Teacher Quality and Policy

Teaching Quality in a Changing Policy Landscape, an ETS Policy Information Center report, examines the relationship between improvements in the academic quality of America’s teaching force and the recent unprecedented policy focus on improving teacher quality. The report highlights five policies or policy directions that have been implemented in the past ten years, and examines changes in the quality of teacher pool within the context of a changing policy landscape. The five specific policies having a direct impact on teacher licensure testing are:

1. increasing accountability of teacher education programs;
2. ensuring the qualifications of teachers;
3. increasing requirements for entry into teacher education;
4. strengthening teacher quality requirements for accreditation; and
5. the rapid expansion of alternate route programs.

Postsecondary Education and State Economic Development

Confronted with the challenge of developing more globally competitive regional economies, state policymakers have taken a renewed interest in the role of postsecondary education in state economic development. The rhetoric around the importance of investing in postsecondary education to support regional economic needs is consistent across the nation. To date, however, there has not been wide agreement on the most effective strategies. This Education Commission of the States StateNote describes three popular policy mechanisms and highlights noteworthy state policies that have been enacted since 2004.

Effective Teachers for At-Risk Schools and Students

Research has convincingly shown that students who lack effective teachers are destined to fall behind their peers. Efforts to address the disparities between the quality of teachers in high-poverty, low-performing schools and those in more affluent schools with high student achievement have generally been insufficiently focused and have lacked intensity. According to this report, state and local policymakers, educators, and technical assistance providers face a variety of challenges and require assistance. The National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality attempts to address these issues in America’s Challenge: Effective Teachers for At-Risk Schools and Students.

Resources to Support Teacher Preparation

NCLB and IDEA confirm that teachers need to be prepared and supported to meet the needs of all learners, both general education learners and learners with disabilities. In an effort to provide those who prepare and support teachers, the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Education offers a new resource targeted to teacher preparation programs that will provide the most up to date and research based practice and policy on how this goal might be achieved. This on-line resource provides information related to five key topics - assessment, classroom management/behavior, inclusive practices, instructional strategies, reading/literacy, and additional special education issues - as well as an opportunity to join in ongoing dialogue.

To Teach or Not to Teach?

According to a National Center for Education Statistics survey, a decade after starting, 93% of teachers are satisfied with their jobs. Using data from the 2003 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study, the analysis first compares current and former teachers in this cohort on several demographic and educational measures, and contrasts these groups with 1992-93 graduates who never taught. The report provides an overview of teachers’ job satisfaction and, for those not teaching in 2002-03, the main reason for not teaching. The second section looks at graduates’ preparation for teaching, including the key steps of completing a teacher education program, serving as a student teacher, and earning certification. Finally, the report examines the main reasons graduates who never taught gave for deciding against teaching. The study also finds that just 18% of education graduates who entered teaching changed occupations within four years.

Assessing What Matters

This article advocates the use of broad achievement measures in schools, with an emphasis on wisdom, intelligence, and creativity, versus the kinds of narrow standardized assessments currently utilized. Using broader tests can help students see where they have mastery and where they need to improve. Teachers, in turn, can teach in ways that help students acquire the skills they need to succeed in school and life. The basic idea underlying the WICS model is that active and engaged citizenship, and especially leadership, require individuals to have 1) a creative vision for how they intend to make the world a better place; 2) the analytical intellectual skills to be able to explain why their vision is a good one; 3) the practical intellectual skills to be able to execute their vision and persuade others of its value; and 4) the wisdom to ensure that their ideas represent a common good.

Quality Counts 2008

BONUS ARTICLE (subscription may be required for access)

Education Week recently released the 12th annual edition of Quality Counts, a report that grades states across six areas of education performance and policy: chance-for-success; K-12 achievement; standards, assessments, and accountability; transitions and alignment; the teaching profession; and school finance. The U.S. received a grade of C overall, and Arizona received a C-minus. Some states performed consistently well or poorly across the full range of categories, but a closer examination of the rankings reveals that most states posted a strong showing in at least one area. The report was designed to be a useful tool in providing a broad evaluation of state performance and to offer a more nuanced perspective on the educational condition of the nation and of the 50 states.