Re: “Add this to the list for improving education: teacher training” (June 3, Opinion):
The Seattle Times editorial board misrepresents educational research and promotes a deeply flawed evaluation of teacher preparation.
The editorial leans heavily on a report from the National Council on Teacher Quality, an organization founded by conservatives to reform teacher education. NCTQ’s ratings are based on superficial reviews of syllabi and websites — not classroom practices or student work — and fail to meet basic standards of educational research. Because of this, most teacher preparation programs in Washington — like many across the country — refuse to willingly participate in NCTQ’s flawed process.
The editorial spuriously claims that low student math scores reflect poor teacher preparation. But decades of research show that while teachers are the most important in-school factor in student learning, up to 60% of variation in test scores stems from out-of-school conditions like poverty, housing instability and access to high-quality health care. Standardized tests are often a reflection of these community issues more than classroom teaching.
At the University of Washington, we take teacher preparation seriously — investing in strong school partnerships, innovative pedagogy and sustained support for teacher candidates and alumni. Accountability matters. But let’s ground it in sound research and the realities of our classrooms and communities.
Dean Wayne Au, UW Bothell School of Educational Studies; Dean Mia Tuan, UW College of Education; Dean Rachel Endo, UW Tacoma School of Education
