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As part of her Ready to Read, Ready to Learn initiative, Laura Bush today hosted the White House Conference on Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers by bringing together university and business leaders, teacher education advocates, teachers' unions, public policy organizations and foundations from across the country to help develop solutions for enhancing teacher quality.

The goal of the conference was to ensure that our nation's children can count on having teachers who not only bring love, compassion and dedication to their profession, but also possess a deep and up-to-date knowledge of the concepts and subjects they are teaching as well as the ability to assess each student's academic strengths and weaknesses and to apply the most effective instructional methods, strategies and materials to meet his or her learning needs.

In his March 2 radio address, President Bush highlighted the need for a quality teacher in every classroom in America.

"The effectiveness of all education reform eventually comes down to a good teacher in a classroom," President Bush said. "And America's teachers are eager to put higher standards into action, and we must give them the tools to succeed. My administration has set a great goal for our public schools: a quality teacher in every classroom.

"We can achieve this in two ways: by attracting capable men and women into the teaching profession, and providing teachers the training and support they deserve."

President Bush also highlighted his teacher-quality initiatives during an event in Minneapolis yesterday.

The White House conference focused on the preparation of teacher candidates at the nation's colleges of education and on professional development for those teachers who have already answered the call to teach. It also highlighted research regarding teacher preparation and student achievement as well as alternative routes to entering the teaching profession.

Research shows that children learn and achieve at much higher levels when their teachers know the subject content thoroughly and know how to teach it effectively. Good teachers monitor the progress of their students and adjust instruction for students who are falling behind.

Margaret Spellings, assistant to the president for domestic policy, moderated the program.

Grover (Russ) Whitehurst, assistant secretary of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement in the U.S. Department of Education; Diane Ravitch, research professor of education at New York University; and Frederick M. Hess, assistant professor of education and government at the University of Virginia, focused on "what we know and where we need to go."

In addition, the conference highlighted promising practices in the field. The following experts made presentations on this topic: Manuel J. Justiz, dean of the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin, and David W. Gordon, superintendent of Elk Grove Unified School District in Elk Grove, Calif.

In addition, the conference highlighted promising practices in the field. The following experts made presentations on this topic: Manuel J. Justiz, dean of the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin, and David W. Gordon, superintendent of Elk Grove Unified School District in Elk Grove, Calif.

Sandra Feldman, president of the American Federation of Teachers, shared her organization's views on strengthening the teaching force.

The conference also highlighted the best ways to teach reading--the foundation of all learning. Edward J. Kame'enui, director of the Institute for the Development of Educational Achievement at the University of Oregon, led this discussion.

Barbara B. Kelley, chair of the board of directors of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and Michael B. Poliakoff, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, talked about teacher certification issues.

The following participants shared promising practices in alternative routes to teaching: Arthur Moore, elementary special education teacher in Baltimore City Schools, discussed the Troops to Teachers program; Aramina Ferrer, principal of the Edgar Allan Poe Literacy Development School in the Bronx, N.Y., highlighted the New Teacher Project; and Elizabeth Menendez, elementary teacher in New York City Schools, focused on Teach for America.

U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige also participated in the conference and delivered closing remarks.

As a cornerstone of education reform, the historic No Child Left Behind Act that President Bush signed into law in January 2002, requires that by the end of the 2005-2006 school year there be a "highly qualified" teacher in every classroom.

Over the next decade, school districts will need to hire 2.2 million additional teachers. But states and school districts face the challenge of attracting a greater quantity of people to the teaching profession while also ensuring teacher quality.

A survey by the Department of Education found that fewer than 36 percent of current teachers feel "very well prepared" to implement curriculum and performance standards, and less than 20 percent feel prepared to meet the needs of diverse students or those with limited English proficiency. While states and educational organizations have begun to pursue different ways to recruit and train high-quality individuals to become teachers, more help is needed.

Through both the No Child Left Behind Act and President Bush's budget, states and local school districts will have multiple tools to help them meet new teacher-quality requirements in the law. Altogether, programs that are part of the president's commitment to teacher quality will provide states and districts with more than $4 billion in federal funds in 2002 alone. Key parts of the president's efforts to ensure a quality teacher in every classroom include:

• Providing State Grants to Recruit and Train Teachers: A $2.85 billion flexible grant program, funded in FY2002, will provide states with resources to recruit and train teachers and principals. This represents an increase of 35 percent over FY2001 levels, and the president's FY2003 budget sustains this level of funding.
• Recruiting High-Quality Individuals to Become Teachers: President Bush proposes record level support for programs that provide innovative ways to recruit new teachers into the teaching profession, including the Troops to Teachers program, Transition to Teaching Program and Teach for America.
• Expanding Programs to Train Teachers in Specific Subject Areas: President Bush proposes to strengthen programs to help train teachers in specific areas of need, including early childhood education, reading instruction, bilingual education, special education, math, science, history and technology.
• Implementing the Teacher Protection Act: This new law ensures that teachers, principals and other school professionals can undertake reasonable actions to maintain order and discipline in the classroom without fear of litigation.
• Creating a New Teacher Tax Deduction: The president's FY2003 budget calls for a new teacher tax deduction to help teachers defray out-of-pocket classroom expenses of up to $400. The cost of this initiative is $16 million in FY2004 and $577 million over the first five years.
• Providing Expanded Student Loan Forgiveness for Teachers: President Bush's plan will expand student loan forgiveness to up to $17,500 for math, science and special education teachers who commit to teach in high-need schools for five years. The total cost of this initiative is $45 million in FY2003 and $112 million over five years.

"In our new era of education reform we're asking a lot of our teachers, and we owe them something in return. We must treat them as the professionals they are," President Bush said in his radio address. "We must give them our respect and support. Teachers are among the most important people in our children's lives, and a good teacher can literally make a lifelong difference.

"I have confidence in the education reforms we enacted because I have confidence in the teachers who will carry them out."

For more information about the conference, please visit www.whitehouse.gov or www.ed.gov.

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