The 60 Second Update with

Governor Tim Pawlenty

5. What are the most important elements of your Teaching Transformation Act?

The “Teaching Transformation Act” I proposed last year will help recruit the best and brightest into the teaching profession, improve teacher training in college, provide a more supportive working environment for teachers, and implement a 21st century compensation system linked to performance.

Almost one-half of the teaching profession in Minnesota is projected to retire over the next 10-15 years. More than one million teachers in the United States will retire over the next ten years. In order to address the looming teacher shortage and improve teacher quality, we need to transform the way we attract, train and keep teachers.

The Teaching Transformation Act includes:

- Tying increases in teacher pay to improved student performance.

- Setting tougher entrance requirements for admission into teacher preparation programs.

- Creating the SMART Program (State of Minnesota Mid-Career Alternative Route to Teaching) to recruit mid-career professionals to teach in high-need subject areas in math, science and other teacher shortage areas.

- Modernizing professional development for teachers by focusing on more time for continuous training, providing teachers with performance feedback through evaluations, and encouraging teacher collaboration to better use data to improve student achievement.

 Question 1. What are your 3 R's for education reform,
and why do they matter?