Teacher Education Accountability: Impact on States and Teacher

Preparation Programs

Sophia McArdle, Ph.D.Office of Postsecondary Education

During this decade, 1.6 million teachers will retire.At least that many will be needed to take their

place.

= 160,000 teachers

SY10-11

SY12-13

SY14-15

SY16-17

SY18-19

SY20-21

The Challenge

Preparation: More than 3 in 5 new teachers report that their education school experience left them feeling unprepared for “classroom realities”

3

The Challenge

Teacher recruitment: •America is not recruiting the best and brightest into teaching

– Only 23% of all teachers, and only 14% of teachers in high poverty schools, come from the top third of college graduates

4

The Challenge

Rigorous training: •After admission, too many programs do not provide a rigorous clinical experience

– Only 50% of current teacher candidates receive supervised clinical training

5

The ChallengeHigh-need areas: •Education schools often do not respond to school district teacher needs in high-need subjects

– Over ½ of all districts have trouble recruiting highly qualified teachers in science and special education

– Over 90% of high-minority districts have trouble recruiting highly qualified math and science teachers

6

The Challenge

Diversity:The teaching workforce is predominantly white and does not reflect the diversity of the nation’s students that is increasingly black or Hispanic

7

27 states have never identified a low-performing

program12 states

have identified 1-5 low-performing programs12

stateshave identified 6+ low-performing programs

Out of the over

1,400 institutions preparing teachers, only

38 programs were identified by states as low-performing or at-riskSOURCE: Chad Aldeman, et al., A Measured Approach to

Improving Teacher Preparation (Washington, DC: Education Sector, 2011).

Teacher Preparation Program Performance

The Federal Role

• Support States in their work using federal policies and investment to accelerate and support progress

• Create conditions for reform• Provide for targeted investments

9

Our Future, Our Teachers The Obama Administration’s Plan for Teacher Education Reform and

Improvement

Teacher Initiatives

• HEA Title II Regulations• Presidential Teaching Fellows• Augustus F. Hawkins Centers

for Excellence

11

HEA Title II Regulations

The issue:Existing reporting and accountability requirements have not led to meaningful change partially because the data collected is generally on program inputs rather than program outcomes

12

HEA Title II Regulations

Goal is to:• Revise federal reporting requirements

to reduce burden and focus on the most important measures of quality

• Provide prospective teacher candidates, hiring school districts, and teacher preparation programs with meaningful data on program quality

13

HEA Title II Regulations

Goal would be achieved by:• Reducing input-based reporting

elements and • Focusing on 3 categories of outcome-

based measures instead

14

HEA Title II Regulations

The Measures:• Student growth of elementary and

secondary school students taught by program graduates

• Job placement and retention rates• Surveys of program graduates and their

principals as to whether they were provided with the skills needed for classroom success in their first years

15

HEA Title II Regulations

Outcomes:•The data would create a feedback loop with meaningful information and would empower all stakeholders to make better decisions•Teacher Candidates: Teacher candidates will be able to make more informed decisions when choosing a program to attend.

16

HEA Title II Regulations

• Employers: School districts will have more information about the relative performance of new teachers from different teacher preparation programs that will aid in hiring decisions

• Teacher Preparation Programs: New data will supply programs with meaningful impact information they can use to drive program change and self-improve

17

HEA Title II and TEACH Grant Program Regulations

Establish a link between a State’s classification of a teacher preparation program under the Title II reporting system and that program’s identification as “high quality” for TEACH Grant eligibility purposes

18

Presidential Teaching Fellows

• A new $190 million program to support rigorous state-level policies and provide scholarships for students to attend top-tier teacher preparation programs

• Would replace the TEACH Grant Program while maintaining the program’s core purpose to recruit teachers to work in high-need schools in high-need fields

19

Presidential Teaching Fellows

State Policies:•Funds would be allocated by formula to states that commit to establishing rigorous teacher certification and licensure and teacher preparation program accountability

– A set-aside of up to 20% would be used for state implementation of activities

20

Presidential Teaching Fellows

State Policies:– A set-aside of up to 20% would be used

for state implementation of activities– An additional 5% (beyond the 20%)

could be set-aside by states to develop a “master teacher” designation in consortia with other states. Master teachers would receive portable certification.

21

Presidential Teaching Fellows

Scholarships:•The majority of PTF funds would provide scholarships of up to $10,000 for high-achieving, final year students enrolled in high-quality traditional or alternative teacher preparation programs with a priority for students with financial need

22

Presidential Teaching Fellows

Scholarships:•Students would have to teach for at least 3 years in a high-need field in a high-need school•Current TEACH Grant recipients would be grandfathered for the duration of their academic program

23

Augustus F. Hawkins Centers for Excellence

• Disadvantaged students benefit academically and socially from teachers with whom they can identify

• Such teachers are underrepresented in the workforce

24

Augustus F. Hawkins Centers for Excellence

- 14% of teachers identify as African-American or Hispanic compared to 38% of students

- Only 2% of teachers are African-American men

- Only 2% of teachers are Latino men

• MSIs collectively prepare more than 50% of all minority teachers

25

Augustus F. Hawkins Centers for Excellence

• Provides for $30 million in first-time funding for a competitive grant program supporting teacher preparation at minority-serving institutions (MSIs)

• Project activities would involve teacher preparation reform

26

Augustus F. Hawkins Centers for Excellence

• The minimum grant award would be $500,000

• Award would be for 3 years, with an additional 2 years continuation funding available conditioned on meeting performance targets

27

In sum:

The ultimate goal of all these teacher initiatives is that every student will

have the effective teacher they deserve

28

Thank you!

29

Contact Information:Sophia McArdle, Ph.D.

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Postsecondary Education

1990 K St. NW Room 8019

Washington, DC 20006

sophia.mcardle@ed.gov

(202) 219-7078

30