Statement by Antonia Cortese,
Executive Vice President, American Federation of Teachers,
on Education Schools Project's Report on Teacher Preparation

The Education Schools Project's "Educating School Teachers" addresses the importance, needs and shortcomings of institutions that prepare teachers to work in America's public schools.  The American Federation of Teachers concurs with many of the findings and recommendations in this report, but we disagree with a few areas. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – It's been six years since the AFT made identical or similar recommendations in our "Building a Profession" report, such as making teacher preparation programs five years in length and focusing the content of these programs on the core skills and knowledge that promote classroom success.  Although we are concerned that many of the recommendations made in the 2000 AFT report are not yet common practice, we are encouraged to see that other organizations are reaching many of the same conclusions.  Perhaps reports like the one released by the Education Schools Project will prompt an earnest nationwide effort to strengthen teacher education programs. 

The AFT is concerned with the report's recommendation to identify and shut down failing teacher preparation programs based on student outcomes, because the technology to do so is not likely to be developed anytime soon. Efforts to improve programs should be more focused on measures such as raising the entry criteria for students to these programs and strong induction programs during which classroom novices become full-fledged professionals. We also disagree with the report's assertion that resources should be concentrated on schools that grant doctoral degrees.  To adequately prepare the more than 280,000 new teachers that enter our nation's schools each year, we must tap into the strengths of four-year colleges, rather than relying so heavily on universities that grant doctorates.

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