Eric.ed.gov – Making the Grade: Teacher Education’s Role in Achieving the National Education Goals. ERIC Digest.

The 1989 Charlottesville Education Summit of the nation’s governors resulted in the National Education Goals which describe six priorities (readiness for school; high school completion; student achievement; world leadership in science and math; adult literacy; and safe, disciplined, and drug free schools) for public schools to achieve by the year 2000. As originally written, the goals did not include a distinct role for higher education nor did they acknowledge the importance of teachers to their success. Policy makers have begun to address the omission and have proposed an additional goal that calls for teachers to “have access to programs for the continued improvement of professional skills.” This digest highlights initiatives taken by the teacher education community in support of achieving the goals. For example, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education recast the goals to reflect the involvement of teacher educators by adding strategies for learning to accompany each goal; higher education institutions have shaped the original six goals into programs that can help prospective teachers. The digest concludes with short descriptions of new approaches being undertaken by schools, colleges, and departments of education within the framework of the six goals. (Contains 7 references.) (LL)