In the fall of 2005, CIC joined a major effort by the Microsoft Corporation to improve K–12 education not only in the United States but throughout the world. CIC’s Teachers for the 21st Century program is part of Microsoft’s Partners in Learning (PiL) initiative. The U.S. components of PiL include six state-level projects, the development of innovative materials that can be used nationally, and 11 projects (including CIC’s) that are scaling up promising programs in both schools and teacher preparation programs. Microsoft is providing CIC with a $495,000 four-year grant.

There is important work to do. A significant number of students leave high school without graduating; and a growing number of studies indicate that even high school graduates lack the knowledge and abilities required to participate effectively in the 21st century’s global, knowledge-based economy. There is also a growing body of evidence that the academic achievements of K–12 students in the United States are not keeping pace with the achievements of their counterparts in other countries.

“We are delighted to be selected to participate in this vital initiative,” said CIC President Richard Ekman. “As the national service organization for private colleges and universities, most with teacher education programs, CIC can help facilitate change in a large number of institutions.”

A critical aspect of improving the quality of K–12 education is providing the kinds of learning experiences for prospective teachers that they will eventually be expected to provide for their K–12 students. Teachers will likely teach as they have been taught. Thus teacher preparation programs need to be continually forward-looking in the learning experiences they create for their students; the skills, tools, and content students learn; and the assessment tools used to enhance student learning.

Through the “Teach 21” program, CIC will make available materials and development opportunities that faculty members in independent college and university teacher preparation programs can use to strengthen and update their own courses. Through workshops, webinars, and online communities of practice developed specifically for this program, faculty members will collaborate with other faculty teams and learn from national experts.

Early in 2006 CIC will select 20 institutional teams of four or five faculty members who are involved in the institution’s teacher preparation program (drawn from the education department and from the liberal arts disciplines in which pre- service teachers major). The teams from these institutions will get opportunities to improve their own institutions’ instructional programs, and will provide guidance on the design of faculty development and instructional resources for another 100 CIC institutions that will be invited to participate in activities beginning in 2007. The materials and instructional approaches developed through this program will then be made available to all CIC members involved in teacher education. The ultimate goal is an efficient, effective, and scalable way for large numbers of faculty members and institutions to access scarce or costly resources that can assist teacher preparation programs in advancing 21st century learning objectives.