Title II, Part A
Improving Teacher Quality
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), which reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), places a major emphasis upon the importance of teacher quality in improving student achievement. To help ensure that all teachers of core academic subjects are highly qualified no later than the end of the 2005-2006 school year, Title II, Part A of ESEA - the Improving Teacher Quality State Grants program - provides funds can be used to prepare, train, and recruit high-quality teachers and principals capable of ensuring that all children will achieve to high standards.
In designing teacher training, recruitment, retention, and professional development activities, Tennessee and local districts must incorporate scientifically based strategies that have been shown to increase student academic achievement. States, districts and schools are also required to establish annual measurable objectives to ensure that they make progress each year in meeting the highly qualified teacher challenge.
Title II, Part A replaced the Eisenhower Professional Development and the Class-Size Reduction programs. The Eisenhower program mostly focused on professional development in mathematics and science, while Title II, Part A can support teacher professional development across all core academic subjects. The importance of professional development in mathematics and science remains a high priority, but many other activities are now allowed as well.
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Hickman County Board of Education
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Page last updated
August 11, 2004