The development of this guide was initiated and directed by Nina S. Rees, assistant deputy secretary in the Office of Innovation and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education. Sharon Horn was project director.

An external advisory panel provided feedback to refine the study scope and prioritize issues to investigate. Members included Vicki Bernstein, New York City Teaching Fellows; Emily Feistritzer, National Center for Alternative Certification; Meryl Kettler, Regional XIII, Texas; Joan Baratz-Snowden, American Federation of Teachers; Cyndy Stephens, Georgia Professional Standards Commission; and Ken Zeichner, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Staff in the Department of Education who provided input and reviewed drafts include Tom Corwin, John Gibbons, Margaret West Guenther, Thelma Leenhouts, Dan Madzelan, Meredith Miller, Michael Petrilli, Phil Rosenfelt, and William Wooten.

This guide was written, designed, and based on a report by WestEd.

WestEd is a nonprofit research, development, and service agency committed to improving learning at all stages of life, both in school and out. WestEd has offices across the United States and also serves as one of the nation's ten regional educational laboratories.

WestEd's partner in developing this series of research reports and innovation guides is Edvance. Created by the American Productivity and Quality Center, Edvance is a resource for process and performance improvement with a focus on benchmarking, knowledge management, performance measurement, and quality improvement initiatives in education.

The six programs cooperating in the development of this guide and the report from which it is drawn were generous with both their time and attention to the project. We would like to thank the district superintendents and the many district staff members who were instrumental in coordinating and participating in the site visits that inform the report and this guide.

Alternative Certification Program
School District of Hillsborough County
901 East Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33602
http://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/
Cathy Jones
Program Director

Region XIII Educator Certification Program
5701 Springdale Rd.
Austin, TX 78723
http://kids.esc13.net/
Becky Washington
Senior Coordinator

Metro RESA Georgia Teacher Alternative Preparation Program
1870 Teasley Drive
Smyrna, GA 30080
http://www.mresa.org/
Phyllis S. Payne
Coordinator of Alternative Programs

Northwest RESA Georgia Teacher Alternative Preparation Program
3167 Cedartown Highway SE
Rome, GA 30161
http://www.nwgaresa.com/
Betsy Dellenback
Linda Segars
Coordinators

New York City Teaching Fellows Program
New York City Department
of Education
65 Court Street, Room 322
Brooklyn, NY 11201
http://www.nycteachingfellows.org/
Vicki Bernstein
Director of Alternative Certification

Northeastern California Partnership for Special Education
California State University, Chico
Special Education Programs
Chico, CA 95929-0465
Lisa Churchill
Michelle Cepello
Co-Directors

Wichita Area Transition to Teaching
Wichita State University
College of Education
201 Corbin Education Center
1845 N. Fairmount
Wichita, KS 67260-0028
http://webs.wichita.edu/?u=altcert
Judith Hayes
Director

WestEd
730 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
http://www.WestEd.org/
Glen Harvey
Chief Executive Officer
Nikola Filby
Associate Director,
Regional Laboratory Program

Edvance
123 Post Oak Lane, Floor 3
Houston, TX 77024
http://www.edvance.org/
C. Jackson Grayson Jr.
Chief Executive Officer
Kristin Arnold
Project Director