General knowledge and ability
The most robust finding in the research literature is the effect of teacher verbal and cognitive ability on student achievement. Every study that has included a valid measure of teacher verbal or cognitive ability has found that it accounts for more variance in student achievement than any other measured characteristic of teachers (e.g., Greenwald, Hedges, & Lane, 1996; Ferguson & Ladd, 1996; Kain & Singleton, 1996; Ehrenberg & Brewer, 1994).
This is troubling when joined with the finding that college students majoring in education have lower SAT and ACT scores than students majoring in the arts and sciences. For example, among college graduates who majored in education, 14% had SAT or ACT scores in the top quartile, compared to 26% who majored in the social sciences, compared to 37% who majored mathematics/computer science/natural science. In addition, those who did not prepare to teach but became teachers were much more likely to have scored in the top quartile (35 percent) than those who prepared to teach and became teachers (14 percent) (NCES, 2001).
Research on Teacher Preparation and Development
Grover J. Whitehurst, Ph.D.
My favorite part of this graphic is the lavender bar representing the effects on academic achievement of "workshops."
When I read your other post, I was remembering back to my ed school days. I was completing certification requirements after degree completion.
ReplyDeleteSuch silly accolades for the simplest of ideas...
Cheating galore!! (When there really was NO CONTENT!!)
It felt uncomfortable then, and totally ridiculous now.
I have to say that as a homeschoolingmom and in the midst of a lot of questions these days about the certification and qualificatons homeschoolers very often don't have, I was happy to see master's degree and certification down near the bottom as well.
ReplyDeleteI've known certification wasn't really a factor for success in homeschooling, interesting to see it doesn't appear to be much of one in teaching as well.
I was one of those who didn't prepare to go into teaching, but found myself there anyway. My undergraduate classes for my Bio Sci major were far, far harder than anything I've had to do as a graduate student related to teaching. The teacher training classes are mostly a waste of time and money - just hoops to jump through.
ReplyDeleteI disagree; certifications are very effective at accomplishing their primary purpose. They inflate salaries by restricting the supply of labor.
ReplyDeleteLink to average GRE scores, by field:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ncsu.edu/chass/philo/GRE%20Scores%20by%20Intended%20Graduate%20Major.htm