Michael D. Andrew

Has Reform in Teacher Education Influenced Teacher Performance? An Outcome Assessment of Graduates of an Eleven-University Consortium

Abstract This article describes the efforts of eleven universities and colleges to assess their teacher education programs based on broad, commonly held outcomes. Performance evaluations and self reports of nearly 1400 recent teacher education graduates allowed a comparison of traditional and extended programs and an assessment of recent graduates. The authors provide results of data collected around four outcome measures: entry of teachers into the profession, retention in the profession, classroom performance, and leadership behavior. School principals rated eighty-eight percent of consortium graduates in the top two quartiles of classroom performance. Extended program graduates entered teaching at significantly higher rates than did graduates of four-year programs and stayed in teaching significantly longer. Extended program graduates reported significantly higher rates of engagement in certain teacher-related leadership roles.

Differences Between Graduates of 4-Year and 5-Year Teacher Preparation Programs

A 10-year comparison of graduates from 4- and 5-year teacher education programs at the same institution revealed significant differences between graduates of the two programs. Significantly more 5-year graduates entered and stayed in teaching than graduates of the 4-year program. Graduates of the 5-year program were more satisfied with their career and perceived the quality of their program to be higher than the 4-year graduates did. Limitations of the study and alter native explanations for these differences are discussed.

Verbal Ability and Teacher Effectiveness

Critics of traditional teacher education programs have suggested that verbal ability along with subject knowledge is sufficient for measuring good teaching. A small group of research studies is called upon to support this contention. This article reviews these studies, analyzes the role of verbal ability in teaching, and presents research examining the relationship of teachers’ verbal ability and teacher effectiveness. Research results indicate that for acceptable, good, very good, and outstanding teachers, there is no significant correlation between verbal scores and expert assessment of teacher effectiveness. However, weaker teachers have lower average verbal scores. This research and logical analysis suggest that educators should take verbal ability into account, but due to the wide range of scores among good to excellent teachers, it is inadvisable to use single measures of verbal ability to measure or predict teacher effectiveness. The authors provide an alternative system for teacher selection.

Factorial Validity and Reliability of a Survey to Assess the Teaching Effectiveness of Graduates of Teacher Education Programs

This study examined the factorial validity of a newly developed 28-item survey called the Teacher Effectiveness Survey (TES) that was designed to assess the teaching effectiveness of graduates of teacher education programs. A sample of 390 principals in 33 states was surveyed. This sample was divided into two subsamples and respondents were randomly assigned to either a training sample (Sample 1, n = 195) or a confirmatory sample (Sample 2, n = 195). An exploratory factor analysis was performed on the data obtained from Sample I to identify an appropriate factor model and to refine the instrument. This approach yielded a three-factor model from which four items were dropped from subsequent analyses. Sample 2 data were subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis using LISREL6, which produced three factors that were identified as Instruction (10 items), Interpersonal/Professional (8 items), and Leadership (6 items). Corresponding estimates of intemal consistency reliability (Cronbachs alpha) of .96, .92, and .92 were obtained. Intercorrelations among the three factors ranged from .80 to .87, suggesting the possibility of a global measure of effectiveness rather than three separate constructs. Alternative explanations are also discussed.