The decision of the judge is arbitrary, capricious and final, but Eduwonk’s booker prize for the best $5 billion plan for ed reform goes to an idea to create a teacher apprenticeship plan.
Create a new role for the classroom called an “Associate Teacher” that works with a teacher for 2 years before becoming a full-fledged teacher. Every classroom team would include a teacher, an associate teacher and a teacher assistant. It would cost a lot of money to run, but would help meet the needs of all children.
A fine idea. Many elite private schools structure their classrooms in exactly this way. Count me in on any plan that raises the experience level and quality of teachers in our toughest schools. Still, I wonder how it would square with Teach For America and other alt cert programs, who train their teachers to be leaders, not associates.
Good classroom management and the ability to create a positive learning environment are the starting point of student achievement in disorderly schools, and it takes a while to hone your craft. It’s simply too much to expect neophytes to have it down right out of the chute.
More: Flypaper’s Coby Loup is underwhelmed.
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