In this working paper on the misalignment between consumer demands and the pedagogy of teacher professionals, J.E. Stone (a professor of educational psychology and the founder of the Education Consumers ClearingHouse) takes a close look at teacher training in Texas, starting with Learner-Centered Schools for Texas, A Vision of Texas Educators, the document that guides teacher training in the Lone Star State. This document emphasizes pedagogy that "implies teaching fitted to the learner's unique characteristics" rather than methods that achieve learning outcomes. Stone argues that the focus on learner-centered instruction is based on ideology rather than evidence, and that it interferes with students' acquisition of the knowledge and skills prescribed by the curriculum. He offers value-added assessment as an alternate way of measuring whether teachers use instructional methods that boost student achievement. Value-added assessment measures teacher effectiveness while taking into account student differences, and has been adopted by several districts in Texas as well as the state of Tennessee. While Stone tends to lump all learner-centered teaching into a general category of ineffective teaching practice, he does a good job of demonstrating how Texas teacher certification tests and training programs undermine the public's expectation: high student achievement as measured by standardized tests. He also urges state policymakers to examine how fads and failures enter the educational community and the cost to the public. To view or obtain a copy of the report go to http://www.independent.org/tii/WorkingPapers/TeacherTraining.html or call the Independent Institute at 510-632-1366. To browse the Education Consumers ClearingHouse, go to http://www.education-consumers.com/
