Ope Actions

Teachers want help in bringing high standards into their classrooms. OPE should take additional actions.

1. OPE should support partnerships among K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions to create comprehensive change in education.

2. OPE should work with states to find ways for mid-career professionals to prepare for and enter teaching more easily, while maintaining and raising certification standards.

3. OPE should encourage higher education leaders to get involved in teacher preparation reform: the data on subject matter competence of new teachers and student performance on tests with rigorous standards show that the entire university must be behind quality teacher training.

4. OPE should work with national organizations and other institutions to facilitate closer integration of teacher colleges with the entire university.

5. OPE should gather and disseminate up-to-date information about innovative teacher preparation practices; many institutions have tackled aspects of the quality-teaching puzzle and their work should be identified and publicized widely.

6. OPE should convene forums on teacher quality issues at state and regional levels: higher visibility for the core issues of teacher quality will draw state and other leaders into the reform process.

7. OPE should promote GEAR UP as part of a broad strategy to attract students into teaching, especially minority students: these students often have strong ties to their community and want to practice their professions in the places where they grew up.

8. OPE should provide effective outreach about funding opportunities in OPE, and technical assistance for institutions with limited grant-seeking experience.

9. OPE should involve foundations, businesses, states, universities, and other partners in carefully designed efforts to fund comprehensive approaches to teacher quality improvement: federal leadership can bring other important partners to the table and accelerate the pace of change.

10. OPE should promote the effective integration of technology into curriculum and instructional practices on the university campus and in the school classroom.

11. OPE should consider a grant competition to encourage states, or regional partnerships, to build on some of the creative ideas that are being tried to improve teacher training. Whatever the final form, one goal of the program would be to break down the current barriers that separate the main postsecondary institution from the college of education.

As Secretary of Education Richard Riley has said many times, "We know that the single most important factor in a child's education is a well-qualified teacher."

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