White House Conference on Preparing
Tomorrow's Teachers
"Teachers are the lifeblood of our nation's classrooms. These committed
and
dedicated professionals are helping to shape our children's future and our future. For that we owe them our highest regard, our highest respect."—Laura Bush
As part of her Ready to Read, Ready to Learn
initiative,
Laura Bush hosted the White House Conference on Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers on
Tuesday, March 5, 2002. Just as children need to be ready to learn to read when they
enter school, teachers need to be ready to teach when they enter the classroom. The
Conference brought together university and business leaders, teacher education advocates, teachers' unions, public policy organizations, and foundations from across the country to help develop solutions for enhancing teacher quality.
The goal of this Conference was to ensure that our nation's
children can count on having teachers who not only bring love, compassion, and dedication to their profession, but also possess:
- A deep and up-to-date knowledge of the concepts and subjects they are teaching; and
- The ability to assess each student's academic strengths and weaknesses and to apply the most effective instructional methods, strategies, and materials to meet his or her learning needs.
The Conference focused on two major areas of teacher
instruction: preparation at our nation's colleges of education for teacher
candidates, and professional development for those teachers who have already answered the
call to teach. It also highlighted research regarding teacher preparation and student achievement.
Presentations showcased innovative and successful teacher
training and recruitment programs that help bring the best and the brightest to our
nation's classrooms, especially to those in our
underserved neighborhoods.
Research shows that children learn and achieve at much higher levels when their teachers know the subject content thoroughly and know how to teach it effectively. Good teachers monitor the progress of their students and adjust instruction for students who are falling behind.
With this in mind, The President and Mrs. Bush are committed to encouraging schools of
education, school districts and other learning institutions to significantly strengthen their teacher training programs.
Presentations