Two Paths to Quality Teaching: Implications for Policymakers. An ECS Staff Comparison of the Positions of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.

This paper focuses on the positions espoused by Linda Darling-Hammond and Chester E. Finn, Jr., during a March 26, 2000, debate between the two scholars. The document contains four sections: (1) an edited transcript of the main part of the debate that contains additions from both participants for the revised May 8 edition of the paper; (2) rebuttals of the two participants; (3) a side-by-side analysis that summarizes the points of agreement and disagreement between the two participants; and (3) a discussion of what Education Commission of the States (ECS) believes are the core points of consensus between the arguments and their implications for policymakers. In her statements, Darling-Hammond reviews five major areas of recommendations: standards for both students and teachers; reinventing teacher preparation and professional development; fixing teacher recruitment; encouraging and rewarding teacher knowledge and skills; and creating schools that are organized for student and teacher success. Finn discusses the overall similarities between his and Darling-Hammond's positions, but he emphasizes the fundamental difference between the two, namely, what constitutes a good teacher. The paper closes with some of the debate's implications for policymakers, such as ensuring that teachers have command of their subject matter and providing salary incentives for teachers who accept challenging teaching assignments. (RJM)