Online extras Video essay, part 1: Three new teachers discuss their classrooms, how their education prepared them and the effect of a school's location on student discipline. Click here » Video essay, part 2: They face special education with confidence, but three new teachers know there's a wide range of students with different needs. Click here » Video essay, part 3: How prepared are new instructors to meet teacher requirements and students' academic goals? Three new teachers tackle standards. Click here » Video essay, part 4: Perhaps the most challenging aspect of teaching isn't dealing with students; it's with their parents. Click here » Video essays, part 5: The three new teachers reflect on the past year and talk about their futures in education. Dani Broe » Stephanie Leija » Erin O'Grady » Why teaching? Three newcomers to the profession explain why they want to be in the classroom. Erin O'Grady » Stephanie Leija » Dani Broe » Photo essay: A look inside the classrooms. Click here » Reader forum: Does Colorado prepare its teachers well? Sound off on the state of education. Click here » Teacher standards: A look at what new teachers must know to earn licensure. Click here » Colorado Senate Bill 154: In 1999, Gov. Bill Owens signed into law a bill concerning performance-based teaching programs. Click here » 360° photography: Virtual reality photos show how classroom set-ups affect discipline. Click here » More stories Part 5: In their own words Main story: A learning experience Dani Broe: Student teaching was most valuable Stephanie Leija: A few words bring immeasurable joy Erin O'Grady: Personal, academic triumphs in first year Part 4: Parents and the community Main story: Working with parents Dani Broe: Parterning with parents Stephanie Leija: Immigrant students a unique challenge Erin O'Grady: Cultural gaps test teachers Part 3: Standards Main story: High-stakes standards Dani Broe: Work sample a large hurdle Stephanie Leija: New teacher's road not easy Erin O'Grady: No simple answers to teaching reading PLACE test: Testing teachers Statistics: How prepared are Colorado's teachers? Part 2: Special education Stephanie Leija: Special needs struggle Dani Broe: Hands-on training in special needs Erin O'Grady: 23 students, 23 'classes' Higher education: Special education requirements Statistics: A look at special education Part 1: Discipline Main story: Ready, set, teach! Erin O'Grady: Inner-city teacher struggles for control Stephanie Leija: Teacher puts respect first Dani Broe: Student teacher: managing kids learned on the job Higher education: Classroom management requirements Statistics: Colorado teachers grade readiness About this series This is the first part in a series examining teacher preparation in Colorado through the eyes of two young teachers and one college senior preparing for a teaching career. This report examines discipline and classroom management. The second installment examines the formidable challenge young teachers face from special education and first-time English learners. Second installment » The third installment illustrates how well first-year teachers are equipped to meet teacher and student academic standards. Third installment » The fourth installment deals with teachers' abilities to interact with parents and the community. Fourth installment » The fifth installment looks at the past year in the teachers' own words. Fifth installment » Future installments will look at how teachers are prepared parent and community involvement.

Colorado teachers grade readiness

A state survey asked 760 graduates of teacher education programs to rate how well-prepared they were for the classroom.

Elementary first-year and third-year teachers:

50% rated their preparation "good" or "excellent" in teaching phonics, spelling and vocabulary development.

56% gave high marks to their preparation in teaching writing.

67% felt well-prepared in math for teaching students numbers sense.

76% agreed that the content of the courses taught them about the skills they needed in the classroom.

92% said hands-on experience gave them those skills.

81% said they felt capable in their first month of teaching to manage a classroom.

Middle and high school first-year and third-year teachers:

92% said the major they chose gave them the subject knowledge they needed in the classroom.

52% rated their teacher education program "good" or "excellent" in teaching standard English language usage and integrating that teaching within their subject area.

54% gave high marks to their preparation in how to teach writing.

Teacher turnover

Nationwide

84% of teachers who complete five years of study, earning a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in education, are still teaching after three years.

53% of teachers who complete a traditional four-year program remain after three years.

34% of teachers who enter through an alternative program are still teaching after three years.

Colorado

9% of the state's teachers have left the school district that hired them after one year.

18% are no longer teaching in their first school district after three years.

24% of the state's teachers have left their first school district after five years.

Qualifications of new hires

Colorado

27% of new teaching licenses issued between September 2000 and August 2001 went to graduates of Colorado teacher education programs.

58% of new teaching licenses issued between September 2000 and August 2001 went to out-of-state applicants.

12% of new teaching licenses issued between September 2000 and August 2001 were emergency authorizations given to those who do not meet licensing requirements.

3% of new teaching licenses issued between September 2000 and August 2001 went to teachers completing alternative education programs.

Sources: National Commission on Teaching & America's Future, National Conference of State Legislatures survey, Colorado Department of Education