ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Do Alternatively Certified Teachers Need Different Supports?

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ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Do alternatively certified teachers need different supports?

By Suzanne Bouffard

Categories: Career pathways, Implementation, Learning designs, Learning systems/planning, Mentoring & induction

With teacher shortages plaguing schools across the country, districts and states are trying a range of approaches to fill the gaps. Many are looking to alternative certification programs, hiring teachers with bachelor’s degrees in fields outside education who are simultaneously enrolled in teacher education coursework and preparing for licensure exams. With this sector of the workforce growing every year, school districts need to know how to support these new teachers. Understanding how their needs are similar to and different from traditionally certified new teachers is important for ensuring that all novice teachers have what they need to be successful — and that all students have access to high-quality teaching and learning. The need is especially pronounced this fall because the pandemic has exacerbated the worsening

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References

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Huguet, A., Doss, C.J., Master, B.K., Unlu, F., Sousa, J.L., Christianson, K., & Baker, G. (2021). Widening the pathway: Implementation and impacts of alternative teacher preparation programs across three contexts. RAND Corporation. www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA281-1.html

King, J.E. & Yin, J. (2022). The alternative teacher certification sector outside higher education. 2022 update. Center for American Progress & American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education. www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/AltCertification-report_CX.pdf

Markowitz, N.L. & Bouffard, S.M. (2020). Teaching with a social, emotional, and cultural lens: A framework for educators and teacher educators. Harvard Education Press.
National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). Characteristics of public school teachers who completed alternative route to certification programs. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/tlc

National Education Association. (2020, April). Alternative routes to certification: State-by-state analysis. Author. www.nea.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/Alternative%20Paths%20Report-Final%20Apr2020.pdf

Redding, C. & Smith, T.M. (2016, August). Easy in, easy out: Are alternatively certified teachers turning over at increased rates? American Educational Research Journal, 53(4), 1086-1125. doi.org/10.3102/0002831216653206

Richter, E., Lucksnat, C., Redding, C., & Richter, D. (2022, June). Retention intention and job satisfaction of alternatively certified teachers in their first year of teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 114. doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103704

Rose, A.L. & Sughrue, J.A. (2020, March 19). Promoting retention of alternative certified teachers through professional development. NASSP Bulletin, 104(1), 34-54. doi:10.1177/0192636520913624

Schaeffer, K. (2021, December 10). America’s public school teachers are far less racially and ethnically diverse than their students. Pew Research Center. www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/12/10/americas-public-school-teachers-are-far-less-racially-and-ethnically-diverse-than-their-students/

Suzanne Bouffard

Senior Vice President, Communications & Publications | + posts

Suzanne Bouffard is senior vice president of communications and publications at Learning Forward. She is the editor of The Learning Professional, Learning Forward’s flagship publication. She also contributes to the Learning Forward blog and webinars. With a background in child development, she has a passion for making research and best practices accessible to educators, policymakers, and families. She has written for many national publications including The New York Times and the Atlantic, and previously worked as a writer and researcher at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Duke University and a B.A. from Wesleyan University. She loves working with authors to help them develop their ideas and voices for publication.