Tomorrow, in partnership with U.S. News & World Report, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) will publish the Teacher Prep Review, the first-ever comprehensive evaluation of teacher preparation in the United States.

On the even of this momentous occasion, which assuredly will lead to major “reforms” in teacher preparation colleges across the country, let us take a moment and remember who is doing the evaluating. For those of you who are too tired of reading lengthy blogs let me put this in perspective for you in short order: the majority of the board of directors, advisory board, and financial donors mostly work for (or are closely associated with) companies, think tanks and “no profits” many of which are already, or stand to gain, record profits by providing the goods and services which no doubt will be found “lacking” in higher education institutions. Their “recommendations” could easily serve as a gateway for their own companies to “partner with” or just flat out replace college of education programs. (spoiler alert: the advisory board member listed first is Sir Michael Barber; Chief Education Adviser, Pearson International).

READ ON… (all of this information can be found at their website)

For more extensive insights into NCTQ corporate interest see “Krash course on NCTQ”

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Hon. Barbara O’Brien is president at Get Smart Schools. Get Smart Schools prepares school leaders-partners with Teach for America and Walton Foundation)

Stacey Boyd is the founder and CEO of The Savvy Source for Parents, which provides education and technology consulting services to non-profits, corporations and government entities, with clients that include the World Economic Forum, the US Department of State and US Agency for International Development. In the spring of 2003, Ms. Boyd concluded a four-year tenure as the President and CEO of Project Achieve, Inc., a company she founded

Chester E. Finn, Jr. is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and Thomas B. Fordham Institute and senior editor of EducationNext. Dr. Finn is also a Senior Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution,

Ira Fishman– founding CEO of HiFusion, an innovative education and consumer media company. Also an Aspen Teacher Leader Fellow in 2012.

Dr. Garlett is the former Vice President, Academic Programs & Professional Licensure at Laureate Education, and was appointed as Kaplan University’s first Academic Dean for its School of Education, She served as the Founding Dean of the Teachers College at Western Governors University, where she established national programs in initial educator licensure that were approved by multiple states.

Henry Johnson– He is currently a senior advisor for B&D Consulting in Washington, D.C. Partners with Defense Information Systems Agency and the Dept of Defense and the US Army

Carol G. Peck is currently the President and CEO of the Rodel Charitable Foundation of Arizona.

John Winn  has joined the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) in March 2007 as the Chief Program Officer of Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program and the UTeach program.

Kate Walsh has served as the president of the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) since 2002. Before coming to NCTQ, she worked for The Abell Foundation in Baltimore, the Baltimore City Public Schools, and the Core Knowledge Foundation. she also started the first alternative certification program for teachers in Maryland, a project which led to her strong interest in teacher quality. The Core Knowledge Foundation is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan educational foundation founded in 1986 by E. D. Hirsch, Jr.

NCTQ (biggests) FUNDERS

The National Council on Teacher Quality receives all of its funding from private foundations.

Champion Supporter (above $200,000)

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Carnegie Corporation of New York

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Laura and John Arnold Foundation

Searle Freedom Trust

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation

The Joyce Foundation

The Teaching Commission

Lead Investor ($75,000-$200,000)

Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock

Benwood Foundation

Gleason Family Foundation

Houston Endowment

Hyde Family Foundations

The James M. Cox Foundation

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation

The Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation

Walton Family Foundation

William Penn Foundation

Advisory Board

Sir Michael Barber

Chief Education Advisor, Pearson International

McKinley Broome

Teacher, Woodholme Elementary, Maryland

Cynthia G. Brown

Director of Education Policy, Center for American Progress

David Chard

Dean, School of Education and Human Development, Southern Methodist University

Andrew Chen

President, EduTron

Celine Coggins

Founder and CEO, Teach Plus

Pattie Davis

Teacher, Fairview Middle School, Tennessee

Michael Feinberg

Founder, KIPP

Elie Gaines

President and Consultant, All Schools Considered

Michael Goldstein

CEO and Founder, The Match School, Massachusetts

Eric A. Hanushek

Senior Fellow, The Hoover Institution

Joseph A. Hawkins

Senior Study Director, Westat

Frederick M. Hess

Scholar, American Enterprise Institute

E.D. Hirsch

Author and Founder, Core Knowledge Foundation

Michael Johnston

State Senator, Colorado

Barry Kaufman

President, BK Education Consulting Services

Joel I. Klein

CEO & Executive VP, News Corporation

Wendy Kopp

Founder and Chairman, Teach for America

James Larson

Director of Special Projects, Educators 4 Excellence

Thomas Lasley

Executive Director, EDvention

Amy Jo Leonard

Education Specialist, Turtle Mountain Elementary School

Robert H. Pasternack

Senior Vice President, Cambium Learning Group

Michael Podgursky

Professor, Dept. of Economics, University of Missouri – Columbia

Dr. Stefanie Sanford

Chief, Global Policy & Advocacy, The College Board

Daniel Willingham

Professor, University of Virginia

Suzanne Wilson

Professor and Chair, Department of Teacher Education, Michigan State University