This policy brief explores the role of community colleges in addressing the national shortage of K-12 teachers. It provides a summary of recent studies that highlight the prominent contributions of community colleges to the preparation of teachers (Boggs and Bragg estimate that 40% of the nation's teachers have completed at least a portion of their undergraduate science and mathematics work at community colleges). The brief also profiles a number of state and national initiatives designed to strengthen the role of community colleges in teacher preparation. One example is the 1998 National Science Foundation conference on the Integral Role of the Two-Year College in the Science and Mathematics Preparation of Prospective Teachers. The conference report called on community colleges to take a more aggressive role in recruiting, provide pre-teaching experiences and professional development opportunities for practicing teachers, and strengthen undergraduate courses for prospective teachers. Attention is called to the importance of developing effective partnerships between two-year and four-year institutions, with the desired outcome of developing college transition policies and programs that support transfer students through the completion of their education degrees. (Contains 37 references.) (RC)