Two of Maryland’s teacher preparation programs were ranked among the best in the country in the second annual report released today by a national research advocacy group, Liz Bowie writes in the Baltimore Sun.
The two teacher prep programs she’s referring to are Johns Hopkins and McDaniel College. The latter came in 19th place, the former 22nd.
Ms Bowie is correct to characterize the National Council on Teacher Quality as an “advocacy” organization but incorrect to characterize it as a “research” organization.
The NCTQ was created by the conservative Thomas B Fordham Institute. The center stumbled at first but was rejuvenated with a $5 million grant from Rod Paige, George W Bush’s first secretary of education who steered No Child Left Behind in its humble first years. The NCTQ is not a recognized research or accrediting organization, and its reports should be read and reported on with that in mind.
An example of their lack of objective research is seen in a recent report, here, entitled “The State Education Agency: At the Helm, Not the Oar.” It was characterized by the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder, as suggesting state governments turn education reform over to “an ecosystem of nonprofit organizations.” Such a suggestion, the NEPC argued, “lacks substantiation and ignores the realities of school, policy, and politics.”
Even LeBron James couldn’t slam dunk it like that! This is not to say Hopkins and McDaniel don’t have excellent elementary education teacher preparation programs; I only mean to say NCTQ doesn’t know how to evaluate the quality of a teacher prep program. I’m sure both programs, as well as many others across the nation, are serving their students well.
NCTQ’s teacher prep rankings rely mostly on course catalogues and reading lists, not on site visits or, in fact, on any factor that has anything to do with preparing quality teachers. We have no official comment on the report itself, except to say the Baltimore Sun saw fit to fan its Maryland feathers about the rankings of two teacher prep programs in the state.
“We are delighted to hear that NCTQ has ranked McDaniel’s undergraduate elementary education program among the best in the nation,” the Sun quoted Cheryl Knauer, director of media relations for the college, as saying. “McDaniel always welcomes feedback of our education programs, and we look at multiple sources of data to evaluate our programs.”
According to a blog post by Diane Ravitch about the NCTQ, “When I spoke to the AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education), I advised them to insert the words ‘Common Core’ and ‘phonics’ liberally in their catalogues. The key to higher ratings.”
Note to teacher prep programs at colleges everywhere: Listen to Ms Ravitch, but please, don’t elevate NCTQ ratings to a status of “something to shoot for.”
