THE TEACHER ACADEMY IS A NEW AND INNOVATIVE model of undergraduate teacher preparation. In most cases, prospective teachers are not placed in school classrooms and do not even begin taking education courses until the final two years of their undergraduate career. And the courses they take in their major subjects don't necessarily prepare them to teach those subjects. However, students in The Teacher Academy are immediately introduced into New York City's middle and high school classrooms. Teacher Academy students are in public schools from the very beginning of their studies.

Although The Teacher Academy is just over one year old, it has already secured national recognition as a model teacher preparation program by the National Association of System Heads-an organization composed of the leaders of the major public university systems. The Academy's potential was initially recognized by the Carroll & Milton Petrie Foundation, which provided substantial support for the development of The Teacher Academy in its grant to the NYC Partnership for Teacher Excellence. The Teacher Academy has also secured a three-year grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education at the United States Department of Education to support curriculum development and a grant from the Jewish Foundation for the Education of Women to support student stipends.

TEACHERS OCCUPY A SPECIAL PLACE in society by providing the building blocks for the future. Every day in the classroom, they ignite curiosity and passion that continues long after the school bell rings. Like historian Henry Adams said: "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." The lasting impact of teachers on young people translates into active citizenship, successful careers, and principled lives. Students spend many years in the classroom; all students deserve teachers who are dedicated, engaging, thoughtful, and deeply knowledgeable. It is The Teacher Academy's mission to produce these kinds of teachers.