Identifying Effective Teachers Policy
Providing comprehensive reporting may be the state's most important role for ensuring the equitable distribution of teachers among schools. Michigan does not report school-level data that can help support the equitable distribution of teacher talent.
Michigan does not collect or publicly report the data recommended by NCTQ. The state does not provide a school-level teacher quality index that demonstrates the academic backgrounds of a school's teachers and the ratio of new to veteran teachers. Michigan also does not report on teacher absenteeism or turnover rates.
Michigan does report on the percentage of highly qualified teachers. However, these data are only reported at the district and not at the school level. The state is commended for comparing the percentage of highly qualified teachers at high- and low-poverty schools statewide but this has not been updated since 2008.
Use a teacher quality index to report publicly about each school.
A teacher quality index, such as the one
developed by the Illinois Education Research Council, with data
including teachers' average SAT or ACT scores, the percentage of
teachers failing basic skills licensure tests at least once, the
selectivity of teachers' undergraduate colleges and the percentage of
new teachers, can shine a light on how equitably teachers are
distributed both across and within districts. Michigan
should ensure that individual school report cards include such data
in a manner that translates these factors into something easily
understood by the public, such as a color-coded matrix indicating a school's
high or low score.
Publish other data that facilitate comparison across schools.
Michigan should collect and report other school level data that reflect the stability of a school's faculty, including the rates of teacher absenteeism and turnover.
Provide comparative data based on school demographics.
Providing comparative data for schools with similar poverty and minority populations would yield an even more comprehensive picture of gaps in the equitable distribution of teachers.
Report data at the school level.
Michigan should ensure that it is reporting all currently collected data at the school-level, rather than aggregated by district.
Michigan recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.