Case Study Report



Case Study Report

Part I: Introduction

If America is to have world-class schools, it must have a world-class teaching force. Many excellent teachers already work in the schools, but their work often goes unrecognized and unrewarded. As a consequence, many first-rate practitioners leave the schools, and others who could be exceptional teachers never consider teaching. Worse still, the knowledge and skills of the fine teachers who remain are often underutilized, their positive influence allowed only modest scope.

As policymakers struggle to determine what kinds of interventions make the greatest difference in student learning, a growing body of research is confirming what common sense has long contended: The smartest investment is to ensure high-quality teaching. But what is high-quality teaching for today's classrooms? And what does it take to get it? Many researchers point out that “we know what works,” but the “we” has generally been confined to those engaged in the professional discourse. Among those left out are the very people who most need best-practice knowledge: classroom teachers.

While good teacher preparation programs do exist, there has been no systematic way to ensure that all teachers acquire and continue to develop the knowledge and skills they need. That reality disadvantages teachers and students alike, seriously impeding progress toward achievement goals.

What's needed is a standards-based reform of teaching, analogous to standards-based reform of schooling. States must enact a system of teacher development anchored in agreed-upon expectations for what teachers should know and be able to do. Equally important, that system must encompass the entire teaching continuum, from recruitment through preparation, certification, induction, and the rest of a teacher's career.

Teaching in the United States is now at a juncture where the medical profession stood at the dawn of the 20th century, Darling-Hammond believes. Back then, one could prepare to be a doctor by undertaking a rigorous, science-based program of medical training at one of the few good programs available or, instead, qualify by taking a three-week course and memorizing a list of symptoms and a set of cures. In 1910, however, a landmark study made it clear that, though much was known about the sound practice of medicine, most doctors did not have access to that knowledge. That revelation resulted, over time, in the creation of the now-familiar system of study, internships, residencies, and career-long continuous learning requirements.

Undergirding this nascent system is an evolving series of standards, all closely aligned to those developed by the National Board to embody a broad consensus about the knowledge and skills that characterize accomplished teaching. Drawing from this seminal set of teaching standards, a 34-state consortium developed beginning teacher licensing standards, which, in turn, are now guiding teacher preparation policies in other states. The National Board standards have also been infused into the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education's (NCATE's) standards for accrediting schools of education — and some 47 states now have partnerships with NCATE.

Is knowledge important to teaching? The answer may seem obvious, but under the industrial model that ...