US Ed Department Takes Aim at Schools of Education

The Federal Register (PDF):

The Department has identified the following constituencies as having interests that are significantly affected by the topics proposed for negotiations. The Department plans to seat as negotiators individuals from organizations or groups representing these constituencies:

• Postsecondary students, including legal assistance organizations that represent students.
• Teachers.
• Financial aid administrators at postsecondary institutions.
• Business officers and bursars at postsecondary institutions.
• Admissions officers at postsecondary institutions.
• State officials, including officials with teacher preparation program approval agencies, State teacher licensing boards, higher education executive officers, chief State school officers, State attorneys general, and State data system administrators.
• Institutions that offer teacher preparation programs, including schools of education.
• Institutions of higher education eligible to receive Federal assistance under Title III, Parts A, B, and F, and Title V of the HEA, which include Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian- Serving Institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions, and other institutions with a substantial enrollment of needy students as defined in Title III of the HEA.
• Two-year public institutions of higher education.
• Four-year public institutions of higher education.
• Private, non-profit institutions of higher education.
• Private, for-profit institutions of higher education.
• Operators of programs for alternative routes to teacher certification.
• Accrediting agencies.
• Students enrolled in elementary and secondary education, including parents of students enrolled in elementary and secondary education.
• School and local educational agency officials, including those responsible for hiring teachers and evaluating teacher performance.

  The topics the committee is likely to address are as follows:

  • The requirements for institutional and program report cards on the quality of teacher preparation (Section 205(a) of the HEA);
  • The requirements for State report cards on the quality of teacher preparation (Section 205(b) of the HEA);
  • The standards to ensure reliability, validity, and accuracy of the data submitted in report cards on the quality of teacher preparation (Section 205(c) of the HEA);
  • The criteria used by States to assess the performance of teacher preparation programs at higher education institutions in the State, the identification of low-performing programs (Section 207(a) of the HEA), and the consequences of a State's termination of eligibility of a program (Section 207(b) of the HEA);
  • The definition of the term ''high quality teacher preparation program'' for the purpose of establishing the eligibility of an institution to participate in the TEACH Grant program (Section 420L(1) of the HEA);
  • The definition of the term ''high quality professional development services'' for the purpose of establishing the eligibility of an institution to participate in the TEACH Grant program (Section 420L(1) of the HEA); and
  • The service and repayment obligations for the TEACH Grant Program (Subpart E of 34 CFR 686).

Posted by Jim Zellmer at October 28, 2011 3:40 AM
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