- Education majors in Indiana colleges and universities ranked roughly 5% lower than their peers in other majors, based on SAT scores
- Based on GRE scores nationwide, those entering elementary education graduate programs are roughly 8% below their peers in other fields
- Based on the same nationwide GRE scores, those entering secondary education graduate programs are roughly 10% above their peers in other fields
Where teacher certification is concerned, there are multiple conclusions to be drawn from data like this. On the one hand, it suggests we need more rigorous certification standards. If education is attracting less than stellar minds, we need to do what we can to see that only the deserving make it into the classroom. Data like this, along with the recent debacle on the Massachusetts math tests, show us the harsh truth: if certification was easier, we'd have law quality students becoming teachers.
This said, I tend to draw a different conclusion from such data. I see here further proof of the culture of education programs. They are, quite rightly, regarded as unchallenging and undesirable by the best students. We could change this problem from the bottom up, by trying to recruit more high quality students into education programs, or we could go at it from the top down, using a TFA/Teachers Fellows approach, where we bring high quality individuals into the classroom and let them give education a new face. If we follow this line of reasoning, we need to continue pushing for alternative certification programs and other methods of getting high quality individuals into our classrooms quickly.
