The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) could usher in new ways to prepare teachers for the classroom, wrote Sarah Garland in December 2015 for The Hechinger Report. Some ESSA provisions allow states to institute new degree-granting academies for teachers outside of traditional higher education systems, and encourage the creation of residency programs in which teacher recruits are paired with veterans for a year of in-classroom training alongside coursework. Alternative programs like these are already popular in certain states, but the new law could spur even faster expansion -- which could be controversial. "The way the language is couched, you read it, it sounds so fabulous for prospective teachers and education generally. And then you stop and think, 'Wait a minute. We're talking about using money to support teacher preparation programs that aren't accountable,'" said Pamela Carroll of the University of Central Florida. But even those concerned about a possible lowering of standards were heartened by the law's promotion of training in which new recruits spend significant time overseen by an experienced teacher in a real classroom. New regulations for teacher-preparation programs that the Department of Education is set to release could indicate whether regulations will apply across the board to traditional programs and alternatives. More

Source:  Public Education News Blast

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Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is an education support organization that works as a collaborative partner in high-poverty communities.