A coalition of nine teacher preparation programs released a letter to the Department of Education and Congress calling for clear guidance to states seeking to enhance the quality of teacher preparation programs under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Urban Teachers–along with Aspire Public Schools, Blue Engine, Boston Teacher Residency, Read more
Karin Klein writes in the Los Angeles Times about a new initiative funded by the Cotsen Foundation for the Art of Teaching that seeks to improve teaching and learning through intensive mentoring by master teachers. She writes: Creating better teachers is more complicated — and more expensive — than claiming Read more
The Coalition for Teaching Quality, a group of more than 100 national, state and local teacher, principal, civil rights, disability, rural, youth, higher education, and related education advocacy organizations has released three consensus policy papers to help inform state and district implementation of ESSA. Building a Strong and Read more
At the end of every interview, there comes a time when the principal asks the prospective teacher, “Do you have any questions for me?” Cristie Watson advises in Education Week Teacher that the following five questions are appropriate to ask (and the answers provide important information for new teachers): What Read more
REL Central recently released a paper titled, “Understanding Field Experiences in Tradition Teacher Preparation in Missouri.” The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of field experiences in traditional teacher preparation programs completed by first-year teachers in Missouri and how experiences vary by teaching certificate type. This descriptive Read more
Every day in classrooms across the country, dedicated professionals put in long hours educating students, preparing lessons, grading homework, engaging with families, collaborating with colleagues, and overcoming obstacles. Their work is vital to children, parents, communities, and our future, yet rarely do teachers receive the thanks they deserve. The new Read more
Tara Kini and Anne Podolsky of the Learning Policy Institute, ask, “Do teachers plateau early in their career or do they continue to grow and improve as they gain experience?” Through a review of research, these authors reexamine this critical question using advanced research methods. Based on a review of Read more
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) released a new study recently on the validity of evaluation ratings using an instrument adapted from a well-known teacher observation tool, the Danielson Framework for Teaching. The findings of the study, by Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) West, support the use of a single summative Read more
In a two part blog on the best ways to organize an educational system, Mark Tucker outlines his vision and details the specific methods that can be used to achieve this vision. Mr. Tucker writes: NCEE, the organization I head, runs the biggest and most successful program for training school Read more
A recent article by the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) investigates whether STEM teacher candidates who score better on licensure tests are also more effective at improving student performance once they enter the teaching workforce. After replicating earlier findings that teacher basic-skills licensure test Read more
Historically, states and districts have invested large sums on teacher professional development or “PD” as the primary strategy to help teachers improve their practice. Despite its potential, in its present state, PD has gained a poor reputation among educators and those who study education, in part because little evidence exists Read more
Teaching quality is recognized as the most powerful school-based factor in student learning. However, capacity and often commitment have been insufficient across states and districts to ensure all students have equitable access to excellent educators. Too often, students from low-income families and students of color experience educational “opportunity gaps,” meaning Read more
A new study finds that teacher candidates who passed the edTPA teacher performance assessment for certification and licensure on their first try tended to boost their students’ reading test scores more in their first year of teaching than those who didn’t. While that finding is good news for supporters of Read more
Do teachers really know what students go through? To find out, one teacher followed two students for two days and was amazed at what she found. Her report appeared on the blog of Grant Wiggins, the co-author of Understanding by Design and the author of Educative Assessment. Read more
A group of leading teacher preparation program providers – Deans for Impact – released a set of policy recommendations calling for outcomes-based accountability and data-informed improvement in teacher preparation. Their recommendations are consistent with the following findings: Teacher preparation programs are disconnected from local labor market needs. There is no incentive for teacher Read more
Jonah Steele is a current high school student, writing on Medium about the current debate over education reform. He laments the fact that students do not seem to have any input, or at least are not taken seriously, in this debate. Mr. Steele states: Regardless of how many times you’ve Read more