To the Editor:
We support former Govs. James B. Hunt Jr. of North Carolina and Thomas H. Kean of New Jersey in calling attention to the need to ensure high-quality teachers for all students (“A New National Strategy for Improving Teaching in High Need Schools,” Commentary, March 5, 2008). Unfortunately, absent from their proposed agenda is attention to the ongoing professional development that all teachers need for continuous effective teaching.
Attracting and inducting new teachers is only half the equation for ensuring effective teachers for every student. Like the international-benchmark countries identified in the McKinsey & Co. report the authors cite, the National Staff Development Council recognizes and supports the importance of having every teacher engaging in effective professional learning every day, so every student achieves.
Stephanie Hirsh
Executive Director
National Staff Development Council
Oxford, Ohio
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