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Pennsylvania Teacher Certification Reforms

Dear Alumni and Friends of the College of Education:

The deans of education at Temple, Pitt, and Penn State were recently encouraged by the Governor’s Office to share thoughts about the proposed teacher certification reforms that are currently being considered by the Commonwealth. The three of us have responded by developing a statement that stresses the importance of the underlying principles that are motivating the reforms. 

As you will see below, we also stress the importance of listening to all of the voices in the field and note that faculty members from our colleges are providing valuable input. We also call attention to the recommendations of the Governor’s Commission on Training America’s Teachers since all three of us were members of the Commission. We hope this statement will prove to be helpful, and I also want to thank those of you who are also participating in the debate. It is very important for the debate about these issues to be open and very thorough. 

Here is the text of the letter that we prepared. The letter is addressed to the leadership of the two legislative education committees.

David H. Monk
Dean

Dear Pennsylvania Legislators:

We write as the deans of three colleges of education in Pennsylvania where significant numbers of teachers are prepared. According to the Governor’s Commission on Training America’s Teachers, Penn State, Temple, and Pitt endorsed no fewer than 8,269 certificates between 2001-02 and 2004-05. We are responding to the ongoing efforts of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education and the PDE to make improvements in the preparation of teachers for the Commonwealth’s schools.

We discern two major principles that are guiding these reform efforts. The first principle is tied to the emerging and quite exciting research base dealing with early childhood learning and the importance of early interventions. The second principle speaks to the importance of addressing special needs learners throughout the schools and is also motivated by the new knowledge being gained about how special needs learners can make significant academic progress. 

We recognize the merit of these principles and applaud the State Board and the Department for drawing so heavily on them in the on-going effort to improve schools throughout the Commonwealth. We are also pleased to report that all three of our colleges are actively engaged in research that is stimulating these advances for the field. Pennsylvania can be proud of its contributions to the national and international research efforts in these areas and Penn State, Temple, and Pitt are active contributors.

We also recognize that principle driven reform efforts such as those currently being reviewed by your Legislative Committee are complex, raise numerous logistical concerns, and can generate new costs that are not always easy to anticipate. We have been impressed by the deliberate way in which the State Board and Department have sought feedback and note that members of our respective faculties have been active in the debates. This kind of wide-spread participation is very healthy and is sure to improve the design of the reforms that are ultimately put into place. It is already possible to see positive changes in the proposals as the debate has moved forward.

As you may be aware, all three of us served as members of the Governor’s Commission on Training America’s Teachers. We are proud of what this Commission achieved and encourage all of the decision making parties to pay heed to the recommendations that were made. The emphasis the Commission placed on the importance of strengthening connections between university based pre-service preparation programs and the induction period of teachers’ careers is particularly significant. We look forward to the day when all teacher preparation programs will involve close partnerships with school districts that provide extensive real teaching experiences with diverse ranges of children.

In closing, we encourage all of the decision making parties to continue being attentive to the voices in the field even as we recognize the need to reach closure and move forward. We realize unanimity is not likely to be achieved in policy making, but we are confident that principled compromises can be reached and we will be pleased to assist the Commonwealth in its on-going effort to build successful reforms that are rooted in the principles. We also wish to express thanks to you for the oversight you provide and the guidance being provided by the Legislature.

With all best wishes,

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The Penn State College of Education serves approximately 2,800 undergraduate and 1,200 graduate students each year. The College prepares administrators, counselors, psychologists and researchers, as well as K-12 teachers in 21 different specialty areas. All of the College of Education graduate programs, that are ranked by the U.S. News & World Report, appear at least in the top 15, with six programs in the top ten.The College's Higher Education Administration program is ranked 1st and the Workforce Education and Development program is ranked 2nd. The College is known nationally for its education research and outreach, housing such centers as the Center for the Study of Higher Education, the Center for Science and the Schools, the Mid-Atlantic Center for Mathematics Teaching and Learning, and the Regional Education Laboratory--Mid-Atlantic.

For more information on Penn State’s College of Education, contact EdRelations@psu.edu, call 814-863-1192, or visit www.ed.psu.edu.