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"Some college administrators seem so distracted with fund raising, academic infighting, and community initiatives that they set up their emergency communications departments very poorly. Training is poor to nonexistent, secretaries are pressed into service with tremendous responsibilities for running 'notification systems' 24/7 and on weekends because no one else knows how to do it and the administration won’t pay for additional staff. Procedures are seat-of-the-pants and dependent on HIPPO (highest paid person’s opinion), except when something like Virginia Tech happens and there is some sort of scramble to do something different." --Donna
Most Colleges Avoid Risk Management, Report Says
Jill Biden Shines a Global Spotlight on American Community Colleges
Speaking at a Unesco conference in Paris, the vice president’s wife stressed the importance of two-year institutions to the nation’s educational goals.
Connecticut Public Colleges Lose 200 Professors to Early Retirement
Administrators are scrambling to plug holes in their course schedules for fall, with most expecting to do so by hiring more adjuncts or increasing class sizes.
U. of Georgia Paid 2 Fraternities $2.4-Million to Relocate, Contracts Show
The two were among five with houses on property where the university plans to build new academic facilities.
New Allegations in Admissions Controversy at U. of Illinois Suggest Ex-Provost Played a Role
Linda P.B. Katehi, the incoming chancellor of the University of California at Davis, has insisted she knew nothing of the admission of politically connected applicants at Illinois.
Sonoma State U. Foundation May Lose $350,000 on Loan to Former Board Member
The foundation will be forced to issue fewer scholarships in the 2010-11 academic year because of a diminished endowment, a university official said.
College Suspends Student for Working in Gay Pornography | 58
President Obama's Visit to Notre Dame Carries Barely a Hint of Controversy That Preceded It | 58
Drug Sting Nabs 21 Students at U. of Illinois | 57
Faculty Members and Union Protest Staff Layoffs at Temple U. as 'Cruel' | 57
North Dakota Board's Vote Puts 'Fighting Sioux' Mascot on Thinner Ice | 57
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December 12, 2007
Report Credits Higher Standards for Colleges of Education for Improved Teacher Force
The teachers entering the nation’s classrooms are more academically qualified than those who entered teaching a decade ago, and policies holding colleges of education more accountable deserve at least part of the credit, a report released today says.
The report, “Teacher Quality in a Changing Policy Landscape,” from the Educational Testing Service’s Policy Information Center, compared the academic qualifications of teachers who took the Praxis licensure tests in the 2002-5 period with the qualifications of teachers who took the tests in the 1994-7 period. It found that the share of candidates for teaching positions reporting a college grade-point average higher than 3.5 had risen from 27 percent to 40 percent, while the percentage of candidates reporting a GPA below 3.0 had dropped from 32 to 20. The SAT scores for candidates for teaching positions also had risen significantly; on average, those passing the Praxis test during the 2002-5 period had an average SAT verbal score 13 points higher than those who took the test eight years earlier.
The report credits “a confluence of policy changes at the federal, state, and institutional levels” for improvements in the academic quality of teachers. Among the policies it specifically cites as having an impact are stricter admissions standards for teacher-education programs; changes in accreditation requirements that put more emphasis on how much is learned by students in teacher-education programs; and a provision in the Higher Education Act, as reauthorized in 1998, requiring all states and institutions that prepare teachers to report licensure-test passing rates.
The report’s author says it also contains some bad news: Today’s pool of prospective teachers is no more diverse than was the case a decade ago, and those who seek certification in elementary education, physical education, or special education continue to have relatively weak GPA’s and SAT scores. —Peter Schmidt
Posted on Wednesday December 12, 2007 | Permalink |Comments
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Much of the success goes to the dedicated efforts of professors directly impacting students. Both professors and teacher education students utilize technology in their teaching and learning. The report is great news for those of us in teacher and administrator preparation.
William Allan Kritsonis, PhD
— Dr. William Allan Kritsonis Dec 13, 10:28 AM #
I wonder how the schools/programs that are NCATE certified fare on these measures when compared with schools that are not.
— Thomas Long Dec 13, 06:56 PM #