General Resources

This brief examines how six school districts participating in the Wallace Foundation’s Principal Pipeline Initiative are using data systems to identify a steady supply of effective school leaders. The data systems have the capacity to match principals to schools according to fit, identify principal mentors, and tailor training to a school leader’s needs. The brief shares lessons learned regarding system design, access, and implementation. 

This report outlines the methods used by four successful charter networks to recruit and develop principals, and offers recommendations for expanding these practices to schools across the country. Key practices includes establishing a candidate pool, providing coaching and support after hiring, and offering leadership development opportunities at all levels, aligned with clear leadership pathways.

This report outlines findings from a study of the 2010 cohort of Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) Program grantees in their third year of implementation. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the impacts of pay-for-performance bonuses on teacher and student outcomes in ten districts. Findings indicate that student achievement after three years in TIF schools was 1 to 2 percentile points higher than in non-TIF schools, which is roughly equivalent to a gain of four additional weeks of learning.

This brief highlights an analysis of the Boston Public Schools Human Capital Initiative (HCI), launched in 2014 to improve teacher quality in city schools. The brief concludes that HCI has enabled schools to recruit a more diverse, highly effective teaching pool, but identifies several areas where change is still needed, including reform of the state tenure law, and greater use of alternative pathways to teacher certification.

This report examines ways districts can work with teacher preparation programs to ensure all students have access to high-quality teachers. A roadmap for how districts and teacher preparation programs may work together is included, along with 10 key recommendations and accompanying examples of effective partnerships.

The National Council on Teacher Quality’s ninth annual teacher policy yearbook presents evaluations of policies in all states in teacher policy areas, including teacher retention, expanding the teaching pool, and professional development.

This working paper from the Center for Education Data and Research presents findings about the teacher hiring process from a study analyzing data from Washington state on prospective teachers and student teaching assignments. The study found that the location of student teaching assignments is predictive of first teaching positions, and that more qualified student teachers tend to take student teaching assignments in more advantaged districts, which could impact the inequitable distribution of highly effective teachers.

This study presents findings from a preliminary analyses of the Leading Educators Fellowship, a professional development program for highly effective, experienced teachers intended to improve retention rates of teachers in high-need schools and boost student outcomes. This study looks at early analyses of the impact of program fellows and those mentored by fellows on student achievement and teacher retention rates in Louisiana and Missouri.

This brief presents findings from a five-year study of 1,990 public school teachers who began teaching in 2007–08. The study found that teachers were more likely to stay in the profession if they had a mentor and participated in an induction program in their first year, earned a base salary in excess of $40,000, or taught in schools where the population eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (an indication of a high-need school) was below 50 percent.

Working from the premise that effective principals play an important role in improving student outcomes by creating a positive work culture, this report looks at actions that state policymakers can take to ensure all schools have excellent principals. The report examines the policies, policy levers, and contextual factors that states should consider as they identify and determine state policy priorities for developing and supporting excellent principals.