Today's shortage of talented teachers--possibly a cyclical phenomenon--results largely from low teacher salaries, many survey indicate; moreover, a computer simulation confirms, recent institutional decisions aggravate the problem. Consequently, reforms that focus exclusively on teacher training practices and/or certification must ultimately fail.…

The Holmes Group report and the Carnegie Task Force report concur on the American problem of decreasing standards for entry into teaching during times of teacher shortage. This article compares and contrasts the two reports, refers to similar proposals, and raises issues not covered in either report. Four footnotes are appended. (IW)