Minority Students in a Teacher Preparation Program

This study will investigate the recruitment and retention of minority students in a collaborative teacher preparation program through determining answers to the following research questions:

(1) What are the relationships between high school GPA, ACT, college GPA, and PPST scores of black students in the Teacher Preparation program at Lane college (a black college in Jackson, Tennessee)?

(2) How do high school GPA and college GPA and ACT scores of education students at Lane college compare to a random selection of students at Lane college who are not education majors?

(3) In the opinion of education students, what factors have been most influential in causing them to select, remain in, or change from education as a major?

(4) Will test preparation for the PPST increase retention of students in the college's teach education program?

(5) What is the correlation of the PPST with the Lane College general education program curriculum?

That there is a need for an investigation into the recruitment and retention of minority students can be seen in the fact that the minority teaching force is dwindling so rapidly that it is estimated that by the year 2,000, minority teachers will comprise no more than five percent of the national teaching force (Goertz, Ekstrom & Coley, 1984; Smith, 1987). Indeed, regarding this problem, Smith (1989)

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re. Results indicate that the ACT composite score and the PPST reading score were the best predictors of the NTE, ACT COMP, and GPA, with the ACT composite score weighing the most in eight of the regression equations. (Siebert, 1989, p.1) One of Siebert's research concerns was an overall assessment of whether standardized test scores and GPAs were not only effective indices of future teacher performance (and thus the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs) but also whether the tests measured different skills and teacher traits rather than providing redundant information. It was concluded that the high correlations indicated redundancy. Summary The presented review covered two primary areas of the literature: (1) studies of teacher preparation programs emphasizing their efforts to recruit and retain minority students; and (2) studies related to GPA and standardized testing of education students. The first area of studies reviewed began with a delineation of reasons for the country's minority teacher shortage. The point was made that one clear reason for the teacher shortage was the increased usage of standardized testing as admission criteria for entrance into teacher preparation programs as well as retention criteria
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Lane College, GPA ACT, Pittman Ottinger, ACT PPST, Linton Searfoss, NTE PPST, PPST Ansah, King Bireley, Research Approach, PPST NTE, teacher preparation, preparation program, lane college, teacher preparation program, teacher education, preparation programs, teacher preparation programs, research question, ppst scores, minority students, standardized tests, minority teacher, teacher education programs, minority teacher shortage, lane college teacher,
Approximate Word count = 6371
Approximate Pages = 25 (250 words per page)