Educator Quality Resources

This conference, co-sponsored by the Learning Policy Institute, Policy Analysis for California Education, and the Education Policy Center at AIR, featured new evidence on the scale of California’s teacher shortage, with a particular focus on already critical shortages of teachers in specific fields and regions. Policymakers, researchers, and educators participated in panel discussions on teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention.

Across the nation, teacher shortages are causing districts to scramble to find qualified teachers in math, science, special education, bilingual education, and other fields—with the most severe shortages in the highest-need schools. On September 15, the Learning Policy Institute convened leaders from government, education, business, and parent and community organizations for a timely discussion of this critical issue.

On October 26, 2016, the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) joined with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) to host a webinar on Building a Strong, Sustainable Teacher Workforce. Developed for state policymakers and their staff, the webinar focused on evidence-based policies and practices to recruit and retain high-quality teachers, especially in hard-to-staff subjects, schools, and regions. The recorded webinar is available for viewing.

On Thursday, January 26 the Learning Policy Institute and the California School Boards Association hosted a legislative briefing on the teacher shortage and its implications for California schools and students. The program included a research presentation on findings from a recent LPI-CSBA survey, comments by local stakeholders, and recommendations for state-level policies to build a strong and sustainable teacher workforce.

On February 27, the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) and the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) held a convening on preparing and supporting quality school leaders. The program included a presentation of research and recommendations on effective principal preparation and professional learning and a panel offered local and state perspectives on the critical issue of school leadership.

High-quality professional development helps teachers learn and refine the instructional strategies needed to teach 21st century skills. This event, co-sponsored by the Center for American Progress, the Learning Policy Institute (LPI), and Learning Forward, included a presentation of findings from an LPI review of research on professional development to advance student learning. It also featured a discussion by practitioners and policymakers on how federal, state, and local policy and resources can help support the implementation of high-quality professional learning opportunities for teachers.

Researchers discussed seven evidence-based key common elements of effective teacher professional development identified in a new review of 35 methodologically rigorous studies of professional development programs to improve students’ academic outcomes. Practitioners shared how their approaches to professional development are aligned with the research and are improving outcomes for students. Panelists also discussed promising, evidence-based investments in school leadership, including those contained in ESSA state plans that take advantage of the optional Title II, Part A leadership set-aside.