172 results found
The Ford Model T: revolutionary 100+ years ago, impractical now. Similarly, our outdated classroom model doesn't meet the needs of today's students and teachers. We explore the evidence driving schools...
A new study finds that this cost-effective evaluation system could improve math outcomes in districts with fewer students, teachers, and resources.
Our classrooms haven't kept pace with innovation. The Ford Model T represented breakthrough technology in its day—more than 100 years ago—but it wouldn't serve us well today. Likewise, our traditional...
As districts face impending fiscal cuts and teacher layoffs, states and districts should take this opportunity to reexamine their approaches to attracting and retaining teachers—especially those who do the most...
https://www.nctq.org/blog/More-than-words:-7-approaches-to-monitoring-implementation-of-reading-laws
New research suggests that targeted and timely AI feedback on teachers' instruction is possible and can improve instruction—but teachers still have their doubts.
Researchers say Chicago Public Schools ultimately assigns students to teachers known to be low-performing and unlikely to improve.
New Research Reveals Surprising Long-Term Effects of Teacher Performance Pay on Students.
What does the research say about measuring how great a teacher is other than their students' test scores?
A new study examines a program in Dallas—Accelerating Campus Excellence or ACE—that sought to boost teacher pay for stellar educators willing to teach in high-poverty schools. Compared to similar schools...
Teachers can choose from different instructional approaches, such as direct instruction, open discussion, and others, but which approach is the most effective? Does the best instructional approach depend on the...
Mention AI in a school setting and most people think of ChatGPT and cheating scandals. But AI in school settings isn't all bad.
Challenging some assumptions, perhaps, new data shows that veteran teachers continue to improve late into their careers.
The answer (perhaps less satisfying than policy wonks would like) is that It depends on the school context.
Providing teachers with feedback—through a medium that allows them to explicitly see how they responded to various scenarios—could help teachers become more effective.
New research digs deeper into the well-documented positive impact that Black teachers have on students' academic and life outcomes.
Every family sends their child off to school, hoping the teacher will effectively meet their child's unique needs.
Since "good" teaching is so multifaceted, it requires multiple measures to capture its complexity.
A new study finds sizable gains for students when they are assigned to a teacher for the second time.
Results of the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress reveal alarming results: Since 2019, scores declined substantially for all students, while disparities widened for students already most affected by opportunity...
Frequent observations and feedback can help teachers excel in the classroom.
New research explores the dynamic between teacher relationship skills and elementary student learning in math and literacy.
A focus on teacherrecruitment without appropriate attention to retention is like trying tocollect water in a sieve.
A new working paper may be cause for genuine concern regarding the most widely-used evaluation instrument in the country, the Danielson Group's Framework for Teaching.
A look at how using evidence-based practices can help ensure that teacher evaluation systems produce positive outcomes.
https://www.nctq.org/blog/Its-taking-a-really-long-time-to-get-state-longitudinal-data-systems-right
While most states have made progress in building out their data systems, key data connections are missing.
Even reasonably sensible ideas that are grounded in strong research still have difficulty overcoming what invariably gets thrown at them.
An analysis of state rules on collective bargaining for teachers and the content of school districts' policies across 148 districts nationwide.
A recent paper puts the spotlight back on the quality of feedback teachers receive in their evaluations.
A new analysis by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) examines salary data and related compensation materials from 90 large school districts to determine lifetime earnings trajectories for teachers...
A new study out of Chicago has garnered a lot of attention for finding that Black teachers were significantly more likely to receive low classroom observation scores as compared to...
A new meta-analysis finds a positive and significant relationship of performance pay on student learning outcomes.
As we close in on one year of the COVID-19 lockdown, we examine how resources are being used to recruit and retain effective teachers.
New data suggests expectations placed on novice teachers during their first real professional development experience are far too low.
New data & analysis from negotiated agreements on school reopening, PPE, teacher eval, leave, & more.
While it may still feel like the 273rd day of March, we're really truly nearing the end of December, and the year 2020.
A recently published study sheds some light on how teacher evaluation and accountability policies might affect the quantity or quality of new teachers available to schools.
Of the 24 states that have released guidance on teacher evaluation for SY20-21 thus far, 21 are still requiring summative evaluations for all teachers.
