California and Connecticut have launched successful programs to support, assess, and reduce attrition among beginning teachers. And South Carolina's program to attract academically talented high school seniors to teaching has been widely copied. In general, though, states have only indirectly targeted city schools in their efforts to expand the pool of qualified teachers. Often, they have focused on attracting members of racial and ethnic minorities into the field. Such efforts have begun paying off, as more nonwhites have enrolled in collegiate teacher education programs in recent years.
Experts differ on whether the focus on diversity has given short shrift to questions of quality.
The real thing minority and poor kids need is good teachers. Mindful of such concerns, some states are pursuing the twin goals of enhancing the diversity and quality of the urban teaching corps. Six in 10 of those selected have been nonwhite, and most graduates teach in Chicago. And the program recognizes that the best teachers often aren't those right out of school. The program will allow students to earn teaching licenses that are valid only in Chicago.