The 2013 School Progress Report for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) provides state, county, and individual school performance data, as well as information on student attendance, high school graduation rates, and the professional qualifications of teachers at the state, district, and school levels for the 2012-2013 school year. Montgomery…

Fewer than 20 states require middle grades certification; in most states, credentials overlap so that both elementary and secondary certified teachers may teach in the middle grades. Moreover, in many urban districts, getting teachers for the middle grades is a challenge. Despite this crazy-quilt of certifications and a growing body of work on…

The 2012 School Progress Report for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) provides state, county, and individual school performance data, as well as information on student attendance, high school graduation rates, and the professional qualifications of teachers at the state, district, and school levels. Montgomery County primary schools are…

Over the last decade, policy and business leaders have come to know what parents have always known: teachers make the greatest difference to student achievement. With new statistical and analytical methods used by a wide range of researchers, evidence has been mounting that teacher quality can account for a large share of variance in student test…

Understanding what makes an effective teacher, as well as how teachers sort by their effectiveness across schools, is central to understanding and addressing student achievement gaps. Prior studies have found substantial sorting of teachers across schools, with the schools with the highest proportions of poor, non-white, and low-scoring students…

This study examines trends in Black student achievement and in the Black-White achievement gap over the period 2000 to 2007, employing data from ten states drawn from the NAEP Grade 8 mathematics assessments. Results are obtained for three levels of aggregation: the state, school poverty stratum within the state, and schools within poverty…

Reviews studies that examine the relationships between student achievement gains and the characteristics of teachers. Describes determinate relationships for four categories of teacher characteristics: college ratings, test scores, degrees and coursework, and certification status. (SLD)

Purpose: No Child Left Behind (NCLB) brought attention to the need for states to upgrade the criteria used to certify teachers for entry into the profession. This study focuses on collective teacher qualifications mandated by NCLB and the role they play in explaining differences in school achievement and growth rates. Research Methods: The study…

The New Mexico Public Education Department 2010 Annual Report was created as a way to reflect on the accomplishments in education that occurred under Governor Bill Richardson's administration from 2002-2010. In 2003, the Governor outlined a reform agenda and pledged his commitment to improve education in New Mexico. In the fall of 2003, Governor…

The Carroll County Project proposes to develop a plan for identifying and measuring teacher competency areas and related teacher behaviors, and to assess the extent to which these teacher behaviors affect student outcomes, school goals, and objectives. (MM)

Studies continue to surface a disheartening fact: while research shows that teachers are key to closing achievement gaps, poor and minority students as well as those in low-performing schools are far less likely to have access to the most experienced and qualified teachers. For instance, although National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) are…

The major objective of the Carroll County Competency Based Teacher Certification (CBTC) Project is the development of a system for the recertification of teachers with classroom experience. A major goal is the development of a model for the identification and measurement of teacher competency areas; and the assessment of the extent to which these…

As the largest and most highly publicized initiative to improve teaching in American schools, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has raised great expectations. It has created rigorous standards for teaching and a system to assess and certify teachers meeting these standards; it has promoted financial incentives to…

Learning disabled (N=78) and educable mentally retarded (N=47) elementary students, when taught by teachers whose certification matched child label, did not make significantly greater gains than when instructed by teachers with licenses not matching pupil label. The data support a noncategorical service delivery model with implications for student…