Washington D.C. – Today, Carmel Martin, Executive Vice President for Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement reacting to the news that the Obama administration is moving forward with draft rules that are designed to improve teacher training programs so that new teachers enter the classroom prepared to teach students:
Today’s announcement by the Obama administration marks an important step toward ensuring that all teachers enter the classroom prepared to provide their students with the world-class education they need to compete in today’s global economy. There is no doubt that students who have a capable teacher learn more. Yet today, too many of our teachers are entering the profession without the training they need to offer students high-quality instruction. This is especially harmful to our nation’s impoverished students and students of color who are more likely to be taught by a teachers who is new to the profession. We urge the administration to continue this effort and to work toward developing a system for assessing the quality and effectiveness of America’s teacher training programs.
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