A Longitudinal Evaluation of an Alternative Licensure Preparation Program.
Abstract
Qualitative research in a longitudinal study was conducted to determine whether alternative licensure teachers who had started teaching in the previous three to five years were retained in the profession, and to assess their impact on children’s learning. Results show that the retention rate of 82% for the sample was slightly higher than the average retention rates reported in the literature. Qualitative analyses provide evidence of a positive impact of these teachers on children’s learning, i.e. a measurement of the teachers’ performance in the classroom. This case study provides program directors with an easily replicable format for evaluating the effectiveness of an alternative certification program, and recommendations for further research are included.