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Measures That Matter
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Dalia Zabala, Associate Director of Policy and
Liam Goldrick, Director of Policy
The School Measures Summit, hosted by Battelle for Kids and GALLUP in early October in Washington D.C., highlighted the importance of measuring the things we value for student learning. Overemphasis on student assessments that do not fully represent what we value (what we intend for students to know and be able to do) may encourage the wrong activities and discourage those that would further a broader conception of student learning.
The key questions for us are: (1) How do we measure and allow students to demonstrate knowledge and skills on all of the things we demand from schools and value in education? and (2) How can we measure and support the development of school conditions and school leaders that establish the context for teaching and learning?
We have three main takeaways from the Summit:
1. Measure what matters- Today's accountability systems place a tremendous emphasis on standardized assessments that often rely on multiple-choice responses. The high-stakes placed on these singular measures of student performance tend to rub out other indicators in defining school success. Standardized tests alone cannot capture impact on other educational values that teachers address through classroom strategies. A teacher panel at the Summit discussed such educational priorities that go beyond academic learning, such as social and emotional growth, a sense of belonging, and excitement about learning. The teachers identified additional ways to assess student learning apart from standardized tests - student feedback, reflections on lessons, projects, intellectual discussions and debates, and student ownership of the material.
2. School conditions play an important role in student achievement. U.S. Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Deb Delisle explained that the difference between an excellent school and a mediocre or ineffective school is ... everything. Excellent schools have: visionary leaders; time for analyzing data and identifying/sharing effective practices; understanding of the relationships between instruction, content, and engagement of students; better use of existing resources; a clear mission and vision of the district; valued and distributed leadership; accountability at all levels; leadership that works to improve instruction and performance; and a common culture of values.
NTC's Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning (TELL) Survey captures educators' perceptions of a number of these attributes through a core set of questions that address: New Teacher Support, Instructional Practices & Support, Managing Student Conduct, School Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Community Engagement & Support, Use of Time, Professional Development, and Facilities & Resources. Since 2008, NTC has heard from over 769,000 educators across twenty states. The survey results provide data to more than 19,000 schools to incorporate into school improvement planning and to assist state policymakers with information and research to reform policies and practices. Most findings from these surveys can be found online.
3. Effective leadership - Richard Laine, Director of the Education Division at the National Governors Association, noted the insufficient attention to school leadership in state and district reforms initiatives. Most of the focus continues to be on teachers, while it is principals who will bear primary responsibility for implementing and delivering on new educator evaluation systems. As a result, evaluation systems for school leaders must enable improved performance by: reinforcing effective leadership and desired impact on student achievement; being valid and reliable; differentiating leaders based on results and behavior; identifying specific needed professional development; and helping to identify the best leaders to serve as mentors.
NTC has long understood the value of effective leaders. Research using data from the NTC-administered North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey revealed that such conditions are highly predictive of teachers' intended movement away from their schools. Moreover, school leadership emerges as the most salient dimension of working conditions. Since our founding, NTC has offered coaching and professional development to help schools leaders foster instructional leadership and create a culture of collaboration to improve teaching and student success in schools.
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With New Teaching Conditions Standards,
Kentucky Stands Out As A Leader
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On October 9, Kentucky became the second state to formally adopt teaching conditions standards, joining North Carolina in defining best practices on creating environments that enable great teaching. Research shows that a school's environment can either catalyze or constrain effective teaching. These standards clearly articulate the teaching conditions that are necessary to give every teacher the best opportunity to succeed.
"We cannot possibly expect students to learn at higher levels without providing teachers with supportive working conditions," said Kentucky Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday, Ph.D. "By establishing these standards, we are establishing expectations that every principal, superintendent and board of education will understand and work to meet."
NTC has worked with the state of Kentucky through our Teaching and Learning Conditions Initiative since 2011. Findings from the 2011 TELL Kentucky survey show the connection of teaching conditions to student achievement and teacher retention.
Read the NTC Blog Post
Read the Kentucky Teaching Conditions Standards
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New Center Will Support Effectiveness of
Special Education Teachers | |
The University of Florida was awarded a five-year, $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to establish the Collaboration for Educator Development and Accountability and Reform (CEDAR) Center. The CEDAR Center will support states in their efforts to strengthen the effectiveness of special education teachers. The work will include strengthening professional standards, reforming special education preparation and certification programs, and helping states to revise their teacher evaluation systems.
New Teacher Center will serve as a CEDAR Center partner, along with the American Institutes of Research, the University of Kansas, the University of Washington at Bothell, and the Council for Exceptional Children.
