U.S. ed chief calls teacher prep programs outdated

By Laura Diamond

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Friday said teacher preparation programs offered by colleges are outdated, but pledged additional federal money to help leaders overhaul their programs.

Duncan spoke in Atlanta at the annual conference for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and reiterated some of the comments he made this past fall about how colleges must do a better job training future teachers and principals.

Many preparation programs do "a spotty job" and place little emphasis on real-world skills, such as how to use data to improve student learning or how to manage million dollar budgets, he said.

He referred to education colleges as the "Rodney Dangerfields" of higher education because many university leaders don't give them the respect afforded other programs. They also fail to give these programs the money needed to improve.

The Obama administration's budget proposal includes $235 million for teacher preparation programs -- double the current amount-- and $170 million for leadership programs -- a fivefold increase, he said.