I am embarrassed that professionals responsible for the preparation of teachers seem to oppose so adamantly efforts to evaluate the competence of the workforce they produce. As a scholar who works in areas related to the assessment and improvement of teaching, as an educator and as a dean of a school of education with a teacher preparation program, I worry that, rather than recognizing an opportunity for real leadership, my profession has reached a new low in the teacher wars. The response to the proposed regulations is a failure to recognize our responsibility to the public and to our own goals and values.
Don’t those of us who work in teacher preparation believe and hope that graduates of our programs are effective? Do we not intend for our graduates to be capable of teaching well, even in tough circumstances or to students whose backgrounds and experiences vary? I would bet that every admissions brochure to every teacher preparation program in the country includes those aims and aspirations. What happened to our commitment and responsibility to back up those claims? Why aren’t we leading this charge?