At first blush, this new study appears to confirm the well-established finding that more experienced teachers are not really much more effective than less experienced teachers. However, there's a novel...
https://www.nctq.org/blog/Testing,-testing-Are-teachers-less-likely-to-quit-when-states-stop-testing
Does removing the stress of a standardized test keep teachers in the classroom?
Teacher turnover has proven to be not only costly for schools, but also detrimental to teacher effectiveness and student learning. Still, some teacher attrition is not always a bad thing,...
A recent study from CALDER provides some insight into how a lack of information may contribute to the challenge of achieving equitable outcomes for students with and without disabilities.
Researchers have spent decades investigating the most valid predictors and measures of teacher quality, with one of the hopes being that school districts will know exactly what to look for...
Well before COVID-19 hit, many states had backed away from only recently adopted teacher evaluation policies. With COVID-19 now dominating the landscape, more schools and districts are opting to forgo...
In this unprecedented time of school closures, districts must walk a fine line regarding teacher evaluations.
Although Brexit and Megxit may be dominating headlines, politics and the royal family aren't the only issues worth reading up on from across the pond.
Just as football and basketball teams spend hours reviewing game tape, teachers have much to gain from self-observation.
If there's one thing we know about teacher evaluations, it's that they're only as effective as the people doing the evaluating.
I look back to my sisters of a century or more ago, who fought a lot harder for a lot longer and think we've all been a bit too quick...
In this month's District Trendline, we examine some key characteristics of teacher evaluation systems in the nation's largest school districts, and how those characteristics align with what research indicates makes...
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...
If this measure can help identify and reward those teachers who are effectively encouraging kids to show up to class every day, especially those kids who have been falling behind,...
Our drum is beating for both better base pay and much more strategic use of compensation dollars by school districts to purchase what they most need and value.
A new study calls attention to consistency problems—even in an evaluation system that appears to align with best practices—concerning enough to warrant additional study and, perhaps, some adjustments in practices.
"First, do no harm" is a good dictum for doctors, and may be one for policymakers as well. Even the best-intended policies can cause an unintended ripple of harm.
I know teacher evaluation is now considered toxic, but I've never been one to shy away from tilting at windmills.
Tennessee is at it again! The Volunteer State, known for its strong policies around teacher prep and teacher evaluation, is once again offering up its data.
"What's in a name?" Juliet famously asks as she pleads her case to Romeo...
Given the importance of great teaching for student learning, including effectiveness data when making layoff decisions is essential.
Something doesn't add up.
Angela Duckworth caught our collectiveimagination a few years ago when she put forward the notion that grit is agreater contributor to student success than more traditional intelligence measures.
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...
Teacher evaluation systems, when implemented well, are coinciding with real and measurable benefits for students and teachers alike.
A new working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research compares two approaches to incentivizing teacher performance and highlights the value of initiatives aimed at rewarding ability and...
The right incentives can motivate a student to do homework, an employee to hit a quota, and even a child to finish her vegetables.
In most job sectors,employers use their compensation dollars to purchase what they most value.
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....
A new study adds to some evidence that, although a relatively reliable measure, teacher observations may be capturing more than we would like.
There are new teacher evaluation systems that show substantial promise, but as with any systemic effort, we need to watch for and guard against any unintended consequences.
Districts' policies should enable teachers and administrators to fully capitalize on the benefits provided by strong evaluation practices.
In Tennessee schools, accountability starts at the top - and that might be making all the difference.
It's teacher hiring season, and school districts are out in full force working to recruit teachers.
NCTQ's Strategic Teacher Compensation Databurst is a study of states' strategic teacher compensation policies which includes a snapshot of all 50 states' and the District of Columbia's teacher compensation policies...
Without first understanding a problem, it's next-to-impossible to fix it. A new policy brief demonstrates how one state looked first to data to better understand its schools' inequitable assignment of...
About 20 school districts have adopted new staffing models known collectively as Opportunity Culture, each designed to maximize the impact of great teachers. Makes sense, but does it work? Thanks...
In light of new research regarding performance pay, this month's Trendline takes a look at how a teacher's evaluation rating affects salary in some of the largest districts in each...
There is a cautionary lesson from a new working paper examining Houston's bold talent initiative. In many ways, it yielded the results intended by retaining a higher number of great...
