“I have no doubt there’s a tremendous untapped pool of talented potential teachers in our society,” Clinton said yesterday at Washington’s Powell Elementary School in an event with first lady Laura Bush to highlight the need for teachers nationwide.

With the potential retirement of one-third of upstate teachers in the next five years and New York City needing as many as 12,000 teachers, Clinton said the state must turn to middle-aged professionals and offer alternative forms of certification.

Kaya Henderson, a partner in The New Teacher Project, a group that recruits and trains middle-aged professionals, said efforts have been successful.

“A lot of times people say, ‘No, people won’t leave their jobs, their good paychecks...’ but we have been overwhelmed by the response,” Henderson said.

Groups such as the project have worked as part of the Department of Education’s Transition to Teaching, a program set to receive $35 million in 2002, said Susan Neuman of the department. Its funding is proposed to increase to $39.4 million in 2003.

Clinton used an age-old government campaign to promote the new effort.

“Uncle Sam wants you ... to teach.”


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