What To Make of Declining Enrollment in Teacher Preparation Programs

Since 2010, the total enrollment nationwide in teacher preparation programs has declined by more than one-third; this decline has occurred in the context of increasing enrollment in bachelor’s degree programs nationwide over the same time period. This means that across the country, approximately 340,000 fewer students elected to enroll in teacher preparation programs in the Read more about What To Make of Declining Enrollment in Teacher Preparation Programs[…]

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Alignment Matters: A Framework for Advancing Student Learning and Promoting Equity

What do high performing schools have in common? Among other things, they have rigorous academic standards, rich curriculum, and high-quality assessments. They also have well-trained educators who have regular access to accurate and useful data. And they have a culture of equity that undergirds their work. All of these reinforce one another to drive student Read more about Alignment Matters: A Framework for Advancing Student Learning and Promoting Equity[…]

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How State and Local Leaders Can Strengthen Teacher Pipelines

Diverse, learner-ready teachers in the classroom means students have access to the instruction and learning needed to meet education goals. But the reality is that too many students are without these teachers State and district leaders can change that by using data to make informed policy decisions that strengthen their teacher pipelines. Data Quality Campaign’s Read more about How State and Local Leaders Can Strengthen Teacher Pipelines[…]

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In 29 States, Teachers Cannot be Dismissed due to Ineffectiveness

New analysis from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) finds that a majority of states fail to specify teacher ineffectiveness as an explicit reason to dismiss a teacher. In Walking the Tightrope: Teacher Effectiveness and Personnel Policies, NCTQ examines if states are achieving an appropriate balance of interests between teachers and students when it Read more about In 29 States, Teachers Cannot be Dismissed due to Ineffectiveness[…]

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A Policymaker’s Playbook for Transforming Teaching

District of Columbia Public Schools has been a source of some sensational headlines over the past decade, from an on-camera firing of a school principal to recent revelations of watered-down diplomas. But the school district arguably has done more to modernize public school teaching than any other in the nation. It is powerful work, yielding Read more about A Policymaker’s Playbook for Transforming Teaching[…]

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Gates Foundation bet on Teacher Evaluation Reform Falls Short

Matt Barnum, writing for Chalkbeat, has summarized the findings of a RAND report on the $575 million investment from the Gates Foundation into  teacher evaluation reform. Excerpts of the article appear below: New research commissioned by the Gates Foundation finds scant evidence that changes [related to human capital reform for teachers] accomplished what they were Read more about Gates Foundation bet on Teacher Evaluation Reform Falls Short[…]

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Next Steps for Teacher Evaluation Reform

Matthew Kraft, an assistant professor of education and economics at Brown University, has researched teacher evaluation reform extensively, through surveys of principals and multiple studies of state teacher-rating systems. FutureEd Director Thomas Toch spoke with Kraft to get his perspectives on the teacher evaluation landscape. Below, he talks about the value of having multiple rating Read more about Next Steps for Teacher Evaluation Reform[…]

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Supporting our Teachers of Color

Recently in the Hechinger Report, former Education Secretary John B. King, Jr. and Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the Learning Policy Institute wrote an op-ed recommending several actions that can be taken at the school, district, state and college levels to better support teachers of color. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Qualitative research from The Read more about Supporting our Teachers of Color[…]

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New Survey from CAP: Districts Not Investing Enough in Human Capital

To succeed in today’s economy, organizations must invest in the skills, knowledge and abilities of their staff – i.e. human capital – to maximize their performance. Ranging from talent recruitment, to creating workplace practices and environments that encourage employees to develop and stay, these tactics are being used by organizations throughout the country to be Read more about New Survey from CAP: Districts Not Investing Enough in Human Capital[…]

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Running in Place: How New Teacher Evaluations Fail to Live Up to Promises

National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), a non-partisan research and policy organization dedicated to ensuring every classroom has a high quality teacher, has released a new report on the effects of recent reforms of state teacher evaluation policies on teacher effectiveness ratings. The report examines teacher evaluation policies in the 30 states that require objective Read more about Running in Place: How New Teacher Evaluations Fail to Live Up to Promises[…]

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Big Problems in How Schools Hire Teachers and How to Solve Them

Every year schools must hire new teachers to replace the nearly 15 percent who leave annually. But what if schools are doing it wrong? Matt Barnum digs through some surprising research which shows that many schools and districts don’t require prospective teachers to perform a single model lesson, aren’t actively recruiting teachers of color and Read more about Big Problems in How Schools Hire Teachers and How to Solve Them[…]

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The Educator Pipeline: Turnover, Fewer Applicants Will Impact Student Achievement

Concerned about retention and recruitment of teachers, principals, and administrators, Learning First Alliance member organizations are looking to build stronger pipelines and supports for these critical roles in student learning. The Educator Pipeline discusses the challenges each profession faces, and why this issue is key to our nation’s economic future.   The report explores the Read more about The Educator Pipeline: Turnover, Fewer Applicants Will Impact Student Achievement[…]

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Evaluating Teacher Preparation: The problems with inputs — and outputs

In a recent article in RealClear Education, Ashley LiBetti Mitchel and Chad Aldeman explore the difficulty with evaluating teacher preparation. Excerpts of “Our Failed Investments in Teacher Preparation” appear below: Each year, new teachers collectively spend about $4.85 billion dollars and 302 million hours on their preparation work. But there is no evidence that any Read more about Evaluating Teacher Preparation: The problems with inputs — and outputs[…]

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Best and Worst States for Teachers for 2015

A recent comparison of data about states, conducted by Wallet Hub, ranked states based on a number of factors. The factors compare data on two category subsets that include: Job Opportunities and Competition and Academic and Work Environment. This study looks at subset factors that examine: Average Starting Salary for Teachers (adjusted for cost of Read more about Best and Worst States for Teachers for 2015[…]

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Retooling the District Operating System for Dynamism

Steven Hodas of the Center on Reinventing Public Education recently wrote a report describing the crucial role of what he called “DOS,” short for District Operating System. Hodas defines DOS as “a set of unsexy, below-the-radar functions like procurement, contracting, IT, and HR that determine the look and feel of what schools do. It also Read more about Retooling the District Operating System for Dynamism[…]

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Human Capital Resources for Schools and Districts

The Noyce Foundation supports major research and development efforts by quality national organizations to create new models for the recruitment, compensation, development, evaluation, and accountability of school principals and teachers as well as district and other leaders. The collection of R&D efforts includes resources from Education Resource Strategies, New Leaders, New Visions for Public Schools, Read more about Human Capital Resources for Schools and Districts[…]

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