Every child has the right to a highly qualified teacher, yet as a nation we are reluctant to empirically investigate how teacher preparation programs are succeeding. Results from the present study suggested that (a) traditionally certified (TC) teachers felt better prepared than non-traditionally certified (NTC) teachers on communicating, planning, and using instructional strategies; (b) NTC teachers' positive mentoring and prior classroom experiences in conjunction with the overall less positive mentoring experiences of TC teachers may have minimized differences; (c) novice teachers did not feel prepared on items related to multicultural curriculum or assessing student learning; and (d) prior classroom experiences, first year support, and program components were important, but instruction on teaching standards was of particular importance for NTC teachers. (Contains 9 figures and 6 tables.)