Getting and Keeping Teacher Quality Where it Counts
A growing body of research demonstrates one of the most important
factors influencing the academic success of students is the
effectiveness of their teachers. If this is so, then why are
high-poverty and low-performing schools so often staffed with the least
experienced, least qualified teachers? And what can parents, educators,
and policymakers do about it?
In February, three education organizations launched the National
Partnership for Teaching in At-Risk Schools to help answer these
questions. The founding groups-the Education Commission of the States
(ECS), ETS, and Learning Point Associates-all have extensive experience
helping states and districts recruit and retain successful teachers in
hard-to-staff schools.
The National Partnership plans to review and share existing data and
research on teacher quality as well as commission new research to
create an information clearinghouse that includes a Web site and
best-practice library. Resource and policy development for states,
districts, and schools are also on the group's agenda. This month's
newsletter summarizes the findings of the National Partnership's
inaugural report, Qualified Teachers for At-Risk Schools: A National Imperative, which highlights both pressing concerns and some promising solutions related to teacher quality.
The Problem
The National Partnership defines effective teachers as those who
make a consistent, positive difference in the achievement of their
students. Effective teachers, it asserts, possess a deep understanding
of both subject matter and pedagogy, are fully certified, and have
several years of teaching experience.
Unfortunately, a disproportionately small number of teachers who fit
this definition work in high-poverty schools. Students in these
schools, the report asserts, are more likely than students in wealthier
schools to be assigned to teachers who lack a major or a minor in their
teaching field and have fewer than three years of teaching experience.
Schools with a high percentage of minority students have similar
problems. Secondary students in schools in which African Americans and
Latinos make up 90 percent or more of the population are twice as
likely to be taught by teachers who are not certified in the subject
they teach as are students in predominantly white schools (Haycock,
2000).
Several factors help create these teaching inequalities. The
national shortage of highly qualified teacher applicants-especially in
key subject areas such as mathematics, science, and special
education-exacerbates the difficulty of attracting teachers in these
subjects to high-poverty schools. Cumbersome application processes
hinder the ability of some districts to find and hire good teachers in
a timely fashion, with job offers being made even after the school year
begins. And, when at-risk schools do succeed in hiring teachers, they
often have a difficult time keeping them. The report reveals that while
the average annual statewide attrition rate in Colorado was 20 percent
from 2001 to 2004, the figure was more than 50 percent from 2002 to
2003 in some of the state's urban schools.
Promising Solutions
The National Partnership report identifies a number of state,
district, and local initiatives aimed at improving teacher quality in
high-poverty schools, specifically in the areas of teacher preparation
and licensure, recruitment, and retention. The organization plans to
continue to study these initiatives and share its findings through
publications, newsletters, and conferences.
Preparation and Licensure. In order to find enough qualified
teachers, some school districts are partnering with local universities
to create alternative routes to certification. These programs target
experienced professionals and fast-track the teacher certification
process. As a result, the report finds they often attract a more
diverse group of applicants (e.g., older, minority, or male) than those
enrolled in more traditional teacher education programs.
ECS Vice President for Policy Studies and Programs Charles Coble
notes that schools of education also are doing a better job of
preparing teacher candidates to work in needy schools. Some, including
the teacher education program at East Carolina State University, have
designed programs that place student teachers in high-poverty schools
that are successful with poor and minority students. "Student teachers
need to be able to see success in order to achieve it themselves," he
says.
Recruitment. Using innovative recruiting strategies also has
worked for some school districts. Chattanooga, Tennessee, has adopted
targeted financial incentives: High-performing teachers in the district
receive a $5,000 salary increase and other financial benefits if they
agree to work in any one of nine low-performing, urban schools. The
program seems to have been successful. The report finds schools
identified for this initiative have posted significant academic gains
on state tests in both reading and mathematics.
But states and school districts should be sure to have laser-like
targets for such incentives, warns Coble. In a study of teacher
staffing in North Carolina, Coble's colleagues at ECS found that
signing bonuses did not bring the most effective teachers to the lowest
performing schools because the criteria for identifying them were too
general. "The bonus arrangement that we saw was not sufficiently fine
grained," he says. "You want teachers [not only] with some experience
but [also] with some real evidence that they are successful."
Retention. Teacher retention becomes an issue the day a new
teacher is hired. To address this issue, several states have developed
comprehensive programs designed to provide novice teachers with the
direction, support, and supervision they need in their first, crucial
classroom experience. These programs often include extensive
professional development and mentoring. Virginia's Teacher Retention
Initiative, for example, specifically targets new teachers in
high-needs schools. The National Partnership (2005) found that while
such induction programs are labor intensive and expensive, they are
"highly effective in keeping quality teachers in the profession."
Currently, 15 states require and fund such initiatives.
A growing number of states and districts are experimenting with
using financial incentives to retain experienced teachers. Typically,
these states tie financial compensation not just to longevity but to
evidence of effective teaching, such as certification by the National
Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The National Partnership
speculates that in addition to providing financial benefits, these
programs might also motivate teachers to make a more long-term
commitment to their profession.
Future Initiatives
The National Partnership for Teaching in At-Risk Schools hopes to
work with school districts that have been successful in recruiting and
retaining effective teachers in high-poverty schools. It also plans to
help states and districts that are struggling for ways to staff these
schools. "We are looking for collaborators," says Coble. "We want to
see what districts have done. We also want to hear from people who want
our help."
The group also is planning a number of research studies, including the following:
• A comprehensive review of existing research.
• Evaluations of significant programs and policies.
• New research on the teacher pipeline and how to place more successful teachers in needy schools.
For more information on the National Partnership for Teaching in At-Risk Schools, call 877-322-8700 or e-mail . The full text of Qualified Teachers for At-Risk Schools: A National Imperative is available at http://www.ncrel.org/quality/partnership.htm.
National Partnership for Teaching in At-Risk Schools. (2005). Qualified teachers for at-risk schools: A national imperative. Washington, DC: Author.
The Organizations
The Education Commission of the States, a nationwide, nonprofit
organization dedicated to facilitating the exchange of information and
innovation to improve education through public policy, recently spent
four years working with 17 states on issues related to staffing
high-poverty schools.
ETS is the world's largest private educational testing and
measurement organization. It is currently conducting a research
analysis to better understand why teachers leave hard-to-staff schools.
Learning Point Associates is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization
dedicated to helping educators improve student learning by equipping
them with research-based strategies that meet their needs and produce
results. The organization is currently conducting a study of teacher
recruitment in high-need schools in Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin
