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National Council on Teacher Quality (www.nctq.org). Send an email to tqbulletin@aol.com to receive weekly updates on emerging stories affecting teacher quality. • Public Agenda’s April 2000 report “A Sense of Calling: Who Teaches and Why” (www.publicagenda.org) Recruiting New Teachers, Inc.(www.rnt.org or www.recruitingteachers.org) • Thomas B. Fordham Foundation’s “The Teachers We Need and How to Get More of Them” (www.edexcellence.net) T he new federal education reform bill will offer educators and parents at least $3 billion in grant money to improve and enhance their school’s teaching corps. Congress should finish its work and the measure will be ready for the president’s signature sometime this fall. And much of how this new law is implemented will be decided at the local level, which will receive almost all of the funding to be allo- cated, with states allowed to reserve a small portion for statewide programs. The federal bill gives parents the potential to play a key role in the implemen- tation of these programs by making sure their schools’ strengths and weaknesses are addressed. First, parents must deter- mine the needs of their school district. Do teachers “know their stuff?”  Are there not enough qualified teachers in their schools? Or, are there a number of teachers who are teaching out-of-field? Do the schools have a good teaching staff but no challenging career path or stimulating profes- sional development programs so teachers burn out and leave? Armed with a list of needs, parents should then to peruse the contents of Title II of the education bill, (see resource box) as if they were on a shopping trip, to find the programs that will address their schools’ chal- lenges. Once parents identify the programs, they should lobby for implementation at their schools. Among the vast number of programs that will be funded by federal education bill include those already enjoying success in some states. •    Alternative certifica- tion. Say your school cannot find enough qual- ified teachers because potential candidates are turned off by a long, mind-numbing certifica- tion process. Instead, alternative certification programs can help recent college graduates, mid- career professionals, paraprofessionals, and former military personnel get into the classroom faster. •    Merit pay. This enables schools to establish a career ladder for teachers giving them extra pay for performance and addi- tional responsibilities such as master teachers and mentor teachers. There is also special emphasis for supporting master teachers at low- performing schools. •    Reciprocity. If you live in a less populous state, and your district needs to attract teachers, espe- cially for specific subjects such as math and science, this program would ease the way for quality teachers certified in another state to teach where you are without having to go through a re-certification process. •    New teachers. Support will also be available to schools with many new teachers to establish mentoring, team teaching and professional develop- ment programs. •    Reform tenure. If tenure is protecting burned out, under-quali- fied, or just plain bad teachers, use this money to overhaul the schools’ tenure policy. •    Technology. These programs can help teachers use technology in analyzing their own teaching methods and help them learn how to adapt technology into the curriculum and class time. •    Teacher Testing. Federal money may be available for testing teachers in subject area proficiency, a vital tool for determining professional development needs. •    Professional develop- ment. Programs will help teachers polish their skills, expand their knowledge in the subject they teach, consult with exemplary teachers and even create forums in which teachers can consult with each other. Strong accountability measures will be created and utilized. In short, this is a golden opportunity for local schools to rev up teacher quality programs that will, in turn, improve student perfor- mance and achievement. Promising federal legislation could enhance teacher quality