The establishment of teacher education centers is one of the most important teacher education reforms in Taiwan, the purpose of which is to enhance the effectiveness of education by increasing teacher diversity. However, ever since teacher education centers have been established, teaching quality has not improved--or even declined. This study thus endeavors to identify the abilities which are most essential for secondary school teachers and to determine to what extent these abilities are actually learned by the pre-service teachers. The researchers suggest that teacher education centers place practical training at the center of the curriculum.