What Makes the Best Teacher? [NYTimes.com]

To the Editor:

Re “Toward Better Teachers” (column, Oct. 29):

Frank Bruni, in reflecting on a forthcoming book by a former New York City schools chancellor, Joel Klein, about his tenure leading the country’s largest public school district, notes that Mr. Klein refers to teacher quality as “the biggest factor in the education equation.”

To adequately address that factor, we must redesign the way we prepare teachers for the classroom. Improving teacher quality requires more than just setting a higher bar. It demands a competency-based teacher education program that focuses on academic rigor, subject mastery, strong pedagogy, a rich clinical experience and mentoring that continues once an educator becomes a classroom’s teacher of record.

As Mr. Bruni notes, a well-prepared teacher makes all the difference when it comes to both student learning and achievement outcomes. That is why we must ensure a strong pipeline of well-prepared teachers, particularly for high-need schools. That comes only from transforming teacher preparation as we know it, improving both the inputs and the outcomes of our teacher education programs.

[For more letters to the editor go to http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11...v=RecEngine&_r=0]