Industry-recognized certifications (IRCs) are designed by businesses, industrial groups, and state agencies to enable students to demonstrate their skills related to a specific profession and to enable industries to know whether potential employees are qualified for specific jobs. To understand the value of these certifications, Matt Giani…

In November 2015, the National Policy Board for Educational Administration--a coalition of nine professional associations--adopted the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL), a set of guidelines for the training, certification, hiring, evaluation, and supervision of school principals and superintendents. While it draws heavily from…

Teacher preparation and licensing are constantly under attack from both national and state policy makers. The extraordinary reporting requirements imposed on university-based teacher preparation programs through Title II of the Higher Education Act and the promotion of "alternative routes" to teacher licensure by the federal government…

Most new principals are thrown into the job to sink or swim. This article describes how a well-designed mentoring program can be one of the best ways to ensure success if schools are going to improve. In 2002, realizing the need for high-quality administrators, the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) identified six key…

Describes an alternative high school program that used community volunteers to teach some classes and what happened when members of the educational community opposed the use of those uncertified volunteers. (IRT)

Examines the idea of competency/performance based teacher education to determine if it is a fad, or if it has real promise for reform. The authors urge that a single definition for C/PBTE be developed. They argue that while there are some short-range benefits to be derived from installing a C/PBTE program, it will take years of research and…

Describes how Arizona educators fear that the threat of noncertification will be used, under a new performance-based'' program, to dictate what and how they will teach. (Author)

Recent attempts to inflate school administrator credentials may have unanticipated negative consequences. As educational administration moves toward becoming a separate profession, administrators focus more on management, leaving teaching and learning (Wilensky's "dirty work") to teachers. The new professionalism should stress shared…

In this illustrative dialog, a student tells his counselor what he thinks about such topics as the ambiguity and meaninglessness of academic credit, the schools as holding tanks for adolescents, and the ills of accreditation. (Author/IRT)

The NEA president-elect announces a campaign to establish professional practices boards, by State statute, to give teachers more control over teacher education, licensure, in-service education, and the ethical conduct of their peers. (Author/MF)

The Federal Government could upgrade proprietary school accreditation by improving its internal systems, coordinating federal programs, establishing an information clearinghouse and technical assistance institute, and supporting a change to a time-limited licensing system. (Author/DW)

To avoid treating or paying teachers as professionals, our society and its educational system have willingly accepted mediocrity. Moving toward a new vision of teaching, this article proposes the integration of three policy mechanisms (accreditation, licensing, and advanced certification) producing three types of teachers: instructors (college…

The need for additional child-care services is acute. The delivery system for a new dimension in child-care services could be sponsored and provided through the public schools. (Author/IRT)

Human capital investment, in the form of education and training, is the key to improving labor market outcomes for high school leavers. GED certification provides an opportunity for education and training, but is no substitute for it. The GED credential is only a starting point. GED holders are not equivalent to high school graduates. (MLH)