A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Next Steps for Colleges and Universities

What can be done at the local level to address these complex teacher quality issues? The following questions are designed to challenge higher education leaders and faculty to think about how they might begin. These questions are intended to be thought-provoking and do not have easy answers. They may, however, encourage people to extend themselves beyond their traditional roles and to take action.

• How strong are our partnerships among K-12 educators, college of education faculty, and arts and sciences faculty? What evidence do we have?
• Do we have a coherent plan to recruit talented individuals from diverse backgrounds—including middle and high school students, paraprofessionals, and mid-career professionals—into the teaching profession?
• Do we have a formal admissions process that supports our goal of recruiting people who are serious about teaching and who have the potential to become good teachers?
• Do we provide a core curriculum to all prospective teachers that is tied to student content standards and to standards for teaching?
• Do our teacher preparation programs integrate theory and practice? Do we ask and answer the questions, "How will this course or experience help teachers teach kids? How will it help students learn?"
• Do we require prospective teachers to gain multiple experiences in K-12 schools under the tutelage of master teachers, culminating in full-year internships? Do we select the master teachers carefully, based on their instructional expertise?
• Do we ensure that our candidates learn strategies for dealing with the realities of today's classrooms, such as students with disabilities or limited English proficiency, increasing diversity, the integration of technology, higher standards, and working with parents?
• How do we measure the knowledge and skills that pre-service teachers have gained through our programs? Do we follow our graduates to see how effective they are in the classroom?
• Do we support our graduates once they begin their teaching careers to ensure their success?
• Do we prepare principals to be instructional leaders able to support the teachers in their schools?

[Next Steps for Teachers]

[Next Steps for School Administrators]