Uncovering Mexico
Jeremy Schwartz is the Mexico correspondent for Cox Newspapers. He is based in Mexico City.What's on this page?
All the entries posted on August 15, 2008.
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Friday, August 15, 2008
Mexican teachers get failing grade
In a disturbing glimpse of how far Mexico’s struggling education system has to go, nearly 70 percent of aspiring teachers failed the nation’s first ever placement exam earlier this month. It was the first time teachers were given tests to determine their positions in schools - for decades, teaching jobs and advancement in Mexico has been firmly rooted in cronyism.
Experts say the high failure rate reveals poor preparation of most teachers as well as serious problems within the country’s “normal,” or teaching, schools. “The results of the test reflect a disaster that we are just beginning to discover,” David Calderon, member of a Mexican civil organization Mexicans First, told the Reforma newspaper in this morning’s edition. “The training practices for our teachers needs to be revised.”
Perhaps more disturbing was that the failing test takers included thousands of teachers who are already in Mexican schools, but are looking for a fixed teaching position.
For an excellent, quick overview of Mexico’s teacher testing program, and the role Mexico’s powerful teachers union plays in all this, check out this Economist article.