Debates over the quality of the nation’s teaching force extend at least as far back as the early 1900s. Today, teacher quality is again at the top of the reform agenda for America’s public schools. Consensus over the substance of reform, however, has not yet been achieved. Before introducing the articles in this double issue and discussing their individual and combined value for the study of educational politics, this article provides a brief history of the politics surrounding teacher and administrator preparation, unpacks the arguments behind the two national reform agendas for America’s teachers (professionalization and deregulation), and parses out a quality problem within a political discourse that stresses teacher shortages.
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3.
Ballou, D., & Podgursky, M. (2000). Gaining control of professional licensing and advancement. In T. Loveless (Ed.), Conflicting missions (pp. 69-109). Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.
4.
Chapman, J., Boyd, W. L., Lander, R., & Reynolds, D. (1996). Introduction and overview. In J. Chapman, W. L. Boyd, R. Lander, & D. Reynolds (Eds.), The reconstruction of education: Quality, equality and control (pp. 1-17). London: Cassell.
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Cochran-Smith, M., & Fries, M. K. (2002). The discourse of reform in teacher education: Extending the dialogue. Educational Researcher, 31(6), 26-28.
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Ingersoll, R. M. (1996, August). Teacher quality and inequality. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Statistical Association, Chicago, Illinois.
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Ingersoll, R. M. (1997). Teacher turnover and teacher quality: The recurring myth of teacher shortages. Teachers College Record, 99(1), 41-44.
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Kirby, S. J., Naftel, S., & Berends, M. (1999). Staffing at-risk school districts in Texas: Problems and prospects. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.
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Matthews. (2003, June 10). Education effort meets resistance leaders say teacher certification test was sabotaged. Washington Post, p. A08
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McCarthy, M. M. (2002). Educational leadership preparation programs: A glance at the past with an eye toward the future. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 1(4), 201-221.
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Shen, J. (1997). Has the alternative certification policy materialized its promise? A comparison between traditionally and alternatively certified teachers in public schools. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 19(3), 276-283.
21.
Spring, J. (1982). The evolving political structure of American schooling. In R. B. Everhart (Ed.), The public school monopoly: A critical analysis of education and the state in American society (pp. 89-92). Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.
22.
Theobald, N. D., & Laine, S. W. M. (2003). The impact of teacher turnover on teacher quality: Findings from four states. In M. L. Plecki & D. H. Monk (Eds.), School finance and teacher quality: Exploring the connections. Yearbook of the American Education Finance Association, 2003 (pp. 33-54). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
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Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. (2003). Better leaders for America’s schools: A manifesto. Retrieved May 22, 2004, from http://www.edexcellence.net/manifesto/manifesto.html
25.
Wirt, F. M., & Kirst, M. W. (2001). The political dynamics of American education (2nd ed.). Richmond, CA: McCutchan.
