Report calls for more accountability for teacher education

Most states fail to hold teacher preparation programs accountable for producing effective teachers, according to a report released last week by the Center for American Progress (CAP). Titled “Measuring What Matters: A Stronger Accountability Model for Teacher Education,” the report was written by teacher quality expert Edward Crowe and outlines a stronger state accountability model for teacher preparation programs. The report also found that few states require that teacher preparation programs report on teachers’ impact on student growth and that states rarely take action to ensure that weak programs improve or are shut down.

In the report, Crowe recommends that states take the following steps to ensure more rigorous accountability policies for teacher education programs: 1) Tie K-12 pupil learning outcomes to preparation program graduates and hold the programs accountable for teacher effectiveness; 2) Implement high-quality observational assessments of classroom teaching; 3) Employ current state data systems to track the teaching persistence rates for graduates of every program, and use the findings as a public disclosure measure; and 4) Implement feedback surveys of preparation program graduates and their employers. States can take these steps individually or could work together with other states to develop common accountability measures and performance criteria.

For further information or to access the full report, visit this page on the CAP website.