Scott: "The information that reformk12.com refers to addresses the ranking of students who major in education versus other majors. It tells us nothing about the ability of certified versus uncertified teachers... after all, it could be the worst students who end up in education, regardless of background."
That's quite possible. I doubt that the students from top colleges who choose teaching are coming from the tops of their classes. But the bottom one-fifth of scores from top universities are still higher than the education major averages cited. Also, when schools require "accredited teachers", they are not merely saying "We are every bit as good as you elitist private school types"; they are, in fact, saying "We are better than you, and would exclude you on the grounds of teaching excellence." It is a paradoxical kind of elitist Culture of Mediocrity.
