Research says that teacher diversity benefits all students, regardless of race or Ethnicity. However, while the majority of students in the U.S. are of color, only about 20% of teachers are of color. Increasing the racial and cultural diversity of the teacher workforce takes a statewide commitment to collecting and analyzing educator workforce…

The Public School Forum's Top Education Issues outlines the Forum's priorities on what should be at the forefront of education policy decision-making each legislative biennium, as the Forum works toward eliminating the systemic racism and inequities that exist and are visible throughout the educational system. The Top Education Issues publications…

Advocates of merit pay believe that teachers who prove themselves to be effective should be given opportunities to earn appropriate rewards while remaining in the field of education and in the classroom where they can directly impact student learning (Figlio & Kenny, 2006; Glewwe, Ilias, & Kremer, 2003; Ritter & Barnett, 2013).…

Inertia created by the 15 years of teacher quality reform leading up to Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), coupled with a renewed focus on innovation and flexibility under ESSA, might provide a recipe for establishing new ways to recruit, develop, and retain teachers in rural schools. Many hope that the development of complex and tailored staffing…

To ensure that schools enjoy a steady supply of competent and committed teachers, federal, state, and local policymakers should look to the extensive research literature in this area, focusing on five strategies in particular: strengthening teacher preparation, improving hiring practices, increasing compensation, providing support for new…

This article addresses the notion of "making it" as an early-career academic in physical education and sport pedagogy. In it, we draw on the tradition of material semiotics to reflect on our shared journeys from doctoral student to beginning scholar and beyond. By attuning ourselves to the relationality, materiality and precariousness of…

The paper starts from the observation that teacher attrition/retention seems to be a wicked issue: it seems to have strong face validity and a commonsense meaning, but the literature doesn't provide a clear and distinctive definition. In the first section, the author analyzes the different ways in which the issue of teacher attrition and retention…

Arnold Fege, President of the Public Advocacy for Kids nonprofit, reflects on what it takes to create equity and reimagine schooling in rural communities after COVID-19. His article centers around five questions: unpacking the United States' political will to resolve internet inequality; examining organizational changes needed to wholly care for…

Research shows that teachers of color can benefit all students, particularly students of color, yet only one in five teachers are individuals of color, compared to more than half of K-12 public school students. Increasing the diversity of educators can not only benefit students, but recruiting, preparing, and retaining more teachers of color who…

The purpose of this article is to address how teaching in learning communities can be an effective tool for the retention of faculty of color. The article outlines the on-going, concerning issue of higher education's lack of faculty diversity. Through their shared lens as tenure-track faculty of color at an urban community college, the authors…

This paper describes an iterative participatory curriculum design approach to developing a problem-based STEM curriculum for preschool children. The curriculum aims to teach young children problem-solving using an adapted version of the engineering design process (EDP). Despite evidence showing that a rigorous, integrated STEM curriculum promotes…

This paper describes an iterative participatory curriculum design approach to developing a problem-based STEM curriculum for preschool children. The curriculum aims to teach young children problem-solving using an adapted version of the engineering design process (EDP). Despite evidence showing that a rigorous, integrated STEM curriculum promotes…

What do you wish your undergraduate professors told you before you ever set foot in a classroom? Jennifer Collins, one such professor who prepares pre-service teachers, has a list of six "truths" she shares with her students. In this article, Collins outlines those pieces of advice, which include understanding your larger purpose,…

A "turnaround" refers to a quick, dramatic improvement in an organization's performance -- inside or outside of the field of education. In education specifically, the term describes a rapid, dramatic improvement in low-performing school brought about by a new -- or newly empowered and accountable -- leader and staff. State, local…

This article introduces a strategy to diversify the teaching workforce through de-centering teacher education as the primary stakeholder in the preparation of diverse teachers. The article expands the focus on teacher recruitment and retention by proposing a model that counters the educational context of White supremacy through Grow Your Own (GYO)…