Alternative Certification Isn't Alternative

The statistics seem impressive. Nearly all states—47, to be exact—now offer teachers alternate routes into the profession, compared to only a handful of states just a few decades ago. In fact, alternate route programs now prepare nearly one out of every five teachers. Two decades ago the numbers of alternate route teachers were so insignificant they were hardly worth measuring.

Unfortunately, today’s numbers are misleading. The new programs are often “alternative” in name only. As this study shows, most alternate route teachers have had to jump through many of the same hoops—meeting the same “traditional” academic requirements and undergoing much the same training—as typical education school graduates.