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More school districts count on a 4-day week to attract and retain teachers

NPR News

As more schools and districts shift to four-day school weeks, NCTQ President Heather Peske warns that students often “pay the price” with learning losses.

October 21, 2025

DC region could be doing more to attract, retain teachers for most vulnerable students, report finds

WTOP News

D.C. and Maryland are among the top 10 jurisdictions with the highest share of English learners, but a new NCTQ report finds they fall short in providing incentives to recruit and retain the teachers those students need.

October 10, 2025

Only 18 states differentiate compensation for special education teachers

K-12 Dive

New NCTQ research shows many states aren’t doing enough to attract and retain special education and English learner teachers, impacting millions of students who already face steep academic gaps.

September 30, 2025

Olin Elementary sees increased focus with four-day schedule, but others urge caution

KGAN/Iowa's News Now

As more Iowa districts move to four-day school weeks, NCTQ President Heather Peske warns the change may offer short-term relief but risks long-term harm to students.

September 11, 2025

More Virginia school districts are offering family leave, but others lag behind

WTOP News

NCTQ research reveals that 57% of large school districts nationwide still don't offer paid parental leave for teachers, though the number providing this benefit has more than doubled since 2022. NCTQ President Heather Peske describes paid family leave as a critical opportunity for districts to attract and retain quality teachers.

August 6, 2025

Study shows housing affordability continues to bedevil teaching profession

NC Newsline

Two large North Carolina school districts are among those where beginning teachers struggle to afford housing, according to new NCTQ research. Nationally, housing costs have outpaced teacher salary increases by nearly 2-to-1 over the past five years.

June 19, 2025

Arizona rated as unacceptable for math education policies in new study

KTAR News

Arizona is one of seven states that NCTQ rated "Unacceptable" for its elementary math policies. NCTQ President Heather Peske urges state leaders to design policies that target teacher effectiveness to help improve student outcomes in math.

June 3, 2025

Republican-led State Setting an Example for Teaching Math

Newsweek

Alabama earns the only "Strong" rating in NCTQ's analysis of states' elementary math policies. NCTQ President Heather Peske highlights the state's comprehensive approach to teacher preparation and math curriculum standards as a model for other states.

June 3, 2025

Homebuying options remain slim for middle-income earners

Stateline

Middle-income workers across the country are being priced out of homeownership. According to an NCTQ analysis, housing costs have outpaced teacher salary increases by nearly 2-to-1 over the past five years.

May 23, 2025

Fairfax Co. teachers can’t afford to live near where they work, report finds

WTOP News

NCTQ research identifies Fairfax County as one of America's most "rent-burdened" school districts. New teachers must dedicate nearly half their salary to rent, forcing teachers to live far from their schools and creating recruitment and retention challenges for the district.

May 15, 2025

Elementary students are struggling with math. Could better teacher prep programs improve scores?

Wyoming Public Media

NCTQ President Heather Peske highlights how poor teacher preparation in elementary math contributes to lagging math proficiency across Mountain West states, where up to 39% of fourth graders struggle with basic math skills.

April 15, 2025

Gallup Poll: Half of School Leaders Say Finding a Good Math Teacher is Tough

The 74

Many schools and districts are desperate for high-quality elementary math teachers. New NCTQ data finds teacher prep programs are falling short in preparing them: Only 1 in 8 elementary prep programs devote adequate time to teaching math content.

April 10, 2025

Only 3 Wisconsin teacher preparation programs are devoting enough time to math, report says

Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR)

NCTQ's evaluation of 22 Wisconsin elementary teacher prep programs found only three devote enough time to math instruction, offering key context for why nearly a quarter of the state's fourth graders struggle with basic math concepts.

April 8, 2025

Georgia’s ongoing battle with literacy and its impact on incarceration

Atlanta News First

Thirty years ago, the U.S. Dept of Justice warned that reading failure was not just linked to delinquency, but a likely cause of it. Atlanta News First features NCTQ's assessment of teacher preparation programs while exploring how low literacy rates can fuel Georgia's incarceration crisis.

April 3, 2025

Colorado education landscape reels over Trump’s gutting of the US Department of Education

Colorado Public Radio

The federal government announced a 50% reduction in the U.S. Department of Education workforce, creating uncertainty for Colorado's education system. NCTQ warns that gutting the department will weaken its capacity to perform critical functions like data collection on teacher quality and student achievement, likely contributing to worsening student outcomes.

March 12, 2025

Team-Teaching Builds Supports in a ‘Very Lonely Profession’

Education Week

Team teaching models help address teacher isolation and burnout by having multiple educators collaborate to teach larger groups of students. NCTQ President Heather Peske emphasizes these approaches require investment in professional learning and structured collaboration, as "simply creating roles and assigning them to teachers will not be as impactful as ensuring that there are supports for teachers to take on these roles."

