Developing an Effective Teacher Education System

The Debate on Teacher Education and Teacher

Quality“There is little evidence that education school

course work leads to improved student achievement…”

“Knowledge of pedagogy, degrees in education or amount of time spent practice teaching,” which are the “requirements that make up the bulk of current teacher certification regimes,” is surrounded by a “great deal of contention.”

“Virtually all” of the studies linking certification and improved student outcomes are “not scientifically rigorous.”

-- The Secretary’s Report on Teacher Quality, 2002

(How) Can We Develop Good Teachers?

More complex learning goals andMore diverse pathways to learning

REQUIREDeeper and more flexible content knowledgeKnowledge of language and literacy developmentGreater diagnosis of learning strategies and needsMore sophisticated scaffolding of the learning processA wide repertoire of practice

Learners in Social Contexts

•Human development

•Learning

•Language

Curriculum and

Subject Matter

Educational Goals and

Purposes for skills,

content, subject matter

Teaching:•Teaching Subject Matter

•Teaching Diverse Learners•Assessment

•Classroom Management

Vision

The Knowledge-Base for Teaching

Leading a Complex Profession in Complex and Challenging Times

Transforming Teacher Education Programs and Practice

Developing and Enforcing Appropriate Accountability

Making for Universal Access to Quality Preparation and Conditions of Practice

Historical Critiques of Teacher Education

1. Inadequate time to learn subject matter, learning theory, and effective teaching strategies.

2. Fragmentation of content and pedagogy, university education and clinical training.

3. Weak curriculum relying too often on folklore rather than up-to-date knowledge.

4. Uninspired teaching methods that do not model effective teaching practices.

5. Ad hoc clinical training that is unevenly supervised and does not represent good practice.

Current US policies do not help address these

issuesElimination of nearly all funds for leveraging improvement in teacher education Funding for a wide range of alternatives without standards Few subsidies for teacher training costsVoluntary accreditation, not tied to critical features of preparation Licensing tests unlinked to capacity to teachLicensing standards that are malleableUnequal funding, salaries, and working conditions

Effects of Underprepared Teachers

on Student Achievement Fall-to-Spring Test Score Gains / Losses of Students Taught by

Alternative Route and Traditional Route Teachers

-1.07

-0.78

0.99

1.89

-1.06

-0.39

1.31

1.83

-1.5

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

Ch

ang

e in

NC

E S

core

Reading Math

Based on actual (unadjusted) fall and spring scores

Low-Coursework AC Low-Coursework TC Counterpart

High -Coursework AC High -Coursework TC Counterpart

Effects of Preparation on Teacher Attrition

12.6

12

12.8

13

11.6

20.7

28.1

27.3

25.7

25

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Training in Selection/Use of Materials

Training in Child Psych./Learning Theory

Observation of Other Classes

Feedback on Teaching

Practice Teaching

% of new teachers leaving after 1 yearNo Training

Training

Poor and Minority Children Get the Least Qualified

TeachersDistribution of Underqualified Teachers by School Income

and Minority Status in California

0

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.1

0.12

0.14

0.16

0.18

0.2

Low minority (0-30%) High minority (>90%) Low poverty (0-25%free lunch)

High poverty (>75% freelunch)

Source: CBEDS data, 1999; SRI International, Teaching and California's Future, Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, 1999.

© Linda Darling-Hammond 2010

A Range of Qualifications Matter to Student Achievement

Large-scale studies in NC and NY found that student achievement gains were related to teachers’

• Licensing test scores Preparation prior to entryCertification in the field taughtExperience (> 3 years)National Board Certification (in NC)

In combination, these predict more of the difference in student learning gains than race & parent education combined (Clotfelter, Ladd, & Vigdor, 2008).

How can we turn the current Race to the Bottom into a Race to the Top for Teacher Education ?

Although expert teachers are the greatest influence on learning, the U.S. invests little in teaching

Preparation is uneven and largely unfundedSalaries are unequal and noncompetitiveWell-prepared teachers are unequally distributedMentoring for new teachers is unevenProfessional development is “hit & run”Learning & collaboration time is scarce: US teachers teach far more hours and have less prep time than any other advanced country

What are High-Achieving and Steeply-Improving Nations

Doing?

• Substantial investments in initial teacher education focused on-- teaching a wide range of learners-- learning to practice in practice-- learning to assess learning to shape teaching-- learning from and for practice-based research

• Equitable salaries and placements

What kind of preparation matters?

