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Because of university resistance to what many see as interference in traditional academic autonomy, states with strong state-level governance or coordination are much more likely to adopt statewide measures than states with a tradition of strong local control and institutional autonomy. Driving some new statewide agreements is the recognition of the difficulty of negotiating multiple articulation agreements between each community college and each four-year institution within a state. For example, in Maryland, more than 350 articulation agreements would be required if each community college were to negotiate with every four-year college or university with a teacher education program.

In states where student enrollments drive state funding formulas, four-year colleges and universities have little motivation to enter into agreements that encourage more students to attend lower-cost two-year colleges prior to transferring to the university. States interested in encouraging such behavior are adopting accountability systems that require both two- and four-year colleges to report on success in encouraging student transfer between sectors. Other policy proposals to encourage more seamless systems reward universities with higher state reimbursement for new enrollments by community college students who have completed an associate degree prior to transfer.

Before launching new initiatives, state leaders should seek answers to questions such as the following:

• What is the future demand for new teachers in the state, and how does projected demand vary by level and discipline?
• What is the projected supply of new teachers by level and discipline? Where did recently graduated teachers receive their lower-division preparation?
• How significant is the role played by private institutions in teacher preparation in the state? If significant, will these institutions participate in any statewide articulation initiative?
• Under whose auspices will discipline-based articulation committees be selected and charged with developing statewide agreements?
• What incentives and/or rewards will ensure institutional collaboration and compliance to any statewide agreements?
• What ongoing mechanism must be put in place to ensure such agreements can be updated and responsive to changes in curriculum or demand?