Recruit Teachers: Obama and Biden will create new Teacher Service Scholarships that will cover four years of undergraduate or two years of graduate teacher education, including high-quality alternative programs for mid-career recruits in exchange for teaching for at least four years in a high-need field or location.

The NYC Teaching Fellows program is an alternative certification program that has accepted a great many Breakthrough teachers over the years. With NYCTF, you'd start teaching right away while working toward your M.A.T. in your off hours, subsidized by the program. If you're ready to get into a classroom right away and you want funding toward your Master's degree, this might be the program for you.

Learn more firsthand about the connections between Breakthrough and Citizen Schools from Emily Schneider-Krzys, a Breakthrough and Summerbridge alum who currently leads all Citizen Schools' campuses in Austin, Texas.

The New Yorker has an essay by Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point and Blink), in which he explicitly argues that teachers need to be seen in the classroom under teaching conditions before anyone can tell if they're good or not:

Those of you who are committed to a classroom teaching career, have a foundation in the issues and theories behind modern education, and are ready to get right into the classroom might be just perfect for these relatively new "Teacher Education Programs" offered by some Ed Schools.  S

The Master of Arts in Teaching progam at Brown University prepares future educators to understand fundamental principles of teaching and learning and to employ that understanding to work effectively with all children, youth, families and communities. The program is dedicated to the idea that teaching is creative and intellectually serious work.

We know that Breakthrough really lays the foundation for future educators and we hope that the work you've done with us has inspired you to continue a career in education. We're confident that your summer teaching experience with us will give you the edge you need to be an effective Teach For America corps member. There are eager students out there who need committed teachers like you! Are you up for the challenge, again? Lauren Tinkoff was.

I couldn't believe it actually happened.  Those of you who made it to the end of the debate were rewarded with 10 1/2 minutes of education policy, teachers, and parental responsibility.  Here's what we learned:

Does poor performance in schools pose a threat to national security?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUjTGXXWWoI]

Should the Federal government play a larger role in education?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmS8Pqv_yNE]

This article goes in the "no freakin' kidding" file, but it also goes in the "I'm glad someone noticed" file.

Nation's Teachers Battle Sleep Problems (Forbes)