A new study suggests that offering performance bonuses to a smaller segment of high performing teachers than is typical in schools using performance pay may be a smart move.
See how states fared on our goals for measuring student growth in teacher evaluations in 2017.
See how states fared on our policy goals for dismissing teachers for poor performance in 2017.
NCTQ's bi-annual 2017 State Teacher Policy Yearbook grades states on how well their programs and policies raise the quality of the teachers in their schools. The 2017 Yearbook evaluates states...
NCTQ has long supported teacher pay for performance in school districts. Better pay can encourage the best teachers to stay in the classroom and prompt talented people to enter the...
This Best Practices Guide highlights exemplary work to meet the ESSA's educator equity requirements from the 17 state plans we analyzed in spring 2017.
The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ)'s analyses of states' plans for ensuring that low-income and minority students are not disproportionately taught by ineffective, out-of-field, or inexperienced teachers under the...
The Best Practice Guide highlights exemplary work to meet the ESSA's educator equity requirements among the 34 state plans analyzed in fall 2017. The guide is designed to recognize and...
Imagine a test where the only grades a student could earn were A or A-. Envision an update to Yelp that allows customers to rate restaurants using only 4 or...
Like all of us, principals respond to performance pressures by seeking to alleviate them as quickly and simply as possible. Unfortunately, when it comes to the pressure to improve test...
As a growing number of states across the nation look for ways to recognize and reward excellent teachers, a new study from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) reveals...
In 2011, Florida's legislature passed an ambitious performance pay policy that requires districts to pay their most effective teachers the district's highest annual salary awards. Recognizing the importance of this...
Backing the Wrong Horse: The Story of One State's Ambitious But Disheartening Foray Into Performance Pay is part of the tenth annual publication in the State Teacher Policy Yearbook report...
There has been substantial media attention recently regarding states' Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plans, much of which has focused on states' efforts to meet ESSA's accountability requirements. Here at...
Even though I'm well launched into my professional career, I still keep in touch with my old high school English teacher. From my freshman year onward, she drove me to...
For all our efforts to understand the science behind learning and effective instruction, it can be easy to forget the most basic prerequisite for school success: showing up.
The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) and TNTP submitted an amicus brief today in support of four Minnesota parents challenging the state's laws on teacher tenure, dismissal, and layoffs....
In recent years, teacher evaluation policy has been front and center in the quest to improve teacher quality. This month, we take a look at the basic building blocks of...
How can we evaluate the effectiveness of pay-for-performance compensation systems if those systems are implemented only half-heartedly? That continues to be the prevailing question, as we review yet another expensive...
https://www.nctq.org/blog/NCTQ-Paper-Finds-Most-Teachers-Still-Rated-Effective-Despite-State-Reforms
I saw this headline in my clips and did a double take, wondering if The Onion had begun mocking education policy: "Teachers would have to demonstrate ability to teach under...
NCTQ will release a new report, Running in Place: How New Teacher Evaluations Fail to Live Up to Promises. The report examines teacher evaluation policies in the 30 states that...
Running in Place: How New Teacher Evaluations Fail to Live Up to Promises is part of the tenth annual publication in the State Teacher Policy Yearbook report series. This report...
Passing a good law and implementing it with fidelity are two very different tasks.Earlier this summer, Indiana University researchers took athorough look at that state's ground game on teacher evaluations—and...
Every great teacher knows that her grading practices need to be fair. And any good policymaker should know that teachers expect the same of their own performance evaluations.That's one of...
Earlier this year, the Every StudentSucceeds Act (ESSA) launched "nonacademic factors" into the nationaldiscussion, as such factors can now be used as part of school accountabilitymetrics. As states explore which...
A fault in our measures? Evidence of bias in classroom observations may raise some familiar concerns
Observations are an essential component of teacher evaluations that receive far lessattention than student growth, yet affect more teachers. This edition of Trendline looks athow often teachers are observed, for...
With Congress having reauthorized the Elementary and SecondaryEducation Act earlier this year, there's been a lot of celebration from somecamps and hand wringing from others over the future of teacher...
As any district can attest, overhauling teacher evaluations represents a huge lift for all involved. The temptation to look for shortcuts is equally huge.
What happens in DC has the potential toimpact districts across the entire nation.
We know teachers are more than just the sum of theirstudents' test scores. That's why teacher evaluations don't just look to VAMscores but also include observations—a measure which isn't actually...
