Research and Rhetoric on Teacher Certification

Authors

  • Linda Darling-Hammond Stanford University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v10n36.2002

Keywords:

Alternative Teacher Certification, Elementary Secondary Education, Literature Reviews, Teacher Education, Teacher Effectiveness, Teacher Qualitications

Abstract

In October, 2001, the Baltimore-based Abell Foundation issued a report purporting to prove that there is "no credible research that supports the use of teacher certification as a regulatory barrier to teaching" and urging the discontinuation of certification in Maryland. The report argued that large inequities in access to certified teachers for poor and minority students are not a problem because research linking teacher education to student achievement is flawed. In July, 2002, the U.S. Secretary of Education cited the Abell Foundation paper in his Annual Report on Teacher Quality as the sole source for concluding that teacher education does not contribute to teacher effectiveness. The Secretary's report then recommended that requirements for education coursework be eliminated from certification standards, and attendance at schools of education and student teaching be made optional. This article documents the many inaccuracies in the Abell Foundation paper and describes the actual findings of many of the studies it purports to review, as well as the findings of other studies it ignores. It details misrepresentations of a number of studies, including inaccurate statements about their methods and findings, false claims about their authors' views, and distortions of their data and conclusions. The article addresses methodological issues regarding the validity and interpretation of research. Finally, the article presents data challenging the Abell Foundation's unfounded claims that uncertified teachers are as effective as certified teachers, that teacher education makes no difference to teacher effectiveness, that verbal ability is the most important determinant of teaching effectiveness, that private schools staffed by uncertified teachers are more effective than public schools, and that untrained teachers are more qualified than prepared teachers. It concludes with a discussion of the policy issues that need to be addressed if all students are to be provided with highly qualified teachers.

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Author Biography

Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University

Linda Darling-Hammond is Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University and was Founding Executive Director of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future. Her research, policy, and teaching focus on teacher education and teaching quality, school restructuring, and educational equity. Among other writings, she is author of The Right to Learn, which received the Outstanding Book Award from the American Educational Research Association in 1998.

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Published

2002-09-06

How to Cite

Darling-Hammond, L. (2002). Research and Rhetoric on Teacher Certification. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 10, 36. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v10n36.2002

Issue

Section

Articles