The 'Certified' Teacher Myth

Opinion Journal, The Wall Street Journal: Like all unions, teachers unions have a vested interest in restricting the labor supply to reduce job competition. Traditional state certification rules help to limit the supply of "certified" teachers. But a new study suggests that such requirements also hinder student learning. Harvard researchers Paul Peterson and Daniel Nadler compared states that have genuine alternative certification with those that have it in name only. And they found that between 2003 and 2007 students in states with a real alternative pathway to teaching . . . exceeded those in the other states by 4.8 points and 7.6 points in 4th- and 8th-grade math, respectively, . . . In reading, the additional gains in the states with genuine alternative certification were 10.6 points . . .

The study undermines the arguments from colleges of education and teachers unions, which say that traditional certification, which they control, is the only process that can produce quality teachers. The findings hold up even after controlling for race, ethnicity, free-lunch eligibility, class size and per-pupil state spending. . . . President-elect Barack Obama has expressed guarded support for education reforms like merit pay and charter schools. Yet he chose Linda Darling-Hammond to head the education policy team for his transition. Ms. Darling-Hammond, a professor at Stanford, is a union favorite and vocal supporter of traditional certification. She's also been a fierce critic of Teach for America and other successful alternative certification programs.

Unions claim that traditional certification serves the interests of students. But it's clear that students would be better served if the teaching profession were open to more college graduates. Teachers learn by teaching, not by mastering the required "education" courses associated with state certification. Far from regulating teacher quality, forcing prospective teachers to take a specific set of education-related courses merely deters college graduates who might otherwise consider teaching. . . . [Full Article]
ARRA Editor Note: 1) Telling physics majors, path majors, engineers that they cannot teach their subjects because they were not part of the traditional certification process is more than questionable. They majored in the subject where often teachers teach courses in which they never majored . 2) Telling retired military officers with advanced degrees and successful business executives with degrees that they cannot pursue a second career in teaching because they never followed the traditional certification process is also questionable. 3) Telling people with advanced degrees who were university professors that they are not qualified to teach elementary and secondary school children is more than insulting and definitely protectionism for the union teachers, and 4) Test results have shown home school teachers (parents) are doing very well without the Union's traditional certification programs.

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