"The development and implementation of accountability systems has been one of the most powerful, perhaps the most powerful, trend in educational policy in the last 20 years" (Barber, 2004, p.1). The need to uphold high standards for all students has resulted in an "accountability agenda", with data being placed at the forefront of reform efforts. The authors of, Leading Schools in a Data-Rich World: Harnessing Data for School Improvement, describe the demand for high accountability as "the watchword of education with data holding a central place in the current wave of large-scale reform" (Earl, Katz, & Fullan, 2006, p.3). Clearly, all schools are feeling the pressure of increased information requirements from funding agencies, state education departments, and local boards of education.

Recently, President Bush "put his final stamp on the No Child Left Behind Act" which, "directs states to make public information comparing student achievement on their own tests against national-assessment scores" (Hoff, 2008, p.1). Increased attention to student achievement has led to further debate over the relationship between teacher education and teacher effectiveness (Darling-Hammond, Holtzman, Gatlin, & Heilig, 2006). Advocates for strong teacher preparation programs cite studies documenting the positive effects of teacher education and certification on student achievement. In Minnesota, teacher education programs must provide evidence that students meet subject matter standards. Programs must also provide evidence that their students understand how children learn and how to teach in a way that all students can be successful. This is especially critical in schools serving low-income students and students of color. In contrast, there are those who believe that bright individuals with subject matter knowledge and little or no preparation for teaching can be equally effective in classrooms. They often argue that teacher preparation programs merely impose unnecessary requirements and additional costs without any added benefits. 

These debates have led to questions asking whether certified teachers are more effective than those who have not completed requirements for certification and "whether some candidates with strong liberal arts backgrounds might be at least as effective as teacher education graduates" (Darling-Hammond, et al., 2005, p. ii). An increasing amount of research is being conducted to help answer this question. For example, in a study out of Stanford University, Linda Darling-Hammond and her research team collected and examined student achievement data linked with data about their teachers' certification status, experience, and degree levels over a period of seven years (2005, p.3). Results found certified teachers to be "significantly more effective in raising student test scores than teachers without certification or with substandard certification in 22 of 36 estimates" (p.20), suggesting that teachers' effectiveness appears strongly related to the preparation they have received for teaching. This study is unique in that the researchers compared the effectiveness of differently prepared or certified teachers using appropriate controls for their students' prior learning (p.2).

MACTE institutions recognize the importance and legitimacy of teacher education accountability. We rely on credible evidence and data to demonstrate our programs' effectiveness and to make changes for improvement. We encourage the Board of Teaching to hold all teacher preparation programs, including alternative programs, to the same level of accountability and to require the same quality of evidence and data to support their effectiveness. There are many challenges to providing more credible evidence of teacher program effectiveness. For this reason we are pleased to be playing an active role in the Board's current work to redesign the program approval process. We look forward to developing a system that effectively assesses the quality of all teacher education programs and the students that complete them.

 

October 16, 2008

As thousands of teachers and their students began working together this fall in classrooms across the state of Minnesota, Governor Pawlenty toured the state discussing his 3E's initiative on energy, education, and the economy. We applaud the Governor's acknowledgement that there is much work to do regarding the state's economy as well as its energy policy. We are also encouraged to hear that education will be part of this important conversation, and we note that these three E's are not unrelated.  As any school administrator can attest, school funding has not kept pace with the demands on school budgets. When schools must continually appeal to their local communities for funding, students suffer. While Governor Pawlenty wants to reform the state tax code to create a friendlier climate for business, we suggest he needs to make the education landscape friendlier as well.  As heating costs soar and unfunded mandates to measure student performance increase, districts across the state are considering four-day weeks and other cost reduction measures so they can provide basic services to students and communities. 

In his 2008 State of the State address in February, Governor Pawlenty praised the hard work, dedication, and character of Minnesotans as a major factor in putting us near the top in the nation in most quality of life measures. With regard to education, his address complimented our education system:

"We're number one in ACT scores, the percentage of adults with a high school diploma, and number two in the country in eighth grade math scores." 

In the same address, Governor Pawlenty criticized the quality of teachers attracted to the profession.  The Governor suggested that the profession no longer attracts "top-tier" candidates.

