Teaching is the essential profession, the one that makes all other professions possible. Without well-prepared, caring, and committed teachers, our children will not be prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. More than ever before in our history, teaching is the profession that is shaping the nation's future--molding the skills of our future workforce and laying the foundation for good citizenship and full participation in community and civic life.

Because of increasing enrollments and the growing diversity of American classrooms, we face the challenge of hiring over two million well-prepared, qualified, and talented teachers over the next ten years. It will take local and state initiatives as well as nationwide efforts to ensure that America's children receive high-quality teaching.

Related facts:

* 2.2 million teachers will need to be hired in the next decade to serve the growing enrollment of students and to fill a record number of vacancies as the first "baby boomers" begin to retire.

* Only 1 in 5 teachers reports feeling "very well prepared" to work in a modern classroom.

* Only 19 percent of teachers said another teacher had formally mentored them, while 70 percent of teachers who reported that they had been mentored at least once a week said it helped their teaching "a lot."

* In 1997, only 4 in 10 teachers reported that they had had formal training in the Internet.

Model programs:

* Through the South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment Teacher Cadet Program, teachers at 148 high schools volunteer to conduct a year-long course open to students with a high grade-point average and an interest in teaching. This is not a typical high school offering--it is a mixture of solid content (history of education, principles of learning, child development, current issues in education) and hands-on opportunities to observe, construct lessons plans, tutor younger students, and practice teaching. A 600-page handbook written and constantly modified by teachers serves as the core curriculum for all of the high school classes. It contains suggestions for course content as well as engaging assignments, such as designing an ideal early childhood environment or presenting evidence at a school board meeting.

Many of the partner higher education institutions provide support to the Teacher Cadet sites, and in some cases, college-credit for the high school course. Also, several Teachers-in-Residence receive fellowships each year to supervise the program from the center and visit the participating high schools. Fifteen other states are now replicating South Carolina's Teacher Cadet Program. For more information, contact SC Center for Teacher Recruitment, Ward House, Winthrop University Station, Rock Hill, SC 29733, (803) 323-4032 or 1-800-476-2387.

* At Adlai E. Stevenson High School, a New American High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, a professional development school called the University of Stevenson (in partnership with Barat College) gives teachers college credit for action research projects and trains faculty to serve as in-house staff developers. Teachers work together in course-specific curriculum teams that are empowered to make every significant instructional decision. They also have a formal mentoring program for brand new teachers to boost retention.

Stevenson's graduates score higher than the state average in all subject areas and in 1997, 90 percent of graduates exceeded the Illinois math and science course requirements. In addition, Stevenson's Mathematics Department was named one of the top twelve in the nation by the National Center for Research in Mathematical Science Education. For more information contact information: Adlai E. Stevenson High School, One Stevenson Drive, Lincolnshire, IL 60069, (847) 634-4000.

America Goes Back to School Idea:

* Honor your teachers with an America Goes Back to School Appreciation Dinner, develop ways to support them throughout the year, and enlist them to recruit the next generation of new teachers. For a long-term effort, work with a local business to start a teacher-training program focusing on technology in the classroom.

Resources:

The U.S. Department of Education has a variety of materials, programs, and information to help support, recruit, and prepare quality teachers for our nation's schools. To request products related to any of these programs, call 1-877-4ED-Pubs. For additional information on these programs, call 1-800-USA-LEARN or visit the following Web sites:

The U.S. Department of Education's Teachers Web site
Promising Practices: New Ways to Improve Teacher Quality