The Challenge of the 21st Century: Developing a Highly Qualified Cadre of Teachers to Teach Our Nation's Diverse Student Population

Abstract

The quality of the nation's public schools chiefly depends on the competence of the teachers and principals who staff them; the commitment of students, parents, and communities who animate them; the adequacy and judicious use of the dollars that support them; and the prudent application of emerging technologies that enlarge them. Good schools depend on these elements. (Consortium on Renewing Education, 1998, p. 6) We in the United States have long viewed education as being of primary importance to the development of responsible, productive citizens and thus inextricably linked to national development. This expectation will be no less salient in the new millennium. Indeed, more and more, education is viewed as central to the nation's continued role as an economic and political power in an increasingly globalized society. This message is underscored repeatedly as politicians, business leaders, the media, and diverse communities of Americans affirm that without a well-educated citizenry, the United States will have difficulty competing in a world where knowledge, especially technological knowledge and how to use it, will determine the future of individuals and of nations. The message, however, is not a new one. For almost two decades, the United States has been engaged in a struggle to improve its systems of public education. Starting with A Nation at Risk in the early 1980s (National Commission on Excellence in Education [NCEE], 1983), dozens of reports have underlined the critical importance of public education to the nation's future. Virtually all have described the poor quality of public schools from prekindergarten through graduate school. Much of the blame for this sad state of affairs has been placed at the doorstep of teachers and teacher educators. For more than a decade, a debate has raged about the role of teachers and teacher educators in the successful implementation of educational reforms. This debate is the continuation of a much-needed dialogue about the role of teachers in efforts to reform public education. As part of the reflective process, a critical look at past and present efforts to reform teacher preparation programs is also appropriate. The present article