Pressure from state and federal mandates is being brought to faculty members at institutions who prepare teacher candidates to increase the standards and rigor of their programs, and who provide evidence that their graduates not only know the content, but also will be effective in the classroom. This article investigated the relationships among teacher background characteristics, teacher preparation program structures, teacher persistence, and reading and mathematics test scores to understand better the relationships between aspects of teacher preparation programs and effective teachers who persist in their roles in the classroom. Two hundred and thirty-four teachers from a western state, selected via a convenience sample, responded to a survey. Results indicated that these variables statistically significantly predicted reading test performance and persistence rates but not mathematics test performance. Specifically, technology use, persistence, relevant and coherent teacher education programs, having a cohort model, and having more clinical experience were associated with an increase in the reading test performance of students; and utilizing differentiation, having online or hybrid courses, having methods courses designed for content areas, being a female teacher, and being older was associated with a decrease in reading test performance. Furthermore, technology use, being female and being older were associated with an increase in teacher persistence, whereas all other variables were associated with a decrease in persistence. These results suggest that pre-service teachers should be taught how to use technology, but not focus on differentiation, content areas methods courses, or cohort models--at least not as they have been implemented historically.