Good teaching involves complex and sophisticated skills, built on a knowledge base that has expanded enormously in the last fifteen years. Effective educators critically evaluate and utilize research to engage in reflective teaching and related skills. Professional educators are able to articulate what they believe about students, learning, and the educator's role in the learning process. Graduates of programs must have opportunities to reflect and think critically, value scientific study, use and engage in research, and remain open to new ideas. The acquisition of this knowledge base will prepare professional educators for transferring educational theory into classroom instructional practices that will improve the quality of learning for all students.
Professional educators understand the legal, professional, and moral responsibilities of teaching.
Effective educators understand, appreciate and strive for the equality of opportunity of all students. The profession must view its participants in an egalitarian manner. Practitioners must learn to use their expertise and specialization not as instruments of status and control but as a shared resource of the group. Faculty at all levels must recognize and value differences as they are manifested globally, regionally, and locally. The increasing ethnic and racial diversity and involvement of learners with various abilities within our nation's classrooms present a significant challenge to the next generation of teachers and teacher educators.