Previous Reference Desk Digests

• Phonics Instruction — July 23, 2010
• Single-Sex Education — July 16, 2010
• Teacher Candidates' Field Experiences — July 9, 2010
• Kindergarten Entry Age — July 2, 2010
• Equitable Distribution of Teachers — June 25, 2010
• Drug Abuse Prevention Programs — June 18, 2010
• Data Use by Teachers— June 11, 2010
• School Start Time — June 4, 2010
• Balance Balls and Student Attention — May 28, 2010
• Student Mentoring — May 21, 2010
• Alternative Schools — May 14, 2010
• Low-Performing Schools — May 7, 2010
• Extended Learning Time — April 30, 2010
• 21st Century Skills — April 23, 2010
• Dropout Prevention Legislation — April 16, 2010
• High-School Grade Configuration — April 9, 2010
• Middle-Grades Configuration — April 2, 2010
• Music and Infant Development — March 26, 2010
• Homework and Student Achievement — March 19, 2010
• Foreign Language Technology — March 12, 2010
• Standardized Testing — March 5, 2010
• Charter Schools — February 26, 2010
• PD for Principals — February 19, 2010
• Formative Assessment — February 12, 2010
• Limited English Proficiency — February 5, 2010
• Teacher Evaluation Models— January 29, 2010

The Reference Desk, using available evidence and research, provides quick-turnaround responses to questions submitted by education stakeholders around the Northeast and Islands Region. Every Friday, REL-NEI highlights one or two questions submitted to its Reference Desk.

Do Alternative Certification Programs Train Effective Teachers?

In August, this Digest presented a question about the effectiveness of professional development for teachers. This week ’s entry addresses another issue related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Assurance on teacher effectiveness and the No Child Left Behind requirement for highly qualified teachers: the effectiveness of alternative certification programs for teachers entering the profession.

Question

What research exists on the effectiveness of alternative teacher certification programs, and on the effectiveness of educators entering the profession through alternate pathways?

Research Synopsis

Reference Desk researchers found that the term “alternative teacher certification” has been applied to a wide variety of programs. As Walsh and Jacobs (2007; see below) explain: “While nearly all states now have something on their books labeled ‘alternate route to certification,’ these programs defy standard definition due to their enormous variability. States differ in the types of candidates allowed to apply (e.g., career changers or recent college graduates) and in the academic backgrounds these individuals must possess. The structure of alternate route programs varies enormously, from programs run by schools of education to those managed by school districts or private providers (both for-profit and not-for-profit). The requirements for completing a program run the full gamut as well, along with the support teachers receive once in the classroom.” The following resources summarize relevant research found on this topic:

Publicly Available Resources

1. An Evaluation of Teachers Trained Through Different Routes to Certification: Final Report. Constantine, J., Player D., Silva, T., Hallgren, K., Grider, M., and Deke, J.; Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, NCEE 2009-4043.; February 2009; 80 pages.
   

   “Research on the effectiveness of AC [Alternative Certification] teachers is not conclusive… The more rigorous studies generally showed that students of AC teachers scored the same or higher than students of TC [Traditional Certification] teachers, or that they scored slightly lower during their teacher’s first year of teaching, but scored the same by the teacher’s second year… Variation in student achievement was not strongly linked to the teachers’ chosen preparation route or to other measured teacher characteristics.” The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Quick Review of this study described it as a “well-implemented randomized controlled trial,” cautioning, however, that it “is not designed to answer the question of whether a teacher would be more effective if he or she attended a TC program or an AC program. Instead, it examines whether teachers who choose to attend AC programs are generally more or less effective than teachers who choose to attend a TC program.”

2. Making a Difference? The Effects of Teach for America in High School. Xu, Z., Hannaway, J., and Taylor, C.; Washington, DC: National Center for the Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education; April 2007; 43 pages.
   

   According to the authors: “Other things being equal, the findings suggest that disadvantaged students taught by TFA [Teach for America] teachers are better off than they would be in the absence of TFA.” The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Quick Review of this study cites it as being consistent with WWC evidence standards, with reservations, and provides cautionary recommendations for interpreting the findings.

3. Alternative Certification Isn’t Alternative. Walsh, K. and Jacobs, S.; Washington, DC: Thomas B. Fordham Institute; September 2007; 38 pages.
   

   The authors interviewed alternate certification program directors about their own programs. The authors concluded, among other things, that “most alternate route programs have become mirror images of traditional programs, while others closely resemble what used to be labeled as ‘emergency’ routes to certification.” In addition, “no program fully meets the original intent of the alternative certification movement.” Recommendations from the authors conclude the report.

For more information on the effectiveness of alternative teacher certification:

1. National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality

   “The National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (TQ Center) is a national resource to which the regional comprehensive centers, states, and other education stakeholders turn for strengthening the quality of teaching—especially in high-poverty, low-performing, and hard-to-staff schools—and for finding guidance in addressing specific needs, thereby ensuring highly qualified teachers are serving students with special needs.”  The TQ Center Research and Policy Brief on Teacher Quality and Student Achievement: Making the Most of Recent Research (Goe and Stickler, 2008) evaluates research on alternative teacher certification.

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