Education
Education

Arne Duncan: America’s teacher training programs are too weak

Former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says colleges of education need to raise standards. (AJC File)
Former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says colleges of education need to raise standards. (AJC File)
By Maureen Downey
Oct 10, 2016

Arne Duncan may no longer be U.S. education secretary, but he is still focusing on schools and teachers.

Duncan says America needs to improve how it educates teachers.

"The system we have for training teachers lacks rigor, is out of step with the times, and is given to extreme grade inflation that leaves teachers unprepared and their future students at risk. According to a 2014 report from the National Council on Teacher Quality, many of our biggest teacher training programs are twice as likely to graduate students with honors than other programs in the same academic settings," says Duncan.

To read more of Duncan's views on improving colleges of education, go to the AJC Get Schooled blog.

About the Author

Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.

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