Alternative Pathways Into Teaching

Alternative routes or pathways into teaching have been common in the history of teacher education in the United States. Except for a period in time (approximately 1960 to 1990) when colleges and universities had a virtual monopoly on the initial preparation of teachers, a variety of institutions such as high schools, normal schools, teachers' colleges, school districts, community colleges, states, nonprofit and for-profit companies, and regional education agencies have been responsible for the initial preparation of teachers. Despite this history of alternative pathways into teaching in the United States and the rapid growth of non-university-sponsored teacher education programs since the early 1980s, most teachers in the United States are still prepared in traditional 4-year or 5-year undergraduate college or university programs or in 1- or ...