前程百利小编为大家带来托福阅读材料。教学质量依赖老师们的表现，奥巴马的教育改革措施明确了教师的责任界限。文章的难词已经标示出来，希望大家可以学习到相关知识，并通过不断的阅读练习提高自己的托福阅读能力。
RESEARCH HAS shown that the single most important factor in helping children learn is the quality of their teachers. So it is a big problem when graduates of teacher education programs are ill-prepared to deal with the demands(需求) of the classroom. The Obama administration’s move to develop new standards of accountability(责任界限) for teacher preparation programs is a step in the right direction that will help both students and teachers.
The federal Education Department announced recently a proposal that would require states to measure(评价) how well colleges and universities are preparing teachers. Criteria(标准) for the rating systems, which would also apply to(适用) alternative programs like Teach for America, would include job placement(就业情况) and retention rates(留用率) of graduates, feedback(反馈) from new teachers’ employers and the academic performance of their students.
“This is nothing short of(几乎是，全然是) a moral issue,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan said as he announced the proposed rules. “All educators want to do a great job for their students, but too often they struggle at the beginning of their careers and have to figure out too much on the job by themselves.” Deficiencies(不足，缺陷) in teacher preparation programs have long been the worst kept secret(早已众所周知) of American education. A report last month by the National Council on Teacher Quality found edcation majors able to rack up(获胜，击倒) more A’s than other majors, suggesting a lack of rigor in the programs.
That there was immediate pushback(反击) to Mr. Duncan’s announcement from the teachers unions and institutions of learning came as no surprise given their record of resisting(抵制) any and all accountability initiatives. Contrary to claims of overreach(逾越，管得太宽) by the federal government, the proposal, now subject to(受制于) public comment, vests with(授予) the states the ability to develop appropriate rating systems. States would be given plenty of time to develop systems, since the first report cards won’t be required until April 2019. No state would be forced to participate, but states that don’t would be ineligible(无资格的) for certain federal grants.
The administration has at times been wobbly(摇摆不定) in following through(坚持到底) on promises to bring accountability to education reform(改革), so its perseverance(坚持) on this critical issue is all the more(格外，更加) commendable(值得称赞的). As Mr. Duncan said, “Nothing in school matters as much as the quality of teaching our students receive.”
以上就是前程百利小编为大家带来的托福阅读材料，平时的阅读练习是托福考试阅读备考的重要一环。希望大家利用好每份材料，尽可能多地从中获取知识。预祝大家托福考试取得好成绩。
