Press Release

A Statement by National Middle School Association Board of Trustees

Read NMSA's Position Statement on Teacher Preparation

For further information, contact:
Sue Swaim, 1-800-528-NMSA or 1-614-895-4730

September 23, 2002

Teacher Preparation Must Include Content and Professional Preparation

• NMSA urges states to stress programs that focus on both content and instructional skills
• Unique needs of young adolescents cited in a position statement adopted by the NMSA Board of Trustees

COLUMBUS (OH)-National Middle School Association (NMSA) today urged states to seek a balanced approach to teacher preparation programs that focuses on both subject content and instructional methods, while cautioning that a federal report on teacher quality misses a key point in teacher preparation.

The report, Meeting the Highly Qualified Teachers Challenge, calls for more attention to subject knowledge and fewer "methods" courses.

"There must be a balance in teacher preparation programs," urged Debby Kasak, NMSA president. "Prospective teachers must develop content knowledge of their subject, but they also must learn instructional skills. Focusing predominantly on content knowledge at the expense of professional preparation "methods" training will be less effective in the overall learning of middle level students."

In a position statement adopted by NMSA's Board of Trustees, it pointed out that "the middle level years are a time when students are experiencing many developmental changes that impact how they learn. Effective middle schools are implementing proven techniques to deliver instruction in line with young adolescents' unique needs."

Sue Swaim, NMSA executive director, explained that the call for balance in teacher preparation is a consistent message from the association, stated in an earlier position statement, Professional Preparation of Middle Level Teachers, and in its seminal document, This We Believe: Developmentally Responsive Middle Level Schools.

"Effective middle level educators…understand the developmental uniqueness of young adolescents and are as knowledgeable about their students as they are about the subject matter they teach," This We Believe states.

"This should not be an 'either-or situation'," Kasak said. "Students, parents and communities should be able to expect that there is a teacher in every classroom who knows his or her subject but also knows how to teach, not just deliver content, to young adolescent learners."

NMSA is the nation's largest professional association focusing specifically on the education of young adolescents (10 to 15 year-olds). Its 30,000 members include middle level teachers, principals, school administrators, parents, and others dealing with this age group.