A comparison of four-year teacher preparation programs in secondary mathematics education

This descriptive design study examined the program requirements of 141 teacher education programs in secondary mathematics education that are NCATE accredited and those that are not accredited by NCATE to determine if differences exist in: (1) content knowledge, (2) pedagogical knowledge, (3) pre-practicum field experiences, and (4) practicum field experiences.; The data collected for this study were taken from program and course descriptions found in course catalogs, college websites, and student handbooks. When information was not clearly identifiable, follow-up contact was made with institutions via phone or email. Descriptive statistics were used to determine mean, median, mode, and standard deviation. A t-test was used to compare means for any statistical difference.; An analysis of required credits in content and pedagogy and the required number of clock hours for pre-practicum and practicum field experiences showed little difference between NCATE accredited institutions and institutions not accredited by NCATE. None of the four areas studied had any statistical differences between these two groups. Inconsistencies in program requirements were present in both accredited and not accredited institutions. As a result, there was little reason to support NCATE program accreditation as part of any effort to bring greater consistency to teacher preparation.