The Preservice Teacher Education Activity (PTEA) focuses on improving preservice education diplomas and supporting the government and universities to better collect, analyze, and respond to data on teacher preparation in the West Bank.

We envision a West Bank where every student has access to a world-class education. Through this USAID funded program, IREX will work with the Education Ministry and universities to improve the quality of education diploma programs for future teachers.

• Despite attracting 40,000 teacher applicants per year, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education reports that few of those candidates are competent in the delivery of student-centered teaching and learning approaches.
• PTEA will train at least 150 teaching faculty and 400 education administrators and officials in improving their capacity to effectively prepare teachers to improve student learning outcomes.
• At least 2,400 teachers, educators, and teacher assistants will be trained to provide student-centered learning in their classrooms in the West Bank in the Induction Period of the program.

• Build capacity at the Education Ministry for the development, management, and quality control of teacher education and accreditation programs.
• Upgrade teacher education diploma programs with Higher Education Institutions in the West Bank.
• Develop a monitoring and evaluation system for effectively monitoring, analyzing, and responding to teacher preparation.

• Improve teacher education and qualification programs at government and higher education institutions: PTEA will convene and lead the process of reviewing and updating preservice standards, develop educational diploma programs of study, and both train and provide ongoing mentoring support to university faculty and staff on administration of educational diploma programs and practicum experiences.
• Organizational performance improvement: PTEA will guide and provide opportunities for education organizations within the West Bank to assess current standards as well as define the ideal movement forward in teacher development and certification to best meet the needs of student learning outcomes.
• Study and practice tours: Faculty and staff at Palestinian higher education institutions will participate in a study and practice tour at higher education institutions in the United States, including Arizona State University, in order to gain practical experience in teacher preparation and training.