A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

FOR RELEASE: December 7, 2000	Contact:         Jim Bradshaw (202) 401-2310

OUTSTANDING TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS RECOGNIZED

As part of an ongoing effort to promote excellence in teacher preparation, U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley today announced the first winners in the U.S. Education Department's new National Awards Program for Effective Teacher Preparation.

The award recipients include the:

-- Elementary Education Program at Alverno College in Milwaukee;
-- Middle School Mathematics Teacher Preparation Program at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C.;
-- Elementary Education Program at the Fordham University Graduate School of Education in New York; and
-- Elementary Education Program at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.

"These cutting-edge programs will provide powerful examples for others seeking to ensure that their graduates make a measurable difference in the achievement of K-12 students," Riley said. "We looked for programs that could provide compelling evidence that their graduates were effective classroom teachers capable of advancing the learning of all students."

In keeping with the department's priorities on reading and math, the first year of competition focused on spotlighting programs that prepare elementary teachers or secondary mathematics teachers.

Applicants were asked to demonstrate the link between their teacher preparation programs and their graduates' ability to improve student learning in reading and mathematics.

Eligibility for the awards program was open to traditional and non-traditional teacher preparation programs. Programs did not have to be university-based. The department's regional laboratories coordinated a rigorous review process that included a first round of evaluation by a non-federal panel of experts, comprehensive site visits of the most promising applicants, and final review by a blue ribbon panel. That group made recommendations to Riley, who selected the final honorees.

They were required to document three types of evidence: formative, which demonstrates that the program gathers data to make adjustments to the various stages of the program; summative, which shows the effectiveness of the overall program in helping graduates acquire the knowledge and skills needed to improve all students' learning, and; confirming, which indicates the effectiveness of program graduates in K-12 settings.

The winning programs used multiple, reliable data sources including qualitative and quantitative data that were consistent with the program components and goals.

"High quality teachers are critical to the academic success of students," Riley said. "More than half of the 2.2 million teachers needed over the next decade will be first-time teachers who need to be well-prepared to teach an increasingly diverse student population to high standards. The time is right to draw attention to those teacher preparation programs that are particularly effective in preparing teachers who can have a positive impact on learning for all students."

Winners were honored at a ceremony Dec. 7 in Washington, D.C. The department also will study the winners and feature them at department conferences and meetings.

"Identifying effective teacher preparation programs and studying and disseminating what we learn from them will significantly advance efforts to improve teacher preparation in America," Riley said.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: Additional details on the National Awards Program for Effective Teacher Preparation can be found at www.ed.gov/inits/teachers/teacherprep/.

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