Preparing New Teachers for the Challenges of Today's Classrooms

New teachers need to be well prepared to teach all students to the highest standards even as classrooms grow more challenging and diverse. High-quality teacher preparation means ensuring that new teachers have strong knowledge of their subject area and the teaching skills to teach all students well.

• Nationwide Conferences

A series of three conferences, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, in which participants will develop action plans for improving the recruitment and preparation of new teachers:
• The Presidents' Summit on Teacher Quality, held in September 1999, convened college and university presidents to discuss their leadership roles in improving teacher preparation. Read a summary of the action steps generated by Summit participants; the Secretary's keynote address; and remarks by researcher Daniel Fallon.
• The National Conference on Teacher Quality, held on January 9 and 10, 2000, brought together 166 teams comprised of over 800 college and university officials, K-12 educators, policymakers, school district administrators, business and community leaders, representatives of teachers unions and others. This conference highlighted 36 successful models in teacher recruitment, preparation, contextual teaching and learning, and support for new teachers. These models served as resources for the teams who began developing action plans to strengthen teacher preparation efforts in their own communities. Read summaries of the 36 models of exemplary practices featured at the Conference; and the Secretary's keynote address.
• The U.S. Department of Education will sponsor four regional Summer Institutes on teacher quality. The institutes will bring together locally-based teams of higher education leaders and their K-12 and community partners to develop plans for improving teacher education in their communities. Learn more about these institutes.
• Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants

Three discretionary grant programs designed to increase student achievement through comprehensive approaches to improving teacher quality:
• Partnership Grants to bring about fundamental change and improvement in teacher education
• State Grants to support comprehensive statewide reforms to improve teacher quality
• Teacher Recruitment Grants to reduce shortages of qualified teachers in high-need school districts
• Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology

Discretionary grants that support capacity-building at teacher preparation institutions to ensure that tomorrow's teachers can integrate technology effectively into the curriculum.
• Personnel Preparation for the Education of Persons with Disabilities

Discretionary grants that (1) help address state-identified needs for qualified personnel in special education, related services, early intervention, and regular education, to work with children with disabilities; and (2) ensure that those personnel have the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful.
• From College to First Year Teaching: From Students of Teaching to Teachers of Students: Teacher Induction Around the Pacific Rim

A cross-national study of teacher induction practices that includes case studies of programs in Japan, New Zealand, and the Northern Territory of Australia.

Recruiting | So You Want To Be a Teacher? | Preparing New Teachers |
Raising New Standards for Teachers | Professional Development | Research and Dissemination |
Teachers Share Their Wisdom | Speeches and Studies | Classroom Resources | Funding

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