More Experience In an era of accountability based on student performance, time on task and keeping pace with the curriculum are essential.  Experience counts!  In the internship program students have much more time in the public school classroom to learn about effective teaching methods.

Learn from the Best Cooperating teachers work as mentors with student interns.  Cooperating teachers are selected based on their professional credentials and their ability to work effectively with their colleagues and student teachers.  Cooperating teachers are also given special training for working with student interns in the classroom.

Faster Transition into the Profession
New teachers want to make a good impression on the school administrators, their students, and their colleagues.  The skills required to respond appropriately to the vast array of interpersonal, pedagogical, organizational and psychological challenges that teachers face are best learned in the actual environment under the tutelage of a successful professional.  True self-confidence comes from experience.

More Competitive for the Better Jobs
The pressure is on public school administrators to hire the best available teachers.  Interns will have more experience than those applicants with only traditional student teaching experience.  Interns will have strong job references, more experiences to talk about in interviews, and a certificate to include in their portfolios.

Source: http://www.ceap.wcu.edu/sutep/why.html