Commission Calls for Data Systems to Improve Teacher Preparation
States can take the first step now to learn what works
Building strong data systems on teachers’ education and early
careers may be the single best way to improve teacher
preparation, says a report from the Southern Regional Education
Board Teacher
Preparation Commission. The Commission recommends that states
take the lead in this critical first step to benefit teachers,
the programs that prepare them, and the students they
teach.
Legislators and education leaders from 15 states came together to
make the recommendations.
“We know that teachers matter most in a child’s education at
school,” said SREB President Dave Spence. “This is one action
states can begin now to improve teacher preparation so teachers
are more effective and students learn more.”
Read the report >
The aim is to bring together a state’s department of education,
teacher preparation programs and school districts around ways to
improve teacher education. What are the students like, for
example, in the schools where a college’s graduates most often
teach? Which student-teaching experiences best prepare teachers
for rural schools? What might others learn from a prep program
whose graduates consistently stay in the classroom beyond the
first few years?
Today, few states have data systems that serve these needs, said
the report’s author, Jim Wyckoff of the University of Virginia
Curry School of Education. Colleges of education, state
departments of education and school districts collect their own
information but often don’t collaborate to ask or answer
questions about what works best in teacher preparation.
“Using data for continuous improvement should spur discussions
about how we prepare new teachers for today’s students,” said
SREB Vice President Mark Emblidge. “Plus, principals can use the
data as they recruit and hire teachers. Districts can monitor
supply and demand. And prospective teachers can use the
information as they choose their preparation programs.”
The report, More than the Numbers: Teacher Preparation Data Systems, points to pioneering systems in Louisiana, North Carolina and Tennessee as models to learn from. It also lays out promising practices of these early systems, which:
- Follow teachers through their careers
- Focus on outcome measures
- Break down data silos
- Make data more accessible and transparent
The Commission offers three recommendations:
1. States should bring together teacher education
information from state and local agencies. Data
should cover prep program admission and course requirements;
graduates’ licensure, certification and teaching
assignments; and teacher outcomes and retention.
2. States should disseminate the data
widely, tailored to the needs of different
audiences.
3. States should use the data to empower
change by helping preparation programs and school
districts analyze, discuss and apply what they learn.
Safeguarding the information is of central importance, the report
emphasizes, so that data is collected, used and stored in ways
that protect privacy, security and confidentiality.
SREB.org/Teacher Prep >
The charge of the SREB Teacher Preparation Commission,
chaired by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, is
to develop practical and effective statewide
recommendations to improve teacher preparation
programs. Members include legislators, deans,
university presidents, heads of postsecondary systems, state and
district superintendents, and leaders of nationwide
organizations.
The Commission launched in 2016 and will release a final report
and recommendations in fall 2018. SREB will work with members as
they explore the recommendations in their home states.
The Southern Regional Education Board , a nonprofit,
nonpartisan organization, works with states to improve public
education at every level, from early childhood through doctoral
education. Member states are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi,
North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia and West Virginia.