The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) recently released a new study that takes an in-depth look at “teacher quality,” and how our understanding of the concept has changed over the past decade. The report, From Teacher Education to Student Progress: Teacher Quality Since NCLB, notes that prior to NCLB, it was assumed that teacher effectiveness was immeasurable, and “that our only hopes to increase it were tied to classroom experience and academic credentials.”
However, in the intervening years a wealth of research has studied teacher quality and what makes an effective teacher. Key markers in this transformation of the concept of teacher quality include:
- Declining trust in teacher education. Data show that teacher education programs graduate students of widely variable ability.
- Ineffective credential requirements. Despite federal requirements, research has shown high-poverty schools are more likely to have ineffective teachers.
- Bipartisan agreement. Major federal politicians in both parties have agreed that low teacher quality is a barrier to high-quality education.
- New era of measurement. NCLB created a treasure trove of individual student data that led to new opportunities for research to link teachers and students.
For more insights into how the concept of teacher effectiveness has evolved, read the full report at http://www.aei.org/papers/education/k-12/teacher-policies/from-teacher-education-to-student-progress-teacher-quality-since-nclb/
