The doctoral thesis summarized in this document investigated which set of teacher education program admissions criteria best predict achievement by examining the relationship between outcomes in the teacher education program and test scores and other indicators of academic achievement. The particular problem was to determine the predictive value of currently utilized admission tests of academic achievement for teacher education programs at the College of Education, University of Akron (Ohio). A sample of students (N=455) who had been admitted to the College of Education during calendar year 1990 was compared to the population in terms of standardized test scores, incoming grade point averages, course grades, major department, and demographics. The six predictor variables selected by regression analysis were: incoming cumulative grade point average, ACT English, whether a course in educational media had been taken, grades in two education course prerequisites, and whether the ACT had been taken. Data analysis indicated that the best predictor of future performance is past performance, and that standardized tests are preferable to course grades due to outside factors (e.g., grade inflation). In addition, performance in certain specific education courses proved to be predictive of academic achievement. These findings imply the desirability of colleges of education requiring certain prerequisite courses and using those course grades in program admissions decisions. (LL)