The Texas Standard, Volume 36, Number 1, Jaunuary-February 1962 Page: 3
31 p. : ill. ; 29 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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FEB 12 '62
resident's Message
TEACHERS EDUCATION AND
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
MRS. VELMA JETER
The Teachers State Association of Texas is dedicated to
practical and worthy purpose: "advancement of the stand-
ards of the teaching
profession". This pur-
pose is clearly stated
in Article II, Section
1 of the Constitution
and Bylaws.
As a primary pur-
pose of TSAT, ad-
vancement of stand-
ards of the teaching
profession should be
reflected in the pro-
gram and services
which the Association
provides for its mem-
bers. This expectation
motivated my thinking
in planning a message
for members. The mes-
sage is presented as an
initial statement in the
exas Standard, expressing some viewpoints about the As-
sociation's theme for 1962: "Analyzing Today's Aspects of
Education".
New Aspects in Teacher Education
and Professional Standards
During the period 1946 to 1958 teacher education pro-
grams and professional standards for teachers were greatly
influenced by the National Commission on Teacher Educa-
tion and Professional Standards, popularly known as the
TEPS Commission. Established by the National Education
Association, the TEPS Commission carried out an ambitious
program designed to achieve the goal: "Competent profes-
sionals for every position".
Despite progress in developing comprehensive teacher
education programs; standardizing certification require-
ments; and developing selective criteria for prospective
teachers, critics of teachers and teaching prompted a re-
examination of the purposes, goals, and procedures which
directed that competency was a basic consideration in curing
the ills of education. The position of many educators on
this point is ably expressed by Margaret Lindsey, director,
New Horizons Project: "both the public and the profes-
sion were expressing deep concern about the standards held
by the teaching profession".
A significant observation of the Steering Panel (New
Horizons Project) points up a new aspect of teacher edu-
cation and the standards which the profession should
maintain:
A profession is more than a mass of "competent
individuals', for a profession as a whole has respon-
sibility for the quality of its unique, definite, and
essential social service and for the development
JANUARY-FEBRUARY, 1962
and enforcement of standards in the continuous
selection, preparation, and performance of its mem-
bers.
In August 1959, a panel of outstanding educators met
with the executive secretary and the chairman of the TEPS
Commission to develop definite statements concerning pur-
poses and goals of the New Horizons Project. The de-
finitive statement proposed "action programs at the local,
state, and national levels" which would be centered upon
the "complete professionalization of teaching". Prior to
this definitive statement, there had not been any organized
group which purported to promote the complete profession-
alization of teaching.
When the TEPS Commission extended its goals beyond
the narrow limits of competency in teaching to the broader
realm of professionalization, it gave birth to a new aspect
of both teacher education and the standards which the pro-
fession should establish and promote.
Qualifications of Professionals
The commitment to completely professionalize teaching
suggests that qualifications of professionals should be de-
scribed and agreed upon. When we catalog qualifications
of professionals, teachers differ in three important areas:
(1) requirements for license; (2) development and enforce
ment of professional standards; and (3) membership in
professional organizations.
Requirements for License. Teachers secure their license
on the basis of satisfactory grades in prescribed courses.
An attorney, a physician, a dentist, an engineer and other
professionals are required to pass an examination before
license will be granted.
Scores on National Teacher Examinations are used by
some school systems as screening devices for applicants who
are seeking teaching positions. The use of the scores as
screening devices is an approach to standardizing procedures
in determining competencies of beginning teachers.
It seems important to point out that, increasingly, teach-
ers are participating in decisions about certification require-
ments. For example, in a special hearing with Dr. Edgar,
Texas Education Agency, representatives of TSAT presented
their views about specific requirements proposed in the
recent revision of certification programs. Other state as-
sociations, likewise, participate in decisions about certifi-
cation programs and many of them have specialized per-
sonnel which continuously study problems related to certifi-
cation. This participation is a new aspect of the profession.
Developing and Enforcing Professional Standards. Local
units of the American Bar Association reprimand or disci-
pline their members whenever the accused member is found
guilty of malpractices or violations which breech the code
of ethics. Similarly, Medical and Dental Societies repri-
mand or discipline their members, with the view of safe-
guarding their professions from defamation which follows
corrupt practices and moral irresponsibility.
One state teachers association, California, exercises the
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McDaniel, Vernon. The Texas Standard, Volume 36, Number 1, Jaunuary-February 1962, periodical, January 1962; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth193809/m1/3/: accessed May 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Prairie View A&M University.