Teacher Prep Review: Building Content Knowledge
February 2023New data and analysis from NCTQ finds significant opportunities for teacher preparation programs to improve their coursework requirements to ensure...
False Assurances: Many states' licensure tests don't signal whether elementary teachers understand reading instruction
Most states use a weak elementary teacher reading licensure test, meaning that they do not effectively measure teachers' knowledge of scientifically based reading instruction prior to entering the classroom. This shortcoming means that, every year, nearly 100,000 elementary teachers across the country enter classrooms with false assurances that they are ready to teach reading.
Learn moreHighlights of our work
Training + Recruitment
Digging Deeper: Which types of institutions achieve excellence and equity for aspiring teachers of color?
July 2022Building a more diverse teacher workforce is essential to addressing educational inequity for students of color. In this analysis, NCTQ...
Teacher Prep Review: Preparation in Elementary Mathematics
May 2022Improving instruction in elementary mathematics is critical to supporting better academic and life outcomes for our students. While weak elementary...
Staffing
Seven strategies school districts are using to increase teacher diversity
March 2023Several school district leaders shared how they've accomplished recent gains in building a more diverse teacher workforce.
Do States Have the Data they Need to Answer Important Questions about their Teacher Workforce?
December 2022Given both the importance—and dearth—of nuanced, local data on teacher supply and demand, NCTQ set out to understand the key...
Ensuring Students' Equitable Access to Qualified and Effective Teachers
April 2022How states have responded to a 2015 federal law that they collect and report on the equitable distribution of teacher...
Evaluation + Support
State of the States 2022: Teacher and Principal Evaluation Policies
November 2022Results of the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress reveal alarming results: Since 2019, scores declined substantially for all students,...
If you want to help new teachers improve, invest in great coaches
April 2022People have life coaches, nutrition coaches, and executive coaches. So, it's no surprise to see schools turning to coaches as...
Seven ways to make improving teacher evaluation worth the work
February 2022A look at how using evidence-based practices can help ensure that teacher evaluation systems produce positive outcomes.
Compensation
Teacher salaries, cost of rent, and home prices: Can teachers afford to live where they teach?
May 2023Lack of affordable housing exacerbates the teacher staffing challenges that many school districts face.
State of the States 2022: Teacher Compensation Strategies
September 2022Salaries are one of the most powerful policy levers states and school districts can use to attract qualified, effective, and...
Are teacher salaries keeping up with inflation?
March 2022An in-depth look at whether teacher salary increases have kept pace with rising consumer prices.