If you threaten, will they come?

If half the battle is just showing up, some teachers have already lost the war.That's what we learned in our...

A long fall to the bottom: Missing coursework in teacher prep

You can't teach what you don't know—and when it comes to math, some teachers just don't know enough. Why? Michigan State...

NCTQ welcomes its newest board member

We're thrilled to welcome NCTQ's newest addition to our Board of Directors, Paul Kihn. Paul brings with him the ideal...

July 2016: How much time do teachers get to plan and collaborate?

In order to be well prepared for daily instruction, teachers need time without students to plan and collaborate. This month, Trendline...

When it comes to teacher quality, do states really matter?

Of late, I've been holding my own internal debate. Is getting states to change their teacher policies worth all the...

Picking your data battles

Every great teacher knows that her grading practices need to be fair. And any good policymaker should know that teachers...

June 2016: Substitute teachers

This month, the Trendline takes a look at substitute teachers' required qualifications, salary, and benefits. We find some significant changes...

Preschool teacher prep: illusions of quality

30 million words. It's a staggering number representing the tremendous gap in the number of utterances (not distinct words) a child hears...

The power of partnerships

In the face of all evidence on the (apparently) utter uselessness of most professional development, might there be something that...

Three reasons why every teacher prep program should adopt the edTPA…or not.

Over the last few decades, the field of teacher education has heavily promoted the use and even the mandatory adoption by...

Shining some light on our hidden biases

We've known for years that students of color are underrepresented in gifted education programs across the country.

May 2016: Teacher Tenure

This month's Trendline takes a look at the length of probationary periods across districts in the Teacher Contract Database and how much...

A drummed up teacher shortage crisis

Isn't it amazing how someone or some things gain traction when the facts clearly aren't on their side? Just like...

A glimmer of hope on the bleak PD front

The headline of a new study from Matthew A. Kraft (Brown University) and David Blazar (Harvard Graduate School of Education)...

In memory of Barry Kaufman

On behalf of the entire Teacher Preparation Strategies team, I want to express our sadness at the death of Barry...