RECONSIDERING EMERGENCY TEACHING CERTIFICATES AND ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS AS RESPONSES TO TEACHER SHORTAGES

This article examines two recent studies on alternative certification programs and presents findings from a survey of emergency-certificated teachers. These studies reveal vast differences in emergency teacher preparation. Although some alternative certification programs may repr esent a more responsible approach to teacher shortages than emergency certificates, in terns in these programs still assume full teaching re sponsibility with substandard training and experience. It appears that students of emergency-certificated teachers and alternative certifica tion interns bear a considerable cost in the education of these teache rs.