A recently-released survey commissioned by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation titled Career Changers in the Classroom reports that most of the 500 some teacher recruits think that their preparation programs were largely good, but that the programs failed to adequately prepare them on contemporary issues teachers face in urban classrooms. Additionally, the survey reports that a main reason that career changers seek to enter teaching is the desire to qualify for loan forgiveness of their student loans.

Useful information--certainly to the folks at Wilson. The foundation's state-based teaching fellowships provide clinical preparation to prospective teachers with a focus on contemporary issues, all free of charge. Wilson fellows participate in a two-year master's degree program with a commitment to teach for three years in a "high needs" school, including receiving concentrated mentoring from a master teacher.

The cost? Best as we can figure with total foundation contribution of about $40 million and roughly 700 recruits: $57,000 per teacher.