Eric.ed.gov – Partnerships for Reform: Changing Teacher Preparation through the Title II HEA Partnership Program. Final Report

In 1998, Congress reauthorized and amended the “Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA)”, creating, under Title II, the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants Program for States and Partnerships. One initiative under this amendment, the partnership grants program, funded partnerships among colleges of education, schools of arts and sciences, and local school districts. Congress designed the partnership initiative as one of several pre-“No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)” efforts to support accountability for teacher preparation and to improve the work of teacher-preparation programs. It was anticipated that the collaboration among the partners would result in the successful implementation of reforms holding teacher-training programs accountable for producing high-quality teachers and providing sustained and quality preservice field experiences and professional development opportunities. This evaluation report focuses on the 25 grantees of the 1999 cohort of the Title II partnership grants program. A diverse cohort, these grantees, consisting of at least 66 colleges and universities, 28 community colleges, 179 school districts, and 821 elementary schools in more than 25 different states, received a total of more than $171 million over the 1999-?2004 period. A descriptive study conducted over four and a half years (2000?05), the partnership evaluation surveyed nearly 300 representatives from institutions of higher education (IHEs) and district project participants at two points during the grant period (2000-01; 2003-04). More than 500 principals were surveyed once, during the 2002-03 year. The study also included secondary data analyses using publicly available data on school characteristics, school level achievement data, and pass rates on teacher assessments reported as part of the Title II HEA reporting requirements. The evaluation’s goal was to learn about the collaborative activities taking place in partnerships. The study was also designed to examine approaches to preng new and veteran teachers and to assess the sustainability of project activities after the grant ends. Key findings related to each of the evaluation questions are described in this report. Appended are: (1) Aggregate Pass Rate Averages on Math Content Knowledge Test by Partnership, 1999–2000 and 2000–01 for States Requiring this Assessment in these Years; (2) IHE and Community College Partners in the 1999 Title II Cohort; (3) Partnership Main Goals, Strategies for Increasing Accountability, Planned Use of Incentives, and Content Area Emphases; and (4) Survey Response by Partnership. (Contains 63 Exhibits.)