Teachers matter more to student learning and achievement than any other aspect of schooling. Unfortunately, not all students have access to well-prepared teachers, particularly students of color and those living in poverty.
We’re here to change that.
How We Work
To achieve our vision of an effective, diverse teacher workforce that is prepared to meet the learning needs of all students, we focus on improving the policies and practices of those with the most influence over teacher quality:
As a nonpartisan research and advocacy organization, we:
Root recommendations in research
Our commitment to follow the evidence leads us across traditional fault lines in education. To catalyze improvements in teacher quality, we draw throughlines from research to policy and practice.
Collaborate and create accountability
We work with our key stakeholders to identify standards for the policy and practice changes that will accelerate student learning outcomes and then collect unique data to track their progress.
Share promising practices
We show what “good” looks like, offering proof points for change and exemplars that can be replicated.
Champion equity and diversity
We identify and scale policies and practices that have the potential to right inequities in our education system and promote an effective and diverse teacher workforce, which benefits all students—especially students of color.
Our Impact in 2024
100+
consultancies across 32 states provided to education leaders, policymakers, and advocates on a host of teacher quality policy decisions and practices
2,218
news stories cited NCTQ’s data on a range of teacher quality topics, including The Wall Street Journal, NPR Morning Edition, CNN, and USA Today
15
states adopted stronger reading policies aligned with NCTQ recommendations (in addition to four other states in 2023)
