Amid all the hostility for NCTQ's national review of teacher preparation programs, someone from within the field has stood up to speak to the review's merits.  In an op-ed published in this week's Chronicle of Higher Education, the recently retired dean of the University of Dayton's education school, Tom Lasley, asks his colleagues why they are so resistant to the review. He argues that, based on the evidence, programs that are accredited don't appear to produce more effective teachers than non-accredited programs.  In light of the ineffectiveness of accreditation and other mechanisms now in place to improve teacher preparation, he welcomes the review by an external entity.

Perhaps Lasley can speak up so boldly because he is retired, but it also may be that he's one courageous guy, risking the ire of so many of his colleagues. A lot of deans have told us that they can't come out in support without risking professional ostracism.  Lasley however is not alone.  Other teacher educators, including Deborah Ball, David Chard, James Guthrie, Edward Kame'enui, Barry Kaufman, Susanna Loeb, Mark Schug and Suzanne Wilson, have also seen merit in our work and are helping us to ensure that the review meets its full potential.

Ruth Oyeyemi and Kate Walsh