Mentors matter: Good teaching really can be passed down to student teachers, new research finds

Posted on August 9, 2018August 3, 2018 by coreeducation

Writing for Chalkbeat, Matt Barnum explores the research on the value of being mentored by an expert teacher. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Studies released this year offer real evidence that good teaching can be passed down, in a sense, from mentor teacher to student teacher. In several cases, they find that the performance Read more about Mentors matter: Good teaching really can be passed down to student teachers, new research finds[…]

Providing High-Quality Technical Assistance in Teacher Preparation

Posted on August 8, 2018August 3, 2018 by coreeducation

Many organizations offer technical assistance (TA) to teacher preparation programs seeking to improve their programming. But until recently, there was no common way to assess the impact of that technical assistance or even define what high-quality technical assistance looks like. How can TA providers better understand the impact their technical assistance actually has on teacher Read more about Providing High-Quality Technical Assistance in Teacher Preparation[…]

Don’t Rate Teaching Schools Based on Student Test Scores, Study Warns

Posted on July 3, 2018June 24, 2018 by coreeducation

In recent years, public officials have sought to determine the quality of our nation’s teacher preparation programs, both the traditional programs at colleges and universities, as well as alternative preparation programs like Teach for America. One proposed way to do this is to track graduates into the classrooms where they become teachers to see how Read more about Don’t Rate Teaching Schools Based on Student Test Scores, Study Warns[…]

NCTQ Releases 2018 Teacher Prep Review

Posted on May 3, 2018April 27, 2018 by coreeducation

The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has released its latest ratings for 567 traditional graduate programs, 129 alternative route programs, and 18 residencies preparing both elementary and secondary teachers. Assessing programs on a number of key factors – such as how well they assess teachers’ subject matter content knowledge, classroom management, and the need Read more about NCTQ Releases 2018 Teacher Prep Review[…]

Early-Career Teachers’ Preparation and Support

Posted on May 2, 2018April 27, 2018 by coreeducation

In school year 2011-12, the majority of early-career teachers (i.e., teachers who had taught for five or fewer years) in public schools reported that they were well prepared for a range of instructional duties in their first year of teaching. The National Center for Education Statistics released a new Statistics in Brief report entitled “Preparation Read more about Early-Career Teachers’ Preparation and Support[…]

What does pre-service teacher quality tell us about entry and retention in the profession?

Posted on May 1, 2018April 27, 2018 by coreeducation

It is often difficult for school and district leadership to identify high-quality teachers who will remain in the classroom, especially among those who are just entering the profession and in the first years of employment. However, a recent study by Robert Vagi, Margarita Pivovarova and Wendy Miedel Barnard suggests that examining a prospective teacher’s instructional Read more about What does pre-service teacher quality tell us about entry and retention in the profession?[…]

NCTQ Releases 2018 State Teacher Policy Best Practices Guide

Posted on April 24, 2018April 23, 2018 by coreeducation

NCTQ’s 2018 State Teacher Policy Best Practices Guide highlights leading state work across 37 different policy areas that impact teacher quality. This resource serves as a guide to all states seeking concrete ideas and examples of how to improve teacher policy. Despite consistent concerns regarding whether states are acting quickly and ambitiously enough to improve Read more about NCTQ Releases 2018 State Teacher Policy Best Practices Guide[…]

New Collaborations and New Approaches to Teacher Preparation

Posted on March 29, 2018March 24, 2018 by coreeducation

In October 2017, American Institutes for Research (AIR) convened a panel of more than 30 teacher educators, researchers, and school and district leaders to present interdisciplinary research study designs that would break ground on new ways to better prepare teachers. These innovative designs, and the conversations they sparked, represent the cutting edge of teacher preparation Read more about New Collaborations and New Approaches to Teacher Preparation[…]

NCTQ Releases Analysis of States’ Efforts to Address Teacher Shortages and Surpluses

Posted on March 14, 2018March 9, 2018 by coreeducation

The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has released its Teacher Shortages and Surpluses Databurst, an analysis of states’ work to track teacher shortages and surpluses, and to implement policy solutions to address these challenges. This resource includes an overview of promising practices currently being implemented, a snapshot of all 50 states’ and the District Read more about NCTQ Releases Analysis of States’ Efforts to Address Teacher Shortages and Surpluses[…]

Social and Emotional Learning: A Teacher’s-Eye View

Posted on March 13, 2018March 31, 2021 by coreeducation

In partnership with NoVo Foundation, Education First is pleased to launch a new website and video series on teacher practices to support social and emotional learning (SEL). This is an exciting moment for SEL. Yet as the field learns more about how students learn the social and emotional skills necessary to succeed in school and Read more about Social and Emotional Learning: A Teacher’s-Eye View[…]

Early College High Schools Take on Teacher Preparation

Posted on February 2, 2018March 3, 2020 by coreeducation

Writing for New America, Roxanne Garza describes how early college high schools specializing in the teaching profession work to encourage more young people to become educators. Excerpts of the article appear below: Early College High Schools, which allow students to earn an associate degree in addition to a diploma while in high school, are rapidly Read more about Early College High Schools Take on Teacher Preparation[…]

States’ Sense of Urgency to Improve Teacher Policies Grinds to a Halt

Posted on January 5, 2018December 21, 2017 by coreeducation

The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has released its biannual 2017 State Teacher Policy Yearbook (Yearbook), which finds that the rapid progress made by states over the last decade to modernize their teacher policies has largely slowed. Since the last edition of the Yearbook in 2015, few states have initiated any new actions to Read more about States’ Sense of Urgency to Improve Teacher Policies Grinds to a Halt[…]

Strategies for Building Teacher Pipelines from CCSSO

Posted on December 11, 2017December 8, 2017 by coreeducation

As state leaders in education, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) aims to make sure every child has an effective teacher every year they are in school. Unfortunately, today, the education sector is facing a major challenge when it comes to the education workforce: States struggle to attract teachers to the profession, even Read more about Strategies for Building Teacher Pipelines from CCSSO[…]

Developing New Teacher Educators

Posted on November 8, 2017November 4, 2017 by coreeducation

A new brief from Education First outlines what teacher educators do and how they can be supported in their practice. To give all students great educational opportunities, we need outstanding teachers in our classrooms. But we can’t forget that, when participating in teacher preparation programs and professional development, teachers are students themselves-and they also need Read more about Developing New Teacher Educators[…]

State School Chiefs Offer ‘Playbook’ on Improving Teacher Preparation

Posted on October 16, 2017October 12, 2017 by coreeducation

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) has released Transforming Educator Preparation: Lessons Learned from Leading States, a playbook offering specific steps states can take to improve educator preparation. In 2012, CCSSO released Our Responsibility, Our Promise, boldly challenging state education leaders to raise expectations and strengthen policies to better prepare teachers before they Read more about State School Chiefs Offer ‘Playbook’ on Improving Teacher Preparation[…]

America Needs More Teachers of Color and a More Selective Teaching Profession

Posted on October 11, 2017October 6, 2017 by coreeducation

Recently the Center for American Progress released an article exploring the diversity and talent of the American teacher workforce. Excerpts appear below: This report examines the case for making candidate diversity and ability equally important criteria in the recruitment and selection of teachers. Looking at available evidence, the report shows that rigorous recruitment and Read more about America Needs More Teachers of Color and a More Selective Teaching Profession[…]