State Education Leader

This study examined population data on teachers and schools in Illinois to determine changes in the level of teacher qualifications across schools from 2001 to 2006. Researchers found that Chicago schools, especially those serving the highest percentages of students from low-income and minority families, experienced improvements in teacher qualifications; however, the results were more mixed in other Illinois districts.

Using a rich data set from North Carolina, the authors found that black seventh graders are far more likely to face a novice teacher in mathematics and English than are their white counterparts (the differences are about 54 percent in mathematics and 38 percent in English for the state as a whole). This inequitable access to experienced teachers occurs within districts, more so than between them.

This report demonstrates steps that districts can take and the challenges they face in assessing teacher effectiveness as a first step toward equitable access to great teachers. The report has three main areas of focus: identifying effective teachers, using information about teacher effectiveness in human resource policies, and using information about teacher effectiveness to ensure equity. Drawing on experiences from five districts, it provides examples for state and district policymakers considering action. 

Under Ohio’s Teacher Equity Plan, Ohio districts are required to collect and publicly report the following types of data:

• The percentage of highly qualified teachers in each content area
• The percentage of highly qualified teachers in schools not meeting adequate yearly progress
• Descriptions of teacher turnover and mobility 

This resource developed by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education illustrates how data from state longitudinal data systems could be combined with data collected by educator preparation programs to provide a rich source of information for program evaluation and improvement and district hiring decisions. 

The Civil Rights Data Collection provides data on key education and civil rights issues in the nation’s public schools for use by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, other Department of Education offices, and other policymakers and researchers. This data collection provides information about students in public elementary and secondary schools on a variety of indicators, including enrollment; access to educational programs or services; and academic proficiency results disaggregated (i.e., broken out) by race, ethnicity, sex, and disability.

As discussed in the 2009 biennial  report of the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality, the Tennessee Department of Education collected and analyzed data on teacher patterns and identified disparities in the state’s high-poverty and high-minority schools in 2006. See Chapter 3 in the report for additional information.

In collaboration with the Delaware Department of Education and the Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center, the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (TQ Center) developed interview protocols to study access to great teachers in the state. State education agencies and districts can modify these protocols to conduct similar needs assessment work. See Chapter 3 in the report for additional information.

Access to important educational resources in California’s middle and high schools is not equal among schools that serve different student populations. Overall, the most disadvantaged populations of middle and high school students are likely to have the least access to the resources necessary for learning. 

Annually, teachers in Chicago are presented with the Golden Apple teaching awards during a black-tie event. The Golden Apple organization and the Chicago media team up to air the ceremony for the community. Although the content does not reflect purely issues of inequitable access, it provides an example of strategic ways to engage with the media to share education successes.