But teachers, not standards, teach students. William Schmidt, the national research coordinator for the Third International Mathematics and Science Study and a professor at Michigan State University, told participants that top-scoring nations gear teachers' professional development to the content they are expected to teach at particular grade levels. He also faulted American schools for searching for one perfect pedagogical approach, rather than acknowledging that many techniques can produce results. That finding, while appearing obvious, has yet to make its way into most state policies, said Tom Corcoran, a co-director of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education, a group of five research institutions based at the University of Pennsylvania. State requirements for so many hours or days of professional development force teachers to worry about filling those quotas, with much less thought to the quality of what is offered, he said.
Teachers are busy collecting hours.
No Public Outcry Making the case for investing in teacher quality isn't easy because it's not a hot button with the public, argued Nancy Doorey, a member of the Delaware state school board. In her state, Ms. Doorey said, policymakers have tried to focus on giving teachers plenty of professional development. Ineffective teachers must be shown the door. In New York state, an overhaul of teacher-related policies includes new grounds for revoking licenses. One of those reasons is gross incompetence, which should prevent poor teachers from simply switching districts when they are fired.