This special report provides context and examples of new legislation impacting preparation, certification, induction, professional development, evaluation and compensation for leaders of schools and districts.

Recruit, train, reward, retain. These actions sound like the core competencies of a human resources manager or the buzzwords for economic development initiatives aiming to attract Fortune 500 companies. The same principles apply to finding, preparing and retaining effective educators. All 16 Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states have…

Improving teacher preparation is critical to long-term improvement in teacher quality. More than 200,000 new teachers enter classrooms each year. Increasing student enrollment, the retirement of baby boom generation teachers, and high attrition in their first five years (between 40 and 50 percent of new teachers leave the profession) have…

At the request of the Urban League of Miami, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) analyzed the distribution of teachers in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. In this paper, the authors examine teacher-level data to determine whether indicators correlated with teacher quality vary across the district based on socioeconomic differences, and…

Traditional music education students are often required to choose a specific curricular emphasis or track of study within their degree program. These specializations, based upon the student's major instrument, include choral, general, and instrumental music. Although there is general training and coursework beyond a student's area of specialty in…

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 report presents the Florida 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…

Each school district in the state of Florida was required to submit for approval a model for implementing the Beginning Teacher Program mandated by the Florida legislature. The program model required that a support staff, consisting of a peer teacher, building-level administrator, and at least one other professional educator be assigned to assist…

The Beginning Teacher Program in the Dade County Public Schools, Florida was developed to facilitate beginning teachers' attainment of specific generic teaching competencies through supervised support for a full school year. This report examines how many mandated and other procedures in the program were implemented and to what extent the teaching…

Five states (Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Florida, and Arizona) are currently either administering or field-testing classroom observation systems for certification or employment decisions regarding beginning teachers. In Georgia, a beginning teacher has three years to demonstrate competence. Observations are completed by an external data…

The Florida Beginning Teacher Program was evaluated in 1985-86 to determine its impact on teacher performance and to study problem areas identified in the 1984-85 evaluation. A sample of 43 beginning teachers and their support team members (a peer teacher, a building-level administrator, and one or more professional educators) completed surveys.…

The Florida 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 teacher…

Applicants for a teaching certificate in Florida must complete a year-long internship and demonstrate mastery of twenty-four selected competencies. To accomplish this goal, a building-level support team system has been developed. Three members comprise the team: a peer-teacher, a building-level administrator, and at least one other professional…

In 1986, the Florida State Legislature passed a law requiring teachers to demonstrate knowledge of their subject areas before being granted teacher certification. The state also provided funding for developing subject area examinations. The generic procedures for developing these examinations are outlined. During the first phase of the project, an…

Florida's 1983 Legislature directed the Postsecondary Education Planning Commission to conduct a study of colleges of education in Florida. The Commission examined principally those areas relatively untouched by recent or impending changes. Legislation, board of education rules, department of education initiatives and independent actions by…