Alternative Teacher Certification Procedures and Professional Development Opportunities for Career and Technical Education Teachers
This study examines alternative teacher certification procedures and professional development opportunities available to secondary academic and career and technical education (CTE) teachers, and describes the teaching experiences and professional development needs of recently certified CTE teachers. On a national level, there is an increase in the number of states providing alternative certification routes differing from the traditional college teacher preparation program (Feistritzer & Chester, 2001). This increase in alternative certification routes raises concerns as to the quality of teachers entering the teaching profession. Thus, there may be a greater need to provide professional development opportunities that support new teachers and encourage them to continue in the teaching profession.
Often the terms licensure and certification are used interchangeably. In this study, certification is used broadly to refer to the entire range of procedures and practices used to award credentials (licenses and certificates) that allow individuals to serve as public school teachers.
Ruhland, S. K., & Bremer, C. D. (2002). Alternative teacher certification procedures and professional development opportunities for career and technical education teachers. St. Paul, MN: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, University of Minnesota.