Read more about the Center
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| Iowa Task Force on Teacher Leadership and Compensation | |
The Iowa Department of Education recently released a report by the Task Force on Teacher Leadership and Compensation with policy recommendations for the Legislature and the Governor. The task force was created to design a new teacher leadership and compensation system that addresses the use of retired teachers as mentors, strategic use of resources, a system to increase average salaries of teacher leaders, and implementation of the recommendations in Iowa's public schools.
The recommendations follow four central themes including 1) a systemic approach to human capital development, 2) balancing state and local control, 3) a focus on the fidelity of implementation, and 4) a focus on evidence-based best practices. The recommendations include: creating career pathways for teachers, enhancing teacher compensation and creating leadership opportunities, and creating a residency year for first-year teachers. The residency-year recommendation is characterized by intense mentoring by a mentor or lead teacher, collaboration time to observe model teachers, and frequent observation, evaluation and professional development.
Read more and download the report
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| Neglect of New Teachers Fuels America's Education Crisis | |
The Huffington Post published an article by NTC CEO/Founder Ellen Moir about the trial-by-fire experience of beginning teachers. Moir discusses how these new teachers are often placed in challenging classrooms and schools that serve disadvantaged students, with little meaningful support or assistance. As a result, nearly half of the nation's teachers quit after five years.
With more novice teachers being hired and an uptick in Baby Boom retirements, the teaching force has become much less experienced. Moir discusses some possible solutions. "To address this crisis in education," Moir writes, "We need to sharpen our focus on the fate of our newest educators. We need to ensure they don't just survive in the classroom, but truly thrive." For example, mentoring programs must move beyond simply assigning each new teacher a buddy and must provide them with a carefully selected, highly trained mentor to help accelerate their professional growth.
Read about Moir's solutions
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| Ellen Moir Engages in Conversation About Improving Teaching | |
The value of NTC's work recently was highlighted by the Center for High Impact Philanthropy in A Conversation about Improving Teachers and Teaching, an interview with Ellen Moir and Bryan Hassel, the co-director of Public Impact. One of the five questions asked by the Center's Kate Hovde was, 'Both your organizations are focused on improving teaching, as a primary means for improving student outcomes. What do you think the balance should be between improving the skills of the average teacher, versus extending the reach of truly excellent teachers?'
In response, Moir spoke about training excellent teachers to become mentors of newer, inexperienced teachers as part of a comprehensive induction model. Moir also points out that teaching shouldn't be viewed as static when, in fact, even excellent teachers must continually learn and grow. Hassel talks about providing more time for teacher collaboration and allowing excellent teachers to receive greater compensation. The conversation also included a strong focus on using technology to extend the reach of talented teachers.
Read the interview to see the rest of the conversation
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Investing in Professional Learning
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Meet the Promise of Content Standards: Investing in Professional Learning is a Learning Forward policy brief, published with the Council of Chief State School Officers as part of a two-year initiative to develop a comprehensive statewide system of professional learning. The brief provides district, school, state, and federal recommendations. The initiative's aim is to provide tools and resources to states to assist them with implementing the Common Core State Standards.
Read more
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Oregon Educators Urge Stronger Focus on Teaching
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Earlier this year the Chalkboard Project established a Distinguished Educators Council to develop recommendations to support and strengthen teaching in Oregon's schools. The Council's report, released in early October, provides five recommendations:
- Emphasize classroom experience and effective mentors in teacher preparation.
- Provide meaningful, ongoing evaluations of teachers that contribute to improved teaching practices and increased student achievement.
- Ensure personalized professional learning opportunities tailored to teachers' needs and the students they teach.
- Establish new leadership opportunities and career pathways for the most effective teachers.
- Ensure that Oregon's teachers can address the needs of diverse students.
Download the Report
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NTC Policy News is a monthly publication by the New Teacher Center. It is produced with funding support from the Joyce Foundation. Based in Chicago, Illinois, the Joyce Foundation invests in initiatives to improve public education and works to close the achievement gap by improving the quality of teachers in schools that serve low-income and minority children.
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Newsletter Archive
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The New Teacher Experience on the Teaching Channel
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The New Teacher Experience highlights mentors - including NTC's own Michael Russo - as they work with beginning teachers in California. The teachers reflect back on the beginning of the school year and summarize their successes and challenges.
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NTC Math Montage Video
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View short classroom excerpts from effective math lessons in 4th through 10th grade.
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NTC Job Openings
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NTC seeks qualified candidates for several positions.
Current Postings:
-Director, NTC LA
-Development Associate
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