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Governor Rendell Creates New Commissions to Train Teachers and Prepare High School Students for College and Careers

Posted on: Wednesday, 10 August 2005, 15:00 CDT

HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced the creation of two new commissions - one to address teacher training and the other to focus on preparing high school students for post- graduate opportunities in higher education or the workforce. The Governor signed two executive orders creating the commissions.

"Not only do we want to make sure that Pennsylvania has top quality teachers, but the best trained and most innovative teachers as well," Governor Rendell said. "At the same time, we want to make sure that we're focused on helping students go from high school to college and careers.

"With these two commissions, we are bringing together some of the education, workforce, business and community leaders of our state to help us develop strategies and focus on innovative ideas that will make sure our students are successful in the future," Governor Rendell added. "That is our commitment to our students and their parents."

The Training America's Teacher's Commission will improve upon Pennsylvania's excellent reputation as a national leader in teacher training. In 2004, more than 13,000 new teachers graduated from 93 teacher preparation programs. Pennsylvania's school districts hired 6,000 teachers or nearly 50 percent of the total.

"We have made great progress in establishing pre-K programs, increasing funds for tutoring and creating high school reform programs, but more remains to be done," Governor Rendell said. "Improving the quality of our public school system from pre-kindergarten through college is everyone's job. These strong working groups will bring leaders in education and the workforce together to develop solutions that will have a long-term impact on the success of our students."

The Teacher's Commission will closely examine national training models and best practices. It will also look at possible solutions where improvements are needed and recommend ways to address challenges associated with teaching in low-income communities; state-of-the-art high schools; schools with high immigrant, non-English speaking populations; and practices in early education.

"Already Pennsylvania is a leader in training teachers-nearly 7,000 Pennsylvania trained teachers learn from the best colleges and universities and become our nation's best teachers," Governor Rendell said. "Pennsylvania is where people want to come to be trained as teachers."

The 44-member commission will be led by Dr. Richard Kneedler, president emeritus of Franklin and Marshall College and a respected voice in teacher training. The other members represent higher education, public schools, business and civic communities.

Governor Rendell has directed the Commission on College and Career Success to focus on helping high school students develop skills that will prepare them for success after graduation. The commission will look at a core curriculum for all high school students. Out of every 100 ninth graders in Pennsylvania, only 77 are projected to graduate from high school on time, 47 will enroll in college and 28 will earn their degrees.

"We are targeting today's high school freshmen to increase the graduation rate in order to prepare them for success at the college or university level or in a highly-competitive workforce," Governor Rendell said. "Today's students will need more than just a high school diploma to be able to meet the demands of the workplace and to qualify for a job that will allow them to sustain their families. Our colleges and universities are a vital part of Pennsylvania's economic development engine."

Governor Rendell also charged the 18-member commission to help families and school districts understand the importance of a college- and career- preparatory curriculum.

The commission will be co-chaired by Dr. Judith Hample, chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, and Daniel Fogarty, manager of Management and Organization Development at Carpenter Technologies and a member of the Western Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board.

The Governor directed that each commission prepare a report with its findings and recommendations. The Teacher's Commission is to report back to Governor Rendell by March 2006, while the Commission on College and Career Success is to make its report by December 2006.

Neither of the commissions will require additional taxpayer dollars. The Teacher's Commission will be staffed using federal No Child Left Behind teacher training funds. Federal funding, as well as existing state contracts with consultants, will be used for the Commission on College and Career Success.

CONTACT: Abraham Amoros

717-783-1116

Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

CONTACT: Abraham Amoros of Pennsylvania Office of the Governor,+1-717-783-1116

Web site: http://www.state.pa.us/

Source: PRNewswire

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