Teacher Preparation

ABCTE Has Record Enrollment Despite (Because of?) Poor Economy

By Stephen Sawchuk — February 12, 2009 1 min read
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I think Liana’s on to something when she suggests below that the economic downturn could benefit alternative certification, as newly laid-off professionals seek stable jobs and think about changing careers.

Consider alternate-route provider American Board for the Certification of Teacher Excellence, which saw record enrollments in January with 496 teachers-to-be signing on. In most months, the figure hovers at about 200. ABCTE did offer a discount on its program, which typically costs $850, but its leaders think there’s more to it than that.

“The downturn in the economy could end up being a blessing in disguise for school districts looking to hire quality teachers and we’re able to provide them with rigorously-tested professionals ready to bring their real world knowledge to students,” ABCTE President David Saba said in a release.

The organization has generally been considered the scrappy new player on the national alt-route scene, but maybe that will change now that enrollments are up and alternative routes seem to be passing the “first, do no harm” maxim in the profession, per this report.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Teacher Beat blog.