Over the course of the next decade, America faces a major national teacher supply crunch, at a time of rising public concern about the quality of instruction. How do we replace an entire generation of teachers, hire more teachers to meet the demand of a growing student population, and raise the bar for teacher quality all at the same time?

Although bricks and mortar are important to modernizing our education system, recent research is finally confirming what parents have known for a long time: Teachers matter when it comes to academic performance--a lot. In a Tennessee study, for example, fifth-graders who had three high- ranked math teachers in a row outscored by more than 50 points similar students who had three consecutive low-ranked teachers. That's the difference between scoring in the 29th percentile of all test takers and the 83rd.

Over the course of a student's K-12 school career, good teachers may well determine a child's chances of going to college or getting a good first job. Unfortunately, poor and minority students are far less likely than others to be assigned high-ranking teachers increasing educational inequality at a time when educational accomplishment is more important than ever in the information-based New Economy.

Addressing the dual crisis of teacher quantity and quality means increasing the percentage of talented young people who choose teaching as a profession; and making sure all children have a fair chance to learn from good teachers--especially those children who stand to lose the most if they don't.

Vice President Al Gore has embraced a response to the dual challenge that PPI Senior Fellow Bill Galston explains in the next issue of Blueprint: Ideas For a New Century--a National Teachers Corps. High school seniors in the upper portion of their graduating class would be offered government funded scholarships of up to $5,000 per year for four years to help pay for college. In return, they would make a four-year commitment to public school teaching in high-need areas (as measured by indicators such as poverty and sub-par academic achievement). Before they started teaching, they would have to pass demanding tests demonstrating subject-matter mastery while exhibiting good teaching skills. The material incentives would be offered at the end of high school when many families are struggling to finance a college education for their graduates.

The proposal embodies the New Democrat values of expanded opportunity and mutual responsibility--providing assistance in financing college in exchange for "giving something back" to the community and accepting tough performance standards. It draws on successful programs as diverse as AmeriCorps, the ROTC, and Teach for America. States could pursue this proposal on their own initiative; in fact, some states already offer college loan forgiveness in exchange for a commitment to teach in underperforming schools.

America doesn't have to choose between hiring more teachers and hiring better teachers. Furthermore, we should encourage our best teachers to work in schools that need the most assistance. A National Teachers Corps is a better choice.