AACTE, Partners Release Guide for State Policy

A groundbreaking policy guide released today provides state lawmakers and education advocates with a blueprint for practical changes to improve teaching quality in America. The guide recommends policies based on research and state models that have been highly effective in developing and sustaining talented and diverse teaching forces that prepare all students for college, career, and life.

Excellent Teachers for Each and Every Child: A Guide for State Policy” was created by AACTE and six other organizations representing millions of students, parents, and educators: the American Federation of Teachers, the Center for Teaching Quality, the National Education Association, the National Opportunity to Learn Campaign, Opportunity Action, and the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education.

The guides recommendations draw from substantial research evidence on teacher effectiveness and from the practices of high-achieving nations such as Finland and Singapore. The document’s resources for policy makers and advocates include the following:

  • Recommended action steps to support policy making and agenda setting
  • Model legislation language and examples of successful state policies that improve teacher diversity, set a high entry bar for educators, establish career ladders and professional learning standards for teachers, fund a sustainable teaching force, and support evaluation models that drive meaningful professional growth
  • Summary recommendations on recruitment, preparation, professional development, evaluation, teaching and learning conditions, funding, and ways to develop coherent and systemic policy

“This guide shows us how state policies around teacher recruitment strategies, clinical partnerships between educator preparation programs and PK-12 school districts, and rigorous exit measures—such as the new edTPA support and assessment system—will help us ensure that every learner is taught by an effective teacher,” said AACTE President/CEO Sharon P. Robinson.

“AACTE encourages its members and state chapter leaders to use this tool as they work within states and with policy makers to develop more coherent, systemic, and research-based policies for educator preparation.”

This guide provides comprehensive and practical tools for state, district, school, and classroom decision makers who aim to support all students to succeed. To see the guide and related resources, visit http://www.otlcampaign.org/policy-guides/teaching-quality.


Tags: , ,

Lisa Johnson Kiefer

Senior Manager of Marketing & Communications, AACTE