Education Dean Frances Kochan is among those recently appointed to the Teacher
Certification and Licensure Committee, part of the Governor's Commission on Quality Teaching. The committee is composed of practitioners from every area of education—all with the common goal of improving education in Alabama.
Kochan noted the committee's composition will certainly be a factor in meeting the committee's objectives of advancing teacher quality.
"The state has pulled together such a great cross-section of people from the business and education environment to implement this program," Kochan said. "We're going to look at all aspects of teacher quality to create more successful students."
Kochan said the committee is a five-year effort that will focus on ensuring teachers are adequately prepared for the classroom.
"The goal is for high-quality programs and teachers," she said. "Children are successful when teachers are successful."
The committee will examine how teachers are prepared, recruited and licensed, , as well as how professional development is provided within schools.
"Alabama is fortunate to have many high-quality teachers, but we're already experiencing a shortage of teachers that will only increase in the future," Kochan said. "This is a national problem, and this committee will help solve this problem in Alabama."
