Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers Today

The Higher Education Act's Title II funds efforts by states and schools of education to improve teacher preparation, particularly in high-need areas. It also establishes requirements for states to measure and report out the quality of these programs. The reauthorization scheduled later this year, however, arrives during an uncertain time. President's Trump's FY18 budget blueprint cuts $9 billion from the U.S. Department of Education, partly by eliminating federal funding for K–12 professional development and reducing (if not eliminating) teacher grants awarded under Title II. In addition, the president and the 115th Congress recently repealed Obama-era regulations that were intended to assess the quality and impact of teacher preparation programs. In this environment, lawmakers will tackle long-held concerns over teacher training programs, including how to measure their effectiveness in meeting the needs of K–12 education systems and how involved the federal government should have in these programs.

Brief overview of current teacher demographics.

Infographic breaking out statistical trends regarding teacher preparation.