Author(s)

Leslie Jones^1*, Gregg Stall¹, Gary Rosenthal¹, Jessica Fanguy Cortez¹, Angelle Hebert¹, Ruth Ray Jackson², Thea Williams-Black³

¹College of Education, Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, USA.
²College of Education, Langston University, Langston, USA.
³College of Education, Jackson State University, Jackson, USA.

There is an obvious interrelationship between K-12 student performances and the preparation of teachers in Teacher Education Programs in Higher Education. As accountability increases in K-12 educational systems for students and teachers, accountability increases in Teacher Preparation Programs. There are different methods for evaluating the effectiveness of Teacher Preparation Programs; and recent evaluation methods have focused on the performances of the K-12 students through value-added models. There are proponent and opponents of using value-added models. However, there is much agreement on the need to make improvements to Teacher Preparation Programs. A Task Force was formed in 2012 called the Network for Transforming Educator Preparation (NTEP). The Task Force was formed by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Licensure, Program Approval, and Data Collection, Analysis and Reporting are among the key areas addressed by the Tasks Force:
http://www.ccsso.org/Resources/Programs/Network_for_Transforming_Educator_Preparation_(NTEP).html. These are the similar areas addressed through accreditation processes for Teacher Preparation Programs. In this article, the challenges of accountability with a focus on accreditation are addressed. A review of teacher accreditation and six elements for improving teacher preparation are also discussed.

Teacher Preparation, Higher Education, Accountability

Jones, L. , Stall, G. , Rosenthal, G. , Cortez, J. , Hebert, A. , Jackson, R. and Williams-Black, T. (2015) Teacher Preparation and the Tenants of Accountability. Creative Education, 6, 2256-2262. doi: 10.4236/ce.2015.621233.