The Future of Teacher Selection

Attention to Equity in Teacher Education Admissions Processes

“…In reviewing TPP selection processes, Klassen and Kim (2021) found that countries that performed well in education tended to focus on recruitment and selection processes to encourage the most promising applicants to enroll in teacher preparation. They argued that understanding and improving TPP selection processes is promising for improving teaching but also concluded that little research has been conducted in this area.…”

“…These included filtering out applicants with inadequate knowledge, skills, and/or potentially problematic attitudes (i.e., orientations) and improving the diversity of the teaching workforce (Childs & Ferguson, 2015). However, it remains unclear whether admissions processes attend to these espoused goals for recruiting and identifying effective prospective teachers, with even less research on how DEIJ is a focus of admissions (Klassen et al, 2020; Klassen & Kim, 2021).…”

“…Admissions processes typically collect information about applicants in three primary areas: background (e.g., degrees, grades, and relevant experiences), cognitive domains (e.g., subject area and pedagogical knowledge), and non-cognitive domains (e.g., personality, interpersonal communication skills, and orientations; Childs & Ferguson, 2015; Klassen & Kim, 2021). In discussing licensure tests as a measure of knowledge, Carter Andrews, Castro, and colleagues (2019) stated, “A number of historical and contemporary features of teacher education programs have had a screen-out effect on prospective [teachers of color]” (p. 8).…”

“… 3. TPPs often use the terms “dispositions,” “attitudes,” and “beliefs” in ways similar to “orientations” (see Childs & Ferguson, 2015; Helm, 2006; Klassen & Kim, 2021). We found the construct of “orientations” to be more complete in encompassing the ideas of our framework. …”