FORUM: Should education schools continue to be the only route to teaching in the public system? For the past half-century, states have guaranteed university- and college-based schools of education a steady stream of students and revenues by certifying their graduates, and only their graduates, to teach in public schools. However, as the teacher shortage worsens, especially in urban areas, and as evidence on the success of alternative certification programs like Teach for America grows, policymakers are wondering whether the current licensure system needlessly restricts the pool of potential teachers. As a result, alternative programs that speed candidates into the classroom, allowing them to teach full time while working toward a credential, are proliferating in cities like New York and Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, a separate reform movement, spearheaded by the National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future, is trying to bolster education schools while insisting that states require all teachers to pass through them. Which approach will attract more talented, skilled candidates to the teaching profession?
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