Release: #06-150
December 6, 2006

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today issued the following statement regarding a new report by the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning [http://www.cftl.org/featuredproduct.php] (Outside Source) which highlights gaps in the availability and preparation of a well-trained teacher workforce for California schools:

"It is critical to California's future success that we address the persistent achievement gap in our schools, and to do so we must address the gaps in teacher quality that are highlighted in this report.

"Over the next decade, as a third of our teacher workforce is expected to retire, developing a highly qualified and high effective new teacher workforce must be a top priority in our state.

"While we have made significant strides to invest in quality professional development of our teacher force and provide some incentives to encourage teachers to enter the profession, I agree with the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning that we have to do more, in a more comprehensive way, to attract the best and brightest students to pursue teaching careers, balance the distribution of qualified teachers, create incentives for math and science majors to become teachers, and substantially bolster our special education teacher workforce.

"I look forward to working with the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, the higher education community, the Schwarzenegger administration, and the Legislature in the coming year to address the issues of teacher recruitment, teacher quality, equity and retention that are central to addressing the achievement gap."