Concern about the Principals Training Center
-
interteach
- Posts: 217
- Joined: Wed Nov 29, 2006 2:25 pm
Concern about the Principals Training Center
Deleted
Last edited by interteach on Sat Jun 23, 2012 10:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Concern about the Principals Training Center
[quote="interteach"]Having worked in enough international schools with PTC graduates in administrative positions and having attended the PTC it's gotten to the point where I wonder if the PTC is one of the problems with international schools.
Basically, if you take 4 one-week (they're actually less than a week) PTC courses you're certified to be an international school principal. I've seen people do the whole training in one summer and then they became principals.
I don't believe there's enough breadth and depth in less than four weeks of training to qualify someone to be a principal of an international school. And there's a lot of people out there in admin positions who only have that training. Most PTC graduates I've run into may have some ideas about admin work but fall short when it comes to knowing how to manage or deal with complex problems.
Does anyone agree or disagree?[/quote]
I'm working on my Type 75 Admin Cert now in Illinois- with an eye to going overseas again. That's taking me 20 months, plus an internship. I'm also a quasi-Admin now (tech). I'd count my on-the-ground experience as the most valuable, then the program I'm in. With no Admin/Supervisory experience at all, four weeks of training wouldn't come close to preparing you for all you'd face as a Princpal, IMHO.
Basically, if you take 4 one-week (they're actually less than a week) PTC courses you're certified to be an international school principal. I've seen people do the whole training in one summer and then they became principals.
I don't believe there's enough breadth and depth in less than four weeks of training to qualify someone to be a principal of an international school. And there's a lot of people out there in admin positions who only have that training. Most PTC graduates I've run into may have some ideas about admin work but fall short when it comes to knowing how to manage or deal with complex problems.
Does anyone agree or disagree?[/quote]
I'm working on my Type 75 Admin Cert now in Illinois- with an eye to going overseas again. That's taking me 20 months, plus an internship. I'm also a quasi-Admin now (tech). I'd count my on-the-ground experience as the most valuable, then the program I'm in. With no Admin/Supervisory experience at all, four weeks of training wouldn't come close to preparing you for all you'd face as a Princpal, IMHO.
I agree it does seem to be the last of the old boys trying to create a future in their image. But the person who is in charge of PTC and TTC is a great person. Perhaps the concept that certification can be gained after a week in Florida is absurd. No US principal can get a admin certification from any state in such a fashion so why would International schools accept this?
-
Traveller1
- Posts: 93
- Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 11:18 pm
"Basically, if you take 4 one-week (they're actually less than a week) PTC courses you're certified to be an international school principal. I've seen people do the whole training in one summer and then they became principals."
I've done a couple of PTC courses and I don't recall the PTC claiming that the Certificate was equal to an Administrative certification. The purpose of the courses, to the best of my knowledge, is to improve the practice, knowledge and understanding of administrators and aspirant administrators. I've found them to be immensly useful when reflecting on my own practice.
I don't think it's fair to blame the PTC if international schools appoint PTC Certificate holders as Administrators. However it does indicate that many international schools recognise the value of the PTC courses.
Over the years that I have worked in international education I wish that more of the School Heads, Principals and Coordinators that I had taught under had attended PTC courses. I'm confident that it would have improved their practice. A number of them have been fully certified administrators and not worth half the salary they earned.
I would also say that many international schools are staffed by teachers that have a very limited understanding of international education. Of course we all have to start somewhere and we learn along the way, but sometimes criticism of administrators is based on expectations teachers have of national schools situated in their home countries.
I've done a couple of PTC courses and I don't recall the PTC claiming that the Certificate was equal to an Administrative certification. The purpose of the courses, to the best of my knowledge, is to improve the practice, knowledge and understanding of administrators and aspirant administrators. I've found them to be immensly useful when reflecting on my own practice.
I don't think it's fair to blame the PTC if international schools appoint PTC Certificate holders as Administrators. However it does indicate that many international schools recognise the value of the PTC courses.
Over the years that I have worked in international education I wish that more of the School Heads, Principals and Coordinators that I had taught under had attended PTC courses. I'm confident that it would have improved their practice. A number of them have been fully certified administrators and not worth half the salary they earned.
I would also say that many international schools are staffed by teachers that have a very limited understanding of international education. Of course we all have to start somewhere and we learn along the way, but sometimes criticism of administrators is based on expectations teachers have of national schools situated in their home countries.