Sunday, June 23, 2013

LCMS Concordia Teacher Colleges - National Council on Teacher Quality

When you wake up in the morning,
do you see spots in front of your eyes?


bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Lutheran Seminary Fraud: Students Are Bankrupting ...":

LCMS's Concordia teacher colleges are in abysmal academic shape, according to the recent National Council on Teacher Quality study.

The NCTQ was founded in 2000 as an alternative voice about the education profession, since government bureaucrats and teachers union bosses have been fumbling and bumbling along for decades.

In order to get the information for the report, the NCTQ had to pull teeth. Many schools refused requests, even breaking the law when freedom of information requests were made. It seems only two of Concordia's teaching colleges complied, while Concordia--Seward did not. The report says when a teacher college is not rated, the reason is "most likely because data [was] not provided".

The NCTQ rating has zero to four stars, with three and four stars being the honor role, and one to two stars being mediocre. No stars earns a "consumer alert" because the student is not getting his money's worth.

How LCMS teacher colleges faired:

Concordia--Chicago (River Forest): Elementary program: 2 stars - mediocre; Secondary program: Not rated

Concordia--New York:
Undergraduate Elementary
0 Stars - Consumer Alert!

Concordia--Seward, Nebraska
Not Rated

links:

Concordia Seward - not rated:
http://www.nctq.org/teacherPrep/findings/programRating.do?universityId=799&programId=1#

Concordia New York consumer alert:
http://www.nctq.org/teacherPrep/findings/stateFindings.do?state=NY#institutions

River Forest elementary - two stars - mediocre:
http://www.nctq.org/teacherPrep/findings/programRating.do?universityId=405&programId=1

River Forest secondary - not rated:
http://www.nctq.org/teacherPrep/findings/programRating.do?universityId=405&programId=3

Search report at US News:
http://www.usnews.com/education/nctq?school_name=concordia&submit=Search

Search report at NCTQ:
http://www.nctq.org/reports.do

About NCTQ:
http://www.nctq.org/about/

Teacher training "industry of mediocrity":
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57589792/report-u.s-teacher-training-an-industry-of-mediocrity/

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What are the Concordia's that opted out of the report trying to hide?

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/56484353-82/education-council-institutions-schools.html.csp

"Tremendously uncooperative" is how Kate Walsh, president of the council, described many institutions, which refused to share textbooks or course descriptions.

The council had to file open-records requests; many private institutions that are not subject to Freedom of Information requirements opted out. What were they trying to hide?