Resources

The Equity Project (TEP) Charter School in New York City reallocates the regular public school budget to enable the school to pay teachers $125,000 as a recruitment and retention strategy. A recent study by Mathematica Policy Research found a promising impact on student achievement. TEP has adopted its own three Rs for teachers:

This 2008 publication from The Aspen Institute discusses the clinical residency model of teacher preparation as both an effective preparation strategy and a direct response to the problems of teacher recruitment and retention in high-need schools. Urban teacher residency programs generally have high percentages of minority graduates who are specifically trained, through strong partnerships with urban schools, to be successful teachers in those schools after graduation. The programs continue to mentor and support new teachers for several years after they take full-time positions.

This partnership is a long-established network of 36 districts and the University of Southern Maine. The partnership involves close working relationships among the university and K–12 schools that enhance the university’s teacher preparation program and strengthen the capacity in districts through university-provided technical assistance and professional development and a ready supply of teachers who are already familiar with the area’s students and schools after graduation.

As part of its Race to the Top initiatives, Ohio provides participating local education agencies with the opportunity to apply for funds to support a teacher incentive plan of up to $7,500 per teacher to address access to great teachers and leaders. The funding may be used for the following: 

• Relocation and/or retention bonuses
• Reduced class size
• Loan forgiveness programs
• Differentiated pay for effective teachers who assume leadership roles
• Hiring teachers in shortage areas
• A combination of options 

As of January 2007, California Senate Bill 1655 allows principals in low-performing schools more decision-making authority with respect to voluntary transfers based on seniority. The goals of this law were to promote hiring practices based more on the unique skills and knowledge that a teacher brings to the classroom and create appropriate matches between teachers and schools.

North Carolina established the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program in 1986 to recruit teacher candidates into public colleges. Due to budgetary concerns, the program in no longer in effect; however, lessons can still be learned from the program structure.The state paid students to attend a public university if they agreed to spend at least four years teaching in a public school after graduation. According to a recent report on the program, 60 percent of the fellows who started teaching 20 years ago still work in public schools today.

This report provides insight into the perspective of classroom experts who have first-hand experience of the connections between preparation and practice. A team of teachers drafted this report, which highlights essential components for educator preparation programs, discusses how preparation aligns with the larger landscape of the profession, provides examples from nine programs with promising practices, and offers recommendations for using technology in teacher preparation.

This publication by Bank Street College of Education is a collection of occasional papers on several topics related to teaching in challenging schools. The collection speaks most directly to teachers and provides helpful insights in thinking about the goals and essential elements of effective teacher preparation.  

This 2008 publication from The Aspen Institute discusses the clinical residency model of teacher preparation as both an effective preparation strategy and a direct response to the problems of teacher recruitment and retention in high-need schools. Urban teacher residency programs generally have high percentages of minority graduates who are specifically trained, through strong partnerships with urban schools, to be successful teachers in those schools after graduation. The programs continue to mentor and support new teachers for several years after they take full-time positions.

The Arkansas Partnership for Teacher Quality—a consortium involving Arkansas educator preparation programs—the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, and the National Education Association conduct a periodic survey of graduates of the state’s educator preparation programs within their first five years of program completion. The survey is a rich source of data on teachers’ postgraduate teaching experience and their views of how well their preparation programs prepared them for teaching careers.