Features of Exemplary Teacher Education Programs

A tightly knit set of experiences based on a common, clear vision of good teaching

Well-defined standards of practice and performance; A rigorous core curriculum with emphasis on student

learning, assessment, and content pedagogy; Use of problem-based teaching methods including cases, action research, and portfolios; Extended clinical experience (30+ weeks) with expert veterans, linked to coursework, in partnership schools

Value-Added Gains of Students Whose Teachers Graduated from Different Teacher Education Programs in NYC

-0.06

-0.04

-0.02

0

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

-0.120 -0.080 -0.040 0.000 0.040 0.080 0.120

Math

ELA

Strong Gains in ELA and Math

Strong Gains in ELA, not math

Strong Gains in Math, not ELAWeak Gains in ELA and Math

Program Features Influencing Teacher Effectiveness

Quality of student teaching experience Courses in content and content pedagogyFocus on learning specific practices and applying them in clinical experienceStudy of local district curriculum Portfolio or capstone project tying theory to practice

How Might We Ensure Expert Teachers for all

Students?Invest in teacher education reforms based on features that matter for successBuild residencies and school partnershipsUnderwrite high-quality teacher education for capable candidates, especially for high-need fields and areasCreate meaningful licensing and accreditation standards that drive improvement Develop and use performance-based assessments

Supporting Clinical Training: The Need for Professional

Schools As in medicine and other professions, teachers need to see and enact good practice while learning research and theoryProfessional development school models can support learning from expert veterans while candidates are taking tightly linked coursework. They can model state-of-the art education for students and teachers as well as opportunities for developing curriculum, new practices, and research.

The Power of Performance Assessments of Teaching

Teachers and programs learn from performance assessments featuring portfolios of practice – videos, lesson plans, student work, and commentary -- showing how a prospective teacher:

Plans a unit of instruction around standards for students and standards for teaching

Instructs, reflects, and revises in response to students’ learning

Assesses and analyzes student learningReflects on the success of practice and on how it

can be improvedDevelops academic language among all students.

© Linda Darling-Hammond 2010

PACT Scores by Teaching Dimension and Institution

2.953.03

2.832.92

3.00

2.78

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

Total MIS Planning Instruction Assessment Reflection Acad Language

Sco

re

BCDEFGHIJKL

-0.1

-0.08

-0.06

-0.04

-0.02

0

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.1

Program A Program B Program C

Program D Outside of CA Intern Programs

Estimates of High School Student Value-Added Achievement for Graduates of Teacher Education Programs / Pathways

Teacher Learning is Enhanced

I think for me the most valuable thing was the sequencing of the lessons, teaching the lesson, and evaluating what the kids were getting, what the kids weren’t getting, and having that be reflected in my next lesson...the ‘teach-assess-teach-assess-teach-assess’ process. And so you’re constantly changing – you may have a plan or a framework that you have together, but knowing that that’s flexible and that it has to be flexible, based on what the children learn that day.

Teacher Educators Learn

This [scoring] experience…has forced me to revisit the question of what really matters in the assessment of teachers, which – in turn – means revisiting the question of what really matters in the preparation of teachers.

Cooperating Teachers Reflect on Practice

[The scoring process] forces you to be clear about “good teaching;” what it looks like, sounds like. It enables you to look at your own practice critically/with new eyes.

Teacher Education Can be Linked to Induction

As an induction program coordinator, I have a much clearer picture of what credential holders will bring to us and of what they’ll be required to do. We can build on this.

Faculty Learning & Faculty Learning & Program ImprovementProgram Improvement

A more shared vision of teachingA more shared vision of teaching

Increased articulation across Increased articulation across courses, structures and rolescourses, structures and roles

Changes in course contentChanges in course content

Structural changes to support Structural changes to support coherence and connections coherence and connections

How do We Ensure Expert Teachers for all Students?

Increase incentives to attract and retain talented teachersIntensify teacher learning for teaching challenging content in ways that address diverse pupil needsExpand performance-based assessment that shows how students & teachers are learning

Teaching Effectiveness Depends on Many Factors

Teacher knowledge, skills, dispositions, and behaviors that support the learning process.

Hanushek et al. estimate the individual teacher effects component of measured student achievement is about 7% of the total.

Resources for learning – Curriculum quality, materials, class sizes, specialist supports, etc.

Coherence and continuity – The extent to which content & skills are well organized and reinforced across grades and classes

Student availability for learning – Prior learning opportunities, health, supportive home context, attendance, developed abilities

© Linda Darling-Hammond 2010

Teacher Effectiveness in Context

Studies find that teachers’ value-added “effectiveness” is variable & influenced by:

• The effectiveness of their peers• Class size and time spent with students• Tutoring and out-of-school learning• Student characteristics and attendance• The measure of achievement used and its

appropriateness for the content and students

A Teacher’s Measured “Effectiveness” Can Vary Widely

Depending on these Factors

02468

10

Decile Rank Y1 Decile Rank Y2

0

20

40

60

80

% ELL % Low-income

%Hispanic

Y1

Y2

Same high school

Same course (English I)

Not a beginning teacher

Model controls for:

Prior achievement

Demographics

School fixed effects

1

10YEAR 1 YEAR 2

What Strategies would SupportEffective Teacher Evaluation?

Combine Evidence of Practice, Performance, and Outcomes in an Integrated Evaluation System that looks at:

Teaching practice in relation to standards, curriculum goals, and student needs Contributions to colleagues and the school, and Evidence about student learning / growth at the classroom and school level in relation to teaching practices, curriculum goals, and student needs.

How Can Evaluation Support Effective

Teaching? Create a career continuum in which professional standards, assessment, and learning are linkedEmbed evaluation in sustained, collegial professional development Build professional learning communities to guide curriculum, instruction, and assessment

A goal for high-achieving 21st century nations:

“Those who can, do. Those who understand, teach.”

“Those who can, teach. Those who can’t go into a

less significant line of work.”