In Texas, for instance, roughly 90% of public-school teachers are white, but 40% of those who have joined through alternative certification are non-whites.

ECONOMIST: It's getting easier to change your mind and become a teacher

The education establishment has not attacked alternative certification head-on.

ECONOMIST: It's getting easier to change your mind and become a teacher

Alternative certification attracts more men and more non-whites.

ECONOMIST: It's getting easier to change your mind and become a teacher

Eighty percent of the teachers with traditional training reported feeling prepared during their first year on the job, compared to just 50 percent of the alternative-certification teachers.

FORBES: Fact-Checking Joel Klein