TEACHER ASSISTANCE CORPS

The purpose of the Teacher Assistance Corps Initiative is to show the commitment of the U.S. Department of Education to investing in the teaching profession and support of state implementation of the highly qualified teacher provisions established under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. TAC teams will continue the Administrationís goal to establish the Education Department as a supportive partner in the implementation of the law.

The Department's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) organized the Teacher Assistance Corps in 2003 to help assist state education officials in meeting the teacher quality provisions of NCLB.

The teacher quality provisions of NCLB are imperative to student success and schools making adequate yearly progress (AYP). Because teacher quality is so critical to student achievement, the Department is offering assistance to states through the Teacher Assistance Corps. More importantly, through the interaction of TAC teams and state education staff members, the Department will learn what states are already doing to meet the highly qualified provisions and share these solutions with other states.

Teachers, principals, superintendents, leaders from higher education, state officials, and national education experts from around the country participate on the teams. Their expertise and experience at all levels of education are vital to understanding local, state, and national education issues.

Teacher Assistance Corps teams visit state departments of education and, in some cases, local school districts. These one-day visits are ìconversations without consequencesî and give the U.S. Department of Education a chance to see first hand what states and districts are doing in the area of teacher quality.
Each TAC team visit is designed to achieve the following outcomes:

• A solid partnership between each state and the Department;
• A clear understanding of the law by the states;
• An understanding of the status of the states in meeting the highly qualified teacher goals; and
• A collection of innovative ideas states are using to meet the highly qualified teacher goals.

TAC team members meet with state education officials, listen to what is working in a state in the area of teacher quality, share ideas about what is working in other states, provide advice about NCLB teacher quality compliance issues, and assist in setting and meeting goals.

Corps members work to clarify any issues that may be confused by rumor and misinformation, and work with state education officials to determine the best way for a state to