Ticket to Teach

Democrats for Education Reform released an 8-page white paper, Ticket to Teach (www.dfer.org/TickettoTeach%5B1%5D.pdf), in January with bold, actionable ideas to improve teacher quality and pay:

We propose a "Ticket to Teach" (T3) for the next generation of educators, an "all hands on deck" effort between government, higher education, and the private sector. T3 would launch pilot efforts that vertically integrate pre-service recruitment, rigorous coursework and practicums, tuition assistance, internships/residencies, professional development, mentoring, scrupulous evaluation systems, higher pay, and financial incentives for placement and performance.

We think the model that the Obama Administration has adopted through Race to the Top, under which the federal government acts as venture philanthropist to fund groundbreaking reform efforts assembled by key state and local stakeholders, is a promising one. Think of the pilot efforts under Ticket to Teach as charter schools of education that will promote innovation and create competition that drives change in our current, outdated system of teacher preparation. 

To read our "Ticket to Teach" white paper, the first in a series on "The New Normal" in public education, click here.