Teacher shortages continue to be a challenge for state policymakers, and while national media coverage paints a picture of widespread shortages, a closer examination reveals that shortages tend to be concentrated in specific subjects and schools. The primary policy response to shortages is often to recruit more teachers, but research demonstrates…

Teaching is a difficult profession in ideal circumstances. The job requires immense talent and training when students have the overwhelming challenges associated with poverty. Teachers will succeed only if they are given excellent preparation and valuable fieldwork experience with effective teachers. School boards and leaders can and must insist…

While new teachers bring energy and passion into their classrooms and schools, they can find themselves incredibly challenged as they learn how to plan and implement lessons, collect and use data to inform their instructional practices, build relationships with students and families, manage classroom behavior, and meet the varying academic,…

CONCERNED ABOUT DEVELOPING A COORDINATED, COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM, THE GOVERNOR'S COMMISSION TO STUDY THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF HANDICAPPED CHILDREN IN MARYLAND COMPILED INFORMATION FROM STUDY COMMITTEES, TESTIMONY, AND PERTINENT LITERATURE. EIGHT RECOMMENDATIONS ARE DETAILED IN THE REPORT--(1) THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A GOVERNOR'S INTERDEPARTMENTAL…

Although states have maintained a focus on recruiting and retaining teachers, many schools and districts still face daunting challenges in ensuring a qualified and competent teaching corps. It is particularly difficult for schools considered hard to staff-those with high concentrations of low-performing, low-income students; high teacher turnover;…

This report presents the results of an in-depth study of teacher supply and demand in the State of Maryland. The body of the report consists of seven parts: (1) a description of the purpose of the study; (2) a consideration of the limitations of the study; (3) a brief summary of national studies on teacher supply and demand; (4) a review of the…

This book is primarily about the problems of preparing teachers for assignments to schools in low-income neighborhoods and is based on an extensive case study of a specific attempt to deal with these problems. Chapter 1 introduces some basic issues in the training of teachers for assignment to schools in low-income neighborhoods. Chapter 2…

The "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" examines what is arguably the single most powerful authority over the teaching profession: state government. This Maryland edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the first of what will be an annual look at the status of state policies…

This document summarizes the state of education in Maryland in 2003 following adoption of the Achievement Matters Most school reform plan. Advances in attendance, graduation and academic achievement are summarized. Continuing commitment to student health and safety, and the ongoing challenges of teacher preparation, recruitment and retention are…