We use a vast network of computers to search for all manner of information, from reports issued by education organizations to the latest White House initiative. But American schools, by and large, are still geared to produce students for a nation that, in many ways, no longer exists. Schools of education must provide school systems with prospective teachers who can help students function in our new society, and that means that the teachers themselves must gain new skills and new knowledge. For too long, teacher preparation and licensing have been hostage to the status quo. Some promising reforms, such as yearlong internships and the concept of the professional development school, have been developed, but they are still not the norm.
Most systems find change difficult, and education is no exception.
We must find new incentives to stimulate change throughout the system. The field has begun to rise to the challenge. Standards for what beginning and experienced teachers should know and be able to do are now being developed. The new standards emphasize teacher performance, and this emphasis is leading to more rigorous teacher assessment than ever before. Out of the various sets of standards and emerging assessments, a system is beginning to evolve.