The Alternative Teacher Preparation Program - 1662 Words

Literature Review Alternative Teacher Preparation Programs The alternative teacher preparation program that this research will address is Teach for America (TFA). TFA is a popular program that provides many school districts in rural and urban areas with teachers. The founder, Wendy Kopp, does not have a background in education, but gained her interest in the profession after hearing about the national teacher shortage and the issue of uncertified teachers in urban and rural areas. While Kopp was conducting research for her thesis, she contacted the director of the National Education Association with her idea, and the director thought it was interesting, but said it would only be effective if the recruits were â€Å"career educators†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦The TFA training is extremely important to this research question because based on the information provided on the TFA website, they do not explicitly train their recruits on culturally relevant pedagogy, which has been proven to be successful with urban students. In addition, their student teaching experience is limited to summer school, which does not allow their recruits to engage in authentic teaching experiences because the length of time and the typical structure of summer school. The lack of training in culturally relevant pedagogy and an authentic student teaching experience in an urban setting is probably a factor that contributes to the high rate of teacher retention of teachers from alternative teacher preparation programs. Teacher Retention According to a study conducted by the National Center for Education statistics (NCES) (2015), nationally, 17 percent of teachers leave after five years and 20 percent of teachers leave urban school districts. It was reported that after one year, 10 percent of teachers leave, 12 percent after two years, 15 percent after three years and 17 percent after 4-5 years (Kopkowski, 2008). Some of the reasons teachers leave the teaching profession, specifically urban school districts are: the pressure of raising standardized test scores, lack of teacher support, studentShow MoreRelatedThe Higher Education Opportunity Act: Teachers Improving Their Education 721 Words   |  3 Pagesimprovement of teacher education and quality, for example, Higher Education Opportunity Act (Cohen-vogel, 2005). Teacher preparation program is one of the policy instruments to deliver the goals. Unlike traditional preparation program and alternative teacher preparation programs, Urban Teacher Residency (UTR) is an innovative preparation program improving teacher quality in which a mentor will be assigned to work with the novice teacher for a year. UTRs are distinctive than other programs mainly in threeRead MoreMy Ability As An Effective Teacher1342 Words   |  6 Pagesan effective teacher. Every lesson I teach or conjure up in the wee hours of the night requires the learner in mind. 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