America's Challenge: Effective Teachers for At-Risk Schools and Students
Author: Dwyer, Carol A., Ed.
Date: 2007-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Teacher Effectiveness,At Risk Students,Stakeholders,Special Education,Teacher Recruitment,Technical Assistance,Special Needs Students,Models,Special Education Teachers,Disadvantaged Schools,Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation,Colleges,Teacher Education,Poverty,Low Achievement,Teacher Persistence,Correlation,Students,Beginning Teachers,Teacher Surveys,Elementary Secondary Education

The National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (NCCTQ) was launched in 2005 as part of a comprehensive system of content-based technical assistance to support states in implementing the priorities of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. NCCTQ's mission is to support Regional Comprehensive Centers (RCCs), states, and other education stakeholders, such as institutions of higher education that prepare teachers, in strengthening the quality of teaching--especially in high-poverty, low-performing, and hard-to-staff schools. NCCTQ also provides guidance in addressing issues related to highly qualified teachers (HQTs) effectively serving students with special needs. This report provides the opportunity to update and report on what is currently known about successful teaching at at-risk schools--especially as it relates to the availability, recruitment, and retention of HQTs, as well as the opportunity to report on areas in which more research or changes in policy or practices remain to be accomplished. The main body of this report consists of six chapters related to the main streams of activity engaged in by NCCTQ during the past two years: (1) A research analysis of the links between good teaching and student learning; (2) An action review and analysis of gaps in the preparation of effective teaches for at-risk students, including those with disabilities; (3) An analysis of the complexity of the issues involved in improving teaching for special education students and a demonstration that this knowledge is put to use in classrooms and that it ultimately turns out to be effective for students; (4) A review of state policies and strategies that currently address the challenge of equitable distribution of effective teachers; (5) Promising new and emerging teacher recruitment and retention strategies and practices that states and districts are using to improve teacher quality in at-risk and hard-to-staff subject areas; and (6) Results from a nationally representative survey of first-year teachers. This publication contains the following chapters: (1) Linking Teacher Quality and Student Outcomes (Laura Goe); (2) Innovation Configurations to Improve Teacher Preparation in Reading, Classroom Behavior Management, and Inclusive Practices (Daniel J. Reschly, Susan M. Smartt, and Regina M. Oliver); (3) Teacher Preparation--Teacher Practices--Student Outcomes: Relationship in Special Education (Laura Goe); (4) Implementing NCLB: State Plans to Address the Challenge of Equitable Distribution of Effective Teachers (Tricia Coulter); (5) Emerging Strategies and Practices to Improve Teacher Quality in At-Risk and Hard-to-Staff Schools and Subject Areas (Cortney Rowland and Michael Allen); (6) Getting Started: A Survey of New Public School Teachers on Their Training and First Months on the Job (Jonathan Rochkind, John Immerwahr, Amber Ott, and Jean Johnson); and (7) The National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality: A Resource for Systemic Improvement in the Equitable Distribution of Teachers (Carol A. Dwyer and Amy Jackson). A glossary is included. Individual sections contain figures, tables, and references. [Contributing authors include Michael Allen, Tricia Coulter, Carol A. Dwyer, Laura Goe, John Immerwahr, Amy Jackson, Jean Johnson, Regina M. Oliver, Amber Ott, Daniel J. Reschly, Jonathan Rochkind, Cortney Rowland, and Susan M. Smartt.]