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NEA Teacher Union Official Pans Evaluation Plan

A Department of Education’s 2016 regulation concerning teacher preparation and funding of it, is not sitting well with NEA teacher union president Lily Eskelsen. Paul Stephan has the story in the Regulatory Review.

 A little-discussed, 2016 U.S. Department of Education regulation, “Teacher Preparation Issues,” is quietly changing what colleges and other institutions that train teachers need to report to the federal government and the public. In addition, this newly required information will now determine whether teacher preparation programs are eligible for the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) federal grant program.

One of the reasons for creating the rule, according to the Education Department, is that research from some states has demonstrated that learning outcomes vary based on the programs that teachers attend; for this reason, the agency included student learning outcomes as one of the eight indicators that states must use to evaluate program effectiveness. But it does not specify how student learning outcomes must be measured or how much weight they must be given.