Southeastern NEWS

                                                   Southeastern Louisiana University
                                          Public Information Office
                                          publicinfo@selu.edu
                                          SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                          504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
    Date:  1/27/00
      Contact:                            Christina Chapple   1

SOUTHEASTERN AGREEMENT WILL GUARANTEE TEACHER PREPARATION
     HAMMOND -- Southeastern Louisiana University President Sally Clausen has signed an
agreement with local school districts that guarantees the quality of its teacher education
graduates or promises to retrain them, tuition free.
     The agreement, the first of its kind in the state, was signed today (Jan. 27) at the Board of
Regents meeting in Baton Rouge by Clausen, University of Louisiana System President Bobby
Jindal and three parish superintendents of education, Virgil Allen of Tangipahoa Parish, Rogers
Pope of Livingston Parish and Leonard Monteleone of St. Tammany Parish.
     Southeastern, Clausen said, will guarantee that its teachers know their subject matter,
know how to teach students from all backgrounds and know how to use high tech teaching tools.
The school systems will agree to assign teachers in their major areas of certification, support
them adequately and follow state guidelines on teaching loads and duties.
     If, under these circumstances, the teachers do not perform acceptably for a period of three
years, "you can send them back to us," Clausen said.  "We will retrain them for free."
     "We commend Southeastern for offering Louisiana's first guarantee covering graduates of
its College of Education," Jindal said. "Today's innovative agreement demonstrates higher
education's commitment to working together with the K-12 community to provide high quality
teachers to ensure an excellent, seamless K-16 educational experience. This is one of many
successful initiatives supported by Southeastern and the University of Louisiana System."
     According to the proposed agreement "unacceptable performance" is defined as failing
the Louisiana Assistance and Assessment Program for First-Year Teachers, or two consecutive
years of significantly substandard ratings by the teacher's principal.
     The agreement proposes that teachers who do not meet the criteria will be provided one
semester of undergraduate or graduate course work focusing on their weaknesses and one year of
follow-up mentor supervision. The course work and mentoring, the agreement says, "shall be at
the expense of Southeastern Louisiana University."
     Up to half of the nations' new teachers do not last more than three years in the profession, 
Clausen said.  "We view this agreement as an acknowledgment of the importance of keeping new
teachers on the job long enough for them to succeed. If they receive proper support from their
districts and from their teacher education institutions, then their chances of success should be
much higher."
     Clausen said the agreement also is an endorsement of ongoing professional development
for teachers. "Teachers, like their students, must be lifelong learners. Providing opportunities for
that ongoing learning is the responsibility of the districts and teacher education institutions."
     "If the districts will do their part to make sure all teachers have the tools they need to help
children learn, we will do our  part by providing excellent pre-service training and following that
with targeted assistance after they are in the classroom," Clausen said.
     Southeastern Provost Randy Moffett said Southeastern is willing to provide that targeted
assistance through the College of Education's existing Teacher Development Program, a program
that has received endorsement in the form of funding from the LEARN Commission.
     "This agreement," he said, "demonstrates the commitment of the entire university to the
importance of teacher education. Our Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Business support the
College of Education by guaranteeing that our teachers know their subject matter. Our College of
Basic Studies provides support by offering a wide variety of study skills courses, tutoring, and
career counseling opportunities."
     "We have prepared our teachers well and are confident that they will perform well in the
classroom," Moffett said. "Southeastern's new guaranty is merely provided as one more
mechanism to assure teacher success."
     "As the largest teacher preparation program in the state we want to be sure that our
graduates are making a difference in their classrooms. We are working to ensure their success,"
Clausen said. "Our colleges can only be as strong as our schools. Until we share responsibility
for student achievement, we cannot point fingers at the quality or the preparation of students."    
                              -SLU-
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