Alternative Credentialing: Lessons fromVocational Education

Abstract

Alternative credentialing of teachers has been practiced for decades in vocational education even though research suggests that teachers receiving non- traditional certificates do not perform as well as traditionally prepared teachers. The authors argue that as policymakers consider alternative credentialing prac tices that will allow persons with backgrounds in other disciplines (e.g., math and science) to teach, they should carefully analyze the successes and failures of alternative credentialing procedures in vocational education.