An Evaluation of Teachers Trained Through Different Routes to Certification

The potential advantages and disadvantages of the various routes to certification have
been debated, and the amount of coursework required by AC and TC programs is critical to
issues of certification and teacher effectiveness. Some critics contend that the coursework
required by TC (and some AC) programs is excessive and unnecessarily burdensome (Finn
2003; Hess 2001; U.S. Department of Education 2002), providing little benefit while
discouraging talented people from entering the teaching profession (Ballou and Podgursky
1997). AC programs have been viewed as a way to eliminate these barriers. However,
supporters of TC programs argue that easing requirements degrades quality because AC
teachers are insufficiently prepared for the classroom and less effective than TC teachers
(Darling-Hammond 1992). Even in cases where the coursework is similar, TC programs
require that people complete their requirements prior to becoming a teacher of record, while
AC programs allow them to begin teaching first. None of these claims, however, have been
rigorously studied in the context of the programs that are most prevalent.