Conventional Training for Secondary (Grades 6-12) Teachers is Only a LIttle Better Than That for Teachers at Grades K-5

The requirement that aspiring middle school and high school teachers major in a subject such as history, economics, biology, English, mathematics, music, drama, or visual art is imposed by most colleges and universities.  There are some programs that do allow for such teacher aspirants to major in secondary education, with a concentration in social studies, English, science, or the fine arts;  in these cases, the training in the relevant discipline is not rigorous, and more courses of a pedagogical nature are taken in the department, school, or college of education.

 

The latter circumstance should never be allowed by the Minneapolis Public Schools or any school district that takes teacher training seriously.  The more common requirement for a major in a legitimate discipline is sound and a mere starting point in a robust program of teacher training.

 

In addition to taking courses leading to a bachelor’s degree (B. A. or B. S.) in a solid discipline, aspiring secondary teachers also typically must take certain courses from professors of education.  There is a certain similarity in the required courses for elementary and secondary aspirants, with both taking courses such as Educational Psychology, Diversity and Education, Theory to Practice, Schools and Society, and Exceptionality.  A key difference is that those training to become secondary teachers take a course in Teaching Literacy in the Secondary School, while those preparing to be elementary teachers additionally take courses in Teaching Social Studies [Mathematics, Science] in the Elementary School.

 

The required education courses are similar from institution to institution.  Elementary level aspirants at the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development take courses called Social Studies [Language Arts, Mathematics, Science] Instruction in the Elementary Grades that parallel those given, for example, at Hamline University.  Courses at the University of Minnesota also include Schools and Society and those that incorporate matters of educational psychology, exceptionality [individual differences], and diversity.  For both elementary and secondary teaching aspirants, a semester of student teaching is required, and courses include additional hours in the field, visiting and assisting in classrooms.

 

For people matriculating at the University of Minnesota, those aspiring to be high school teachers first get a bachelor’s degree in a major disciplinary field such as math, biology, physics, anthropology, or English.  Then, upon graduating, students must enter the master’s degree program, which runs three semesters in duration.  The first two semesters feature coursework with a mostly pedagogic emphasis.  The third semester finds the prospective teacher in a fulltime internship (practice teaching), taking just a course or two (typically online).  Upon successfully completing this program, the person is granted both a master’s of education (M. Ed.) degree and a teaching license.

 

Such a master’s degree should never be accepted by the Minneapolis Public Schools.  This sort of master’s degree is what C. Emily Feistreitzer (CEO of the National Center for Education Information) has called a “cash cow” for universities:  Students pay thousands of dollars for these easily earned master’s degrees, notably lacking in rigor but gaining a bump up the “lane” portion of the traditional “step and lane” system of teacher remuneration (“step” for each year of experience;  “lane” for additional graduate hours or degree).

 

Thus, unlike the situation pertinent to teacher training for Grade K-5 teacher aspirants, the traditional program for those proposing to teach at Grades 6-8 or Grades 9-12 has aspects suitable for the requirements of the program presented herein for teachers at the middle school and high school levels.  But for a Minneapolis Public Schools teacher in a revolutionized program of excellent K-12 education, those suitable aspects are insufficient and must be incorporated into fully realized training capable of producing the level of professional whom we should want to preside in a classroom where our precious children await the education denied to them for so long.