Description
From the National Research Council's Committee on the Study of Teacher Preparation Programs in the US, this publication aimed at policy makers and teacher educators reports on teacher preparation in reading, math, and science and evaluates the characteristics of candidates who enter preparation programs, the instruction and experiences they receive, and the extent that this is consistent with scientific evidence, as well as what model for data collection would provide valid and reliable information about the content knowledge, pedagogical competence, and effectiveness of graduates. Drawing from presentations, workshops, and analyses, they also address issues of accountability and quality control and outline an approach for future research based on improved understanding of the relationships between characteristics of teacher preparation and student learning and a system for collecting data. No index is provided. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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"Teachers make a difference. The success of any plan for improving educational outcomes depends on the teachers who carry it out and thus on the abilities of those attracted to the field and their preparation. Yet there are many questions about how teachers are being prepared and how they ought to be prepared. Yet, teacher preparation is often treated as an afterthought in discussions of improving the public education system. Preparing Teachers addresses the issue of teacher preparation with specific attention to reading, mathematics, and science. The book evaluates the characteristics of the candidates who enter teacher preparation programs, the sorts of instruction and experiences teacher candidates receive in preparation programs, and the extent that the required instruction and experiences are consistent with converging scientific evidence. Preparing Teachers also identifies a need for a data collection model to provide valid and reliable information about the content knowledge, pedagogical competence, and effectiveness of graduates from the various kinds of teacher preparation programs. Federal and state policy makers need reliable, outcomes-based information to make sound decisions, and teacher educators need to know how best to contribute to the development of effective teachers. Clearer understanding of the content and character of effective teacher preparation is critical to improving it and to ensuring that the same critiques and questions are not being repeated 10 years from now."--Publisher'sdescription.
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