Investing in Teaching Quality: A Toolkit for Campus Leaders

While this toolkit is primarily intended to be a resource for campus leaders, the information presented here will also be useful to anyone interested in the development of high-quality teacher preparation programs.

This online toolkit is the result of collaboration among the National Commission on Teaching & America's Future (NCTAF), the American Council on Education (ACE) and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). Funding for the development of this resource was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

This page provides a network of links for quick access to information designed to help college and university presidents, campus leaders, and administrators review and improve the quality of teacher education programs.

• Policy Recommendations for Campus Leaders

This area features summations of major reports, along with significant policy statements and/or guidelines (with links to the full texts), recommending proactive steps campus leaders and institutions can take to improve quality within the teacher preparation process.

• Campus Leader Profiles

These campus leaders have demonstrated leadership in implementing positive change and improving the quality of teacher preparation at their institutions of higher learning.

• Environmental Scan Questions for Campus Leaders

These questions are intended to provide a symptomatic overview that can subsequently lead to a focused review of strengths and weaknesses within the teacher preparation program.

• Self Assessment Inventory for Campus Leaders

Two tools to gauge the quality of teacher preparation programs, the Self-Assessment Inventory and the Environmental Scan for Campus Leaders are two means of measuring the "health" of a teacher education program, through insight into the operations, outcomes, and programs of teacher preparation at an institution.

• What Comprises Quality Teacher Education?

Use this area to browse through summaries of numerous research reports about high-quality teacher preparation programs, with links to the full texts. A section citing exemplary programs and practices is included.

• Why is Teaching Quality an Important Issue for Campus Leaders?

Preparing highly qualified teachers has become a top issue on the nation's agenda, as research strongly points to the positive link between teaching quality and student achievement. In this section we present selected resources and links that offer findings about teacher quality and achievement, the importance of "buy-in" by the business community and the general public, the effects of inadequate teacher preparation, and some relevant quotes (with sources).