The Cost of Mentoring Non-University-Certified Teachers: Who Pays the Price?

Increasing numbers of new teachers have obtained alternative certification and are arriving in schools with neither the theoretical nor the field-based knowledge they would have gained from a traditional teacher education program. Ms. Steadman and Mr. Simmons question both the fairness and the advisability of burdening experienced teachers with the task of bringing these newcomers up to speed ********** ACROSS America today, school districts face a problem of numbers: too many students, too few educators. In some areas, the shortage of classroom teachers is approaching crisis proportions. The state of Florida, for example, expected the shortfall of classroom teachers to approach 32,000 by the opening of the 2006-07 school year, (1) and California forecasts a teacher shortage of 100,000 by 2016. (2) The nation's colleges and universities are struggling to graduate sufficient numbers of qualified teachers to replace those educators who are retiring from the classroom. But the shortages continue to grow not only because insufficient numbers of people are entering teacher education programs, but also because the rate of turnover among classroom teachers is high. Nearly 25% of new teachers remain in the classroom for two years or less, and almost 50% leave the field within five years. (3) Attempts to address the problem of teacher supply have focused on either bringing new people into the field of education or keeping beginning teachers in the profession for a significant period of time. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One solution designed to address the recruitment side of the problem is found in the creation of Non-University Certification Programs (NUCPs). The designs and requirements of NUCPs, often referred to as alternative certification, vary, but their shared goal is to provide entry into the teaching profession to those who lack formal, professional teacher education. In many areas of the country, administrators faced with growing student enrollments and dwindling numbers of formally educated teachers are turning with increasing frequency to applicants from NUCPs, and the number of classroom teachers produced by these programs is growing. In the field of English education, for example, approximately one in five new teachers hired for California classrooms arrives via an NUCP, and in Texas and New Jersey the number is one in four. (4) However, the statistics regarding the retention of alternatively certified teachers are disappointing. In New York, for example, an average of 15% of NUCP teachers leave the classroom during their first year of teaching, and by the end of the third year, approximately 40% have quit. (5) The NUCP solution has sparked a multitude of conversations both within and outside the field of education. While the problem of teacher shortages is obviously important, our goal here is to explore a little-examined, but significant aspect of the current teacher shortage: the effect of the NUCP phenomenon and similar stopgap measures on those who are charged with inducting alternatively certified individuals into the classroom: America's experienced classroom teachers. MENTORING STUDENT TEACHERS FROM TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS Traditionally, the agencies responsible for the accreditation of teacher education programs--whether state, regional, or national--have assigned great importance to the way those programs conduct the student teaching experience. Because the qualifications, duties, and competence of the cooperating teachers are critical factors in that experience, most colleges and universities that certify teachers set exacting standards for the classroom teachers who are asked to assume this supervisory role. Moreover, school districts that accept, train, and evaluate student teachers have also set the bar high for cooperating teachers. The standards they must meet are rigorous ones, including at least: * a specified number of years of successful teaching experience, * a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, * a solid record of performance and professional behavior, * a principal's recommendation, and * a stated willingness, even enthusiasm, for assuming such duties. …