such evidence is lacking, which faculty preparing others to be public reduces the basis of certification re- There are various theories from school educators. Yet these seem to quirements to one of political power which to choose in looking for a satis- perform at least as well as their public plays. This is not satisfactory. factory method to obtain qualified school counterparts. educators. James D. Koerner wrote, "The orig- Thus the strange circumstance that inal rationale for state certification reg- One is John Stuart Mill's: "It would one has to be certified to teach in a ulations was that they afforded the be giving too dangerous a power to public school but not certified to teach public a measure of protection against governments, were they allowed to ex- someone to teach in a public school. frauds and incompetents ... and against clude any one from professions, even the capriciousness or low standards of from the profession of teacher, for Former Harvard President, and edu- local school boards."6 alleged deficiency of qualifications; cation reformer, James Bryant Conant, that degrees, or other and I think noted another irony, when blame for ... public certificates of scientific or pro- the current system is placed on higher THE REALITY fessional acquirements, should be given education. to all who present themselves for exam- The actual result, Koerner con- He claimed that "the most vigorous ination, and stand the test; but that 600 North Second Street 0 Suite 300 0 Harrisburg, PA 17101-1032 0 (717) 231-4850 3ES' COPY MU HL 3 some states until the 1950s and, in cludes, is that "state certification has gone within five years. Again, something now become one of the classic exam- is wrong. No other profession has such Colorado, not until 1961.14 ples of administrative rigidity."7 a high attrition rate. Even where requirements appear to Few government imposed education James Michener pointed out another be strict, "the real objective is often job distortion, noting last year that only regulations have been less effective in security and the interest of those who achieving its purported goals than two future teachers were graduated in control the training of new teachers and their entry into the market."" certification of educators. Texas qualified to teach calculus, but there were 500 prepared to coach There has been no thoroughly re- To compound the problem, a system footba11.17 that doesn't work results in a certifica- searched or tested procedure developed tion that, in many cases, has been Boston University President John for teacher preparation, or subsequent permanent. evaluation as to which approach or pro- Silber has called for the abolition of all gram might have achieved the best the certification rules for teachers, and A Pennsylvania study more than 30 results. the avoidance of what he calls "all that years ago concluded that "Permanent repulsive work that has to be done at Present certification standards are certificates insure security for teachers schools of education."' 8 but they can saddle the Common- not standardized across the country wealth with a 40-year wait before a As can be seen, not all criticism of and sometimes seem to be nonexistent. change in certification requirements the process and the results originates There are other problems. For one, can be fully implemented." outside the profession. few students fail to clear the certifica- Only recently has the state begun tion process. Years ago the dean of a PROSPECTS FOR REFORM long overdue reforms. school of education at a large university was asked if students preparing to be It has often been noted that the teachers were ever rejected. He said Both Judith Brody Saks 9 and Arthur Wise /0, have termed teacher certifica- yes. When asked how many that year, United States is a crisis-oriented soci- tion "a joke." ety; that we tend to support the status he said twelve, while 1,200 graduated. A 99 percent survival rate is hardly a quo until problems create a crisis that Wise, President of the National stringent standard. must be addressed. Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Secondly, many students who are Education, who has been a supporter of This may now be the case with public public education, added that these cleared to teach fail to enter the profes- education in this nation, both in general rules, "don't distinguish between those and with regard to specifics, such as sion. Haberman reports that 68 percent who can and those who cannot teach. of the newly certified teachers in Min- certification. They're a series of bureaucratic rou- nesota, and 70 percent in Wisconsin, do Diane Ravitch, currently an Assis- not take teaching jobs.16 That is, they tines, which some say serve only to keep go through the teacher preparation tant Secretary in the U.S. Department talented people out of teaching. "' of Education, has also established a process, generally heavily subsidized by public dollars, but then choose not Martin Haberman has been more out- reputation as a leading educational his- torian. She thinks that "the present spoken in his criticism. He concludes to teach. that, "for traditional forms of teacher crisis in education and the depressed education condition of the teaching profession Whether this is due to poor counsel- the game is over."' 2 ... ing or other causes, the decision of offer an unusual opportunity to reassess One reason is that the licensing seven out of 10 education majors to our present arrangements for prepar- mechanisms "developed for the teach- pursue other careers is, at best, a very ing teachers ... The traditional screen ing profession appear to have emerged wasteful process. Imagine the outcry if state certification is almost en- haphazardly 70 percent of medical students, or law During the past seventy- tirely ineffective."' 9 ... five years students, or engineers, should choose ... some three thousand local There are signs that opportunity is licensing authorities have been reduced other careers upon completion of their being realized, and at an accelerating to the fifty state systems and a handful training. of large city school districts."' 