See how states fared on our policy goals for dismissing teachers for poor performance in 2015.
The 2015 State Teacher Policy Yearbook is our ninth annual Yearbook report. Comprised of a National Summary and State-specific reports for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, this...
This month, the Trendline takes a look at the role of student growth in evaluation ratings and how districts connect evaluation ratings with compensation and dismissal policies.
Results are in for the first full year of implementation of a new teacher evaluation system in Dallas, a system that the district claims to be "the most rigorous teacher...
In striving to achieve valid teacher evaluations, schools often overlook those who spend the most time observing teachers in action: students. As the 2013 MET study reported, student surveys are...
NCTQ has been tracking teacher policy for a decade. Over these years, no policy has seen such dramatic transformation as teacher evaluation. It hasn't been an easy road for states....
The National Council on Teacher Quality today released "State of the States 2015: Evaluating Teaching, Leading and Learning," which provides a lay of the land on state teacher and principal...
This report presents the most comprehensive and up-to-date policy trends on how states are evaluating teachers. It also breaks new ground by providing a look at the policy landscape on...
Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants. Justice Brandeis' famous dictum for disclosure may have a limit: the public release of teacher performance data.A new study from researchers...
For this month's Trendline, we closely examine teacher evaluation policies in the largest districts across the country. Specifically, we take a look at the major components within evaluations, frequency and...
Do higher scoring students get assignedhigher value-added teachers? Maybe— but more work is needed to really tell.
This month’s installment of Catching up on Contracts covers the new contracts in three districts in NCTQ’s Teacher Contract Database: Minneapolis Public Schools, Granite School District and ...
This month’s installment covers the new contracts in Sacramento City Unified School District, Baltimore County Public Schools, Billings Public Schools and Laramie School District One (WY).
The use of value-added models (VAM) toevaluate teachers and schools has never been short on critics, but this yearthe opposition has a few new leaders to rally behind. In April,...
Sensible, technical advice for school districts on incorporating student learning into teacher evals
School leaders seeking to revamp theirteacher evaluation systems are biting into a meaty subject. Behind the very public questions of whom toevaluate and what to count is another layer most...
We love this study for what it says aboutgreat teachers. People generally agree that an effectiveEnglish teacher may not make such a great Calculus teacher, or vice versa.While people...
As states work to implement new evaluation systems,the tenuous, if not ambiguous, relationship between value-added (VA) scores andprincipals' observations will need to get nailed down and better understood. Newresearch by...
As students settle into their first months ofthe new school year, it's a good time to check in on the teacher policylandscape governing the profession across the country. From...
This report examines teacher quality policies and practices Pittsburgh Public Schools and provides Pittsburgh with a tailored analysis of the teacher policy areas most in need of critical attention, as...
In our monthly newsletter for school districts, we look at how districts are tying eval ratings, pay and layoffs to teacher performance.
This is a follow-up study of teacher policies in Springfield Public Schools as a complement to the original report which was released in October 2011. The follow-up study focuses primarily...
The National Council on Teacher Quality today releasedConnecting the Dots: Using Evaluations of Teacher Effectiveness to Inform Policy and Practice,which provides a lay of the land on state teacher evaluation...
This report provides a detailed and up-to-date lay of the land on teacher evaluation policies across the 50 states and DCPS. It also offers a more in-depth look at the...
This report examines teacher quality policies and practices in the Dayton Public Schools and provides Dayton with a tailored analysis of the teacher policy areas most in need of critical...
https://www.nctq.org/publications/Bumping-HR:-Giving-Principals-More-Say-Over-Staffing-Press-Release
This report examines teacher quality policies and practices in the School District of Philadelphia and provides Philadelphia with a tailored analysis of the teacher policy areas most in need of...
At the intersection of policy pushes to assess teacher effectiveness and to improve accountability systems for teacher preparation programs lie state efforts to connect student achievement data to preparation programs....
This study looks at the policies and practices shaping teacher quality in the Oakland Unified School District. It is part of a series of analyses by the National Council on...
This month we see which districts are moving away from using principals as the sole evaluators of teachers. Specifically, we look at who is using peers, 3rd party observers and...
