Duncan Urges Teachers Colleges to Improve, While Defending Budget Priorities

The U.S. education secretary, Arne Duncan, repeated his call on Friday for universities to create better programs to prepare teachers and principals in a speech to a teachers-college organization that he also used to respond to concerns about President Obama’s proposed budget.

Echoing comments he made at teachers’ colleges last fall, Mr. Duncan said at the annual meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, in Atlanta, that many teacher-preparation programs at universities were outdated and needed to undergo “transformational change” to emphasize teacher quality, including knowledge of subject matter.

Mr. Obama’s proposed budget for the 2011 fiscal year, which starts on October 1, would increase funds for teacher training but would do so in part by placing teachers’ colleges in direct competition for money, for the first time, with alternative-certification programs like Teach for America.

“I appreciate that shifting toward competitive funding with multiple players can create legitimate concerns,” Mr. Duncan said. “To put it in the simplest terms, we believe teacher-preparation programs should be focused on results.” Programs that have a record of preparing successful teachers, or a plan to begin tracking graduates to make sure they succeed, will get the most money, he said.

He acknowledged that the money, in many cases, would not be sufficient in a difficult economic climate.

“I know these increases are not enough to insulate higher-education institutions from looming state and local budget cutbacks,” Mr. Duncan said. “It’s going to be a tough, tough year for many postsecondary institutions.”