California has experienced a decline in adequate funding for the public education system that has created a jarring reality for its 6.2 million students. While recent investments have helped schools fully recover from the devastating cuts made during the great recession, that additional spending has not come close to what is needed to achieve the…

Career Technical Education (CTE) teacher recruitment is a challenge that has dogged state CTE leaders for decades. According to a recent survey of State CTE Directors, 98 percent said that increasing access to industry experts is a high priority in their state. And 20.4 percent of rural districts with CTE teacher vacancies report that CTE…

This paper presents the New Jersey edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's 2008 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook". The 2008 "Yearbook" focuses on how state policies impact the retention of effective new teachers. This policy evaluation is broken down into three areas that encompass 15 goals. Broadly, these goals…

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 Teacher…

This New Jersey 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…

The training of teachers may be the most important component in any attempt at successful and productive educational reform. The core of the crisis will remain until there are thoughtful, substantive reforms in this area. A teaching license or certificate is required in order to teach in a public school. In order to highlight the problem of…