Interim editions of the Yearbook provide shorter briefs for each state that include a state-specific action plan, updating states' progress on Yearbook goals and giving advice on how to prioritize...
Interim editions of the Yearbook provide shorter briefs for each state that include a state-specific action plan, updating states' progress on Yearbook goals and giving advice on how to prioritize...
Gates Foundation's MET project examines nuts and bolts of student survey implementation and releases survey instruments.
This month we look at changes in how teacher performance is evaluated and factored into pay and layoff decisions. Much of the shift on these issues has been driven...
Interim editions of the Yearbook provide shorter briefs for each state that include a state-specific action plan, updating states' progress on Yearbook goals and giving advice on how to prioritize...
This report provides information on the preparation provided to teacher candidates from teacher training programs so that they can fully use assessment data to improve classroom instruction.
The State Teacher Policy Yearbook provides detailed analysis of any and every state policy that impacts the teaching profession. The Yearbook is a 52-volume encyclopedia (51 state reports including the...
Interim editions of the Yearbook provide shorter briefs for each state that include a state-specific action plan, updating states' progress on Yearbook goals and giving advice on how to prioritize...
This study looks at the policies and practices shaping teacher quality in Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS). It is part of a series of analyses by the National Council on...
A current picture of the teacher evaluation policy landscape, including in-depth analysis of states with some of the most ambitious policies and early observations of the challenges states face.
https://www.nctq.org/publications/Teacher-Quality-Roadmap:-Improving-Policies-and-Practices-in-LAUSD
Designed as a tool to highlight what is and is not working in our local schools, the report compares LAUSD's policies with both surrounding districts and similar districts around the...
Joining the chorus of advocates calling for moving from highly qualified to highly effective teachers, NCTQ offers recommendations for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) so...
This paper illustrates ways districts can rethink their teacher payrolls and salary schedules to find innovative ways to reward teacher excellence, absent additional funds.
Many districts struggle with multiple and often incompatible data systems for tracking payroll, collecting teacher evaluations, recruiting and hiring. Aligning these systems and annually assessing where your district stands is...
NCTQ has reviewed the "Great Teachers and Leaders" section of the 16 finalists' Race to the Top proposals. See our take on which applications are a "go," in which instances...
A report on Boston Public School policies that have an impact on teacher quality, concluding that while the district has many smart, strategic policies already in place, improving teacher rules...
In too many school districts, principals have little say over which teachers work in their buildings. NCTQ's new policy brief explores the staffing policies in 101 school districts and points...
In this paper, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) taps into its TR3 (Teacher Rules, Roles and Rights; www.nctq.org/tr3) database to examine district policies, some mandated by state law,...
Recognizing the importance of ensuring that talented and committed individuals are serving all of our students, DCPS developed IMPACT, our system for assessing the performance of teachers and other school-based...
The State Teacher Policy Yearbook provides detailed analysis of any and every state policy that impacts the teaching profession. The Yearbook is a 52-volume encyclopedia (51 state reports including the...
NCTQ's advice to states on what they can do to improve their shot at getting a portion of the $4.35 billion in Race to the Top funds.
This report, which examines the alignment of Hartford's teacher policies with its goals for improving teacher quality, represents the first in a number of similar analyses which NCTQ is undertaking...
The 2008 edition of the State Teacher Policy Yearbook provides an in-depth analysis of a critical piece of the teacher quality puzzle: the retention of effective new teachers.
States may no longer be working on their Race to the Top applications, but NCTQ's scorecard is a great way to assess states' human capital policies. Covering areas like pathways...
The State Teacher Policy Yearbook provides detailed analysis of any and every state policy that impacts the teaching profession. The Yearbook is a 52-volume encyclopedia (51 state reports including the...
The focus of the country background reports is on the aspects of teacher policy that deal with how to attract, recruit, develop, and retain effective teachers. The report has the...
This booklet from the National Council on Teacher Quality summarizes briefly what the research says about the attributes of an effective teacher. NCTQ has combed through the research, good and...
For all the conflict generated by various K-12 education reform efforts, there is one principle everyone agrees on: teachers need to know the subject matter they teach. This principle makes...
The importance of good teaching to the academic success of students is intuitively obvious to any parent and is well substantiated by a body of sound research. Correspondingly, ensuring that...
Explore district-level data on teacher dismissal from NCTQ's Teacher Contract Database