By any measure, hardworking, dedicated, teachers of character are underpaid for their important work with Minnesota children. To suggest that they are unprepared and of lesser quality than in the past is simply false and not based on data. Furthermore, such comments are not consistent with comments made recently regarding the quality of teachers in Minnesota. In a recent press release (Sept. 23, 2008) unveiling his proposed education reform initiatives, he is quoted as saying, "Minnesota is blessed with some of the best teachers in the country and we appreciate our teachers.  With these proposals, we will lead the nation in improving teacher effectiveness."

It is not a coincidence that Minnesota has some of the best-prepared teachers in the country. Every approved teacher education program in Minnesota must follow state-established standards, demonstrate that it prepares highly qualified teachers, and have in place admission and program gateways that monitor candidate performance. In addition to demonstrating competency with regard to a myriad of state standards, every licensed teacher coming into the profession must pass standardized exams related to their subject matter and to the skills of effective instruction. Last year, the average admission GPA (grade point of candidates entering teacher education programs) at MACTE institutions was 3.3 at the undergraduate level and 3.4 at the graduate level (Measures of Teacher Quality in Minnesota, 2007).

There is much in Governor Pawlenty's education proposals with which we agree. We stand ready to work with the Governor on attracting more teachers into math and science; we will continue our work with the Minnesota Board of Teaching to include assessment outcomes in the teacher education program approval process; we look forward to the Governor's support of our ongoing efforts to partner with schools and districts to provide relevant, research-based professional development to Minnesota teachers; we encourage continued funding of the math academies established in regions around the state last summer; and we applaud the Governor's interest in providing intensive support for struggling 8^th graders. In addition, we extend our continued and active support for new teacher induction systems that provide targeted professional development to teachers new to the profession. We would welcome the Governor's support for this initiative. Additionally, we all need to work together to attract more teachers of color into the profession.  We encourage the Governor to support initiatives to attract and retain highly qualified teachers of color for Minnesota's school children. 

Yet, despite our agreement on several key issues, we must underscore our concern that P-12 school funding in Minnesota must be increased. New initiatives cannot succeed when the basic funding for schools continues to fall short. 

Minnesota Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Executive Committee
Maureen Prenn, North Mankato

John Clementson, LeSueur

Elaine Ackerman, St. Cloud
Jane Gilles, Lino Lakes
Bruce Munson, Duluth
Jo Olsen, Duluth
Scott Page, Mankato

 

MACTE commends the Board of Teaching on your ambitious draft goals for this year focusing on teacher effectiveness, specifically recruitment, licensure requirements, and retention. MACTE wants to collaborate with you in working toward those goals. We will be commenting in more detail on the individual goals in the future, but we want to make several general statements today.

 

With regard to the recruitment goal MACTE appreciates the Board's recognition of the tension between encouraging additional candidates to enter teaching and maintaining standards for high quality. Many of our institutions offer programs that provide straightforward pathways for working professionals to transition into teaching. One of the issues under entry requirements that concerns MACTE is ensuring quality while providing opportunities for candidates who are English Language Learners. Like you we want to see more teachers of color enter the field. We are in great need of good role models for our K-12 students of color.

 

MACTE has been an active partner on the task forces examining licensure requirements over the past two years. The process has not always been easy, but we look forward to continuing in that role on the new special education task force. We are eager for the rulemaking process to begin, for higher education to be involved, and for higher education to begin curriculum changes to reflect the new standards. As the Board examines teacher licensure and the alignment with K-12 standards, we look forward to the results. We are ready to explore with you such innovations in licensure fields as immersion and online licensure. Already several of our institutions have programs beginning in these fields.

 

Finally, MACTE recognizes the value of high quality induction programs as a means of retaining new teachers and helping these teachers to achieve success with their students. We realize that to fully achieve this goal for every new teacher, legislative action and funding are needed. In fact, MACTE has had support for induction and mentoring programs as a major component of our legislative platform for the past two sessions. We want to work with the Board to advocate for high quality induction programs.

 

Coincidently, this year's focus for MACTE is based on the theme, "Restoring Minnesota's Preeminence as a National Leader in Education." Throughout the year we will showcase ground-breaking innovations in continuous improvement, meaningful work/life, and internationalization that are making meaningful changes in teacher education in Minnesota. As the Board focuses on your critical goals concerning teacher effectiveness, MACTE invites you to call on us to provide research, information and data as we work together towards Restoring Minnesota's Preeminence as a National Leader in Education.