ERIC Review: The Role of Community Colleges in Training Tomorrow's School Teachers

Abstract

This review of the literature focuses on the need for teachers and how community colleges are presenting themselves as a source for teacher recruitment. After describing the need for teachers in different contexts, the author explores why students enter teaching careers, how community colleges are a recruitment source, and how community colleges educate prospective teachers. The author then illustrates the community college's role in teacher training with three examples of training programs. The review concludes with goals for the future such as expanding articulation agreements and partnerships with four-year colleges, offering counseling and student support services, and involving students in local schools.

The Current Situation of Teacher Education in Chinese Application-Oriented Universities: Dilemma and Improvement Strategies

“…Teachers who lack professional knowledge, professional practical skills and quality to a certain extent are required to reconstruct their knowledge system through special training in this period. Del Gedman (2001) put forward that in-service teacher training should be implemented during the job, and regards this further education as a system, and formulates relevant documents to standardize the further education and training of teachers in community colleges [10]. According to on-campus training plans, the school conducts targeted training for teachers during the adaptation period.…”

The student perspective on Maryland’s associate of arts in teaching degree

“…In 1930, 65% of junior colleges offered courses in teacher education, more than in other vocational fields. During these early years of the twentieth century, many teachers completed all of their training at a community college (Gerdeman, 2001). Unlike today, when most teaching positions in public schools require the equivalent of a four-year university degree and state certification, teaching certificates from junior colleges at that time often met state teaching requirements.…”

“…More research is warranted into community college teacher preparation and transfer degree programs given the need for well-trained educators, the complexity of the teaching and learning environment, and the increasing diversity in the early childhood student population with the lack of diversity in the teaching staff. While solid research has been conducted on community college students in teacher education (Floyd & Walker, 2003;Gerdeman, 2001;Ignash & Slotnick, 2007), there are large gaps in understanding how to support them, and scholars continue to call for additional research to understand the characteristics, experiences, and behaviors of community college students that contribute to successful outcomes (Crisp et al, 2016). Ryan and Gibson (2016) emphasize that research concerning the student perspective is valuable for providing an understanding of those individual experiences in action.…”

A Comparative Analysis of Teacher Education by Country

“…These issues appear in a report from the National Center for Education Statistics, Teacher Quality: A Report on the Preparation and Qualifications of Public School Teachers, summarized by Barlow (1999). One proposed solution has been a call for an expanded role for community colleges in teacher training and recruitment (Gerdeman, 2001), through better articulation agreements and partnerships with four-year institutions. State authorities now encourage articulation arrangements.…”