Transition to Teaching Grant Program: 2002 Cohort Case Studies

The Transition to Teaching (TTT) program is described in Part C, Innovations for Teacher Quality and in Chapter B of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Its purposes are to recruit and retain highly qualified mid-career professionals and recent graduates of an institution of higher education (IHE), as teachers in high need schools, including recruiting teachers through alternative routes to certification; and to encourage the development and expansion of alternative routes to certification under state- approved programs that enable individuals to be eligible for teacher certification within a reduced period of time, relying on the experience, expertise, and academic qualifications of an individual, or other factors in lieu of traditional course work in the field of education.” TTT participants are required to teach in high need schools in high need school districts for at least 3 years. 

There have been three cohorts of TTT grantees: 2001*, 2002, and 2004. Grantees represent the diverse institutional entities involved in teacher preparation, including state certification authorities, school districts, and IHEs. For some grantees, there are collaborating entities providing resources, training, or other support to participants. Participants in TTT projects are seeking the same certification as students in traditional teacher preparation programs. Both traditional and alternative route programs include components of recruitment, selection, training, placement, and retention. Because of program flexibility, TTT projects address these common preparation components in different ways. As a result of this variation, there is much to be learned about what works in state-approved alternative routes to certification by studying TTT grantees.