Help us put a great teacher in every classroom

States

State governments are arguably the single most powerful authority over the teaching profession. Whether through rules or regulation approved by state boards of education or professional standards boards, executive orders issued by state school chiefs or laws passed by legislatures, state authority is far reaching. State policies have an impact on who decides to enter teaching, who stays—and everything in between.

NCTQ tracks and analyzes states' teacher policies, including key areas such as teacher preparation, evaluation, alternative certification and compensation, and offers recommendations for policy improvements to help advance teacher quality throughout the country.

State Teacher Policy Yearbook

The State Teacher Policy Yearbook provides detailed analysis of any and every state policy that impacts the teaching profession. The Yearbook is a 52-volume encyclopedia (51 state reports including the District of Columbia plus a national summary) produced every other year, measuring states' policies against a realistic blueprint for reform.

Interim editions of the Yearbook, such as the 2010 Blueprint for Change, provide shorter briefs for each state that include a state-specific action plan, updating states' progress on Yearbook goals and giving advice on how to prioritize policy needs.

National Issue Papers

In addition, NCTQ produces focused issue papers, looking at areas of state policy across states.

• State of the States: Trends and Early Lessons on Teacher Evaluation and Effectiveness Policies (October 2011)
  A current picture of the teacher evaluation policy landscape, including in-depth analysis of states with some of the most ambitious policies and early observations of the challenges states face.
• The All-Purpose Science Teacher (September 2010)
  An analysis of loopholes in state requirements for high school science teachers.
• Tackling the STEM crisis (June 2009)
  5 steps states can take to improve the quality and quantity of K-12 math and science teachers.

• The Final Stretch in the Race to the Top (August 2010)
• Navigating the Race to the Top Traffic Jam (March 2010)

State-Specific Reports

Read NCTQ's advice to states on what they could have done to improve their shot at getting a portion of the $4.35 billion in Race to the Top.

• Arizona's Race to the Top: What will it take to compete? (November 2010)
• Putting Michigan in the Driver's Seat for the Race to the Top (October 2010)
• Race to the Top: Colorado may be used to high altitudes, but can it compete in Race to the Top? (August 2010)

State Support

NCTQ is available to work with individual states to improve teacher policies. Current activity includes serving on committees in Rhode Island, Florida, Louisiana, and Tennessee, helping to implement policy reforms.