Eleven national organizations are supporting PDK in this effort to build a framework for FEA clubs. The FEA provides middle and high school students with opportunities to explore teaching as a career option. It helps students gain a realistic understanding of the nature of education and the role of the teacher. The national office coordinates information about teaching as a profession, employment opportunities, financial assistance options, and such educational issues as professional mobility, diversity, job security, and other matters. Rationale The good health of our nation's schools depends on bringing into classrooms as new teachers the brightest and best among today's students.
Teaching needs to be viewed as a promising career option.
Particularly needed in the future will be teachers from diverse backgrounds who will be sensitive to the increasing diversity in our classrooms. During the first half of this century, the National Education Association initiated a Future Teachers of America program. Local chapters of that program still exist in a number of states. Similar efforts also were made by various state departments of education, many local schools, and most notably, by Jan Towslee. As president of the Association of Teacher Educators, Towslee made the development of Future Educators of America a priority.