Raising the Bar of Teacher Quality: Accountability, Collaboration, and Social Justice

Historically, reform efforts to address poor student achievement have focused on a variety of issues other than teacher quality. Movements such as TQM (Total Quality Management), class size reduction (CSR), school leadership, parental involvement, and multicultural curriculum have not directly addressed the power or influence of the individual classroom teacher. However, research shows that individual teachers can profoundly impact the academic achievement of their students. Teacher educators, however, often find it difficult to agree upon a common definition of teacher quality. To develop exemplary teachers, Claremont Graduate University's Teacher Education Internship Program (CGU's TEIP) addresses the techniques, attitudes, skills, and experiences necessary to become a quality teacher by embracing the ideals of three key concepts: Accountability, Collaboration, and Social Justice. This article describes how the CGU program has committed to preparing teachers able and eager to break the cycles of academic failure that have traditionally plagued poor, non-white, and linguistically-diverse students.