A new brief from NCEE explores how, in the wake of the pandemic, education systems both in the U.S. and abroad are harnessing innovation and digital technologies to deepen and accelerate learning for all students.

A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st Century

The Report of the Task Force on Teaching as a Profession, from the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy

This report argues that if the United States is to have a vibrant democracy, avert the growth of a permanent underclass, and have a high-wage economy, schools must graduate the vast majority of students with achievement levels long thought possible only for a privileged few. In the face of an increasing demand for teachers, a declining supply of well-educated candidates and a particularly acute need for minority teachers, an integrated plan is presented for restructuring the schools and redefining teaching as a career that includes the following central components: raising the standards for teachers through the creation of a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; strengthening their educational preparation by requiring a bachelors degree in the arts and sciences as a prerequisite for the professional study of teaching and by developing a new professional curriculum in graduate schools of education leading to a Master in Teaching degree; revamping their compensation system to make teacher salaries and career opportunities competitive with other professions; creating a professional environment for teaching that permits teachers to decide how best to meet state and local goals for children while holding them accountable for student progress; introducing a new category of Lead Teachers with proven ability to provide active leadership in the redesign of schools and in helping their colleagues uphold high standards of learning and teaching; and mobilizing the nation’s resources to prepare minority youngsters for teaching careers.