TAP's Elements TAP Outcomes Legislation Understanding Value-Added Teacher Quality Resources Teacher Compensation Teacher Evaluation Teacher Recruitment and Retension Student Assessment Federal Policy Teacher Effectiveness Teacher and Principal Leadership The Working Group on Teacher Quality
Teacher Quality Resources
The following is a list of resources, including publications and websites, that provide additional information on the latest research, policies and discussions focused on teacher quality. Check back regularly as we will periodically update this page with additional resources.
Publications
Federal Policy
(Dr. Jonathan Eckert, August 2010)Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Joyce Foundation, this paper presents an analysis of six sites that are implementing teacher and principal compensation reforms under the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF). Of the six sites studied, four are implementing TAP. Through interviews, focus groups, data analysis and site-based observations, Eckert identified a number of similarities in the design and implementation of these projects. From Eckert’s analysis, these common practices contributed to promising results in these six TIF sites and provide insight for states and districts looking to design effective performance-based compensation systems.
(Center for American Progress [CAP], July 2009)
This brief addresses common misconceptions about the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) in order to advocate for the Obama administration's proposal to dramatically increase funding for the program. Topics included are using multiple measures to evaluate teacher effectiveness, promising results of performance-pay initiatives, TIF's emphasis on a comprehensive approach to school reform, the collaboration and support of teachers in the process, and sustaining the systems beyond the life of the grant.
(The New Teacher Project [TNTP], June 2009)
This report examines the teacher evaluation systems of 12 diverse districts across Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois and Ohio and concludes that evaluation systems do not provide accurate and credible information about individual teachers’ instructional performance. Calling it the "widget effect," The New Teacher Project reveals that the teacher evaluation systems studied treat teachers as interchangeable parts by failing to recognize and address variations in teacher effectiveness. In response, TNTP recommends adopting a comprehensive and integrated performance evaluation system for which evaluators are competently trained and held accountable.
(Center for American Progress [CAP], June 2009)
The article highlights how the Teacher Incentive Fund, a federal program that supports performance-based teacher and principal compensation systems in high-need schools, addresses three critical issues: 1) the way we currently pay teachers does little to attract or retain top talent, particularly in high-poverty schools; 2) federal funding is needed to catalyze changes in compensation for teachers and principals; and 3) evidence shows that pay-for-performance programs can increase teacher retention and improve student achievement. Further, the author notes the Obama administration's proposal to dramatically increase funding for the Teacher Incentive Fund from $97 million this year to $487.3 million in fiscal year 2010 and additional support for the program with $200 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
(Center for American Progress [CAP], January 2009)
The paper proposes federal investments in data, assessment, and evaluation systems; a state and district grant program to incentivize reforms that focus on teacher effectiveness; an alternative certification grant program to expand the pool of talented teachers, particularly for high-poverty schools; and a pilot state grant program to explore a pathway toward teacher certification that focuses on teacher effectiveness.
Kathleen Karnes, Career Teacher, Holston Middle School, Knoxville, Tennessee
"Receiving useful evaluations from the master teachers allows me to concentrate on my strengths, and to bring up my weaknesses, which benefits me and my students . . . "