Do teachers keep improving over time?
Challenging some assumptions, perhaps, new data shows that veteran teachers continue to improve late into their careers.
Teacher leave policies: How much paid time off do teachers get?
When a teacher needs to take time off, what paid leave is available to them?
Measuring “good” teaching is complicated
Since "good" teaching is so multifaceted, it requires multiple measures to capture its complexity.
Making Secretary Cardona’s vision for the teaching profession a reality
Beyond the important areas outlined in the Secretary's remarks, we see two big challenges to the goal of access and...
Strategies to build a sustainable special education teacher workforce
An examination of incentives offered by states and large school districts.
Teachers of color: Role models and more
New research adds important findings on the positive effects of teachers of color on the academic and life outcomes of...
Seven ways to make improving teacher evaluation worth the work
A look at how using evidence-based practices can help ensure that teacher evaluation systems produce positive outcomes.
2021 in Review: School district policy priorities in a truly challenging year
A round-up of NCTQ's most-read District Trendline blog posts from 2021.
Bias in teacher observations: No easy solutions
A new study out of Chicago has garnered a lot of attention for finding that Black teachers were significantly more...
If you can’t have it all, prioritize equity
What if districts could significantly improve student outcomes by moving around the teachers they already have?
The emerging science on predicting if a teacher will be effective
Researchers have spent decades investigating the most valid predictors and measures of teacher quality, with one of the hopes being...
Update on districts' teacher policy responses to COVID-19
The 2019-2020 school year is coming to a close, but school district leaders will continue to face the challenges of...
How are school districts adapting teacher work policies for emergency closures?
When the COVID-19 crisis hit, we asked what, if anything, districts had spelled out in their existing policies relevant to...
Tenure decisions and teacher effectiveness
Tenure serves as a key milestone in a teacher's early career. Tenure status can play a role in multiple aspects...
The missing link
While all student teaching experiences are not created equal, understanding and measuring how they are different turns out to be a challenge.
Teacher evaluation that’s meaningful
In this month's District Trendline, we examine some key characteristics of teacher evaluation systems in the nation's largest school districts,...
A sizable opportunity: thinking strategically about class size
Class size is one tough issue. On the one hand, reducing class size is a perennial favorite among teachers and...
How are school districts dealing with rising health insurance costs?
The rising costs of health insurance have played a big role behind the scenes of teacher protests over the past...
Leaving mid-year: when teacher turnover hurts the most
Not all teacher turnover is created equal. Some turnover is a good thing. Too much of it is a bad...
Supply and demand 101: Teacher pay edition
In most job sectors, employers use their compensation dollars to purchase what they most value.
Teacher transfers: finding the right fit
Teachers are not interchangeable parts in a school district. That's why principals need to have the final say about the district's decision...
Evaluation Essentials: How do districts measure up?
Districts' policies should enable teachers and administrators to fully capitalize on the benefits provided by strong evaluation practices.
How are districts and states using pay to staff high-need schools and subjects?
Paying teachers more to work in high-need schools and subjects—known as "differential pay"—is one of the most powerful tools school...
Can better applicant screening raise teacher quality?
It's teacher hiring season, and school districts are out in full force working to recruit teachers.
POP QUIZ: Why should teacher candidates be trained in assessment?
We've all taken plenty of tests in our time—so surely any of us could figure out how to assess our...
Teacher prep programs should check their work
As a student, it is so frustrating when a teacher never returns your work. How will you know how you...
So, what makes someone want to be a teacher?
No one is surprised when 9th and 10th grade students want to be rock stars, professional athletes, or YouTube celebrities....
Want to keep great teachers in high-needs schools? Train them there
Even today, high-needs schools struggle to attract and, more critically, retain effective and experienced teachers. We think teacher prep programs...
Defying Expectations: The Right Teacher Can Help Low-Income Students Go Above and Beyond
What makes the difference in how well low-income students perform on Advanced Placement (AP) exams? A recent study published in...