Alternative Teaching vs Traditional trained teachers

PROPOSAL

1 Introduction

The executive department of the federal government is responsible for providing assistance and urging educational institutions to carry out educational research (U .S . Department of Education , 2004 . The national education agenda , like the No Child Left Behind (NCLB ) Act of 2001 calls schools for reforms and improvement , which can be achieved through research in education , to improve academic standards (Echevarria , Powers Short , 2006 . With the growing number of students with their changing and more challenging needs , educational research is needed to meet the national objectives for competitive advantage

and sustainable growth in the international arena

Research provides an opportunity to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the educational system that aims to help young individuals meet their needs in becoming assets instead of liabilities of the society . Thus , effective teachers are needed to realize educational goals . However , there remains a great need for more qualified teachers in the educational system . To meet the number of needed teachers with specialization , alternative teacher training program is implemented

Alternative certification (AC ) programs or alternative route is a fast means for teachers who have bachelor 's or advanced degrees to obtain certification for other areas of specialization . The purpose , content and structure of alternative certification programs depend on the needs of the different states . However , they all require training , licensure exams , coursework , and mentoring while the candidates are working in the classroom (U .S . Department of Education , 2002 , 2003

This proposed study seeks to investigate the differences between alternatively trained teachers and traditionally trained teachers in the United States (U .S ) in terms of employment qualifications and teaching efficiency . Identifying these differences enables administrators and the government to help students of the 21st century to become more competitive and successful in their future endeavor

2 Project

This section provides the background of the study to determine the nature and content of this undertaking . In addition , providing background information , establishing proper justification and significance of the purpose , identifying the research questions and objectives , and defining the scope and project specifications provides a clearer view of the overall nature of this study

2 .1 Study Background

Problems in the American education system include the need for qualified teachers which has been experienced throughout many decades and it is expected to remain in the future if the universities are unable to produce many teachers in the coming years . Teacher shortage and lack of teaching efficiency is a major concern of the federal government . The U .S . is facing a shortage of elementary and secondary teachers until the next 10 years . In 1997 , Richard Riley , former Secretary of Education estimated that 2 million teachers are needed to be hired to accommodate the number of students who will be enrolling in the next decade (Gerdeman , 2001

Many states and communities across the country have been experiencing severe teacher shortages due to the increased number of students enrolling each year , inevitable retirement , Small number of individuals who want to engage in the teaching profession , and lack...