Journalistic #5
Title: Prominent Teacher-Educator Assails Board, Suggests new Accrediting Body in Report
Summary: When a respected figure-head in the education field critisized the nation’s teacher education system, it raised more than a few eyebrows. Education Week gives voice to those who were named in Arthur Levine’s report and touches on a few of his key points.
Topic: Accrediting all schools of education
Category: Journalistic: Alternative
What is it? Cover-story in Education Week assessing the back-lash to a report critiquing teacher education
Publication Information: Education Week, Bethesda: Sept. 20, 2006
Author: Vaishali Honawar
Accessed: Mar. 14, 2009
Support:
- Arthur E. Levine, president of Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation; former president of the teacher college at Columbia University
- Arthur E. Wise, president of NCATE
- National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), most renowned accrediting agency
- Alvin Sanoff, project manager for Levine’s study; former U.S. News & World Report assistant managing editor
- Sharon P. Robinson, president of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
- Deborah Loewenhcrg-Ball, the dean of the school of education at the University of Michigan
Arthur E. Levine wrote a 140-page report and upset quite a few in the education field. Arthur E. Wise reacted to the extensive critisism of his accreditation agency, NCATE. A few others defended the product of their work, while Deborah Loewenhcrg-Ball felt that it was just publicizing what everyone is starting to realize: education is in need of reform.
Audience and Agenda: Editorial Projects in Education Inc. (EPE) publishes Education Week. EPE at is a non-profit organization that reports on current educational issues and noteworthy news. Education Week is subscribed by 50,000 readers.
Usefulness: The article’s main objective is to question Levine’s harsh critique of education today. As the response to the report seems largely negative, this route is a likely the safest for the education magazine. The article does acknowledge that Levine’s general opinion is founded and that many feel he is on the right track. The most useful aspect of this article is that it highlight’s Levine’s overall disdain for the present accreditation system. The article details a portion of his argument against accredition and how ineffective it is at producing quality results.
Works Cited:
- The “About” page for EPE: http://www.edweek.org/info/about/
