<p>It depends on path and state.
Fr instance my oldest attended private schools K-12, great teachers but didn't necessarily have an education degree. All had Ba minimum in their field and usually masters or second BA. None had an education BA.
However it is very difficult to make the switch from private to public. Even with 20 years teaching in private, you would be a new teacher in public going by hiring guidelines, everything counts to how long you are with district. So you can see if you find somewhere you want to teach, get a job there and then go get your masters.
Then again, we have many teachers who have switched fields. My(younger) daughters math teacher was an architect for 20 years and seems to be a decent teacher, then again her previous math teacher was in the computer field and she was crappy.
So while my( older) daughter is getting an undergrad degree in biology she could either be hired right out of college to work in a private school or she can go for her masters in ed and have the option of either private or public. I suspect she may go for her masters but go for private anyway, she is rapidly getting spoiled by the resources of the elementary school where she is working now, but then teachers being able to buy supplies without being hyperaware of cost has got to allow for more freedom in curriculum.</p>
<p>No, I didn't mean in the city, but in the area around your particular school. (I already know what it is in your city, which is roughly 55% higher than the national average, which likely means very high SAT scores. Don't get me wrong: having those higher income families helps the SAT scores of those from lower income families. But it will follow the usual predictable patterns - it will help those lower income families, but in aggregate, won't make up for the lack of longer parental education. That, at least statistically, is why kids from lower income families, in the same schools with the same teachers, don't make up the SAT gap.)</p>
<p>The thing is, students from our local schools, with teachers without M.A.s nor Ph.D.s, do just fine, and again, predictably so. As the state capital, we have lots of state workers with more years of higher education, and, while we don't have millionaires, a relatively higher income base. (not anything like Cambridge of course.) And so the students "succeed". Doesn't statitiscally seem to have much to do with the teachers, though.</p>
<p>Actually, if you get right down to it and compare the courses required in the typical secondary teacher certification program to the typical amount of coursework required in an undergraduate elementary education teacher training program, it's hard not to start wondering how well prepared any high school teacher really is to get out there into the classroom.</p>
<p>For instance, in California, to be certified to teach at the high school level, teachers only have to take one or two classes that actually cover teaching in their subject area. They do have to do field work as well. But for the rest of the courses - no matter what they plan to teach - they take include things like: health education, classroom adaptations for special education, multicultural education, social aspects of teaching, educational technologies. They take one educational pychology class. The typical credential program can be finished - including field work - in less than a year, about 15 credits. </p>
<p>Compare that to the typical elementary education major who takes at least 30 credits, sometimes more, in education, including specific courses on curriculum development, educational psychology, etc. </p>
<p>Is it any wonder that so many high school teachers have a difficult time teaching?</p>
<p>Mini:</p>
<p>The problem with "the area around the school" is that the school is literally within sight of Harvard Yard. I don't know what the income range is for those who live nearby. The pricier houses are further away, and the cheaper houses are also further away, in another direction.
The SAT scores for the school are not high at all (lower than the national average). The superintendent explained that a lot more lower-achieving students take the SAT than at other schools (37% of the bottom 25% as opposed to 5-10% elsewhere). The SAT scores of the top 60% are higher or at least as high as the national and state average.</p>
<p>Carolyn:
I don't know if high school teachers have a difficult time teaching; I know both my Ss appreciated having specialists rather than generalists as was the case in k-8. I believe the need for elementary school teachers to be generalists is the reason for their needing more credits.</p>
<p>Marite, I agree they need to be specialists. But I just wonder how much you can learn about how to teach in two semesters. I guess, however, it's better than sending TA's to teach labs and sections.</p>