Social and economic progress depends in great part on the quality of education provided to elementary and secondary school students. In schools, the most important factors in achieving excellence are the knowledge and abilities of teachers and principals. That is why the California State University system’s priority of preparing highly qualified teachers is vital to the improvement of the state’s public schools.

The best way to meet that priority is by producing greater numbers of qualified teachers and principals who are well prepared to educate the six million youngsters enrolled in California public schools. Without good teachers, we will not improve our schools.

The vast majority of students attending state university systems come from public schools. Likewise, public universities educate the majority of prospective K-12 school teachers. Schools and universities are mutually interdependent.

California State University, the largest four-year public university in the nation, prepares 60 percent of the teachers in California. Some 30,000 students are enrolled in teacher preparation coursework at CSU campuses, with more than 11,000 graduating annually.

Why aren’t more students interested in becoming teachers? There are many impediments to bringing top talent to the teaching profession. The pay is relatively low. The working hours are long. And most public schools lack resources. Even those who have a strong inclination to become teachers may be discouraged from joining the profession.

In spite of these challenges, the CSU is making important contributions to the teaching profession. A recent annual evaluation of teacher preparation programs at the CSU shows that 95 percent of the students who completed professional teacher preparation programs at the CSU in the last three years have become public school teachers. They teach in urban and rural schools and more than half teach in low-income communities.

CSU is establishing standards that define good teacher practices that should be present in teacher candidates educated anywhere within the CSU system. These include individual attention to students, adequate knowledge of the subject matter, effective communication with parents, effective class management techniques, and preparation of good lesson plans.

For the past three years, the CSU has surveyed school principals about the performance of CSU graduates during the first year in the teaching profession. We ask them, how well prepared are CSU graduates to meet the demands of teaching today? The results are overwhelmingly positive. CSU graduates have consistently received high marks from their supervisors for their level of preparation to teach all subjects ranging from English and math to science, history and the arts.

Additionally, given that learning to read is critically important, CSU’s goal is to reach 100 percent effectiveness in this area. The principals surveyed in our teacher preparation studies say that we are getting closer to reaching our goal.

Excellent preparation of teachers impacts the entire educational system—and ultimately the state and its economy. Immediate benefits include a better alignment of K-12 to higher education and a sorely needed reduction of remedial education in college. These long-awaited results will allow universities to concentrate their resources where they should be: college-level instruction and degree completion.

By improving effectiveness in the education pipeline from kindergarten through college, teachers will be more effective and students will be better educated to meet California’s workforce needs.

Charles B. Reed is chancellor of the California State University System.