Keynote Address:
    "From the Classroom to the Legislature"
 
State Senator Joyce Elliot

Poviding her perspective on the importance of teacher quality, Senator Elliot claims, "we will do something about teacher quality when we want teacher quality as badly as we want the next championship in NCAA football."

1. Teachers must approach teaching as a genuine career, requiring continuous learning and improvement
2. We should be willing to borrow the best teacher training and teacher quality ideas from our international peers
3. Policymakers must insist on a 21st Century Compensation package for teachers rather than paying everyone the same just because they lasted another year
4. The public should honor the profession and demand -- and financially support -- high quality teachers
5. Policymakers need to demand knowledge of academic content on the part of teachers