Evaluating the Impact of Teach for America: Two New Studies

Posted on February 2, 2023January 30, 2023 by coreeducation

Recently, Future Ed reviewed two recent studies that suggest positive results for students in classrooms with TFA teachers, who typically lack the traditional training in education schools and commit for two or more years of service. Excerpts from the piece appear below: In a new working paper from the Annenberg Institute, Brown University researcher Virginia Read more about Evaluating the Impact of Teach for America: Two New Studies[…]

The Alternative Teacher Certification Sector Outside Higher Education

Posted on September 8, 2022September 3, 2022 by coreeducation

A new article by Jacqueline King and Jessica Yin for the Center for American Progress explores the landscape of alternative teacher preparation in the U.S., beyond those programs offered by colleges and universities. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Unfortunately, there are long-standing educator shortages in particular subject areas and localities. These trends have led Read more about The Alternative Teacher Certification Sector Outside Higher Education[…]

Building a Diverse Teacher Workforce

Posted on August 13, 2020August 11, 2020 by coreeducation

Improving diversity among educators is one way to alleviate some of the persistent and systemic racial disparities in academic achievement and student discipline. But about 80% of the educator workforce is white, while more than half of the nation’s K-12 population is racially and ethnically diverse. A new Education Commision of the States report shows Read more about Building a Diverse Teacher Workforce[…]

What University Presidents and Deans of Colleges of Education Need to Know About Modernizing the K-12 Educator Workforce

Posted on January 8, 2020January 5, 2020 by coreeducation

Aurora Institute (formerly iNACOL) has released a new policy brief titled Transforming Teaching: What University Presidents and Deans of Colleges of Education Need to Know about Modernizing the K-12 Educator Workforce. It is a call-to-action to higher education to play a role in bringing the teaching profession into the 21st century. Transforming K-12 education systems Read more about What University Presidents and Deans of Colleges of Education Need to Know About Modernizing the K-12 Educator Workforce[…]

50-State Comparison: Teacher Recruitment and Retention

Posted on November 7, 2019November 4, 2019 by coreeducation

Addressing shortages in a state’s teacher labor market can present unique challenges and requires access to comprehensive data and an understanding of available policy levers. To support informed policy, the Education Commission of the States has compiled a national comparison of state policies related to teacher recruitment and retention, with a focus on shortages in Read more about 50-State Comparison: Teacher Recruitment and Retention[…]

Shortage of Special Educators Adds to Classroom Pressures

Posted on January 8, 2019December 31, 2018 by coreeducation

Education Week recently released data on the nation’s shortage of special educators. Excerpts of the article appear below: The number of special education teachers nationally has dropped by more than 17 percent over the past decade, a worrisome trend in a career path that has seen chronic shortages for years. An analysis of federal data Read more about Shortage of Special Educators Adds to Classroom Pressures[…]

Staying Power: TFA Alumni in Public Education

Posted on January 3, 2019December 31, 2018 by coreeducation

Since its founding in 1990 to help staff classrooms in low-income communities, Teach For America has been attacked for devaluing public education by recruiting teachers to spend a minimum of two years in the classroom. A member of the Philadelphia City Council recently called TFA a “gimmick.” But TFA’s most recent information about its more Read more about Staying Power: TFA Alumni in Public Education[…]

District Power to Fix the Student Teacher Pipeline

Posted on September 25, 2018September 23, 2018 by coreeducation

Recently in The 74, Kate Walsh wrote about the power of school districts to fix their own teacher pipeline, including the portion of the pipeline coming from traditional teacher preparation programs. Excerpts from the piece appear below: A growing number of school districts are embracing the teacher residency model as a solution to their shortage Read more about District Power to Fix the Student Teacher Pipeline[…]

Realizing the Potential of Teacher Residencies

Posted on August 14, 2018August 7, 2018 by coreeducation

Teaching is one of very few professions that expects new employees to be masters of their craft — where they handle all of the responsibilities of long-serving veterans — on their first day on the job. Historically, new teachers have received limited exposure to life in the classroom. Even today, most traditional preparation programs require Read more about Realizing the Potential of Teacher Residencies[…]

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[…]

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[…]

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[…]