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A new national report by the National Council on Teacher Quality and the U.S. News and World Report found that only four secondary programs in California — made the honor roll — none of which were in Los Angeles.

Of 71 elementary training programs rated in California, 64% received the lowest scores, noted the LA Times.

University of California-Berkeley, University of California-Irvine, University of California Redlands and University of California-San Diego were the only programs that earned a 3-star rating or more.

The report’s findings were generally supported by LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy, who was quoted in the Times saying that “It’s widely agreed upon that there’s a problem… The report points out that California has an acute set of problems.”

However, well-regarded LA-area teacher training programs such as UCLA and LMU were quick to defend their teachers and attack the results of the report.

“The report has serious flaws, especially for institutions in Los Angeles and across the state,” said Megan Franke, the chair UCLA’s Department of Education. “It doesn’t look at what goes on in the classrooms.”

“In the case of LMU, they got it wrong,” said Shane Martin, dean of the school of education at Loyola Marymount University, according to the Times.

Many schools did not participate in the study, and some aspects of California’s teacher preparation system resulted in state schools being rated lower than in other states.  The report was largely funded by the Carnegie Corporation and the Broad Foundation.

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