Alison Yin / EdSource

Despite the fundamentally important role of teachers in our public school system, how they are recruited, prepared and retained is receiving far less attention than other current reforms. This EdSource report is intended to highlight the most promising reforms that have the potential to contribute to a more effective teaching force. Its purpose is to draw attention to reforms that are arguably as important as the Common Core State Standards, the Local Control Funding Formula and other reforms currently being implemented in California schools.

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  1. Jane Smith 9 years ago9 years ago

    Many of the suggestions center on more training for teachers, especially the notion of a "continuum" of teacher training. I have worked for many low-achieving school districts where the need is the highest, but so is the funding. What I see is districts grabbing at any and all training "programs" thinking either that someday they'll find the "silver bullet" program or that this is how they are going to spend all their SIG, or QUEIA, … Read More

    Many of the suggestions center on more training for teachers, especially the notion of a “continuum” of teacher training. I have worked for many low-achieving school districts where the need is the highest, but so is the funding. What I see is districts grabbing at any and all training “programs” thinking either that someday they’ll find the “silver bullet” program or that this is how they are going to spend all their SIG, or QUEIA, or RT3 money. Teachers go along with this because they receive extra compensation, but they are so PowerPointed to death that absolutely nothing changes in their classrooms. These districts also hire teachers to be “coaches”, but without any serious understanding of what it takes to coach a tenured teacher. It is not an easy thing, and most classroom teachers have no preparation or skills for being in this awkward place with their colleagues. I have worked in dozens of schools with colleague coaches and have never seen someone who can truly help a teacher become more effective. Teachers with tenure have no real incentive to work harder — and that is what it takes.