Are Alternative Certification Programs a Solution to the Teacher Shortage?
Francisca Ramirez-Sorenson says teaching runs in her family. Her mother was a teacher, as was her grandmother. But until a year ago, Ramirez-Sorenson was on a different career path – one that made use of her master’s degree in anthropology. “I was not going to be a teacher under any circumstances,” she recalls. “But I think I was born with certain talents.” In September, Ramirez-Sorenson was certified as a teacher. The route she took to the front of the classroom, however, is different from the traditional four-year college program. She is a graduate of the Houston Independent School District’s Alternative Certification Program – the first district-based program of its kind in the country. This year-long program prepared her well for the classroom, says Ramirez-Sorenson. “They taught us a great deal about child development, child psychology, strategies for teaching, and how to encourage children to learn. They also taught us how to work with foreign students – and the cultural shock th
