Teacher quality is consistently recognized as an issue of importance to state higher education executive officers across the country. The passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in January 2002, with its requirements for highly qualified teachers, has served to increase national attention on state policies and practices regarding the preparation, certification and professional development of America's teaching force. Most teachers continue to be educated in state-supported public institutions and virtually all teachers are trained and licensed within the parameters of state laws and regulations. Consequently, state higher education policy and state higher education officials bear a significant part of the responsibility for improving the capacities and quality of teachers in the United States.

In 2001, the Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded a grant to SHEEO to work with higher education system leaders in selected states on important teacher quality policy issues. The ultimate goal of this project is to improve the capacity of elementary and secondary school teachers by identifying key issues where higher education has clear responsibility to improve teacher quality, and where substantive change can be facilitated through interventions and technical assistance from SHEEO. Information and efforts resulting from this work will inform the broader strategic objective of achieving greater alignment, coherence, and effectiveness in state and institutional policies and practices that determine teacher quality.

Teacher Quality Initiative - Phase I

During Phase I of the Teacher Quality Initiative, SHEEO worked with thirteen states on a broad range of issues related to teacher quality. These state agencies included both governing and coordinating boards, were at varying stages of teacher quality efforts and were affected to differing degrees by the state budget crises.

Phase I concluded in September 2003. While progress was made in many of the states, our work during this phase made clear the number and complexity of issues involved in achieving substantive change over a limited period of time. Informed by this experience, and by the project evaluator recommendations, the second phase of the project will maintain the same goal but will focus on working at greater depth with fewer states.

Teacher Quality Initiative Phase II

For Phase II, SHEEO issued a Request for Proposals to all SHEEO agencies. The states were asked to choose an issue of importance to the state, for which higher education has clear and significant responsibility and on which the agency can make a difference. We also asked that the focus be outcome-oriented rather than purely process-oriented. Further, in their activities each participating state is expected to build strong collaborations and action plans involving the institutions, policy makers, and constituents who play critical roles.

SHEEO received proposals from thirteen states for Phase II of the Teacher Quality Initiative. After careful review, we will be working with six states - Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The types of issues on which these states will be focusing include:

• The use of data to assess and improve teacher preparation programs in the state through a variety of means;
• The creation of regional centers focused on alternative routes and support for induction programs;
• Development of state teaching standards to inform teacher preparation and education efforts;
• Reorganization of early childhood education programs; and
• Systemic change to ensure university-wide engagement and support for teacher preparation.

Teacher Quality Initiative Activities
In the first phase of this project we explored opportunities and developed a deeper understanding of the challenges of bringing progress to scale. In the second phase of the project SHEEO's initiative will:

• Provide direct technical assistance of several person weeks each year to further efforts on the designated issue of focus; Help build stronger collaborations and action plans involving the institutions, policy makers, and constituents who play critical roles in every state engaged in the project; Support state activities directly with small seed grants for the expenses of convening stakeholders, setting an action agenda and taking specific steps to implement activities tied directly to the project goals described immediately above; Prepare and publish case studies on significant state activities and accomplishments; and
• Prepare and publish an analytical study of the issues and processes involved in developing and implementing state policies and practices to improve teacher quality.

Expected Outcomes
Through its work through 2004 in Phase II, the SHEEO Teacher Quality Initiative expects to help generate:

• More visible and tangible collaborative efforts to improve teacher preparation and continuing education among pre-K-12 and postsecondary education in the project states; Deeper commitment to and use of evidence to judge and regularly improve teacher preparation programs in project states;
• Wider involvement of arts and science faculty in education of prospective teachers and in the development of standards and curricula;

SHEEO will also:

• Provide opportunities for state leaders to share their experience and disseminate effective practices through professional meetings;
• Expand of a web-based compendium of resources on teacher quality issues; and
• Publish and disseminate policy studies and other materials to arm policy makers and educators with greater sophistication and knowledge based on successful practice.