Volume 2 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal of K-12 Educational Research - Page 73

Journal of K-12 Educational Research 71 Campus leaders found insufficient preparation of alternative - ly certified beginning teachers in the remaining three areas of classroom management , instructional planning and delivery , and working with special populations and in their overall level of preparedness . Based on the modes of their responses, campus leaders perceived traditionally certified beginning teachers to be sufficiently prepared in all seven areas and overall. Working with special populations and addressing diversity surfaced as common areas of deficiency for both alternatively and traditionally certi - fied beginning teachers upon considering data per response. Furthermore, campus leaders responded to two open-ended questions. They were asked to elaborate on any perceived dif - ferences between beginning teachers from different certification routes and to share ways that educator preparation programs can better prepare teachers. Overwhelmingly, leaders identified field experiences, including student teaching, as the major distinguish - ing factor in the preparedness of traditionally certified teachers from the preparedness of alternatively certified teachers. Leaders frequently commented that traditionally certified teachers were more knowledgeable about and more prepared to meet expecta - tions of the profession. They perceived that alternatively certified beginning teachers struggled particularly with the nuances of teaching and issues of management. These struggles were pre - dominantly attributed to lack of student teaching, limited access to teaching models, and limited field classroom experiences. Table 3. Campus Leader Response Modes by School Level by Area When asked to provide input on how certification programs can better prepare teachers, campus leaders consistently referenced the importance of student teaching and classroom experiences that increase future teachers’ knowledge of professional expec - tations and their opportunities to encounter the varied facets of teaching prior to their first year of teaching. Campus Leader Perceptions by Level Disaggregating data by school level, elementary and secondary campus leaders identified classroom management and instruc- tional planning and delivery as the top two areas of need, respec- tively, for both alternatively and traditionally certified beginning teachers. Elementary leaders ranked content knowledge as the third greatest area of needed support for traditionally certified beginning teachers and equally with instructional planning and delivery for alternatively certified beginning teachers. Secondary campus leaders selected positive communication and relation- ships as the third greatest need for teachers from both certifica - tion pathways. Beginning Teacher Perceptions by Certification Route A total of 115 beginning teacher respondents identified as tra - ditionally certified and 75 identified as alternatively certified. Accordingly, the researcher’s subsequent observations reflect pro - portionality of responses by percentage rather than actual number