This column appeared in The State Journal edition of March 25, 2005.

Following a comprehensive review of recent efforts by numerous state educational organizations to develop and implement strategies to improve teacher quality in West Virginia, Vision Shared's Teacher Quality working group completed a short list of recommendations in October 2004.

Concise and realistic, these recommendations, largely supporting the adoption of processes developed by the National Commission for Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF), were approved by the Vision Shared Implementation Task Force in January 2005.

In 22 states, the NCTAF process provides a framework that enables its member states to organize the intellectual, political and professional expertise that allows them to devise long-term educational strategies and public policies both citizens and stakeholders can understand and support.

Three years ago, West Virginia educators agreed to adopt the NCTAF agenda under the direction of the state departments of Education and Education and the Arts.

Karen Huffman of the WVDOE, Jay Cole of the Department of Education and the Arts and Van Dempsey of West Virginia University's College of Human Resources and Education and director of the Benedum Center for Educational Renewal were appointed coordinators for the state's participation in NCTAF's voluntary consortium. The coordinators initiated a comprehensive inventory of state-level educational policies -- an inventory A Vision Shared recommends be completed as soon as possible. With the support of the state superintendent of schools, the chancellor of the Higher Education Policy Commission and the secretary of the Department of Education and the Arts, completion of the inventory by July 2005 is highly feasible.

A Vision Shared also recommends that the inventory include close examination of policy recommendations formulated by the Legislative Task Force on Teacher Quality, conducted 2000-01. The inclusion of this and other important work impacting teacher quality recently completed by the state's educational policymakers will ensure greater alignment and advancement of sound recommendations based on all studies and research conducted to date.

Should the NCTAF inventory reveal inconsistencies between goals to improve teacher quality as stated in the Legislative Task Force report and existing state policy, A Vision Shared strongly supports development of appropriate policies for proposal to the West Virginia Legislature. If any Task Force recommendations are deemed currently impractical due to financial or other constraints, A Vision Shared proposes development of strategies to implement them over time.

The state superintendent, chancellor and secretary could further support the work of the state's NCTAF coordinators by encouraging the assistance of representatives of previous initiatives to improve teacher quality, teachers' labor organizations and the state's business community. Such an inclusive, collaborative effort would provide an excellent opportunity to maximize the benefit of work previously completed by these and other stakeholders.

Both A Vision Shared and the Education Alliance, a private-sector organization recognized by A Vision Shared for its role in improving public education in West Virginia, are positioned to serve as collaborative vehicles for advocating implementation of the recommendations resulting from the proposed NCTAF process.

Accordingly, A Vision Shared not only endorses adoption of the NCTAF process but is prepared to support, encourage and participate in that process to help maintain its focus on developing and implementing clear and ambitious goals for improving teacher quality in West Virginia.

Philip Reale is a private practicing attorney who serves as chair of the Vision Shared Teacher Quality Team. To learn more about the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF), please visit www.nctaf.org. To learn more about A Vision Shared, please visit www.visionshared.com.