does teacher preparation matter for beginning teachers in

INTRODUCTION
There are two routes to state certification of elementary and secondary teachers in the
United States—traditional and alternative. Traditional teacher preparation is offered by colleges
and universities. Though there is considerable variability among traditional programs across and
within states, they all provide instruction in pedagogy and unpaid experience in supervised practice
teaching from 8 to 16 weeks [National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education
and Certification (NASDTEC), 2003]. These programs lead to a bachelor’s or master’s degree
with a major in teacher education or in an academic discipline. They are the predominant source
of prepared teachers, with the number of graduates estimated to be in excess of 200,000 annually
(Boe, Cook, Sunderland, McGrew, & May, 2005).
In addition, states have established a wide variety of alternative routes to certification (ARC)
during the past two decades (Feistritzer, 2005). The most common types of ARC programs make
it possible for aspiring teachers, who have already earned a bachelor’s or higher degree, to circumvent
traditional university-based teacher preparation. Though there is great variability among
alternative programs, they typically provide some instruction in pedagogy and place participants
in full-time paid supervised employment as teachers soon after program admission. In an effort
to increase the supply of teachers in light of chronic shortages, ARC programs had proliferated to
such an extent by 2004, that 46 states offered 115 ARC programs of 10 different types that produced
an estimated 35,000 completers annually (Feistritzer).
In spite of their differences, traditional and alternative teacher preparation both provide instruction
in pedagogy and supervised classroom teaching experience. What varies for both types
is the amount and components included in preparation as represented by “methods courses, field
experiences, supervision, and mentorship” (Sindelar, Daunic, & Rennelss, 2004, p. 210). Traditional
programs typically provide extensive instruction in pedagogy and practice teaching
(NASDTEC, 2003), while ARC programs are much more variable in the amount of instruction
provided in pedagogy even though providing full-time paid employment as teachers (Feistritzer,
2005; Rosenberg & Sindelar, in press). According to the reviews of research by Sindelar et al.
and Brownell, Hirsch, & Seo (2004), more intensive ARC programs in these respects tend to
produce more effective teachers.
During recent years, the effectiveness of teacher preparation leading to certification has been
challenged by many observers (e.g., Finn, 1999; Walsh, 2001) as represented by the perspective
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