Teacher quality and related issues (i.e., teacher preparation, recruitment, and professional development) ranked among the highest priority areas among a sample of education policymakers surveyed by the Institute of Education Sciences. And it is not surprising that quality teaching also emerged as a central theme in one recent series of Policy Forums. Jeff C. Palmer is a teacher, success coach, trainer, Certified Master of Web Copywriting and founder of https://Ebookschoice.com. Jeff is a prolific writer, Senior Research Associate and Infopreneur having written many eBooks, articles and special reports. Source: https://ezinearticles.com/?Overcoming-Challenging-School-Environments&id=10174636

1. Teacher quality and related issues (i.e., teacher preparation, recruitment, and
professional development) ranked among the highest priority areas among a
sample of education policymakers surveyed by the Institute of Education
Sciences. And it is not surprising that quality teaching also emerged as a central
theme in one recent series of Policy Forums.
These Policy Forums—designed for policymakers, other local leaders, and national
experts to discuss critical education policy issues that impact students, schools,
and communities—examined current and emerging research on major questions
about improvement in content knowledge and pedagogy as they relate to
improving teacher quality. Policymakers and other stakeholders learned about
promising ideas and practices and discussed applications and implications for
future policy and research.

2. While addressing many issues related to improving teaching quality, the Policy
Forums focused on the following three key aspects of teacher quality:
- raising standards for and assuring quality in professional preparation and
development programs;
- effectively identifying and addressing causes of staff shortages; and
- providing high-quality teaching for students in the most challenging school
environments.
Focusing on Standards and Quality
States are working feverishly to meet the requirement of having a highly qualified
teacher in every classroom. Guidance from the U.S. Department of Education
continues to evolve with input from the field, providing increased flexibility for
states to address challenges posed by the law.
Policymakers across the region agree that achieving their goals will necessitate
going beyond having teachers pass certain tests and/or meet current certification
requirements. They recognize the need for data on teachers and teaching to
inform their decision making. Policy Forum participants learned that many
research efforts have begun to concentrate more deeply than ever before on (a)
what teachers know about the subjects they teach, (b) how well they can transmit
that knowledge, (c) how to assess their competence and performance
appropriately, and (d) how to inform ongoing improvements in these areas.
Research highlighted in the Policy Forums reinforced the importance of these
issues to improving teaching quality and the fact that teaching quality matters a
great deal in student success.

3. Studies show that students who receive higher quality teaching for 3 consecutive
years score much higher than students who have lower-quality experiences.
Studies examining mathematics and science instruction reveal that teachers’ solid
content knowledge is essential to successful student learning. At the same time,
definitions of “high quality” vary widely; and answers to questions about how
much content is enough and when more (or what type of) course work for
preservice and inservice teachers will improve student outcomes, remain unclear.
Many state agencies and organizations have already undertaken reviews of issues
associated with teacher quality. This review resulted in agreement about critical
content knowledge and teaching skills that new teachers lack, including:
- understanding state standards and using them as the basis for instruction,
- integrating technology into curriculum and instruction, and
- teaching reading effectively in elementary school.
The Policy Forum participants noted important areas in which to concentrate next
steps, resulting in recommendations for action and follow-up. Decision makers,
ranging from state legislators to local boards of education and teachers’ and
parents’ groups, have expanded opportunities to discuss data that can help them
understand, conceptually and practically, teacher and teaching quality. These
decision makers have shown heightened interest in standards as important
components in all quality improvement efforts.
In addition, states, local education agencies, and other institutions have focused
on assessing the effectiveness of recent and ongoing reforms to improve teaching
quality. This work, within and across states, offers increasing guidance to support
the interventions that demonstrate success or promise in addressing the issues of

4. teaching quality and student achievement and to change those practices that do
not.
Identifying and Addressing Staff Shortages
The Policy Forums revealed the need to identify staffing problems correctly in
order to design appropriate remedies. Often, education stakeholders attribute
school staffing problems to an insufficient supply. Policy Forum participants
dissected critical staffing issues with the experts and then examined implications
for policies that support sound preparation of qualified teachers, as well as
effective recruitment and retention practices. These discussions helped
policymakers gain a more expansive understanding of the problems and probable
solutions.
Increasingly, research has shown that the issue is much more complex than
having an insufficient supply of teachers. Indeed, critical shortages exist in certain
fields and levels (e.g., mathematics, science, technology, special education).
However, recent data indicate that the retention of highly qualified teachers
constitutes a major challenge in all areas, with turn-over and attrition
contributing significantly to teacher staffing problems. Ingersoll, for example,
found that “school staffing problems are not primarily due to teacher shortages,
in the technical sense of an insufficient supply of qualified teachers, rather they
are primarily due to excess demand resulting from a ‘revolving door’—where
large numbers of qualified teachers depart their jobs for reasons other than
retirement.” Many teachers move to more attractive teaching positions; others
leave the profession. According to one recent analysis of national data shared
with Policy Forum participants, about one third of new teachers leave teaching
sometime during their first 3 years of teaching and nearly half leave after 5 years.

5. Having an improved understanding of the complexities surrounding teacher
shortages helps policymakers advance policies to tackle staffing issues more
specifically. Jurisdictions are supporting or exploring many initiatives, including (a)
legislatively earmarked recruitment strategies that identify needs and remedies
specific to a district’s staffing situation, (b) salary and other compensation
incentives to attract and retain qualified teachers, and (c) expanded partnerships
beyond the education community tailored to address particular gaps.
Conclusion
Central to the issues covered in the Policy Forums is the challenge of how to
assure that the students who face the biggest hurdles within and outside the
classroom receive stable, high-quality teaching. Student access to well qualified
teachers varies widely, with students in poorer and more racially isolated
schools—too often low-performing schools—having inexperienced, uncertified,
and out-of-field teachers. Low-income and high-minority schools face the greatest
challenges in averting the devastating impact of poorly trained and skilled
teachers over several school years. Teachers in high-poverty and high-minority
schools report poor working conditions (e.g., poor facilities, books and other
materials in short supply, large class sizes, and little administrative support) that
contribute significantly to high attrition of good teachers and their aspiring but
less experienced colleagues from specific schools, as well as from the profession.
These challenges indicate a need to address teacher distribution, teacher support,
and teaching resources to improve the learning opportunities for all children.
Sharing this knowledge about teacher quality with policymakers and other
education stakeholders makes it more likely that policymakers will use data and

6. best practices as they make decisions in support of strategies that will improve
student achievement and ensure school success.
Jeff C. Palmer is a teacher, success coach, trainer, Certified Master of Web
Copywriting and founder of https://Ebookschoice.com. Jeff is a prolific writer,
Senior Research Associate and Infopreneur having written many eBooks, articles
and special reports.
Source: https://ezinearticles.com/?Overcoming-Challenging-School-
Environments&id=10174636