RE: Question 1: Attracting and Retaining Teachers for underserved students

Mr. Young correctly identifies conditions of teaching, especially in low-performing, hard-to-staff schools, as a persistent problem that must be addressed if every child is to be ensured a fully qualified and effective teacher.  The development of a K-16 Master Plan for Education, with its twenty-year projection into the future, offers an important opportunity to envision what teaching and learning should be like in the year 2010 and beyond. For example, in what ways can the professional year and staffing ratios be made more flexible in order to accommodate the learning needs of teachers new to the profession and the schedules of accomplished veteran teachers responsible for ushering them into the profession?  
     In another example, according to a new report issued by the California Council on Science and Technology, Critical Path Analysis of California's Science and Technology Education System, the use of computers and the Internet is becoming a critical life skill.  The report goes on to warn of a serious "digital divide" that is "not just an issue of resources; it is also an issue of training." In what ways might the reach of professional development be extended to include the use of technology, especially in low-performing schools where the "divide" appears to be most keenly felt?