The UTC campus in ChattanoogaTENNESSEE RANKINGSHere’s how some of Tennessee’s teacher education programs finished in national rankings:Elementary Education Programs14 — Lipscomb University•27 — University of Memphis55 — Austin Peay State University88 — Tennessee Technological University155 — Middle Tennessee State University327 — University of Tennessee at ChattanoogaNote: 394 programs were rankedSecondary Education Programs2 — Lipscomb University•12 — Austin Peay State University17 — Maryville College28 — Middle Tennessee State University28 — University of Memphis•37 — Union University43 — Vanderbilt University•187 — University of Tennessee at ChattanoogaNote: 406 programs ranked• Graduate programSource: 2014 Teacher Prep Review: A Review of the Nation’s Teacher Preparation Programs, National Council on Teacher Quality
Tennessee has some of the best teacher training programs in the nation, according to a new analysis of more than 1,500 schools. They’re just not in Chattanooga.
In its second annual review of the nation’s teacher preparation programs, the National Council on Teacher Quality gives high praise to Lipscomb University, the University of Memphis, Vanderbilt and Austin Peay for their job of getting future teachers ready for the classroom. But the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga — a major training ground for our local public schools — finished closer to the bottom.
Several Tennessee programs finished among the top 50 in the nation. UTC’s elementary education program finished at no. 327 of 394 programs ranked. Its secondary education program finished at 187 of 406 ranked. Georgia programs saw varying success. Georgia Southern finished at No. 47 in elementary education, with the University of Georgia ranking 260th and Berry College finishing at 394.
In studying 1,612 schools of education or alternative teaching programs, the nonprofit, nonpartisan group painted a dismal picture of how the nation prepares its teachers. Kate Walsh, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, said that such programs are generally “deplorable” in the United States. She said there are too many programs and too many are just doing a poor job of preparing teachers. Policy makers and colleges have made education one of the easiest jobs to get into, Walsh said, though teaching is one of the toughest jobs.