Washington – Business Roundtable President John Engler today released the following statement on the Department of Education’s draft rule designed to improve teacher training outcomes in schools of education at U.S. colleges and universities:

“We are especially pleased that Secretary Duncan is proposing to focus on the importance of preparing better teachers for low-performing schools, where kids are facing the greatest challenges but often have the weakest teachers. The business community knows that a great teacher in every classroom is the key to ensuring a high-quality education for every child, no matter his or her background.

“America’s ability to compete with other top-performing countries requires us to prepare and equip teachers to help all students be college- and career- ready. Our nation must improve its effort to produce more highly skilled teachers, and schools of education must be held accountable for results. We need to fully support those institutions that yield results, and close those that do not. It’s that simple. This rule is the Department of Education’s clear attempt to do just that.

“Business Roundtable will carefully review the details of this proposal to ensure that it focuses on real, measurable results, and can be administered with a minimum amount of disruption and burden for the institutions and states that would be required to implement it.”

Better preparing students for college and work is part of a plan Business Roundtable outlined to ensure a skilled and prepared workforce that will help make the United States more competitive.