La. given a ‘C’ for teacher preparedness

When it comes to having teachers who are prepared for the classroom, Louisiana is about average, reflected in the “C” grade the state has been given by the National Council on Teacher Quality in its annual State Teacher Policy Yearbook released today. That’s the same grade the state was given in last year’s report from the Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan research organization. However, on this issue, Louisiana is faring better than most states, the report suggests. The national average grade in the report is a “D+,” and no state earned a better grade than a “B-.” Louisiana is criticized in the report for not ensuring “teacher preparation programs admit candidates with strong academic backgrounds,” and for not ensuring student teacher programs will “provide teacher candidates with a high-quality summative clinical experience.” It also says the state does not ensure new elementary teachers are “ready to teach to the Common Core Standards.” On a brighter note, the report says Louisiana “is on track to ensure that new middle school teachers will be prepared to teach appropriate grade-level content” and is just one of two states “on track to hold its teacher preparation programs accountable for the effectiveness of the teachers they produce.” You can check out the complete 144-page national report here; and the 36-page Louisiana report here.