Federal Efforts

Over the past eight years, the Clinton-Gore Administration has promoted rigorous standards, supported high-quality professional development, increased accountability, and helped states and districts recruit, prepare, and induct new teachers. Because other changes in school organization may have little impact on student achievement if teaching methods are not systematically adapted and improved, the Administration has made improving teacher quality a top priority.

For the first time in almost 30 years, the Federal government is investing in the recruitment, preparation, mentoring, and support of new teachers. Among the investments that directly affect teachers are the new Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant program and the Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology program. These initiatives support systemic efforts to improve the quality of teacher preparation and training and, in turn, the quality of instruction and student achievement. The Department is also implementing a new teacher accountability system that requires institutions and states to report on the outcomes of their teacher preparation programs.

In 1999, the Teacher Quality program awarded 28 teacher recruitment grants to help high-need school districts recruit and prepare 3,000 new teachers; 25 partnership grants to improve the preparation of over 17,000 new teachers; and 24 state grants to support systematic efforts to improve the quality of teaching.⁵³ The Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers program awarded 225 consortium grants to support implementation and infusion of technology into the preparation and field experiences of 400,000 future teachers.⁵⁴ Title II grants awarded in FY 2000 support seven new states and eight more partnerships.⁵⁵

To support greater communication and cooperation among the many parties involved in recruiting, preparing, and inducting teachers to ensure that they are prepared to teach in the 21^st century, the Department has organized a series of first-ever nationwide conferences. The President’s Summit in 1999 convened college and university presidents from across the country to discuss their role in elevating the importance and improving the quality of teacher preparation on their campuses. Building on the Summit, the National Conference on Teacher Quality in January 2000 assembled more than 1,000 higher education leaders with K-12 and community leaders to develop action plans for improving teacher education. Four regional summer institutes focused on implementation of these plans.

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