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Alternative certification programs are now commonplace in the credentialing of new teachers. We complement the growing evidence base for these teachers by exploring their turnover patterns in four waves of the nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). We report on descriptive evidence of growing differences in the characteristics of alternatively and traditionally certified teachers and the schools in which they teach. Controlling for factors that predict higher turnover, we find that by the 2007–2008 school year, alternatively certified teachers were still more likely than traditionally certified teachers to leave the profession. We find some evidence that an increase in the number of organizational supports for new teachers may reduce the likelihood of turnover.

The present study investigates whether alternatively and traditionally certified teachers differ in their teaching quality. We conducted doubly latent multilevel analysis using a large-scale dataset with student ratings on the quality of instruction provided by 1550 traditionally and 135 alternatively certified secondary school mathematics teachers in Germany. Findings show no evidence of differences in teaching quality between alternatively and traditionally certified teachers. Independent of the type of certification, novice teachers scored lower on classroom management than experienced teachers. Findings suggest that beginning teachers—whether alternatively or traditionally certified—need to be better prepared for classroom management before starting to teach.

Teacher labor markets are evolving across the United States. The rise of charter schools, alternative teacher certification, and portfolio districts are transforming teachers’ access to employment, changing the way they search for and apply for jobs, and may also change the role that social networks play in the job search. However, we know little about how teachers use their networks to find jobs, particularly in increasingly fragmented local labor markets. We draw on interviews with 127 teachers in three districts chosen to reflect an increasing presence of charter schools: New Orleans, Detroit, and San Antonio. We find that the extent of fragmentation in a city’s labor market drives the use of networks, with important implications for job access and equity.

As nationwide calls for educational rigor and accountability continue across the U.S., many states have made the edTPA®, a teacher performance assessment, a requirement for teacher certification. The edTPA® is a subject-specific performance assessment that requires aspiring teachers to plan, implement, assess, and reflect upon a learning segment, while demonstrating pedagogical skills related to their disciplines. While it is designed to promote teaching excellence, the edTPA® can drive already-stressed teacher candidates to their breaking point, as it places them in an unfamiliar classroom and asks them to quickly display their knowledge and savvy.   This book is here to help teacher candidates not only survive the challenge of the edTPA®, but also thrive. It maps out precisely what steps aspiring secondary education teachers should take to ensure successful completion of the edTPA®. Demystifying the language used in the assessment, it uniquely connects edTPA® requirements with what teacher candidates learn within their teacher preparation programs, showing them how the assessment relates to what they are already doing in their classrooms. The strategies in this book draw on both academic research and practical experience to guide student teachers as they plan for their edTPA® portfolios and for their teaching careers beyond.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Orleans Parish school district fired over 4,000 public school teachers as the city underwent a transition to a market-based system of charter schools. Using administrative data, we examine whether and how these teachers returned to public school employment and teaching. We estimate that school reform and dismissal substantially increased teacher exit from the district and the state relative to similar teachers in other parishes that suffered hurricane damage. Dismissed teachers who returned were more likely to be Bfack and locally trained, but new hiring through alternative certification programs led to a substantial demographic shift. A teacher population that had been highly experienced and more than 70% Black shifted through new hiring at charter schools. Implications for other districts considering teacher employment reforms are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the demographic profile of candidates seeking music teacher licensure in the United States and to understand whether performance on the Praxis II music teacher licensure tests varies systematically as a function of various demographic characteristics. Praxis II music test data and background questionnaire responses, provided by the Educational Testing Service, were analyzed for all examinees from 2007 through 2012 (N = 20,521). Results showed that music teacher licensure candidates were a highly selected subset of the population. Candidates identified as 86.02% White, 7.07% Black, 1.94% Hispanic, 1.79% Asian, 0.30% Native American/Alaska Native, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 0.82% Multiracial, and 1.74% Other. Compared to various populations of interest with known ethnic/racial compositions, people of color were significantly underrepresented among music teacher licensure candidates, while White people were significantly overrepresented. Analyses of Praxis II music exam scores showed that Praxis II score was significantly associated with race, sex, and other demographic characteristics. Analyses indicated that White candidates earned significantly higher Praxis II scores than did Black candidates and that male candidates earned significantly higher scores than did female candidates. Implications of these results for music teacher education and the diversity of the music teacher workforce are discussed.

A large body of studies exists that examines the relationship between student achievement gains and the characteristics of teachers. ... This article reviews the studies systematically and synthesizes their results with deliberate consideration of each study's qualities. Determinate relationships are described for four categories of teacher characteristics: college ratings, test scores, degrees and coursework, and certification status. The review details the implications of these relationships in light of study limitations and proposes directions for future research. (DIPF/Orig.).

Background/purpose. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify strengths and deficits of alternative teacher certification programs, with particular emphasis on approaches to strengthening mathematical content knowledge and pedagogy.Materials/methods. Six participants included both teacher candidates enrolled in internship in the alternative master’s elementary or early childhood program and recent graduates of the programs at a university in the southeast United States. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted via an online focus group to elicit conversation among the participants of their combined perceptions of program-level recommendations to better prepare them to teach elementary mathematics. Using inductive, open coding of the transcribed data, the researchers identified and ultimately agreed upon the emerging themes related to perceptions of preparation program components.Results. Related to research question one, participants shared meaningful experiences related to the instructor modeling effective mathematics teaching practices that have impacted their own teaching. Related to research question two, five common themes, including recommendations for improvement, were revealed: Need for more preservice mathematics methods instruction and theory into practice; Preparedness for accommodating diverse needs; Analyzing student data to inform practice; Utilizing and securing available resources; and navigating curricular changes/district mandates.Conclusion. Based on the results of the study, teacher candidates in the elementary and early childhood alternative master’s programs are in need additional content, pedagogy, and resources to effectively teach elementary mathematics.

Understanding the early teacher pipeline, how many and what types of individuals are pursuing a teaching credential, is critically important. Unfortunately, as Dan Goldhaber and Kris Holden explain, the two national data collections that can be used to explore these areas provide incomplete and sometimes contrasting pictures about the number of people preparing for a teaching career. They describe how data collection could be improved to address this problem and provide a clearer national picture of who is preparing to be tomorrow’s teachers.

The Successful Middle School: This We Believe calls for specialized middle-level certification/licensure and teacher development. Certification/licensure has an impact on teacher preparation and, likely, the recruitment and retention of middle-level educators. In order to continue to advocate for specialized certification/licensure, research needs to determine the nature of certification/licensure, the origins and impacts of their shifts, and the recruitment and retention of middle-level educators, especially related to their pathway. This literature review is part of the development of a research agenda for the American Educational Research Association’s (AERA) Middle Level Education Research (MLER) Special Interest Group (SIG). The purpose of this review is to examine the current status of the research related to middle-level certification/licensure and the research questions generated for the MLER SIG research agenda. The literature from the last 23 years was explored to conduct this combination of literature and scoping literature review. Gaps of research were identified, and some questions were unable to be answered through this type of study. From this literature review, it is clear that ongoing and additional research needs to be conducted related to middle-level certification/licensure related to the research questions we initially generated as part of the research agenda.