Lessons Learned Part 2: Working Without a Net

Working Without a Net: How New Teachers from Three Prominent Alternate Route Programs Describe Their First Year on the Job

45 pages.

While almost every state offers some type of alternative teaching certification program, questions remain concerning how these educators are equip to handle teaching in high needs schools as compared to those trained in traditional certification programs.

The second report in the three part Lessons Learned series by Public Agenda and the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality compares first year teachers in high needs schools trained in traditional and alternative programs. On the positive side, while both types of new teachers voiced a strong belief that good teachers can help all students learn, researchers found that a higher number of alternative route teachers supported this view. Additionally, more alternative route teachers were likely to say that helping disadvantaged students was the primary reason for entering the teaching profession.

• However, the researcher's overall findings were that new alternative route trained teachers are:
• More likely to believe they have been assigned to teach the hardest to reach students
• More likely to give fair or poor ratings to administrators for providing strong instructional leadership or for supporting them on discipline issue
• More likely to give fair or poor ratings to colleagues and mentors for giving them support or good advice
• Less likely to say that their cooperating teacher was a good role model
• Less likely to give their cooperating teacher high marks for providing good advice and guidance in important areas
• Less likely to say they had enough time working with a real teacher before having their own classroom, and
• More likely to say they plan on leaving the classroom in the next year or two.

Researchers also found similarities between the two groups. A large percentage (more than 4 in 10) of both sets of teachers said that lack of creativity and the strong focus on testing were major drawbacks of the job. When asked about ways to improve teaching, they both responded that decreasing class size, enhancing preparation to teaching in ethnically diverse classrooms, and making it easier to terminate unmotivated or incompetent teachers would improve education overall. While increasing teaching salaries was cited as important, it was a lower priority than the aforementioned changes.

To read this report in full, click on the link below: http://www.publicagenda.org/LessonsLearned