The paper reviews a national survey of alternative teacher certification programs, comparing the data to: (1) Teacher Education Policy in the States: A 50-State Survey of Legislative and Administrative Actions (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), December 1990); and (2) Alternative Teacher Certification: A State-by-State Analysis 1990 (Feistritzer, 1990). Data suggest state approved alternative teacher certification programs have permanence and are changing the face of teacher preparation. They have grown rapidly in numbers and variety, but no single model is the most promising. The studies suggest the pressure to create alternative programs came from outside the profession. When normal channels for change failed, people used the political arena. Many states mandated alternatives, and others worked alternatives via more traditional avenues, but the motivation was political. The political climate characterizing policy setting for alternative programs impacts all of teacher preparation. Teacher education must become a partnership between the university, school district, and department of education. Though universities and university-based teachers can choose not to respond to alternative programming, such action would further encourage the removal of teacher preparation from affiliation with higher education. (SM)