Student Teaching in the United States National Council on
Teacher Quality
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Purpose of Report The stakes in student teaching are high.
Student teachers only have one chance for the best possible
experience. Student teaching will shape their expectations for
their own performances as teachers. Mediocre student teaching
experiences, let alone disastrous ones, cannot be undone.
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Study Subjects 134 institutions Approximately three per state
93 were public (69%) 41 were nonsectarian private (31%) 15 of the
41 were nonsectarian private 26 of the 41 were sectarian
private
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Methodology Too much on this slide Stratified random sample
Institutions were not asked if they wished to participate
Institutions could not opt out Information was gathered through
website review Review of state teacher education policies was also
conducted From school districts contracts that governed student
teaching were obtained Provided institutions multiple opportunities
to submit their own documents Surveyed local school principals who
schools were identified by institutions as sites for
placements
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Document Selection Needs to be 2 slides Memoranda of
understanding to document partnerships List of criteria for
selection of cooperating teachers and supervisors Descriptions of
clinical practices Student teaching handbooks Responsibilities of
the field placement coordinator Location of programs not overseen
by the institution Criteria for selection of school placements
Process by which the institution evaluates placements to see if any
aspect of the school or cooperating teachers performance merits
discontinuation
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Relevance of the Documents Although the existence of these
documents does not provide fail- safe evidence that a program is in
fact well run, the absence of such documents certainly suggests
that it is poorly run...
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Standard 1 The student teaching experience, which should last
no more less than 10 weeks, should require no less than five weeks
at a single site and represent a full-time commitment.
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Standard 2 The teacher preparation program must select the
cooperating teacher for each of its placements.
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Standard 3 The cooperating teacher must have at least three
years of experience.
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Standard 4 The cooperating teacher must have the capacity to
have a positive impact on student learning.
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Standard 5 The cooperating teacher must have the capacity to
mentor an adult, with skills in observation, providing feedback,
holding professional conversations, and working
collaboratively.
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Findings 1) Institutions are routinely exceeding the capacity
of school districts to provide a high-quality student teaching
experience and exceeding the demand for new hires.
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Findings 2) While the basic structure of many student teaching
programs is in place, too many elements are left to chance.
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Findings 3) Institutions lack clear, rigorous criteria for the
selection of cooperating teachers either on paper or in
practice.
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Findings 4) Institutions convey a strong sense of powerlessness
in their dealings with school districts.
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Findings 5) Institutions do not take advantage of important
opportunities to provide guidance and feedback to student
teachers.
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Performance on 5 Standards 7% Model Program Oklahoma State
University, Florida Gulf Coast University 17% Good University of
Texas Austin, University of Arizona 50% Weak University of Northern
Iowa, Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, Luther College 25%
Poor Iowa State University, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, College
of William and Mary
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Report Recommendations 1)Shrink the pipeline of elementary
teachers into the profession. 2)Institutions must make the role of
cooperating teacher a more attractive proposition to classroom
teachers.