Boundaries And Applications: The Teacher Quality Debate In America

Abstract

The teacher quality debate in America remains an important one. Many feel that teachers are leaving teacher preparation programs without the appropriate knowledge and skills to be effective classroom practitioners. School districts have spent a considerable amount of time and economic resources addressing the teacher quality provisions of No Child Left Behind legislation, yet there is still substantial disagreement as to what exactly “teacher quality” is and how “quality” teachers can be developed and convinced to teach in schools that need them most. This article describes the current parameters and arguments surrounding the teacher quality debate in America and makes suggestions as to how teacher quality and teaching quality can be improved. Two major aims of the article are to explore how teacher quality can be assessed and articulate how schools can implement reasonable systems to attract quality teachers. This article argues that a bold, balanced, and open-minded systemic approach to reform is most likely to provide a productive definition of teacher quality and allow schools to attract, develop, and retain quality teacher candidates.