Raising a red flag: LIFO policies harm teacher diversity, teacher quality, and student learning
As ESSER funding depletes and teacher layoffs set in, school districts should consider teacher performance and other alternatives to last-in-first-out.
What training for a marathon can teach us about clinical practice for teachers
Teacher preparation isn't a sprint; it's a marathon. And just like preparing for a long race, it requires well-planned practice,...
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Teacher Apprenticeships: Long on possibility, short on details (for now)
Apprenticeships offer a promising model to help expand and diversify the teacher workforce. But NCTQ President Heather Peske cautions: We're...
No need to beg, borrow, and steal: A road map for how states can implement and sustain reading policies
State education leaders shouldn't work alone to enact teacher-focused reading policies, writes NCTQ President Heather Peske. Instead, they can look...
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Are we setting up English learners for reading success?
Every year, countless English learning students pass through our education system without getting the help they need. And for each...
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Connect the Dots: States’ priorities, policies, and practices impact student outcomes
Do state leaders suffer from a lack of strategy? To really connect the dots and make an impact, states need...
Scrambling to hire teachers doesn’t have to be a recurring rat race
Filling those hard-to-staff teacher vacancies doesn't have to be so hard. Making a few straightforward adjustments to compensation, incentives, and...
Give teachers what they want (and students what they need): Effective teacher prep
Teachers demand better training on how to teach reading. Teacher prep programs ought to do more
Gambling with children’s futures—and no one’s tracking whether we win or lose
Almost no one is tracking the impact recent policy decisions have on student learning and how they perpetuate educational inequity.
What increasing seat belt use can teach us about strengthening math instruction
What if states applied the "seat belt" policy approach to solving our current mathematics education crisis?
Teacher prep matters; let’s start acting like it
Policymakers are overlooking teacher prep as a critical force in promoting teacher quality and better outcomes for students.
What do NASA scientists, historians, and strong readers have in common? Content knowledge
I was recently reading a NASA article with my 12-year-old child about the dynamics of flight and was struck by...
Teaching reading is brain science
What many still don't recognize is that teachers' reading instruction changes the wiring in children's brains.
A call to action from dismal NAEP scores: Support teachers to engage with parents
Parents and families must be part of the partnership to help students gain back their academic footing.
Eight ways states can act now to retain an effective, diverse teacher workforce
A focus on teacher recruitment without appropriate attention to retention is like trying to collect water in a sieve.
We wouldn’t lower standards for pilot licenses—so why teachers?
Who wants someone who has not demonstrated their knowledge and skills to be trusted with landing the plane? Teaching is...
Reflections on the pandemic and the power of teachers
Now is the moment to chart a new path forward.
We must do better
We must join together to ensure that our nation keeps children and teachers safe.