No Agreement on New Rules for Teacher Education Programs

As a deadline approached for the federal panel charged with recommending new rules for teacher education programs, negotiators had a message for the Education Department: It’s not over 'til (we say) it’s over.

The panel is considering controversial proposals that could change how teacher education programs are evaluated, including taking graduates’ job placement rates and classroom performance into account when deciding whether programs are eligible for students to receive federal financial aid. But as discussions unfolded, the panel was far from agreement on many key issues, despite a deadline of noon Thursday—and it eventually persuaded federal negotiators to agree to another meeting next week.

Under rule-making protocol, if the panel fails to reach a consensus on a full package of recommendations by the end of the final negotiating session, the Education Department can write the rules on its own.

As that deadline approached, the panel members—who represent schools of education, alternative teacher preparation programs like Teach for America, state education departments, and other stakeholders—begged department representatives for more time to deliberate.