$1,000 or more. (12) Teacher quality partnerships are designed to strengthen higher education-based teacher and school leader preparation. Studies show that teachers who are better prepared to enter the classroom stay longer and perform better than their underprepared peers. Teacher quality partnerships also fund programs like induction and mentoring that have been shown to increase teacher and school leader retention. Research indicates that the ongoing support for teachers provided by teacher quality partnerships, including mentoring and coaching, is an important part of early childhood education programs. (13) According to the Center for Education Data and Research, a more diverse teaching workforce leads to better student outcomes, particularly in high-poverty environments with significant at-risk student populations. Further, researchers from Vanderbilt University found that greater racial and ethnic diversity in the principal corps benefits students, especially children of color. Three commonly cited rationales for this benefit are— (A) students of color benefit from seeing minority adult role models in a position of authority