Duncan unveils plans to improve teacher ed

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Education Department Friday revealed initiatives it said will reward quality teacher programs, improve education schools and ease regulations.

"Too many future teachers graduate from prep programs unprepared for success in the classroom," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Friday in a release. "We have to give teachers the support they need to ensure that children get the high quality education they deserve. Our goal is to develop a system that recognizes and rewards good programs, and encourages all of them to improve."

Based on authority in the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, the department proposed to reduce the reporting burden on schools of education and states, now required to report 440 different measures annually, Duncan said.

The department said it wants states to identify the best teacher preparation programs and encourage others to improve by linking student test scores back to teachers and their schools of education.

Education officials also proposed a $185 million Presidential Teaching Fellows program to support strong state-level policies and provide scholarships for teaching students to attend top programs, Duncan said. Also, the department is developing Hawkins Centers for Excellence to help prepare effective minority teachers.