Equitable Access

The STEM Teacher Drought: Cracks and Disparities in California’s Math and Science Teacher Pipeline

In California, seven out of 10 of the state’s fastest growing occupations are in STEM fields. Low-income, minority students have less access to STEM learning opportunities and experience less success in STEM subjects compared to their more advantaged peers. This report examines how the shortage of STEM teachers in California is impacting low-income students’ access to a high-quality STEM education.

Ensuring Equitable Access to Strong Teachers

This brief from The Education Trust presents ideas for states to consider when developing a state plan to ensure that all students, particularly disadvantaged students, have access to effective teachers. Recommendations include using data to identify patterns of teacher access, working with stakeholders to determine the main causes of disparities, and creating policies to spur change that give priority to schools with the most urgent problems.

Answering the Call for Equitable Access to Effective Teachers

This report details lessons learned from implementation of the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship (WWTF) program in five states. Aimed at providing a strong pipeline of effective teachers, WWTF currently partners with 28 universities in Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, and Ohio to provide prospective teachers academic training, clinical experience, and mentoring that will effectively equip them to succeed in high-need schools.

How Do We Get Experienced Accomplished Teachers Into High-Need Schools?

In an October 2014 discussion hosted by the Albert Shanker Institute, a panel of experts examined reasons that high-needs students are disproportionately taught by new, poorly prepared, and inadequately supported teachers who often leave the profession at a high rate. Experts also discussed relevant policy changes that might address this issue as well as ways to attract and retain highly effective teachers in high-need schools. 

Charlotte, N.C.’s Project L.I.F.T: New Teaching Roles Create Culture of Excellence in High-Need Schools

Public Impact’s case study on Opportunity Culture highlights the “truly different” things Project L.I.F.T. did to redesign four schools using Opportunity Culture models and principles. The study details the steps these schools took and the challenges they faced as they prepared to kick off their Opportunity Culture models at the beginning of the 2013–14 school year.

A New Civil Right: Reaching All Students With Excellent Teaching

This Opportunity Culture webpage, created by Public Impact, provides scenarios and materials for use by district administrators (as an exercise in rethinking the standard school set-up) and professors in business, public policy, education schools, or teacher or leader preparation programs (as resources that can be used in their classrooms). Scenario planners assume the role of a school principal who must develop a plan to give all students access to excellent teachers. The principal has no access to additional funding and can only use excellent teachers who already work at the school.

New Teacher Induction in Special Education

This research—published by the Center on Personnel Studies in Special Education— addresses four concerns regarding special education teacher induction: (1) the high attrition rate in special education; (2) the potential for beginning teachers—who are struggling to adapt to their new role—to provide inadequate services to children and youth with disabilities; (3) the increasing reliance on alternative routes to certification; and (4) the unique conditions within which special educators work.

Teacher Retention: Reducing the Attrition of Special Educators

The IRIS Center at Vanderbilt University developed this five-part, online, interactive module to highlight how to best support—and therefore retain—special educators, with a particular focus on the key steps school administrators can take to create a productive and inviting work environment.

Teacher Induction: Providing Comprehensive Training for New Special Educators

This five-part, online module, created by the IRIS Center, highlights that administrative support is critical for new special education teachers and demonstrates how teacher support can boost effectiveness in the classroom.

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