Better-trained teachers are a priority in Tennessee

By SEN. JIM TRACY
The Tennessean on Sunday, August 12, 2007

The shortage of quality teachers in Tennessee deserves the attention of every citizen in the state. Tennessee schools are struggling to find and keep enough caring, competent teachers to meet the learning needs of our students. Tennessee's colleges and universities are producing new teachers as quickly as possible, but the demand for qualified teachers continues to grow.

Gov. Phil Bredesen, in his remarks to the Tennessee legislature May 3, stated that schools of education must "send us teachers who know their subject matter, who know how to use the tools of their trade — their test scores, for example — and who have had practical experience in doing so when they arrive at our door."

Tennessee faces high rates of attrition, with close to 41 percent of new teachers leaving the classroom by the end of their fifth year. Particularly in urban settings and in high-need content areas, many teachers lack the appropriate credentials for the subject they are teaching.

Quality teaching is important. The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires that students across the nation be taught by highly qualified teachers. The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future notes that there is clear evidence that quality of teaching has a significant impact on student achievement.

The Tennessee State Board of Education reports that students who have ineffective teachers ultimately fall behind their peers and may never catch up with other classmates. Students already at risk of school failure are even more likely to suffer from poor teaching.

We have a good idea of what needs to be done to remedy the shortage of quality teachers. Obviously, our colleges and universities need to produce new teachers. However, higher education in Tennessee also needs to make sure that its graduates are competent, skillful and caring professionals who will focus on teaching all of our children effectively.

Once new teachers are in the classroom, schools need to make sure they receive support in building skills and expertise. As with any work setting, schools also should attend to working conditions to make schools attractive places to stay for the long term.

Thanks to a historic gathering of Tennessee stakeholders — including the higher education community, the Tennessee Business Roundtable, private foundations, the State Board of Education, the Department of Education, the Tennessee Education Association and Tennessee K-12 school leaders — we have strategies to deal with teaching quality and teacher shortages. This broad-based group, the Tennessee Teaching Quality Initiative (TQI), seeks to assure that all Tennessee teachers are prepared to teach; that business, colleges and schools work together to promote quality teaching and education; and that schools are supportive, professional environments.

The TQI will ensure that programs of teacher education are accountable for their graduates and will work closely with and be responsive to schools, parents and communities. The plan will develop schools as effective and pleasant places to practice and promote teaching as an honorable and desirable profession.

Perhaps most of all, the TQI plan requires a bold, shared vision for changing teaching and learning in Tennessee.

With this plan, I believe Tennessee has a tremendous opportunity to improve its schools, its colleges, its teaching and its learning.