3 pace. "In 1984, only eight states offered Also, if this year is typical, nearly half some form of alternative certification; by of those who do enter teaching will be College degrees were not required in 1986, 23 states had such programs."20 4 what teachers in the field believe, sey where certification can be acquired Also in 1986, a survey of 585 educa- rather than just the positions taken while one is actually teaching. tion schools found 43 percent said they by organizations. had developed alternate certification programs.21 Another event that year There is also a program called Teach Numerous "surveys show that most America, which seeks out potential appears to be bearing fruit. teachers do not feel their education- teachers from unconventional sources related course work prepared them to and helps them get into the classroom. In May a Carnegie Task Force on teach. They cite their own experience Teaching as a Profession issued its re- and their interaction with other teach- port, A Nation Prepared, in which it One report said early indications are ers as the most important factors in advocated the creation of a national that those hired in this manner over the their development."28 past few years are better, more suc- teaching certificate, for which teachers cessful, and more likely to show initia- would voluntarily apply. Those receiv- Studies in Texas and California show tive than those hired with the normal ing it might be accorded more status, no differences between teachers with perhaps more pay, and it would also certification stamp of approval. About traditional certification and those who make it easier for teachers to move one-third of the teachers hired in New pursued an alternate route, and New from state to state without having to Jersey during the 1990-91 school year Jersey's alternative program, which did so under this alternative program. be recertified. now certifies more than 10 percent of all teachers entering the profession in As far back as the 1960s, Pennsyl- A national board has since been es- this manner, has not only worked very tablished, with a multi-million dollar vania had a working example of flexible well but "has also proven successful at certification that it could have made budget, to develop such a nationally rec- attracting well-educated minorities," more widely available. ognized certificate, which, as suggested, which the traditional approach has dif- would be acquired voluntarily.22 ficulty doing." The Philadelphia school district could Three decades ago, James Koerner exempt five percent of its professional Whether any meaningful reform of employees from the state's certifica- thought an examination system with high the certification regulations occurs will tion requirements. It was under this standards would be the most that could largely depend on the general public provision that Marcus Foster, certified be hoped for in the next 25 years; that it and the business community. Suppor- would be a giant step forward "if such as an elementary principal, was appoint- ters of the status quo will oppose sig- ed as principal of Gratz High School, exams were only superimposed on the nificant change, as they have demon- which greatly improved under his lead- present system of formal training."23 strated time and again. ership.25 As he suspected, it didn't happen within that time frame, but it may not At the very least, if the state is going to control entry into public school have missed by much. David W. Kirkpatrick teaching then it should, in fact, control Educational Consultant and Author it. At present, "this power has for all John Silber has proposed a 10-year August 1992 practical purposes been delegated to moratorium on teacher-certification re- private educational organizations or quirements during which schools could coalitions representing teachers col- hire college graduates with majors in academic subjects whether or not they leges, teachers unions, school adminis- trators, and other groups with a vested took education courses. He believes that if just one state would try this, "the interest in the status quo."26 improvement of its educational program would be so swift and so dramatic that Some would go further than alterna- parents and taxpayers in each of the tive certification, national exams, and other 49 would demand and get its estab- the like, believing that "abundant tech- lishment there."24 nology exists to facilitate a great deal of learning without mediation by certified (yet) these issues cannot teachers During the past school year 39 states ... even be seriously discussed."27 were using or considering some form of one of the alternative certification, It might also be helpful to consider most successful of which is in New Jer- 5 ENDNOTES 26. Thomas Sowell, Black Education, 1. Myron Brenton, What's Happened to port by the Study Commission on Under- Teacher?, New York: Coward-McCann graduate Education and the Education Myths and Tragedies, New York: David of Teachers, Lincoln, Nebraska: Uni- Inc., 1970, p. 105. McKay Company, Inc., 1972. versity of Nebraska Press, 1976. 2. Continuity and Discontinuity, Higher 27. Robert F. Bundy, "Accountability: Education and the Schools, New York: 14. Andrew Gulliford, America's Coun- A New Disneyland Fantasy," Phi Delta McGraw-Hill Book Company, August try's Schools, Washington, DC: The Kappan, November 1974. 1973, p. 90. Preservation Press, 1984. 28. Theodor Rebarber, State Policies 3. Arthur Betor, Educational Waste- 15. John E. Coons, and Stephen D. for School Restructuring, Denver: 'Nat- lands, Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Sugarman, Education by Choice, The ional Conference of State Legislatures, Press, 1953 and 1985. Case for Family Control, Berkeley, CA: April 1992. University of California Press, 1978. 4. John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, Lon- don: Oxford University Press, 1912 29. Ibid. 16. Haberman, op.cit. (1966) original 1859, p. 132. 5. James Bryant Conant, The Educa- 17. James Michener, "We Can Create a tion of American Teachers, New York: Decent Society," Parade, November McGraw-Hill Book Companey, 1963, 24, 1991, pp. 4-7. p. 25. 18. John Silber, USA Today, Septem- 6. James D. Koerner, The Miseducation ber 25, 1989, p. 13A. of American Teachers, Baltimore: Pen- guin Books, 1967, pp. 206-7. 19. Diane Ravitch, The Schools We Deserve, New York: Basic Books Inc., 7. Ibid. 1985, p. 97. 8. One End of the Log, Harrisburg, PA: 20. Patricia Graham, "The Other Cer- Governor's Committee on Education, tification: More Benefits Than Risks," September 1960, p. 18. NEA Today, January 1989, p. 76. 9. Judith Brody Saks, "Shaping Educa- tion Behind the Scenes," The American 21. David Stipp, "Teacher Teaching," School Board Journal, May 1990, p. 25. The Wall Street Journal, November 11, 1986. 10. Vicky Lytle, "Teaching's Toughest Critic," NEA Today, April 1991, p. 9. 22. NEA Today, November 1986, p. 3. 11. Ibid. 23. Koerner, op.cit., p. 261. 12. Martin Haberman, "Catching Up 24. Education Week, May 11, 1988, p. 3. With Reform in Teacher Education," Education Week, November 6, 1991. Wallace Roberts, "Can Urban 25. Schools Be Reformed?," Saturday 13. Teacher Education in the United States: The Responsibility Gap, A Re- Review, May 17, 1969, Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Commonwealth Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before the Legislature ERIC U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) REPRODUCTION RELEASE (Specific Document) DOCUMENT IDENTIFICATION: I. Cer)liki'f) cher 7&.) 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