Author: Louis Freedberg

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13:

Despite the fundamentally important role of teachers in our public school system, how they are prepared is receiving far less attention than other current reforms, such as the Common Core State Standards, the Local Control Funding Formula, and new ways to assess and hold schools accountable for student performance. It has been more than 15 years since the last major reform of California's system of teacher preparation and credentialing (with the passage of Senate Bill 2042 in 1998). Fortuitously, numerous groups have carried out a substantial amount of work that focuses on this crucial element of the state's education system. Most influential have been the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, which issues credentials and oversees preparation programs; the Task Force on Educator Excellence, which released its influential "Greatness by Design" report in 2012; and the Teacher Preparation Advisory Panel, which concluded its work in 2013. This EdSource report is intended to highlight the most promising reforms proposed by these panels and other groups that would contribute to a more effective teaching force. Its purpose is to draw attention to reforms that are arguably as important as those dealing with school financing, curriculum, and testing and accountability. The authors aim to spotlight model programs and broader reform strategies that have the potential to raise the bar for teacher training and simultaneously elevate the prestige of a profession that is crucial to the future of the Golden State. EdSource has reviewed key reports along with thousands of pages of studies and background documents on redesigning the state's system of teacher preparation and credentialing. They have interviewed key experts as well as new teachers who have recently gone through the credentialing process. On the basis of that work, EdSource has identified seven key challenges--and the most promising strategies to address them at a local and statewide level.