We are honored that the Council of the Great City Schools—which represents sixty-five superintendents responsible for educating almost 7 million children in urban public schools—has formally endorsed our review of the nation's teacher preparation programs.

For years, district superintendents, particularly those leading districts that serve predominantly poor and minority children, have bemoaned the uneven quality of the teacher preparation their new teachers received and the substantial costs of re-training new teachers that such variability imposes. The Council's endorsement of the national review shows that these superintendents agree with us that the time has come to shine a spotlight on what is working in teacher preparation and what needs to be improved.

By providing comprehensive information to the main "customers" of teacher preparation—the district leaders who hire its graduates—we not only can help them to make good choices, but we can also equip them to use their market power to drive significant change in the field. The Council's support, along with the endorsement of ten state school chiefs, shows that PK-12 educators are eager to use this power.