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Message: [QUOTE="husky429, post: 4466276, member: 6696"] I don't disagree with you at all. My master's, 6th-year, and CAGS are all in leadership/admin stuff, so I don't really have much personal context on a master's degree strictly for teaching. I wrote a paper on this a year-ish ago though, and the evidence is pretty clear that a Master's doesn't really make for a better teacher--at least in improving test scores. I couldn't find any data on graduation rates, attendance or anything like that. Education is notoriously difficult to accurately measure. I'd probably be reluctant to do away with the requirements though. Generally speaking I am not in favor of lowering the barrier of entry to teaching. If nothing else, teachers are going make make less money if we only require bachelor's degrees. That's a huge bargaining chip for BOEs. I see a lot of folks talk about wanting to get rid of requirements like the Praxis test, and I'm definitely not in favor of that. I'm not sure if MA has praxis or not... there's a content test, and a general kind of SAT-style test you have to pass. I don't like the cost of the tests, but as a barrier to entry, I think it's fine. I'm working with a teacher now who we have in as a long-term sub because she's tried to pass the test 4x and can't. Thinking about my own future kids... I don't want them taught at any grade level by someone who doesn't have a basic understanding of math and reading at what probably amounts to a 9th-grade level. The tests aren't hard at all--I think I got a single question wrong on my content test, and I'm not the brightest bulb on the bush by any means. And fwiw, I don't think you give elementary teaching enough credit for how technical it is. Yeah, it takes a special kind of person too, but reading instruction at the elementary level is DIFFICULT. you're right about professors... college professors who have spent little or no time in schools were useless to me in undergrad. My program now is for the principalship, but the difference in what I learn in classes taught by folks who have only worked in academia vs. those who are working in schools or have a lot of experience working in schools is notable. There's something important about just getting real, pragmatic advice that academia can't really give you. [USER=7159]@Dream Jobbed 2.0[/USER] --I would be curious to hear your thoughts on that! [/QUOTE]

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