NEA Calls For Better Teacher Training On National Teacher Day

Maureen Downey writes at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (5/4) "Get Schooled" blog that on the occasion of National Teacher Appreciation Week and National Teacher Day, the National Education Association has "sent out a list of education shifts and trends that it says have a critical role in shaping the teaching profession." The list details changes sought in working conditions, school environments, and teacher "training, licensure and evaluation." "'In the US there is a common belief that 'anybody can teach," said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel.. 'Rather than help dispel this perception, too many colleges of education offer mediocre teacher preparation programs that lack academic rigor and frequently fail to provide real-world, practical experience. Some new teachers are thrust into classrooms with almost no preparation whatsoever.'"