In response to a growing national debate over teacher quality, the School of Education posted an explanation on its website this week about its approach to training teachers who will perform at the highest level.
In announcing this new web posting, Dean Douglas Biklen says, “Syracuse University’s School of Education echoes the importance of ensuring teacher quality. We are especially proud that in a recent survey of school superintendents conducted by U.S. News & World Report, they rated us 12th in the entire country for all university and college education programs.”
One of the most distinguishing features of the Syracuse programs is the fact that students have many practical placements in area urban and suburban schools prior to graduation, spanning Central New York as well as New York City.
This week, a group called the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) issued a controversial report on the quality of teacher preparation programs nationwide. Dean Biklen notes that the NCTQ report did not examine the School of Education’s undergraduate programs, which are by far its largest. Further, he said that the NCTQ assessment has significant shortcomings, and many teacher preparation programs of major universities nationally, including Syracuse, are rated adequate (two stars) rather than with four stars, although particular elements of the Syracuse programs received the highest ratings.
Syracuse University agreed to participate in the NCTQ study, but then was disappointed with NCTQ’s lack of follow-through. Dean Biklen was astonished that the NCTQ apparently scored programs based on their reading of course syllabi, and did not conduct a more in-depth study, such as evaluating student performance in the field.
“We value accurate assessments of our programs,” Biklen says. “We are very concerned, however, that the NCTQ missed core elements of our programs, including, for example, one of our deepest strengths, attention to teaching students how to construct and adapt lessons for students with disabilities.”
Biklen notes that the problem might have been in how NCTQ reads course syllabi. He notes that in future years, Syracuse and other universities will likely write their course syllabi so that NCTQ and other external evaluators will more easily see the kinds of content they want to assess.
“We are confident that at Syracuse the content exists in the courses but may not be highlighted in a way that the NCTQ evaluators could easily see it,” he says.
Unfortunately, NCTQ never directly contacted Syracuse University for program materials for 90 percent of its programs and NCTQ did not interview Syracuse faculty concerning either of the programs it did rate.
Prior to admission, Syracuse graduate programs require students to demonstrate that they possess the content background necessary for the areas of teaching in which they seek training. NCTQ critiqued Syracuse for not providing common core content at the graduate level, although as a matter of policy, Syracuse admits only students who have completed undergraduate degrees in the subject areas for which they seek teacher training, (e.g., in mathematics, physics, chemistry). If a student lacks this background, New York State requires that they take undergraduate courses in these areas before completing their education methods courses. Syracuse students receive training in how to teach subject content by completing courses in education methods and student teaching. NCTQ gave Syracuse top marks in these areas.
NCTQ critiques Syracuse University’s teacher preparation programs for not requiring particular entrance assessments; in fact, faculty committees make detailed assessments of students’ applications, focusing especially on their subject area grades in undergraduate studies.
In secondary education NCTQ gives Syracuse highest marks for classroom management, student teaching and secondary methods. In elementary teaching, NCTQ gives Syracuse high marks in early reading and lesson planning and highest marks in student teaching and classroom management. In both the secondary and elementary grad programs, NCTQ does not recognize any Common Core content preparation. However, the Common Core is just this year being introduced in New York State schools and Syracuse faculty are directly involved in these efforts.
“The overall problem with the NCTQ approach is that it failed to get key information, but then graded down universities and colleges on the basis of partial information,” Biklen says.
In an earlier assessment of graduate schools of education, U.S. News & World Report ranked Syracuse in the top 15 among private higher education institutions.
The School of Education’s undergraduate and graduate teaching programs enjoy national accreditation by NCATE/CAEP (the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education /Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation), the largest such accrediting body in the United States. In a survey conducted by the school, 95 percent of recent graduates were employed or attending graduate school within six months of graduating from the Syracuse teacher preparation programs.
Statement: Quality Teacher Education at Syracuse University
Syracuse University has more than 100 years of experience in preparing teachers to teach. Like the public at large, parents, educators, and public policy leaders, we know the importance of preparing teachers for their role in educating students from preschool to higher education and beyond. And we insist on quality.
The School of Education offers 15 undergraduate, 19 five-year (combined bachelors and masters) and 21 graduate teacher preparation programs. We prepare teachers in such diverse fields as inclusive early childhood education and childhood education, to literacy education, teaching English language learners, social studies, literacy, the sciences (e.g., chemistry, physics, biology), mathematics, educational technology and more. Over 90% of our graduates find employment or go on to graduate study within 6 months of graduating from our programs.
Achieving Quality:
- Superintendents’ surveys reported by U.S. News and World Report rank Syracuse 12th nationally among all teacher preparation programs. Recruiters from school districts all over the country seek out our students.
- A hallmark of the Syracuse teacher preparation approach is a heavy dose of field placements from the very onset of the student’s program. Our undergraduates typically have between 7 and 9 field placements.
- Placements span many grade levels, schools and districts, urban as well as suburban and sometimes rural districts, allowing students to match settings with their teaching aspirations.
- The School of Education enjoys decades of collaboration with excellent schools. More than 50% of all placements are in high needs schools. Placements are in the Central New York Region as well as with selected schools in New York City.
- We collect data on student performance beginning with their first courses on campus through until graduation. Faculty members assess the quality of students’ teaching skills through careful observations, formal assessments conducted with cooperating teachers, videotaping of teaching in field placements, and the development of sophisticated professional portfolios.
- Each semester, teams of faculty meet to discuss student progress and performance in the field; inevitably some students who are not ready to become teachers are counseled into other programs. For all, careful evaluation of students ensures that our graduates are ready to serve all students. School administrators appreciate the rigor or our assessment process and student selectivity.
- All students have opportunities to study abroad through SU’s extensive array of centers and programs.
- Teacher preparation candidates have placements in and/or work in programs that are part of the ambitious, whole district school reform effort know as Say Yes to Education Syracuse, and many also have placements in the innovative inclusive education models begun by our faculty known as Schools of Promise.
- The Syracuse teaching programs enjoy national accreditation by CAEP (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation).
- Our teacher candidates come to Syracuse from throughout the U.S. and around the world.
- All teacher preparation undergraduates complete a major or an equivalent concentration in an Arts and Sciences field to accompany their professional education studies.
- Our faculty of researchers, program developers, and seasoned practitioners are internationally known for leadership in their respective fields. The School of Education has one of the most diverse faculties of education in the nation. They have won all of the top teaching awards of the University and many have won honors from their professional associations and other educational and humanitarian bodies.
Douglas Biklen, Dean
Syracuse University School of Education