Dive Brief:
- Despite calls for overhauls to teacher training programs, many prep programs are finding success — in part by getting teaching students into the classroom long before they graduate.
- For example, students at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teacher’s College spend their entire senior year in a local classroom.
- As a result, more of ASU’s graduates remain in the classroom after three years than the national average.
Dive Insight:
Practice isn’t the only precursor to success as a teacher. Experts say teachers-in-training need specific instruction on how to manage classrooms beyond crafting lesson plans. New teachers often struggle with grasping what it takes to manage a roomful of children.
“Prep programs do not emphasize behavior management — the practice of recognizing how to mitigate different behaviors for different age groups,” Hamlet Hernandez, superintendent of Connecticut's Branford Public Schools, told District Administration.
Some experts say teachers’ academic performance matters, though it’s a subject of controversy. Some top programs only accept the teaching students who already excel in school.
A final aspect of successful programs in this digitally-connected world: training on tech. Even young teachers who are likely digital natives need practice using technology in the classroom and experience with the unique classroom management challenges it brings.
