NCTQ's Teacher Prep Review revealed, among many things, that only one in four teacher prep programs ensure that prospective teachers come from the top half of their high school or college classes. As veteran teacher Dowan points out, teachers first need to succeed as classroom students before they take on the challenge of being instructional leaders.

The Review also notes that the current crop of teachers doesn't reflect the growing diversity of students. But we know that 83 programs are working to change that picture by accepting top-tier candidates while increasing the diversity of the teacher workforce. Check out our Selection Criteria findings for more information about these notable programs.

The Review's readers might be surprised to see that some universities with a reputation for selectivity don't make the list of four star Selection Criteria graduate programs. Our rating comes down to what the teacher prep programs explicitly require of prospective teachers. If we want to inspire the best to enter teacher prep, we need to signal to them that only the best can get in -- which is why the criteria themselves are so important.