The Meager Academic Credentials and Knowledge-Deficiency of Teachers in the Minneapolis Public Schools

Teacher training is one of the two greatest problems in K-12 education.  The other is knowledge-deficient curriculum.

 

Teachers at the K-5 level typically receive a B. A. in Elementary Education, the weakest degree on any college or university campus.  They are then encouraged by the step and lane system to secure an M. A. in Elementary Education, for which they take very similar courses, also the least challenging of any master’s degree program.  Only a few teachers at the K-5 level receive doctorates;  all of those doctorates received by K-5 teachers in the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) are in education.

 

Teachers at the grades 6-8 and 9-12 levels do often receive a B. A. or B. S. in fields other than education, but they almost always receive master’s degrees in education rather than in subject areas pertinent to the fields in which they teach.  Only a few teachers at grades 6-8 and 9-12 receive doctorates.  Among teachers at grades 6-8 in the Minneapolis Public Schools, none hold a Ph. D. in a field other than education.  Among MPS teachers at grades 9-12, only three hold a Ph. D in a field other than education.  

 

One of the two reasons that students graduate from the Minneapolis Public Schools with so little knowledge in mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, history, government, economics, psychology, literature, English composition, music, and visual art is because curriculum is mostly absent at the K-5 level and is weak at grades 6-8 and 9-12, except for Advanced Placement courses at the 9-12 (actually 11-12) level.

 

The other reason for the knowledge deficiency of students and graduates of the Minneapolis Public Schools is that very few teachers at grades K-5 have much subject area knowledge at all.  At grades 6-8 and 9-12, very few teachers are genuine masters of their fields.  Very few teachers at these levels have the ability to teach Advanced Placement courses.

 

In past articles posted on this blog, I have described the abominable training that prospective teachers receive in departments, colleges, and schools of education.  Here I present the data pertinent to degrees earned by teachers in the Minneapolis Public Schools.  I give both of these matters relevant to teacher quality abundant coverage in my substantially complete book, Understanding the Minneapolis Public Schools:  Current Condition, Future Prospect.

 

Please now review the following data:    

 

                   Degrees Held by Teachers in the Minneapolis Public Schools

 

Number of Teachers Who Hold Each of the Following as Their Most Advanced Degree

 

Grade        Bachelor’s     Master’s   Ed. D.     Ph. D.

Level

Taught

 

K-5                  515                872            22             6

 

6-8                  172                 235              3             5

 

9-12               289                 388                 5               11

 

Number of Teachers Who Hold a Master’s Degree or Ph. D. in a Field Other Than Education

 

Grade        Master’s   Ph. D.

Level

Taught

 

K-5                 56              -----

 

6-8                  23              -----

               

9-12               48                3

 

Percentage of Teachers with Master’s Degree in Education

vs. Teachers with Master’s Degree in Other Fields

 

Grade         Master’s Degree        Master’s Degrees

Level           in Education                 in Other Fields

Taught

 

K-5                    93.58%                             6.42%

 

6-8                     90.21%                             9.78%

               

9-12                  87.62%                           12.37%

 

 

Percentage of Teachers with Ph. D. in Education

vs. Teachers with Ph. D. Other Fields

 

Grade         Ph. D                               Ph. D.

Level           in Education                 in Other Fields

Taught

 

K-5                   100.00%                           0.00%

 

6-8                    100.00%                           0.00%

               

9-12                    81.25%                       18.37%