Volume 2 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal of K-12 Educational Research - Page 71

Journal of K-12 Educational Research 69 Research related to the effects of teacher preparation on student achievement proved to be inconsistent. Studies vary on the impact of graduate coursework on student performance with data indicating positive effects, negative effects, and no effect (Boyd et al., 2007; Constantine et al., 2009). In an early study, Goldhaber and Brewer (1997) found sufficient data to conclude a positive relationship between a teacher’s degree in mathe- matics and elevated student achievement in high school math. Similar results were noted in science. The authors concluded that subject-specific curricula, rather than educator ability, led to the findings (Goldhaber & Brewer, 1997). Still, the data could not de - termine whether teachers’ enhanced knowledge of the subject or their elevated interest in math affected the students’ achievement. Darling-Hammond, Holtzman, Gatlin, & Helig (2005) demon - strated the positive impact of full certification on student achieve - ment, but the data could not definitively connect a particular type of certification path to that progress. Constantine et al. (2009) found no significant correlation between certification pathway and teacher effectiveness; however, the reported data reflected an average difference between groups rather than a one-to-one correspondence between individual teachers and their assigned students. Results The purpose of the current quantitative study was to obtain the perspectives of beginning teachers and campus leaders concern- ing the preparedness of beginning teachers in relation to their certification route. The beginning teachers and campus leaders completed a survey with multiple items that asked for their perceptions on preparedness via the certification program in the areas of classroom management, positive communication and relationships, content knowledge, instructional planning and delivery, working with special populations, addressing diversi - ty, exhibiting professionalism, and overall preparedness for the first year of teaching. Additionally, participants responded to open-ended questions which provided an opportunity for respon- dents to offer commentary about the effectiveness of beginning teacher preparation. Overall, campus leaders rated classroom management and instructional planning and delivery , respectively, as the areas requiring the most support for both traditionally and alternatively certified beginning teachers. Considering beginning teachers’ overall level of preparedness, 46% of campus leaders identified alternatively certified beginning teachers as Sufficiently Pre- pared or Well Prepared . By comparison, 85% of campus leaders responded likewise for traditionally certified beginning teachers. Differences surfaced between the perceptions of elementary campus leaders and secondary campus leaders in some individual areas of needed support for beginning teachers. However, at least 80% of campus leaders at both levels agreed that traditionally certified beginning teachers demonstrated at least a sufficient degree of overall preparedness for their first year of teaching. The Table 1 Common Components of Traditional and Alternative Certification Programs