As school systems work to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, states continue to grapple with persistent teacher shortages, a lack of teachers of color in the workforce, and high turnover rates undermining recruitment efforts. Teachers' effectiveness and their likelihood of staying in teaching are strongly influenced by the quality of preparation…

The teacher workforce does not look much like the adult population or the students they serve. Across the country, only 21% of teachers are from historically disadvantaged racial groups compared to 35% of working-age adults and 49% of students. Simple math suggests that the diversity gap between students and teachers will only close when teachers…

The author was deeply honored to be asked to write something about his time of active involvement in the world of teacher education in California. In 2002, he left the field of education for a career that paid less and had a more uncertain future than teaching. Therefore he is not current with public policy or teacher education research issues.…

A vision statement and call to action from Deans for Impact--a group of deans committing themselves to a set of principles intended to elevate the performance of educator preparation programs and the status of teachers. Their objectives include: Develop a consensus around a professional knowledge base for teachers; create a tighter connection…

As teachers who care deeply about the quality of their own teaching and the development of teaching as a profession, the authors write this article from their conviction that performance assessments in teaching are a critical strategy for developing teachers' expertise and for improving the quality of teacher preparation. They note that the…

Despite the fundamentally important role of teachers in our public school system, how they are prepared is receiving far less attention than other current reforms, such as the Common Core State Standards, the Local Control Funding Formula, and new ways to assess and hold schools accountable for student performance. It has been more than 15 years…

Quynh (pseudonym), a Vietnamese-American female, was an honor student in her K-12 education in Vietnam four decades ago. April 30, 1975, abruptly signaled the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War. Many military personnel from the former regime found themselves and their loved ones in danger of being persecuted by the victorious new…

The education system in California currently faces three major challenges--teacher shortage, lack of diversity in the teacher population in terms of gender and ethnicity, and a need for more effective teachers. After school programs have the potential of addressing all these challenges in a cost-effective manner. However, for these programs to…

Many new teachers do not feel adequately prepared to face the challenges ahead of them in the classroom. As a result, formal induction programs have emerged as the primary response to the needs and concerns of beginning teachers. However, while there are components of induction that have shown to be successful, questions remain as to the actual…

The 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" provided a comprehensive review of states' policies that impact the teaching profession. As a companion to last year's comprehensive state-by-state analysis, the 2010 edition provides each state with an individualized "Blueprint for Change," building off last year's "Yearbook"…

For the past decade, as concerns over the quality of California schools have risen, state policymakers have sought ways to strengthen the state's teacher workforce. In the face of teacher shortages, numerous policy efforts have focused on preparing, recruiting, and retaining fully qualified teachers. The results of these policies have been…

The California Early Childhood Mentor Teacher Program matches experienced child care teachers with high school and community college students in child care and development who want direct experience working with young children. This 25-minute video describes the mentor program, illustrating the benefits of the mentor-intern relationship with…

The California Early Childhood Mentor Teacher Program matches experienced child care teachers with high school and community college students in child care and development who want direct experience working with young children. This 12-minute video describes the program's annual Institute for Early Childhood Mentors, during which current and…

For five years running, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has tracked states' teacher policies, preparing a detailed and thorough compendium of teacher policy in the United States on topics related to teacher preparation, licensure, evaluation, career advancement, tenure, compensation, pensions and dismissal. The "2011 State…

This California edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the third annual look at state policies impacting the teaching profession. It is hoped that this report will help focus attention on areas where state policymakers can make changes that will have a positive impact on…