National Council on Teacher Quality v. American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

The National Council on Teacher Quality can be accessed at:
http://www.nctq.org/p/

Here's what the AACTE has to say about the NCTQ:

October 12, 2011


Dear Colleagues,
The outrage continues. As you recall from previous updates citing Brian Kelly's comments at a July NCTQ event, there is a clear negative bias held by both U.S. News and NCTQ against university based educator preparation programs. This is cause for alarm and further confirmation that this is a deeply flawed endeavor. AACTE continues to learn more about the practices that NCTQ is employing to conduct its national review and the ways our members are responding to them. We are committed to collecting and sharing information with you. Thus, below are some recent developments:
Students on Campus
NCTQ's presence on your campus might be more prevalent than you realize. Although NCTQ has said it will submit official FOIA requests to institutions that are not participating, AACTE has heard from many institutions that students on their campuses have been hired by NCTQ to obtain syllabi and other course documents from education schools, including those that have chosen not to participate in the project. NCTQ is hiring these students from any year of schooling – including some that just graduated high school last spring – from any program at the university and with no GPA requirement, and asking them to collect the data that will be used to draw substantial conclusions about your institutions' education programs. This is yet another unprofessional practice by NCTQ, which consistently touts itself as a credible research body. Some AACTE members have decided to bring the matter up with their institutions' leadership to determine whether students conducting these activities are in compliance with university regulations. If you encounter these students, please let us know about your experiences.
Proprietary Status of Syllabi
Several members have raised the important issue of whether syllabi are considered the proprietary property of faculty and, therefore, not allowed to be shared or sold by students back to NCTQ for commercial purposes. In some circumstances, members have vetted this topic with their institutions' legal counsel and have received confirmation that syllabi are considered proprietary.
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
Institutions have begun receiving FOIA requests from NCTQ, mandating the submission of documents for the national review. We are hearing a wide range of costs associated with staff time and production of the requested materials, from $2,000 to more than $25,000. Rightfully, many institutions have billed NCTQ back for the costs, but to our knowledge, NCTQ has not yet reimbursed one of these programs. It could be helpful to find out if your state is one that requires anyone who submits a FOIA request to pre-pay those they are seeking information from – before they can receive the requested information. Please let us know how your institution is handling FOIA requests from NCTQ.
AACTE continues to assert that this initiative is so fundamentally flawed that it is not worthy of your engagement. However, we do understand that some programs will be required to participate for reasons beyond your control. Please stay in touch with us to share your experiences so that we can keep the entire membership informed. If you have any questions about the information above, contact AACTE staff member Mary Harrill-McClellan at mharrill@aacte.org.
Sincerely,

Sharon P. Robinson, Ed.D.
President and CEO
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE).
1307 New York Ave., NW Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005-4701. ph 202-293-2450. fx 202-457-8095

A battle with potentially profound consequences for teacher education in America appears to be taking shape, and this Blog will try to keep abreast of developments.