In 1926, a study revealed that nearly 90% of New Jersey's secondary school teachers had received degrees from institutions outside the state, and that many of these teachers lacked adequate training in pedagogy. As a result, in 1927 the State Board directed Montclair to institute a four-year program for high school teachers. Montclair became not just the only institution in the state devoted exclusively to the training of secondary school teachers, it was the only such institution in the nation.