James M. Jeffords: “Education, as we know now, is a top interest in poll after poll of Americans. They want to see their educational system…”

“Education, as we know now, is a top interest in poll after poll of Americans. They want to see their educational system reformed in a way that can lead them into a position where this Nation has the best educational system in the world. Unfortunately, that is not the case right now. But we are taking a huge step forward with the higher education bill, not just in that matter which affects the students in higher education, but also the second title of the bill which deals with reforming teacher preparation. Nothing is going to change in the classroom until the teacher changes, and the teacher isn't going to change until the teacher knows what he or she has to do in order to make our system better. As we move into the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization next year, we want to make sure that the universities are aware that they have a role to play in ensuring that every new teacher who comes into the system is ready for the changes which are necessary to make our educational system the best in the world.”