NCTQ releases Race to the Top scorecard

With the first deadline for federal Race to the Top (RTT) proposals rapidly approaching, NCTQ has released a SCORECARD...

COMING SOON - 2009 State Teacher Policy Yearbook

On January 28, 2010, NCTQ will release the 2009 State Teacher Policy Yearbook, our third-annual, 52-volume review of state laws,...

Is New Haven teacher contract up to its billing?

Although garnering praise from both Arne Duncan and Randi Weingarten, we argue that the progressive appearance of the newly negotiated...

Are there cracks in seniority's armor?

With examples like New Haven (see story above), the demise of some of the more harmful seniority privileges may look...

Unions may not yield higher teacher salaries

Teachers seeking better pay or smaller classes might not be advised to look at unions as the answer, according to...

Rough reviews for performance pay

Researchers have released their final report on the Texas-sized performance pay experiment in, well, Texas. The legislature sent over $320...

Band-aid for Memphis math woes won't stick

Memphis City school district officials fear their teachers aren't prepared to teach a new fifth grade mathematics curriculum that introduces...

The problems and pitfalls of moving around teacher talent

Will great teachers still be great if they're moved to lower-performing schools? That intriguing question is the subject of a large,...

Steiner makes his move

It's well known that education schools have some quality control problems--low admission and graduation standards, questionable coursework requirements--but maybe it...

NCTQ welcomes new board members

We're most pleased that our Board of Directors is expanding to include two educators who have earned their prominence on...

New NCTQ ratings on western ed schools now available

With the start of the new school year, NCTQ has three new reports out rating core features of all of...

D.C. teacher layoffs: Not for the faint of heart

If you took your eye off the ball during the past two weeks, you might have missed teacher layoffs in...

What does it take to fire a teacher?

In February 2008, a Sarasota, Florida special education teacher was arrested and charged with four counts of child abuse following...

Displaced teachers: Denver's struggle to make lemonade

On paper, Denver principals appear to have a pretty good deal: they get to choose their own teachers and, when...

Teaching's pecking order: prestige assignments

School administrators' hands are generally tied when it comes to handing out retention bonuses, paying higher salaries in shortage subject...