HKS Authors

See citation below for complete author information.

Professor of Public Policy, HKS; Henry Lee Shattuck Professor of Government, FAS

Abstract

The article discusses the process of teacher certification, noting that all states have a standard certification process requiring a college degree and 30 hours of education coursework, and that some states have a serious alternative certification option that differs appreciably from the standard option. Those states, it says, have higher rates of minority teachers and higher student test scores. It states that there is little evidence that the standard certification route results in superior teachers.

Citation

Peterson, Paul E., and Daniel Nadler. "What Happens When States Have Genuine Alternative Certification? We Get More Minority Teachers and Test Scores Rise." Education Next 9.1 (Winter 2009): 70-74.