Actually, teacher prep could be MUCH better

Here is a story on teacher prep in Tennessee.

In the article, a TBR administrator (Paula Myrick Short) says, "it's not like we were doing a bad job of preparing teachers" and then says we need to do more for what is coming in the future -- 3-10 years down the road.

But when I've traveled around the state and talked to teachers, they universally tell me that teacher prep programs in TN are not doing a great job. That there is no requirement that a student demonstrate content knowledge (by passing the Praxis, for example) before being accepted into teacher education programs. That the coursework in teacher ed bears little resemblance to actual classroom practice. That induction into the profession is weak to non-existent.

I have not heard any recent teacher ed graduate from a Tennessee college (state-run) that has said "wow, i had an excellent experience in teacher prep"

The article notes that the "mentors" are paid $250 for mentoring students and they maintain a full-time courseload acting as lead teachers. There is not sufficient training, not sufficient release time, and $250 per semester is far too small in terms of compensation.

Further, there is no mention of how these "mentors" are selected. Are they determined to be "highly effective?" Are they teachers who demonstrate exceptional value-added gains in their own classrooms?

This is the beginning of a good idea. But without proper funding and consideration of very important details, it will likely have little impact in terms of improving teaching practice.