Will New Teacher Equity Strategy Actually Spur Change?

It is well known that teachers are the most important in-school factor when it comes to promoting student learning. Multiple great teachers in a row can set students on the path to success in subsequent grades and in life, while multiple ineffective teachers can hamper students’ chances of truly reaching their full potential. And yet, research shows that the students who begin school already behind their middle-and-upper class peers and who most need highly effective teachers have the least access to those teachers. Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Education announced a new initiative to help address this lack of equity in access to strong teachers. The Obama Administration is right to make teacher equity a priority. The big question though is whether this initiative will actually spur change in states when other similar past efforts have failed?

Under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, states were already required to submit plans explaining how they would measure teacher distribution equity and how they would help to ensure that poor and minority students are not disproportionately taught by teachers who are unqualified, inexperienced, or “out-of-field” in their subject area. However, a 2006 Education Trust report showed that plans were found to be superficial at best. Fast forward 8 years: a recent Center for American Progress report indicates that minority students and students from low-income families are still more likely to be taught by out-of-field or inexperienced teachers.

The Obama Administration’s new 50-state strategy has been in the works since last August when the Department of Education announced that they would be linking  a requirement for the equitable distribution of high quality teachers to NCLB waiver renewals. That didn’t last, though, for two reasons: one, states balked at the idea and two, the Department wanted to be inclusive of all states regardless of their waiver status.

So, What is the Department’s New strategy? There are Three Components:

1) Requiring states to update their existing equity plans. States will be required to do this by April 2015. In a letter to chief state school officers, Secretary Duncan said that the Department would release guidance this fall help states develop and implement their plans.

2) Putting $4.2 million toward creating an Education Equity Support Network that will assist state education agencies with the implementation of their plans. According to the Department, the Network will also develop model plans, identify promising practices, and establish communities of practices where states can discuss challenges and share lessons learned.

3) Connecting states with existing datasets including the state’s complete information from the Civil Rights Data Collection and creating state-specific teacher equity profiles that illustrate gaps in equitable access to teachers.

It’s reassuring to see the Department focusing policies and resources -- albeit small -- into more equitable access to great teachers. As the Ed Trust notes in its statement on the Department’s plan, there are some promising examples across the country ensuring students attending struggling schools have access to highly effective teachers. More examples are needed.

To truly achieve equitable access to strong teachers, the strategy should include coordinated--not siloed--efforts to rethink methods of training, hiring, staffing, developing, evaluating, and retaining teachers.

However, the success of this initiative is going to be determined at the state and local level by the level of willingness to create a comprehensive strategy to improve the entire educator workforce.To truly achieve equitable access to strong teachers, the strategy should include coordinated--not siloed--efforts to rethink methods of training, hiring, staffing, developing, evaluating, and retaining teachers. Teachers should be well-prepared to teach in any school--including high-poverty schools--and to meet students’ diverse needs. States and school districts need strong systems in place to continue to develop these newly-prepared teachers to help students learn and develop the skills they need to be successful throughout their schooling and later in life. And they need to eliminate policies that dismiss the newest teachers in tough budget times regardless of their potential to help students learn. Finally, states and school districts need effective systems to identify and recognize teachers and principals who excel, support those who are willing and able to improve, and encourage  those who are not to move on.

Whether the Department’s 50-state strategy can encourage states and districts to take these steps remains to be seen.