The Complexities of Middle Level Teacher Credentialing: Status Report and Future Directions

Abstract

Specialized preparation and credentialing for teachers of young adolescents continue to be the focus of advocacy efforts within the field of middle level education. To better understand the status of middle level teacher credentialing throughout the United States, this descriptive, pragmatic, qualitative study explored how specialized middle level teacher credentials are addressed in the United States and This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/ 4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The moral rights of the named author(s) have been asserted.

Volume de trabalho dos professores dos anos finais do ensino fundamental: uma análise comparativa entre Brasil, Estados Unidos, França e Japão (Relatório de políticas educacional ; 8)

“…As jornadas de trabalho dos professores são estabelecidas tendo como referência os tempos de aula que irão compor esses turnos, devendo, conforme a Lei do Piso, observar o limite máximo de dois terços da carga horária dedicada a atividades de interação com os alunos (BRASIL, 2008). Há evidências, porém, de que esse limite ainda não é amplamente seguido -em 2016, apenas 7 das 26 capitais o cumpriam em todas as suas jornadas (JACOMINI; GIL; CASTRO, 2018).…”

Middle Grades Principal Credentialing: A Vanishing Requirement

“…This section describes the research highlighting middle grades-focused principal credentialing in the United States. Although states use different terminology, we use the definition of credentialing provided by Howell et al (2018): "a professional license, certificate, or endorsement issued by a state authority" (p. 4). This credential allows an individual to act as a school administrator in the state in which the credential was issued.…”

“…The results of this study also suggest a gap exists in the advocacy for the preparation and development of middle grades school leaders relative to middle-grade teachers. Howell et al (2018) research indicated 43 of 50 states offered a middle-grade teacher credential. This represented growth in the number of states with teacher middle grades credentials over the prior 40 years (Gaskill, 2002;George et al, 1975;McEwin, 1983;McEwin & Allen, 1985;Valentine & Mogar, 1992) versus the near elimination of middle grades credentialing for principals.…”

“…Research tracking the progress of middle level educator credentialing indicated an increase in states requiring specific middle level credentials over the past forty years (Gaskill, 2002;George, McMillan, Malinka, & Pumerantz, 1975;McEwin & Allen, 1985;McEwin et al, 2003;Pumerantz, 1969;Valentine & Mogar, 1992). However, a recent study by Howell et al (2018) indicated this trend may be waning, with fewer states requiring specific credentialing for middle grades teachers. Additionally, the last National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) survey of middle grades principals noted that the number of middle grades principals with middle grades certification declined from previous national survey research (Valentine et al, 2002).…”