Differences Between Graduates of 4-Year and 5-Year Teacher Preparation Programs

A 10-year comparison of graduates from 4- and 5-year teacher education programs at the same institution revealed significant differences between graduates of the two programs. Significantly more 5-year graduates entered and stayed in teaching than graduates of the 4-year program. Graduates of the 5-year program were more satisfied with their career and perceived the quality of their program to be higher than the 4-year graduates did. Limitations of the study and alter native explanations for these differences are discussed.