Secretary Duncan’s Speech On Quality Education Inspires Parent Advocacy

Recently, Secretary Duncan spoke at Columbia Teachers College, highlighting the inadequacies of schools of education in preparing teachers for 21st century classrooms. While citing the growing challenges that teachers face, he questioned whether we are adequately preparing future teachers to face those challenges.

He did praise some Schools of Education including my alma mater, Stanford University, as well as some other smaller and less well known schools. One theme, prevalent throughout his speech, is the need to use data on student outcomes to gauge the effectiveness of teaching and, in turn, the preparation that teachers have received.

Another important characteristic is the use of field-based programs so that the course work is closely tied to the practical realities of teaching. And once the characteristics of effective teacher preparation programs are identified, those best practices should be shared and integrated into other programs.

But the burden of ensuring high-quality teaching cannot be left in the hands of the profession itself. As parents, you must be advocates for ensuring the quality of the educational opportunities for your children, whatever the setting. This applies to preschool education as well as K-12 education. Schools will not hold themselves accountable unless your voice, on behalf of your children, rings loud and clear. Teachers and administrators must know that you are engaged in the process of your child’s education, and that you hold them and yourself accountable to “unlocking” each child’s potential and preparing them for the complex world that they will face.