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Licensure/Certification

Insights into Alternative Certification: Initial Findings From a National Study
D. C. Humphrey and M. E. Wechsler (September 2005)
Summary: The data from this study provides insight into the complexity of alternative teacher certification.

Comparisons of Traditionally and Alternatively Trained Teachers
P. T. Sindelar, A. Daunic, and M. S. Rennells (2004)
Summary: This article, presents findings from a comparative study of 3 teacher preparation prototypes: traditional, university–district partnership, and district add-on programs

Does Traditional Teacher Certification Imply Quality? A Meta-Analysis
Y Qu and B. J. Becker (2003)
Summary: This meta-analysis examines the results of 24 studies in which traditionally certified teachers were compared with teachers with a variety of other kinds of certifications.

Variation in Teacher Preparation: How Well Do Different Pathways Prepare Teachers to Teach?
L. Darling-Hammond, R. Chung, and F. Frelow (September/October 2002)
Summary: The findings of this study indicate that beginning teachers who have experienced different teacher education programs or pathways into teaching feel differently about their preparation, that those feelings are relatively stable within programs, and that there is substantial variation across programs and pathways

Teacher Quality and Student Achievement: A Review of State Policy Evidence
L. Darling-Hammond (January 2000)
Summary: Using data from a 50-state survey of policies, state case study analyses, the 1993-94 Schools and Staffing Surveys (SASS), and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), this study examines the ways in which teacher qualifications and other school inputs are related to student achievement across states.

How Teacher Education Matters
L. Darling-Hammond (2000)
Summary: Studies of teachers admitted with less than full preparation (four year degree) find that recruits tend to be less satisfied with their training and have greater difficulties planning curriculum, teaching, managing the classroom, and diagnosing students' learning needs.

Teacher Licensing and Student Achievement
D. D. Goldhaber and D. J. Brewer (Summer 2000)
Summary: Using a large, longitudinal student level database, these researchers explore the relationships between twelfth-grade student performance in mathematics and science and various teacher characteristics. The researchers find that teachers with a mathematics degree or certification in subject outperform those without subject-matter preparation.