One of the classic questions about education is whether teaching can be taught. Is a teacher born or made? A recently released book, Building a Better Teacher: How Teaching Works (and How to Teach It to Everyone) by Elizabeth Green, answers with a definitive, “Yes, it can be taught!” Green’s book is another one to Read more about Teaching Teaching[…]
The Alliance for Excellent Education has released a new webinar and report on Improving the Effectiveness of Beginning Teachers. Webinar: Improving the Effectiveness of Beginning Teachers This webinar highlighted current trends in the teaching workforce, the research on induction programs, and a systems approach to creating supportive teaching and learning conditions. In conjunction with the Read more about Improving the Effectiveness of Beginning Teachers[…]
In his edweek.org blog, Marc Tucker argues that success in improving teacher quality should be measured by our country’s ability to transform teaching from a blue-collar occupation to a high-status profession. Tucker was encouraged to write this particular blog post by a new report, “Genuine Progress, Greater Challenges: A Decade of Teacher Effectiveness Reforms”, penned Read more about Who Gets to Write the History of Teacher Quality?[…]
Politicians, pundits, and the American public are seeking evidence of the quality of teacher preparation. But how can we tell if a teacher preparation program is effective? In this month’s issue brief, we have assembled perspectives on accountability for teacher preparation programs and the role of the federal government related to this issue. What is Read more about July Issue Brief: Teacher Preparation[…]
Teacher Prep Review 2014 is the second edition of NCTQ‘s annual assessment of the nation’s 2,400 teacher prep programs. The Review uncovers early evidence that teacher prep programs are beginning to make changes. It arrives at a time of heightened, unprecedented activity across the nation to improve teacher preparation. Here are a few of the Read more about Teacher Prep Review 2014 Report from NCTQ[…]
The Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) has been working with representatives of teachers unions and other contributing parties to finalize new accreditation standards for teacher preparation, and these include a focus on student-achievement growth. While CAEP’s new standards still have to be approved by the accreditor’s board later this summer, the positive feedback Read more about New Language for Accreditation Standards Signals Successful Compromise[…]
The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (at AIR) has a few new briefs out which are certainly worth the precious time of state education agencies. First is Preparing Teachers for the Common Core: Aligning Preparation Program Curricula Hear directly from state chiefs about how they support teacher preparation programs in transitioning curricula and clinical Read more about New GTL Resources on Teacher and Leader Preparation[…]
To build a world-class educational system, America needs outstanding teachers. But how do we recruit exceptional candidates into the teaching pipeline? How do we ensure that these candidates represent the diversity of our student population? In this month’s issue brief, we have assembled information about America’s teacher pipeline problem, as well as policy ideas and Read more about June Issue Brief: America’s Teacher Pipeline[…]
Ten years ago, education leaders, policy makers, and philanthropists caught on to what parents already knew: In a school, teachers are the most important factor determining whether a student succeeds in the classroom. A decade ago, the Joyce Foundation decided to fund research and advocacy on the importance of placing a highly effective Read more about Ten Years of Research on Teacher Quality[…]
Today, well more than a decade since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and because of its demands for states to keep statistics on students’ access to highly qualified teachers, we know much more about the impact of high-quality teaching on student achievement. We also know that teacher characteristics once Read more about Attaining Equitable Distribution of Effective Teachers in Public Schools[…]
Written for state legislators, governors, and their staff, this policy snapshot provides an overview of the latest research, information, and policy trends for establishing and supporting effective induction programs. Induction is a term that is often associated with mentoring of new teachers, and for good reason, but it is important to understand the definition of Read more about Supporting New Teachers: What We Know About Effective State Induction Policies[…]
Most analysts in the education policy conversation agree that teacher quality is the most important in-school variable shaping students’ educational outcomes. It’s a huge lever—new technology, fancy curricula, and better content standards are almost meaningless without a great teacher to make them work. A new report from Third Way offers some insight into the challenges Read more about New Report on College Students’ Perceptions of the Teaching Profession[…]
A new report from Catalyst Chicago focusing on teacher preparation in Illinois highlights the discrepancy between increasing numbers of minority students and stagnant numbers of minority teachers but cites limited success in enrolling more Latino teacher candidates. The Latino demographic, however is the only group that enrolled at increasing rates between 2003 and 2010. Fewer Read more about Across all Races, Teacher Preparation Losing Students[…]
Like so much else in the world of teacher preparation, progress at readying new teachers for vastly different K-12 content expectations can probably best be described by one adjective: inconsistent. There are already a huge range of traditional and non-traditional teaching preparation/certification programs, each with its own particular view on education, curriculum, content requirements, geographic Read more about Common Core Standards Pose Teacher Prep Challenge[…]
Providing all children in America with the opportunity to obtain a world-class education is critical for their success and the success of our nation, and there is no more important factor in successful schools than having a great teacher in every classroom. However, the vast majority of new teachers – almost two-thirds – reports that Read more about Taking Action to Improve Teacher Preparation[…]
Michele McNeil of Education Week recently sat down with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at his Washington D.C. office to ask him a wide range of questions about the goals of federal education policy in the time remaining before the next presidential election. Duncan stressed a few key issues: the transition to new standards and Read more about What does Sec. Duncan plan to accomplish before 2016?[…]