Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future?
   Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, advocacy group dedicated to improving teaching quality nationwide.

   The Commission is co-chaired by Richard W. Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education and Ted Sanders, past President of the Education Commission of the States. NCTAF's President is Thomas G. Carroll, Ph.D. Originally established in 1994 by former North Carolina governor James B Hunt, Jr. and Linda Darling-Hammond, the Commission includes a diverse cross-section of public officials, business and community leaders, and educators representing major stakeholders in education.
   
   Throughout its history, NCTAF has received generous support from Atlantic Philanthropies, AT&T Foundation, Bell South Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Ford Foundation, Goldman Sachs Foundation, Joyce Foundation, KnowledgeWorks Foundation, MetLife Foundation, Microsoft Partners in Learning, National Evaluation Services, National Science Foundation, Pearson, Rockefeller Foundation, Spencer Foundation, Wachovia Foundation, Washington Mutual, and Teachers College at Columbia University.
   
   NCTAF's research-based advocacy work with states and school districts has stimulated a wide array of initiatives to improve teaching; thousands of news articles and editorials, and dozens of pieces of legislation have been based on NCTAF's work.
   
   

2. What is NCTAF's mission?
   To ensure that every child receives a quality education from competent, caring, qualified teachers in a school organized for success. NCTAF works to improve teacher retention by focusing on three areas:
   
   
   • Teaching conditions: Schools must be organized to support quality teaching in professional learning communities;
   • Teacher preparation: All teachers must be well-prepared and licensed to ensure quality;
   • Teaching as a profession: Rewarding career paths for teachers from induction to accomplished teaching must be developed with pay and pay systems that recognize teachers as professionals.
   
   
3. How does NCTAF work to improve teaching quality?
   Our core strategies include:
   
   
   • national outreach to key constituencies, including educators, policy makers, and equity advocates;
   • supporting the activities of partner states;
   • research, documentation, and dissemination focused on exemplary policies and practices that support high-quality teaching;
   • communications and public engagement aimed at informing the public, the media, and the education community about high-quality teaching and initiatives that support it;
   • recommending approaches to teacher recruitment, preparation, induction, and professional development that will meet the requirements of 21st century schools and that reflect the best thinking about approaches to teacher development; and
   • developing a policy agenda that connects current initiatives in the profession, including reforms in teacher education, licensing, certification, and accreditation, with local, state, and federal policy initiatives for school improvement and restructuring.
     
     
4. What are some of NCTAF's key findings?
   In 1996, the Commission released its landmark report, What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future. This report, which placed the issue of teaching quality squarely at the center of the nation's education agenda, outlined three principles that continue to define NCTAFís mission: 1) what teachers know and can do is the most important influence on what students learn; 2) recruiting, preparing, and retaining good teachers is the central strategy for improving our schools; and, 3) school reform cannot succeed without creating the conditions in which teachers teach well.

   In its latest report, No Dream Denied: A Pledge to America's Children, NCTAF finds that high teacher turnover and attrition have become a national crisis that is undermining teaching quality in too many of our schools.

   Well-prepared teachers are the most valuable resource a community can provide to young people. But in too many cases, high teacher turnover, driven by inadequate preparation, poor working conditions, and insufficient pay are undermining teaching quality and creating local teacher shortages.

   NCTAF reports that almost a third of all new teachers leave the classroom after three years and close to fifty percent leave after five years. Over a quarter of a million teachers stop teaching every year. Retirement is only one factor among many ‚ teachers who leave the classroom for reasons other than retirement outnumber those retiring by almost three to one. The cumulative effect is that high teacher turnover and attrition negatively impact the quality of teaching and learning in too many districts. Unless we acknowledge and address this problem, the great promise of education reform will remain unfulfilled.

5. What is the NCTAF state partnership network?
   NCTAF has developed a network of partner states designed to strengthen the work of 25 states that are committed to making comprehensive improvements in teaching quality.
   
   NCTAF assists the states and districts in our partnership networks by:
   
   
   • linking partners together into a network of policy makers and practitioners focused on improving teaching quality,
   • providing partners with access to research and information about successful practices,
   • providing partners with opportunities to learn from colleagues nationwide, and
   • providing policy development support.
   
   
   More information about the state partnership network and the achievements of the 25 NCTAF partner states may be found here.
   
   
6. Who are the key stakeholders in NCTAF's initiatives?
   Our key stakeholders include members of the business community, federal and state government, teacher preparation institutions, classroom teachers, national and state education organizations, and parent and community groups.
   
   
7. How can I learn more about NCTAF, obtain copies of its reports, or contact its staff?
   For more information, send an e-mail to dkincaid@nctaf.org.
   
   National Commission on Teaching and America's Future
   2100 M Street, NW
   Suite 660
   Washington, D.C. 20037
   Telephone: 202-429-2570 (main)
   Fax: 202-429-2571