JACKSON, Tenn. — Dec. 1, 2015 — Union University’s educator preparation program is providing effective new teachers, according to a recent report.
The “2015 Report Card on the Effectiveness of Teacher Training Programs,” released Dec. 1 by the Tennessee State Board of Education, is designed to provide the public with information about the effectiveness of teacher training programs in Tennessee. It measures the performance of new teachers who have been in the classroom from one to three years.
According to the report card, new teachers who graduated from Union performed equal to or better than all teachers (new or veteran) in the state. The report card measured the effectiveness of 138 Union graduates who completed either the traditional undergraduate licensure program, Union’s Master of Urban Education degree through the Memphis Teacher Residency program or a Master of Arts in Education degree while teaching on an alternative license.
“We are preparing good, effective teachers,” said Dottie Myatt, Union’s assistant dean for teacher education and accreditation. “We prepare teachers who know their content. They are scholars. They are also practitioners and know how to teach that content.”
The report includes only teachers who are teaching core subjects in grades 4-8 and high school teachers of algebra, biology, chemistry and English. While it isn’t a thorough assessment of the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs, Myatt said it is a “snapshot” indicating that Union students “are doing a very good job, especially compared to other beginning teachers and compared to veteran teachers.”