California School Principals Give High Marks to UC-Prepared Teachers

Public school principals in California say beginning teachers who received their credentials through the University of California are among the best prepared in the state, according to a recent survey.

The survey, conducted by Education Partnerships at the UC Office of the President, asked principals at every level of the K-12 system to rate teachers in their first three years of teaching. More than 70 percent rated their UC-prepared teachers in the top 25 percent compared to non-UC prepared teachers at their schools. Nearly 90 percent thought the “overall readiness to teach” among UC graduates was “good or excellent.”

One principal noted, “Compared to other teachers, they are at the top of the class. It takes two to three years of staff development and training for these teachers to catch up with their UC counterparts.”

In comments specific to teachers prepared by the UC Davis School of Education, one principal said, “Our UC Davis graduates have proven to be effective teachers. They have great communication skills with their colleagues and parents. They also have shared recent research with everyone. They are an asset to our school.”

Overall, principals rated UC-prepared teachers very highly in these areas:
•    Knowledge of content (92.9%)
•    Capacity to collaborate with colleagues (90.4%)
•    Use a variety of instructional strategies (83.1%)
•    Capacity to reflect on student learning to inform instruction (82.8%)
•    Ability to apply relevant research to practice (82.5%)

“In all of these areas, we know our graduates excel,” said Dean Harold Levine.

UC Davis has been preparing teachers for California and the nation for nearly one hundred years. Our teacher education programs are built on this long-standing foundation of experience, rigorous coursework, and yearlong, mentored student teaching.

Our program focus is on rigorous coursework and clinical student teaching practice. Candidates receive intensive discipline-specific methods coursework preparation as well as preparation to teach reading-language arts; implement data-driven and technology-enhanced instruction; and effectively address the unique needs of English language learners.

As a key part of our program, we provide all teacher candidates with extensive training and practice in conducting classroom-based educational research that leads to improved teaching and learning, particularly their own. Students complete requirements for the M.A. degree during two part-time quarters following the credential year. Learn more about our teaching credential program here.