Holloway was one of about 60 MSU College of Education students who gathered at Breslin Center to hear Duncan’s announcement of a campaign to revitalize the teaching profession nationally. MSU was featured as one of four schools in the nationwide discussion on the state of the country’s future educators, which was featured in MSNBC’s “Education Nation” special series. The other schools included were Arizona State University, Howard University and Miami Dade College.

Although many students might feel negatively about prospects of a job search post-graduation, future teachers should not be disheartened, Duncan said. On the contrary, throughout the next decade, almost one million jobs will open up in the teaching profession, he said.

“We have a baby boom generation moving to retirement through the next five, six, seven years, and we anticipate as many as one million teachers retiring,” Duncan told journalist Tom Brokaw during the MSNBC broadcast Monday. “Our ability to attract­ and, more importantly, retain great talent over the next couple years is going to shape education for the next 25 years.”

Examining the state of national education

Although filling the shoes of retiring educators is one of the primary reasons the U.S. Department of Education has voiced the need for stronger, more comprehensive teaching programs, another issue of similar urgency has arisen. After the U.S. fell from first to 12th in college graduation rates worldwide during the last few years, President Barack Obama in January made a goal to have the U.S. reattain its standard as first on the list by 2020.

“We have fallen behind,” Obama said in a conference call to student journalists Monday. “And if we’re serious about building a stronger economy and making sure we succeed in the 21st century, then the single most important step we can take is to make sure every young person gets the best education possible.”

Duncan said during the broadcast that it’s one of the primary focuses of the national campaign.

“We lose almost one million students each year from our high schools to the streets,” he said. “If you drop out of high school, you’re basically condemned to poverty and social failure. We have to educate our way to a better economy. This is the civil rights issue of our generation.”

Duncan said focuses of the campaign will include recruiting a diverse crowd of new college students to the teaching profession and giving teachers back the respect they deserve by rewarding excellence in the classroom.

“They do the most important work in the country,” he said. “We have to elevate the profession.”

Striving to fill big shoes

Although representatives from MSNBC were unavailable to comment on why MSU was chosen for the broadcast, Cass Book, associate dean of the College of Education, said the selection was an honor.

“We have had such a strong commitment for so many years to prepare the best teachers in the country for the classroom, and we take very seriously the academic preparation and the pedagogical preparation to be teachers,” Book said.

This year, MSU’s College of Education was ranked No. 1 in the country by U.S. News & World Report for elementary and secondary education for the 16th year straight.

Book said some of the initiatives the College of Education has taken will help address the nation’s call for stronger teachers in the classroom. Being co-director of the college’s Urban Educators Cohort Program, Book said it’s important for teachers to be prepared to teach in underprivileged districts with minimal resources.

“We really believe that it’s essential for students to understand the complexities of teaching, be prepared for it and make a long-term commitment,” she said. “We’re not interested in preparing people for a revolving door … because we know that damages students’ learning.”

Future teachers in MSU’s education programs are required to have 900 or more hours in teaching experience at graduation, a hands-on experience that begins freshman year, said Sonya Gunnings, assistant dean in the College of Education.

“That’s one of the things that’s key to what we do,” Gunnings said. “We engage our students early and sustain that experience throughout the five-year program.”

The difference a teacher makes

The most important thing the U.S. can do to improve education moving forward is to ensure there is a quality teacher in front of every student, said Tracey Bailey, director of higher education policy for the Association of American Educators.

“We need our colleges of education to do more and more every year,” he said. “MSU has done a great job, but it’s not enough to sit there. Many, many teachers will tell you that they teach the way they’ve been taught. … So when you have college professors that model this kind of teaching, that’s one of the best ways to increase the quality of teachers in public schools.”

During the broadcast, Duncan encouraged students such as Holloway to return to the schools they feel need their help. He said support systems will keep the best teachers in challenged districts.

“I would strongly encourage you to come back to Detroit Public Schools,” he told Holloway. “It’s a school system that desperately needs reform and desperately needs the next generation of talent. I’m so proud that she did well, but far too many of our young people in Detroit drop out of school. We have to do everything we can to encourage great folks to work there.”

Holloway said a couple of influential teachers inspired her and she hopes to teach in a similar way, with a hands-on, experimental approach to learning.

“You have to find those teachers who will say, ‘OK, I don’t have a textbook, but I can still get these kids to learn,’” she said after the broadcast. “I know they want to learn, regardless of the circumstances of the city or the district. I’m still going to make a difference.”

To see video of Monday’s broadcast, visit MSNBC’s website