The academic performance of public school children in the United States compares poorly with students from other nations. According to a recent evaluation of education schools by the National Council on Teacher Quality, the low assessment scores can be attributed to the lack of teacher preparation and standards in the process of recruiting teaching candidates.
In a opinion piece on the Daily News, former NYC Schools Chancellor and StudentsFirstNY Board Chair Joel Klein writes:
Only one in four programs limits admissions to even the top half of the college-going population, and less than half of all programs adequately prepare teachers in the subjects they will teach.
These are ominous findings, but not especially surprising, given years of national and international assessments showing American students trailing their international peers. Among the 1,200 programs evaluated, few won high marks and most were rated mediocre or worse. Only four programs across the entire nation earned a perfect score.
The National Council on Teacher Quality has recommended more transparency around program performance so that teachers can identify quality training programs, and superintendents and principals can have a better sense for which candidates are most prepared for the classroom.
