From Good to Great: Exemplary Teachers Share Perspectives

Through a first-of-its-kind exploratory survey, over 300 National and State Teachers of the Year reveal the professional experiences and supports that they believe most contributed to their growth and eventual excellence as a teacher. Reflecting back on their careers, from preparation through mastery and even into retirement, the teacher leaders surveyed in this study provide Read more about From Good to Great: Exemplary Teachers Share Perspectives[…]

Share

The Role of Congress in Teacher Preparation

A recent Congressional hearing has weighed how Congress should improve teacher preparation, and while the improvements may be necessary, they certainly won’t come easily. One of the big questions facing lawmakers: Should the federal government call for colleges of education to track their graduates into the classroom? And, if so, what exactly should that look Read more about The Role of Congress in Teacher Preparation[…]

Share

Federal Policy Recommendations for Promoting Better Prepared Educators

Currently, there are more first year teachers in the United States than teachers of any other experience level. At many schools, most of the teachers have only been teaching for a few years. Meanwhile, the skills and responsibilities expected of educators are expanding, as higher standards and new technologies are implemented to improve student learning. Read more about Federal Policy Recommendations for Promoting Better Prepared Educators[…]

Share

Carnegie Report Examines Lack of Experience in the Teacher Workforce

A new report from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching highlights the causes for and consequences of a relatively inexperienced teacher workforce, as well as promising practices in response to this reality. The high number of inexperienced teachers in public school classrooms is a largely unrecognized problem that undermines school stability, slows educational Read more about Carnegie Report Examines Lack of Experience in the Teacher Workforce[…]

Share

Fast Start: Training Better Teachers Faster with Focus, Practice and Feedback

A new report from TNTP provides an inside look at their effort to rebuild their own pre-service teacher training from the ground up, with one goal in mind: Give new teachers the skills they need to be successful from the moment they set foot in their classrooms. TNTP had to tackle the same problems that Read more about Fast Start: Training Better Teachers Faster with Focus, Practice and Feedback[…]

Share

Teach for America To Boost Training & Retention Efforts

For more than two decades, Teach for America has been sending bright young college grads into challenging classrooms with as few as five weeks of up-front training and expecting them to teach for two years. That’s about to change. TFA recently announced a pilot program to give an extra year of training to 2,000 college Read more about Teach for America To Boost Training & Retention Efforts[…]

Share

Shanghai’s Teacher Development System

Marc Tucker, a long-time proponent of studying high-performing international education systems as a means of improving American education, provided some recent reflection on Shanghai’s students continuing to score highly in PISA, one of the premier means of comparing international student achievement. Marc Tucker explains how Shanghai is able to both produce high quality beginning teachers Read more about Shanghai’s Teacher Development System[…]

Share

ETS Wades Into Market for Teacher-Performance Exams

Following on the heels of the announcement by the AFT about a “bar-exam for teachers” and announcements by states of prospective teacher tests that include practical teaching elements, the educational testing giant ETS will begin offering their own version of this sort of test. Field-testing began last month for the Princeton, N.J.-based Educational Testing Service‘s Read more about ETS Wades Into Market for Teacher-Performance Exams[…]

Share

Three New Policy Briefs from the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders

The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders has a running, “Ask the Team” series of briefs in which they dilute detailed research into concise and readable form. Three briefs released recently focus on performance-based compensation, tiered licensure, and alternate certification. Performance-Based Compensation: Linking Performance to Teacher Salaries  This Ask the Team brief provides current policy Read more about Three New Policy Briefs from the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders[…]

Share

New Battle Looms over Indiana Teaching Requirements

Indiana is the most recent state in which the debate over the best way to certify teachers has moved to center stage. There is a new proposal moving through the Indiana Board of Education that would allow anyone with a 3.0 GPA from the four-year college at which they graduated to teach as an “adjunct” Read more about New Battle Looms over Indiana Teaching Requirements[…]

Share

Teachers in Training Don’t Learn Classroom Management

The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has released a new report arguing that teacher training programs don’t do enough to prepare new teachers for classroom management. Based on syllabi that NCTQ procured from various teacher training programs, they found that a supposedly integrated classroom management curriculum across classes and student teaching is often a Read more about Teachers in Training Don’t Learn Classroom Management[…]

Share

Evaluation of Teacher Preparation Programs

The National Academy of Education recently released its report, “Evaluation of Teacher Preparation Programs: Purposes, Methods, and Policy Opinions”. The report begins by suggesting that there is consensus on the importance of teachers for students but also admits that there is far from a consensus on how exactly teachers become “good” educators.  There is a Read more about Evaluation of Teacher Preparation Programs[…]

Share

December Issue Brief: Teacher Preparation and Licensing

With so many reports on new standards, evaluations, and assessments in K-12 education, sometimes it seems that teacher preparation receives little attention. But the landscape of teacher preparation and licensure is shifting as well. In this month’s issue brief, we focus on new standards, accreditation policies and licensure regulations that affect teachers, teacher preparation providers, Read more about December Issue Brief: Teacher Preparation and Licensing[…]

Share

USC’s School of Education announces long-term support for graduates

Recognizing the rising pressure to hold teachers and administrators responsible for student achievement and increased pressures on new teachers, the University of Southern California’s college of education is offering its graduates a guarantee – if they’re struggling with part of their jobs, the college will have their backs. In a new program announced recently, all Read more about USC’s School of Education announces long-term support for graduates[…]

Share

Contribute on December 11: Scholarships for Prospective Teachers

For 24 hours on Dec. 11, 2013, the University of Maryland is calling on all supporters of education to come together to support scholarships for prospective teachers. Need to purchase a teacher gift for a child’s teacher? Make a donation in his/her name. The University’s Scholarship Day will support financial aid requests and scholarships for Read more about Contribute on December 11: Scholarships for Prospective Teachers[…]

Share

Partnering for Success: A 21st Century Model for Teacher Preparation

As advanced technologies enter the mainstream of everyday life, more than half of K-12 school districts are already offering – or interested in starting – blended and online learning programs. Though new school programs are evolving to personalize learning for every student using new tools and new methodologies, a national survey shows that a paltry Read more about Partnering for Success: A 21st Century Model for Teacher Preparation[…]

Share