Academic #3

Title: Will universities maintain control of their their teacher education?

Summary: When America went from an industrial-based economy to an information-economy it’s education system did not follow. The fault lies with Universities whose education programs are not teacher current practices and issues that they will be faced with in their classrooms. Because of the universities’ lacking education school system, they cannot compete with alternative programs and are not producing superior teachers in order to warrant their tuition and extra years spent to recieve a teacher degree. For these reasons, the Department of Education should not require all schools of education to be accredited because the measurement of assessment is based upon industrial-focused ideals and does not comply with what is needed in modern classrooms.

Topic: Accrediting all schools of education

Category: Academic

Publication Information: Change magazine, Vol 38 Issue 4:  July/August 2006, Washington, D.C.

Author: Arthur Levine

Location: http://0-web.ebscohost.com.janus.uoregon.edu/ehost/pdf?vid=7&hid=5&sid=a91e1730-8acd-4c15-9444-de086772299d%40sessionmgr3

Accessed: 24 Febuary 2009

Support:

The objective of this article is to prove that universities’ education programs are lacking in their teaching methods and the teachers that they produce. Most of the sources cited claim that there is no use for teacher training because experience is the only teacher qualified to train teachers. Arthur Levine uses two education experts, Rod Paige and the Abell Foundation, to state their assertions to reiterate his argument. Levine conducted his own study to survey other experts and as well as performing case studies in 26 education schools. Levine also commissioned a study to be done by NWEA in which the performance of the students is analyzed to judge the clout of their teachers. This study was performed by analyzing 30 million student assessments. Lastly, Levine recognizes the opposing argument by referencing Linda Darling-Hammond who wrote an 80 page document refuting the Abell Foundation findings that schools of education are ineffectual.

Audience and Agenda: Levine’s article was published in Change magazine, a publication ran by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The Carnegie Foundation is a non-profit corporation chartered by Congress in 1906 with the objective to uphold the teaching profession. Change magazine is produced six times a year and it is aimed toward persons with a career in higher education.

Usefulness: Given the status-quo, where teachers are in the spotlight, the validity of teachers’ merits are constantly questioned and both universities and alternative programs are being challenged. This gives Levine’s topic of argument firm footing, and although alternative programs are rarely glorified over the the education programs of four-year universities, he makes a solid argument. Levine argues that traditional teaching programs at universities do not prepare teachers for today’s issues. He says that teaching is a craft that is learned through experience, and not a profession. As his audience is composed of those in the higher learning field, it is likely that Levine’s opposition of universities’ education system will be met with resentment. Nevertheless, he has a breadth of sources to back him. The hole in his argument would be the informal and general tone that his article commences with. Although his points are valid, his writing is relaxed at the start and takes away from his sincerity. This cleans up; however, as soon as Levine begins referencing his support and narrowing his focus. This article stresses the ineffectuality of the installment of teacher-training programs, and, combined with the new-found success of alternative schools, the accreditation of schools of education would simply be extra component to the system Levine finds to be failing our students. The standarized approach is failing modern schools, and while flexability and change is what education schools need, accredition would only bring more rigidity.

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