Every new teacher wants to believe four years of college and a degree in education are sufficient preparation for the tough job of teaching. In reality, new teachers need better training and support on the job to succeed, especially in urban districts such as Philadelphia's.

The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers is trying to bridge the gap between new teachers' theoretical knowledge and the demands of urban classrooms by offering its own professional development. The union developed an intensive induction program, Strong Beginnings, which provided 500 new teachers last summer with courses on classroom management, effective instruction, working with parents and communities, and more. Strong Beginnings instructors continue to support new teachers during the school year.

The union also offers courses taught by experienced teachers on classroom management, effective reading and math instruction, working with disruptive students, and more. We do not believe great teachers are born; rather, they are carefully, systematically cultivated through rigorous recruitment, preparation, induction, and continuous professional development.

For a decade, teachers have called on colleges and universities to strengthen teacher preparation. In 2000, the American Federation of Teachers issued a comprehensive report on the subject, recommending higher entry standards for teacher education programs, a greater focus on teaching techniques, a required major in the subject a student will teach, strengthened student-teaching programs, high standards for graduation, licensing and alternative-licensing programs, and improved teacher induction and mentoring.

Yet today, too many new teachers are underprepared and overwhelmed. New-teacher support is a crucial issue in the School District of Philadelphia, which hired 1,400 teachers and 200 counselors last summer and gave them their assignments without providing the support they'll need to be successful.

This is a costly mistake. American schools spend $7 billion a year on teacher recruitment, according to the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, "draining resources, diminishing teaching quality, and undermining our ability to close the student achievement gap." In Philadelphia, the cost to recruit and train each teacher is roughly $17,000 - money and talent we cannot afford to waste. But the commission found that only 30 percent of the teachers the district hired in 1999 were still teaching in the city in 2005.

Every new teacher needs a comprehensive, coherent, and sustained new-teacher induction program and, more important, an on-site coach. Coaches work with new teachers on a sustained basis to improve their instructional skills in ways that raise student achievement, says recruitment expert Harry Wong.

Improving schools and closing the achievement gap requires stable, experienced teachers committed to their students and to the profession. We have to raise the standards for those entering and graduating from teacher education programs, and provide teachers with the support, resources, and respect they need to become successful career educators.

Retaining great teachers requires universities, school districts, and unions to work together to create lifelong learning opportunities that foster excellence among teachers and students.

Jerry T. Jordan is president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.