Eduventures Identifies Key Objections to the New Department of Education Regulations for Teacher Preparation Programs
Boston, Massachusetts (PRWEB) February 26, 2015 -- Eduventures, Inc., the leading research and advisory firm that is focused exclusively on analyzing the forces that are transforming higher education, today revealed analysis of the new U.S. Department of Education (DOE) regulations for teacher preparation programs under Title II of the Higher Education Act. ([Source: Federal Register, December 3, 2014 https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/12/03/2014-28218/teacher-preparation-issues) These proposed federal regulations would require states to rate teacher preparation programs at one of four levels; exceptional, effective, at-risk or low-performing based on a series of indicators such as student learning, employment and survey outcomes.
Eduventures has analyzed comments from thousands of education leaders and organizations and uncovered five overarching themes evident in this research:
1. Federal overreach: These new rules may constitute an expansion of federal authority with governance that has typically been delegated to states and institutions.
2. Over-emphasis and reliance on student outcomes: Placing the highest emphasis on student outcomes may be flawed. Multiple measures should be used to determine the impact on P-12 learning.
3. Burden on providers and states: The regulations require providers to report to states on multiple indicators by 2017. Collecting the data to meet these requirements places a high burden of time, capacity and cost on providers.
4. Impact on high-need schools and disciplines: Since student outcomes is the most heavily weighted indicator of success, programs will drive teachers into schools that can guarantee higher test scores. This works against the regulation's goal to drive teacher candidates into high-need fields and low-income schools.
5. Purpose of the proposed federal regulations: The overall negative tone of the proposed regulations suggests that providers who are not concerned with meeting certain criteria will be denied access to federal funding.
According to Max Woolf, Senior Research Analyst at Eduventures, “After analyzing comments from many stakeholders who will be impacted by Title II of the Higher Education Act, it is clear that the proposed federal regulations may be too stringent, while the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Prep (CAEP) standards board recommendations may not be stringent enough. Ultimately, the most impactful approach to regulating teacher preparation likely lies somewhere in between.”
Full analysis of the Proposed Federal Regulations conversation can be found in the latest issue of weekly commentary titled The Eduventures Wake-up Call. Eduventures will host a presentation, “Keeping Pace with the Transformation Facing Schools of Education”, at the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education 67th Annual Conference, in Atlanta on February 27th.
About Eduventures
Eduventures is the leading research and advisory firm that is focused exclusively on analyzing the forces that are transforming higher education. Building on twenty years of success in working with education leaders, Eduventures provides forward-looking and actionable research based on proprietary market data, and advisory services that support both strategic and operational decision-making. Our recommendations and personalized support enable clients to understand the top traits of leaders in critical disciplines and to evaluate the opportunities presented by new technologies. For more information about Eduventure’s research, practice areas and team, visit us at http://www.eduventures.com.
Members of the media who wish to speak to the author of this research can contact Ellen Slaby, Vice President of Marketing at eslaby(at)eduventures(dot)com.
Ellen Slaby, Eduventures, Inc., http://www.eduventures.com, +1 617 532 6051, [email protected]
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