Writing for Brown Center Chalkboard, Michael Hansen recently reviewed ways to reform teacher compensation without imposing a minimum annual salary across the board. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Teacher compensation reform has reemerged as an urgent policy topic, with bills introduced in both chambers of Congress to incentivize states Read more
At least until spring 2022, the dismal teaching conditions induced by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic had not led to notably higher educator turnover. However, surveys of educators continue to show that many teachers and principals plan to push up their anticipated retirement date because of the pandemic, and morale Read more
Many schools have encountered new struggles recruiting and retaining enough teachers over the last few years — and many face chronic staffing challenges that long predate the pandemic. To help address these challenges, Bellwether scanned the country for ideas and resources to create Creativity From Necessity: A Practical Toolkit for Read more
Writing for EdNote, authors Alyssa Rafa and Cassidy Francies present three state policy levers to support teacher mental health. Excerpts from the piece appear below: While state policymakers have been working to improve student mental health for years, there has not been much legislative action related to teacher mental health. Read more
Writing for FutureEd, Phyllis Jordan and Bella DiMarco explore trends in federal COVID ed aid spending. Excerpts from the piece appear below: To understand state and local policymakers’ strategies for bolstering teaching resources in the wake of the pandemic, FutureEd analyzed the COVID relief spending plans of 5,000 districts and Read more
A new piece from the 74 explores the lagging enrollment in teacher preparation programs at the university level, as well as steps teacher ed is taking to ward off local shortages. Excerpts from the piece appear below: The pandemic has exacerbated a troubling national trend: Fewer potential teachers are entering Read more
Writing for the Fordham Institute, Amber Northern recently reviewed what happened after the British government abandoned step and lane pay scales for teachers. Excerpts from the piece appear below. In 2013, the British government ended the use of “annual progression” pay scales for teachers. These were similar to U.S.-style “step Read more
Next Generation Learning Challenges has released an informative guide to nurturing adult learning communities. Excerpts from the piece appear below: It is only by cultivating the types of adult learning cultures where our teachers feel revived and excited about the work that we can hope to create the types of Read more
A recent fact sheet from the U. S. Department of Education outlines ways states and districts can sustain their investments in teachers beyond the use of American Rescue Plan funding. Excerpts appear below: Federal investments are available to support states, districts, and schools as they work to address immediate teacher Read more
U.S Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona recently laid out his vision for how the nation can support teachers across the country and elevate the teaching profession. During an address and fireside chat at the Bank Street College of New York, Secretary Cardona discussed how the Department, states and districts, and Read more
Though kids are learning this year, many have fallen even further behind grade level. A new report from Brookings, written by Paul Hill and Kate Destler, draws from a national survey of school districts and in-depth interviews with six school districts. Highlights from the piece appear below: Many school and Read more
School administrators serve as instructional leaders and set the tone for the culture of a school, play an important role in hiring and retaining teachers, and impact student outcomes from attendance to achievement. The principal’s influence is pivotal. In this month’s issue brief, Core Education explores effective school leadership and Read more
For any labor market to function properly, clear information is needed to guide decision making; its absence invariably leads to less than optimal decisions and inefficiencies. While the broader labor market is riddled with imperfect information, the teacher labor market is particularly vulnerable—largely for the lack of the most basic Read more
While investing in the teacher workforce is central to improving schools, school resources are notoriously limited, forcing school leaders to make difficult decisions on how to prioritize funds. A new paper from the Annenberg Institute at Brown University examines a critical input to resource allocation decisions: teacher preferences. Using an Read more
Writing for The 74, Marianna McMurdock recently reviewed new research that shows that Black and Latino students are disproportionately taught by inexperienced, uncertified teachers. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Across the country, schools serving predominantly Black students have 5 percent more novice teachers than schools with fewer Black students, Read more
Teachers have long been identified as the number one in-school factor that influences student outcomes. Conversely, teacher turnover is correlated with lower student outcomes and contributes to school cultures where churn and instability prevent positive change from taking root. How to retain teachers, and especially teachers of color, has emerged Read more