Evidence-based Strategy Toolkits
Improving equitable access to excellent educators requires customized, evidence-based strategies that are designed to meet unique local needs. After states and districts have examined their workforce data, engaged stakeholders, and conducted a root cause analysis, the next step is to use the information gathered through these processes to inform strategy selection. The tools and toolkits below can help states both during the data analysis and strategy selection steps.
Use the Mentoring and Induction Toolkit 2.0 to
- facilitate meaningful conversations with districts about design and implementation
- review summaries of research and best practices
- explore relevant examples
- create a streamlined process for action planning.
The revised toolkit includes a deeper focus on equity with new insights and information about tailoring mentoring and induction programs for use in high-need contexts
The Insights on Diversifying the Educator Workforce Data Tool is a free, user-friendly, Excel-based tool to help practitioners to identify, visualize, and target diversity gaps across the entire educator career continuum:
- Future teachers graduating from high school and entering educator preparation programs
- Preservice teachers entering the educator workforce
- Classroom teachers growing and developing into experienced instructors
The data tool also includes a geographic information systems (GIS) component to support place-based analysis.
The Educator Shortages in Special Education Toolkit is organized around the guiding principle that short-term strategies to meet immediate demand must be intentionally paired with long-term, systemic strategies to attract, prepare, and retain effective special education teachers to create comprehensive shortage solutions. The toolkit includes the following:
- Toolkit Facilitation Guide
- Special Education Teacher Shortages Primer
- Analyzing Special Education Teacher Shortages: A Data Tool for Practitioners
- Shortage Strategy Selection Tool
Although this tool is designed specifically to address shortages in special education, the tool can be used to address all teacher shortages.
The Teaching Conditions Toolkit assists states and districts in understanding what teaching conditions are and how improving teaching conditions can create a more positive teaching and learning environment, raise teacher retention rates, and strengthen positive school culture. The toolkit includes the following modules:
- Module 1: Understanding Teaching Conditions
- Module 2: Collaborative Data Interpretation
- Module 3: Stakeholder Engagement
- Module 4: Root Cause Analysis and Action Planning
- Module 5: Monitoring
Module 1 is free and available for use, and the GTL Center team offers customized services and supports for states and districts interested in utilizing the toolkit modules 2 through 5.
The Equitable Access Toolkit and Implementation Playbook offers the following suite of resources for planning and implementing equitable access plans for states and districts:
- Stakeholder Engagement Guide
- Root Cause Analysis Workbook
- Data Review Tool
- Implementation Planning Guide
- Communications Guidebook
The Teacher Leadership Toolkit 2.0: includes a synthesis of research on teacher leadership, current examples, and useful tools for designing, implementing, and supporting teacher leadership initiatives. The toolkit includes the following sections and resources:
- Part 1: Establishing the rational and goals for the teacher leadership system.
- Part 2: Selecting and implementing strategies to establish and sustain teacher leadership.
- Part 3: Refining implementation through progress monitoring.
- 10 Toolkit Resources: states and districts may use the resources individually to build knowledge with stakeholders or state education agency staff before engaging in decision making about teacher leadership initiatives.
