Teacher Preparation

NCTQ Unveils ‘Consumer’s Guide’ to Colleges of Education

By Stephen Sawchuk — September 30, 2015 1 min read
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The National Council on Teacher Quality has unveiled Path to Teach, an online website billed as a consumer’s guide to colleges of education.

Teacher-candidates-to-be can look up college programs and alternative programs from across the nation, comparing them by tuition costs, enrollment numbers, location, and by a quality snapshot that looks at criteria like admissions selectivity, preparation to teach in different content areas, and student-teaching quality.

Path to Teach’s A-F grades are based on the NCTQ’s project to assess elementary, secondary, and special education programs in every education school. The rankings are often fairly unsparing (“This program will not prepare you to teach young children to read,” says the typical warning for an F grade for early reading.)

I probably don’t need to remind you of the controversy swirling around the NCTQ’s efforts, so bear that in mind as you explore the site. (The NCTQ’s nemesis, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, is not impressed.)

Here’s a snapshot from one college (name redacted) so you can see what the site offers. Meanwhile, if you want the topline findings—what NCTQ calls the “best value” programs—click here.

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