Teach Your Teachers Well

This NYT op ed correctly highlights the importance of high-caliber teachers and has some good ideas for how to attract, train and retain them, but completely ducks the REAL reasons why so few top college students go into teaching anymore -- the reason cited in this article ("Our best universities have, paradoxically, typically looked down their noses at education, as if it were intellectually inferior.") isn't in the top 10: 

ARNE DUNCAN, the secretary of education, recently called for sweeping changes to the way we select and train teachers. He’s right. If we really want good schools, we need to create a critical mass of great teachers. And if we want smart, passionate people to become these great educators, we have to attract them with excellent programs and train them properly in the substance and practice of teaching.

Our best universities have, paradoxically, typically looked down their noses at education, as if it were intellectually inferior. The result is that the strongest students are often in colleges that have no interest in education, while the most inspiring professors aren’t working with students who want to teach. This means that comparatively weaker students in less intellectually rigorous programs are the ones preparing to become teachers.

So the first step is to get the best colleges to throw themselves into the fray.

So what ARE the real reasons?  I'm glad you asked.  I discuss teacher quality at length on slides 59-94 of my school reform presentation (posted at www.tilsonfunds.com/Personal/SchoolReform), and here's page 80, which answers the question, "Why Has Teacher Quality Been Declining?":

There are many reasons:

• More career opportunities for women and minorities

• 40 years ago, 52% of college-educated working women were teachers; today, only 15% are

• Ineffective recruiting and training practices
• Abysmal schools of education
• Lack of accountability in the system
• Increasing difficulty of removing ineffective teachers
• Outstanding performance is not rewarded

• Differential pay has all but disappeared

• Teacher pay is determined almost entirely by two factors, seniority and certifications, that have little to do with student achievement

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Teach Your Teachers Well

By SUSAN ENGEL, NYT op ed

www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/opinion/02engel.html

New Marlborough, Mass.

ARNE DUNCAN, the secretary of education, recently called for sweeping changes to the way we select and train teachers. He’s right. If we really want good schools, we need to create a critical mass of great teachers. And if we want smart, passionate people to become these great educators, we have to attract them with excellent programs and train them properly in the substance and practice of teaching.