Summary: Alternative certification and licensure programs provide a route for professionals holding degrees outside of the field of education to participate in an intensive program to become practicing educators. While still controversial in some circles, most researchers agree that alternative programs can fill much needed gaps in hard-to-staff schools and subjects. More research needs to be done on the structure and organization of these programs to maximize their potential for future success.
National Center for Education Information
Education Week magazine reporting on alternative certification
Education Commision of the States resources
Alternative Certification - The limited amount of research on whether alternative certification programs are equal, better or worse than traditional programs is inconclusive. What does seem apparent, however, is that alternative certification programs have the ability to recruit and deliver more minority, male and older teachers into urban and rural areas. With federal programs providing increasing support and oversight, and organizations such as NCATE accrediting community college programs, alternative certification programs are not only evolving, but also gaining wider acceptance. (Marga Mikulecky, Gina Shkodriani and Abby Wilner, Education Commission of the States, December 2004
Alternative Certification: A National Perspective Significant Growth in Alternative Licensure. Source: SHEEO, Data Systems to Enhance Teacher Quality, 2003. ECS Recommendations on Alternative Licensure.
Teacher Preparation Policy Toolkit This slide show examines the state of alternative licensure routes in light of the call for quality teachers and projected teacher shortages.
National Center for Alternative Certification resources
Overview of Rsearch on Alternate Routes by C. Emily Feistritzer and Charlene K. Haar
Teacher Policy Research Papers
Characteristics of Effective Alternative Teacher Certification Programs by D. L. Humphrey, M. E. Wechsler & H. J. Hough
Profile of Alternate Route Teachers by C. Emily Feistritzer, President and CEO of the National Center for Alternative Certification (NCAC) and National Center for Education Information (NCEI), Washington, D.C.
Studying Teacher Education: The Report of AERA Panel on Research and Teacher Education
Edited by Marilyn Cochran-Smith and Kenneth M. Zeichner
State Policy Trends for Alternative Routes to Teacher Certification: A Moving Target by C. Emily Feistritzer, President and CEO of the National Center for Alternative Certification (NCAC) and National Center for Education Information (NCEI), Washington, D.C.
Profile of Troops to Teachers by C. Emily Feistritzer
Troops to Teachers - A National Survey A Report Prepared for Mike Melo, Director, Virginia Office of Troops to Teachers.
Eight Questions on Teacher recruitment and Retention: What Does the Research Say? by Michael B. Allen
Why Do Fellows Stick Around by Peter Sipe and Amy D'Angelo
TNTP Report on Effect of Teacher Union Contracts by Jessica Levin, Jennifer Mulhern, and Joan Schunck
Harvard Releases New Study of Thirteen Alternative Certification Program Sites A Difficult Balance: Incentives and Quality Control in Alternative Certification Programs by Susan Moore Johnson, Sarah E. Birkeland, and Heather G. Peske, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Project on Next Generation of Teachers
Latest Research Shows Effectiveness of Alternate Routes by Donald Boyd. Pamela Grossman. Hamilton Lankford. Susanna Loeb. James Wyckoff.
Preparing Quality Teachers (paper) by Deborah L. Earley, Mary Lou Goldberg, and Kathleen K. Huie
Preparing Quality Teachers (powerpoint) by Deborah L. Earley, Mary Lou Goldberg, and Kathleen K. Huie
Alternate Pathways to Highly Accomplished Teaching: A Case Study by Kay Brocato, Debra Prince, Esther Howard, Eric Groce
Full Text Literature Review on Alternative Certification by Sarah E. Birkeland and Heather G. Peske
Alternative Teacher Certification Procedures and Professional Development Opportunities for Career and Technical Education Teachers by Sheila K. Ruhland, Ph.D., Project Director at the University of Minnesota and Christine D. Bremer, Ph.D., Project Coordinator at the University of Minnesota
Report on an Educational Program: Alternative Certification Program 2001-2002, Houston Independent School District
Evaluation of the Dewitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund's Pathways to Teaching Careers Program (October 2001) by DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, Beatriz Chu Clewell of The Urban Institute and Ana María Villegas of Montclair State University
Placing beginning teachers in hard-to-staff schools: Dilemmas posed by alternative certification programs (February 2004) by Elaine Chin, Professor, University Center for Teacher Education, California Polytechnic State University; John Young, Associate Professor, Rutgers University; and Barry Floyd, Associate Professor, Orfalea College of Business, California Polytechnic State University
Alternative Teacher Certification Procedures and Professional Development Opportunities for Career and Technical Education Teachers (2002) by Sheila K. Ruhland, Ph.D., Project Director at the University of Minnesota and Christine D. Bremer, Ph.D., Project Coordinator at the University of Minnesota
Alternative Teacher Preparation in Colorado: Moving from Experimental to Established by Mary Bassett, Gene Campbell, Eric Hirsch, Kelly Hupfeld, & Robert Reichardt, with assistance from Ann Foster and Andrea Jachman
Research on Alternative Teacher Certification (February 2004) by Michael Podgursky, Department of Economics - University of Missouri - Columbia
The Effects of Teach for America on Students: Findings from a National Evaluation (June 9, 2004) by Paul T. Decker, Daniel P. Mayer, and Steven Glazerman
Fast-Track Alternative Certification Programs: Opportunities and Challenges for Participants and State Officials (November 2003) by Susan Moore Johnson, Sarah E. Birkeland, and Heather G. Peske; Harvard Graduate School of Education Project on the Next Generation of Teachers
State and District Policy Related to Mentoring and New Teacher Induction in Connecticut by Peter Youngs, Stanford University and Prepared for the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future
The New Jersey Alternate Route Program: An Analysis of the Perspectives from Alternate Route Teachers, Alternate Route Instructors, and Alternate Route Mentors - Established in the early 1980s, the primary goal of New Jersey's Alternate Route was to increase teacher quality by recruiting candidates with strong liberal arts backgrounds. This report examines several questions, including: Is the program accomplishing its goal? Are school leaders satisfied with the teachers? In addition, recommendations are presented to improve and better evaluate the alternative route program. (Prepared for the New Jersey Department of Education, Fall 2007).