Plenary Presentation I: Enhancing Teacher Preparation, Development, and Support: Where Have We Been, and Where Are We Going?

The pipeline for effective teachers starts with preparation, support, and development. When these three components of the educator’s career continuum are aligned with each other and with teacher evaluation efforts, a more comprehensive educator talent management system is possible. This presentation highlighted Kentucky’s story in developing this system; described  lessons learned and promising practices in teacher preparation, development, and support; and  identified key areas of focus for the future. Following are some highlights:

• Karen Kidwell, director of the Division of Program Standards at the Kentucky Department of Education, and Robin Chandler, staff assistant at the Kentucky Department of Education, shared Kentucky’s experiences in improving teacher preparation and support by highlighting the state’s work with the Appalachian Regional Comprehensive Center to create common definitions and language around effective teaching and learning practices in the classroom. The work focused on aligning teacher practice with the Common Core State Standards, attention to both teacher and student classroom behaviors, and a strong focus on professional development and continuous improvement. This work eventually informed the statutes on educator evaluations in Kentucky.
• To help better develop teacher-leaders and school leaders, the Kentucky Department of Education convened district-level leadership teams, in which teacher-leaders and school leaders established common goals, delineated specific roles, and adopted the Learning Forward leadership standards to guide practice. The onus for creating effective systems and practices to develop leadership is on districts instead of the state, and the work that districts are doing to develop leadership will inform state-level work in the future.
• The Kentucky evaluation model is called a “Professional Growth and Effectiveness System” to emphasize that teacher and leader development is the priority, rather than accountability. By aligning all components of the system, including Common Core State Standards implementation, to professional learning, the Kentucky Department of Education can better ensure that the system will truly benefit teaching and learning.