March 4, 2025

The building blocks of math that students need to excel — but aren’t always getting

The Hechinger Report

NCTQ's 2022 report reveals only 15% of undergraduate elementary education programs adequately prepare teachers in math content and pedagogy, highlighting the need for better teacher training to address persistent math achievement gaps in math.

February 19, 2025

‘It Hurts Kids’: Many schools continue to teach controversial reading remediation program

InvestigateTV Atlanta

Many universities still teach controversial "three cueing" reading methods despite evidence showing negative long-term impacts on students. NCTQ President Heather Peske identified these as contrary practices that have been debunked by the science and are harmful to children learning to read.

January 27, 2025

Hundreds of Madison school teachers hired on emergency licenses

The Cap Times

More than 10% of teachers in Madison, Wisconsin are working under emergency licenses, primarily in special and bilingual education. This practice gives "the least prepared, least experienced teachers to the students who need the most prepared, most effective teachers," warns NCTQ President Heather Peske.

January 7, 2025

Texas beats nation on teacher diversity, but research shows work is needed to reflect students

Texas Public Radio

Texas' teacher workforce is more diverse than the national average, with 45% teachers of color compared to the national rate of 23%, according to new NCTQ data.

December 10, 2024

Map Shows States With Most Diverse Teachers

Newsweek

New NCTQ data shows significant gaps in teacher workforce diversity across states. NCTQ President Heather Peske emphasizes that "teachers of color have a positive impact on all students—especially students of color," while noting the profession isn't keeping pace with increasing diversity among college graduates.

December 10, 2024

Partnerships Tackle Denver’s Workforce Housing Shortage

Forbes

Denver's population boom has created a housing crisis that hits teachers hard. An NCTQ analysis shows that Denver teachers spend a third of their salary on rent—exceeding the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) affordability threshold.

November 11, 2024

The ThoughtStretchers Podcast: How To Attract And Retain High-Quality Teachers

ThoughtStretchers Education Podcast

The traditional classroom model isn't working for many teachers and students, making it hard to attract and keep great teachers. NCTQ President Heather Peske discusses NCTQ's interactive resource showcasing innovative approaches to teacher staffing like teacher teams, flexible scheduling, and leadership roles that make teaching more sustainable while improving student outcomes.

November 7, 2024

Teachers Want Sustainable Workplaces. State Policies Make it Harder

Education Week

Districts nationwide are adopting new staffing models to improve teacher morale, teacher retention, and student learning outcomes. This article explores NCTQ's interactive resource examining how state policies impact districts' ability to implement these innovative staffing models.

September 17, 2024

California looks to build more teacher housing to boost recruitment, retention

K-12 Dive

Some California school districts offer teacher housing to combat affordability issues. NCTQ President Heather Peske raises concerns about this approach and questions what happens when teachers with subsidized housing lose their jobs.

August 23, 2024

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More school districts count on a 4-day week to attract and retain teachers

DC region could be doing more to attract, retain teachers for most vulnerable students, report finds

Only 18 states differentiate compensation for special education teachers

Olin Elementary sees increased focus with four-day schedule, but others urge caution

More Virginia school districts are offering family leave, but others lag behind

Study shows housing affordability continues to bedevil teaching profession

Arizona rated as unacceptable for math education policies in new study

Republican-led State Setting an Example for Teaching Math

Homebuying options remain slim for middle-income earners

Fairfax Co. teachers can’t afford to live near where they work, report finds

Elementary students are struggling with math. Could better teacher prep programs improve scores?

Gallup Poll: Half of School Leaders Say Finding a Good Math Teacher is Tough

Only 3 Wisconsin teacher preparation programs are devoting enough time to math, report says

Georgia’s ongoing battle with literacy and its impact on incarceration

Colorado education landscape reels over Trump’s gutting of the US Department of Education

Team-Teaching Builds Supports in a ‘Very Lonely Profession’

The building blocks of math that students need to excel — but aren’t always getting

‘It Hurts Kids’: Many schools continue to teach controversial reading remediation program

Hundreds of Madison school teachers hired on emergency licenses

Texas beats nation on teacher diversity, but research shows work is needed to reflect students

Map Shows States With Most Diverse Teachers

Partnerships Tackle Denver’s Workforce Housing Shortage

The ThoughtStretchers Podcast: How To Attract And Retain High-Quality Teachers

Teachers Want Sustainable Workplaces. State Policies Make it Harder

California looks to build more teacher housing to boost recruitment, retention

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