The case for a third alternative - One university's trip

Today, the nation is facing an unprecedented teacher shortage, which will u ndoubtedly result in increased attention to alternative certification progr ams as a possible means of addressing the school staffing crisis. For the p ast decade, much has centered on the tensions between school, college, and department of education (SCDE) programs and alternative programs, and the r elative merits and drawbacks of two delivery systems-one in which candidate s complete initial certification prior to employment and one that provides training to candidates while they are employed as full-time teachers. The a uthors advocate a third alternative for midcareer teacher candidates, one t hat encompasses the strengths and minimizes the weaknesses of the two predo minant delivery systems currently available. This alternative is the compre hensive, accelerated, customer-oriented teacher preparation program, couple d with an intensive induction support system. The authors describe one such program and discuss the compelling reasons for SCDEs nationwide to conside r moving in this direction.