The Four Pillars to Reading Success

June 2020

Learning how to read is not something that comes naturally. Many children need instruction from their teachers that follows the research on the most effective and efficient methods of teaching reading (often referred to as the "science of reading"). The path to literacy is supported by many actors, but states have a role in these four essential pillars: Pillar 1: Insisting that prep programs build teacher candidate knowledge. It is this pillar where states can make the...

Reading, State role, Teacher Prep, Licensure, Professional Development

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2020 Teacher Prep Review: Program Performance in Early Reading Instruction

Graham Drake, Kate Walsh January 2020

New data and analysis from the National Council on Teacher Quality finds significant progress on the science of reading instruction in teacher preparation. For the first time since NCTQ began publishing program ratings in its 2013 Teacher Prep Review, the number of programs in the nation to embrace reading science has crossed the halfway mark, with 51 percent of 1,000 evaluated traditional elementary teacher preparation programs across the country now earning an A or B...

Reading, Teacher Prep

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NCTQ Databurst: Licensure Requirements for Out-of-State Teachers

Elizabeth Ross, Kelli Lakis December 2019

New data from the National Council on Teacher Quality reveal that the majority of states do not ask for evidence of prior successful teaching for those teachers coming from out of state who are applying for a teaching license—in spite of imposing many demands covering a host of other factors. As important, there are seven states that do not require a criminal background check on such teachers.

Licensing requirements, State role, Licensure, Reciprocity

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NCTQ Databurst: Teacher Leadership Opportunities

Elizabeth Ross, Kency Nittler, Riley Selig-Addiss October 2019

More states are recognizing the importance of leadership roles for teachers, signaling that state policy is reflecting teachers' voices. Thirty-five states now have formal teacher leadership policies, with a net of eight additional states adopting formal teacher leadership policies in the past two years. Even though the implementation of any teacher leadership policy happens at the school district level, policies at the state level can catalyze and legitimize teacher leadership opportunities, providing districts with the...

Teacher leadership, State role

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State of the States 2019: Teacher and Principal Evaluation Policy

Elizabeth Ross, Kate Walsh October 2019

Since the 2015 passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a large number of states have backed away from recently enacted policies that were designed to breathe new life into moribund teacher and principal evaluation systems. No fewer than 30 states have recently withdrawn at least one of the evaluation reforms that they adopted during a flurry of national activity between 2009 and 2015. Notably, nine fewer states now require teacher evaluations to include...

Feedback, Observations, State role, Evaluation, Student growth

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NCTQ Databurst: Maintaining strong elementary content requirements for prospective teachers

Elizabeth Ross, Lisa Staresina May 2019

Prospective teacher candidates should make informed decisions about which teacher preparation programs are likely to best prepare them to succeed on their licensure tests and in the classroom. However, too few states publish data that demonstrate whether specific teacher preparation programs are adequately preparing teacher candidates for their futures. This NCTQ Databurst describes each state's pass rate reporting, and analyzes the quality of each state's required elementary content licensure test.

Licensing tests, Subject matter knowledge, Accountability, State role, Licensure

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A Fair Chance: Program Action Guide

Hannah Putman, Kate Walsh April 2019

A Fair Chance: Simple steps to strengthen and diversify the teacher workforce examined a particularly troubling issue, the fact that so many elementary teacher candidates struggle to pass licensing tests in the essential content needed to teach elementary grades. This inadequate content knowledge is not a problem that begins with post-secondary institutions—but it can end there. It is also not a problem that teacher preparation programs can solve alone. The report explored course requirements, both...

Subject matter knowledge, Social studies , Science , Math, Teacher Prep

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Start Here to Become a Teacher

Dan Brown, Kate Walsh March 2019

Peppered with plenty of advice from practicing teachers, Start Here to Become a Teacher provides advice to people interested in teaching and allows aspiring educators to more wisely "comparison shop" among teacher prep programs by providing them with a listing of the nation's top 120 undergraduate teacher prep programs. Other highlights include:- Calling out common myths about teaching and what teachers who are successful love most about their jobs- The pros and cons of undergrad...

Admissions, Clinical Practice, Pay, Teacher Prep, Licensure

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A Fair Chance

Hannah Putman, Kate Walsh February 2019

In A Fair Chance: Simple steps to strengthen and diversify the teacher workforce, NCTQ analysis reveals both astonishingly high numbers of elementary teacher candidates failing their professional licensing tests each year, as well as widespread evidence that teacher preparation programs give scant attention to the content knowledge candidates need. Candidates of color are hit hardest. Already more likely to be disadvantaged by an inequitable system of K-12 education, only 38 percent of black teacher candidates...

Licensing tests, Subject matter knowledge, Teacher Prep, Teacher diversity

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Walking the Tightrope Databurst

Elizabeth Ross, Kelli Lakis November 2018

Deciding under what circumstances teachers are laid off during a reduction in force or dismissed will always be a tightrope. Teachers deserve a fair process and one that respects their contributions to a school district, just as every student deserves competent teachers. This NCTQ Databurst looks at how states approach these two tough issues, examining if states are achieving an appropriate balance of interests between teachers and students.

National, Dismissal, State role, Evaluation, Layoffs

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Making a Difference

Elizabeth Ross, Hannah Putman, Kate Walsh October 2018

The past decade has been marked by rapid changes in teacher evaluations. While many districts and states announced their intention to install better systems, they faced political and structural challenges. In this study, NCTQ examines evidence of the impact of teacher evaluation in six places (four districts and two states) that have stayed the course in developing and implementing improved teacher evaluation systems: Dallas Independent School District, Denver Public Schools, District of Columbia Public Schools,...

New Mexico, Colorado, New Jersey, District of Columbia, Texas, Tennessee, Performance pay, Evaluation, Retention and Tenure, Professional Development

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Strengthening Reading Instruction Databurst

Elizabeth Ross August 2018

This study examines all 50 states' and the District of Columbia's requirements regarding the science of reading for elementary and special education teacher candidates.

Licensing tests, Reading, Special Education, Teacher Prep

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States, Strikes, and Teacher Salaries

Kency Nittler, Nicole Gerber May 2018

Teachers' demands in strikes across the country have varied, but there's no question that low salaries are one of the chief complaints. To provide some additional insight into what's motivating these strikes, we look at the salary data for 10 states that make salary information available for all of their districts. Clearly, teachers need to be paid more in some states and districts, but when it comes to thinking about how we improve teacher salaries...

North Carolina, Ohio, California, Arkansas, Missouri, South Carolina, Salary schedules, Illinois, West Virginia, State role, District contracts and unions, Kentucky, Pay