Residency, Match Teacher Residency, National Center for Teacher ... preparation programs are accountable for collecting
Joint Statement Calling for Transparency of Outcomes to Improve Teacher Preparation and Better Serve Students and Districts The recent passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the release of the proposed federal teacher preparation regulations have catalyzed a new and critical opportunity to improve the quality of teacher preparation programs nationwide. Urban Teachers—along with Aspire Public Schools, Blue Engine, Boston Teacher Residency, Match Teacher Residency, National Center for Teacher Residencies, Relay Graduate School of Education, Teach For America and TNTP—join together to request the Department of Education and Congress create clear guidance for state education agencies as they attempt to act on this opportunity and improve the quality of teacher preparation at the state-level. Specifically, our coalition is recommending the Department of Education and Congress provide states with specific guidance around developing systems where all teacher preparation programs are accountable for collecting and publicly sharing outcomes data on the success of their programs, participants, and graduates. These data will provide states the ability to meaningfully determine program quality; they will allow local education agencies to identify programs that produce the effective teachers they need; and, they will enable aspiring teachers to select a program that will set them up for a successful career. States also need assistance and financial support building the infrastructure to make outcomes data transparent, specifically in the form of technical insight and specific guidelines from the Department of Education, to assure successful implementation. By investing in systems that support data sharing and holding preparation programs accountable for reporting institutional and student-level performance, state education agencies can pinpoint and bolster the most promising programs. And schools can then draw from a wider base of well-prepared, high quality educators to fill critical classroom needs. Specific guidance and assistance from the Department of Education and Congress will be essential in helping states achieve this. Customers Need Support Choosing Programs Without the presence of concrete outcome measures, local education agencies and potential teacher candidates are hard-pressed to compare the quality of teacher preparation programs. Thus, it is a gamble for aspiring educators to select a teacher training program and a gamble for principals when hiring teachers for their schools. Yet the stakes are high for both customers as their decisions directly impact the education and future of thousands of students. Therefore, the Department of Education and Congress must create clear roadmaps to inform state education agencies how to develop a system that allows potential teacher candidates and school leaders to identify high-quality teacher preparation programs.
This system should require programs to collect and report evidence-based data on the preparedness of their participants and graduates to inform customers’ assessment of effectiveness. Sample metrics include teacher retention and attrition, principal satisfaction surveys, teacher evaluations, teacher performance on state exams and student achievement gains. If the Department of Education supports states with the infrastructure and guidance to incentivize teacher providers to be transparent with results, prospective educators can make well-informed decisions about which programs will set them up for success and retention in the classroom. And, educational leaders can make well-informed decisions about the high-quality teachers they need to hire to improve student outcomes. Data Transparency to Improve Programs and Inform Innovation Through transparency of outcomes, teacher preparation programs can also make datadriven improvements to their programs and as a result, better serve their customers. By tracking the performance of their participants and graduates, teacher providers will be able to act on the data they collect, identifying weaknesses and refining their programs to ensure future candidates are better prepared and supported for the classroom. Data sharing can also foster collaboration between teacher providers, allowing them to learn from one another and adopt innovative practices that result in teacher success and increased student achievement. This data can also inform how states define effective teacher preparation, allowing them to identify and support programs that are producing quality teachers for their schools and students. How Can We Proceed? This is the first in a series of letters to federal officials that will guide efforts to strengthen teacher preparation programs across the country. Ultimately, there is a lack of current data available about the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs and the performance of their participants and graduates. We need to support leadership at the state-wide level to build the systems that will allow for data transparency and accountability on the ground. Ahead of a formal system, teacher providers can commit to establishing benchmarks that measure their effectiveness and hold themselves accountable for publicly sharing those results. By being upfront with outcomes data, teacher providers can help states identify the right metrics to track to assess program effectiveness. The Department of Education and Congress should also provide states with the guidance and funding needed to support a larger system to collect, interpret, and disseminate this data. Such efforts can inform the growing ability of teacher preparation programs to effectively serve every student, school and educator. Sincerely,
Urban Teachers Aspire Public Schools Blue Engine Boston Teacher Residency Match Teacher Residency National Center for Teacher Residencies Relay Graduate School of Education Teach For America TNTP
