Strong preparation requires meaningful practice. New data looks at the training provided by over 1,000 elementary teacher preparation programs in how to manage a classroom and in program efforts to assert quality control in clinical practice experiences (including both student teaching and residencies).
Learning how to read is not something that comes naturally. Many children need instruction from their teachers that follows the research on the most effective and efficient methods of teaching reading (often referred to as the "science of reading"). The path to literacy is supported by many actors, but states have a role in these four essential pillars: Pillar 1: Insisting that prep programs build teacher candidate knowledge. It is this pillar where states can make the...
New data and analysis from the National Council on Teacher Quality finds significant progress on the science of reading instruction in teacher preparation. For the first time since NCTQ began publishing program ratings in its 2013 Teacher Prep Review, the number of programs in the nation to embrace reading science has crossed the halfway mark, with 51 percent of 1,000 evaluated traditional elementary teacher preparation programs across the country now earning an A or B...
New data from the National Council on Teacher Quality reveal that the majority of states do not ask for evidence of prior successful teaching for those teachers coming from out of state who are applying for a teaching license—in spite of imposing many demands covering a host of other factors. As important, there are seven states that do not require a criminal background check on such teachers.
More states are recognizing the importance of leadership roles for teachers, signaling that state policy is reflecting teachers' voices. Thirty-five states now have formal teacher leadership policies, with a net of eight additional states adopting formal teacher leadership policies in the past two years. Even though the implementation of any teacher leadership policy happens at the school district level, policies at the state level can catalyze and legitimize teacher leadership opportunities, providing districts with the...
Since the 2015 passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a large number of states have backed away from recently enacted policies that were designed to breathe new life into moribund teacher and principal evaluation systems. No fewer than 30 states have recently withdrawn at least one of the evaluation reforms that they adopted during a flurry of national activity between 2009 and 2015. Notably, nine fewer states now require teacher evaluations to include...
Prospective teacher candidates should make informed decisions about which teacher preparation programs are likely to best prepare them to succeed on their licensure tests and in the classroom. However, too few states publish data that demonstrate whether specific teacher preparation programs are adequately preparing teacher candidates for their futures. This NCTQ Databurst describes each state's pass rate reporting, and analyzes the quality of each state's required elementary content licensure test.
A Fair Chance: Simple steps to strengthen and diversify the teacher workforce examined a particularly troubling issue, the fact that so many elementary teacher candidates struggle to pass licensing tests in the essential content needed to teach elementary grades. This inadequate content knowledge is not a problem that begins with post-secondary institutions—but it can end there. It is also not a problem that teacher preparation programs can solve alone. The report explored course requirements, both...
Peppered with plenty of advice from practicing teachers, Start Here to Become a Teacher provides advice to people interested in teaching and allows aspiring educators to more wisely "comparison shop" among teacher prep programs by providing them with a listing of the nation's top 120 undergraduate teacher prep programs. Other highlights include:- Calling out common myths about teaching and what teachers who are successful love most about their jobs- The pros and cons of undergrad...
In A Fair Chance: Simple steps to strengthen and diversify the teacher workforce, NCTQ analysis reveals both astonishingly high numbers of elementary teacher candidates failing their professional licensing tests each year, as well as widespread evidence that teacher preparation programs give scant attention to the content knowledge candidates need. Candidates of color are hit hardest. Already more likely to be disadvantaged by an inequitable system of K-12 education, only 38 percent of black teacher candidates...
Deciding under what circumstances teachers are laid off during a reduction in force or dismissed will always be a tightrope. Teachers deserve a fair process and one that respects their contributions to a school district, just as every student deserves competent teachers. This NCTQ Databurst looks at how states approach these two tough issues, examining if states are achieving an appropriate balance of interests between teachers and students.
The past decade has been marked by rapid changes in teacher evaluations. While many districts and states announced their intention to install better systems, they faced political and structural challenges. In this study, NCTQ examines evidence of the impact of teacher evaluation in six places (four districts and two states) that have stayed the course in developing and implementing improved teacher evaluation systems: Dallas Independent School District, Denver Public Schools, District of Columbia Public Schools,...
This study examines all 50 states' and the District of Columbia's requirements regarding the science of reading for elementary and special education teacher candidates.
