NCTAF States Lead the Way in the “Quality Counts 2008” Teaching Profession Rankings
Eight of the Top Ten States Are NCTAF Partners;
17 NCTAF States are Among the Top 25 with Outstanding Teaching Profession Polices
WASHINGTON – January 15, 2008 – The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) congratulates its partner states for their outstanding Teaching Profession rankings in the Quality Counts 2008 report card recently released by Education Week.
The report analyzed what states have done to improve the teaching profession – the nation received an overall grade of C. However, eight NCTAF partner states were among the top ten, receiving a grade of B- or better, and 17 NCTAF states were in the top 25 for their efforts to improve teaching quality.
The report, Quality Counts 2008: Tapping Into Teaching, Unlocking the Key to Student Success, also grades states in five other areas of educational policy and performance, and awards an overall ranking for their efforts. Six of the top ten states in overall rankings are members of the NCTAF state coalition and 14 of the top 25 states in overall rankings are NCTAF state partners.
Quality Counts 2008 has a specific focus on teaching and provides a comprehensive framework for assessing policies that strengthen the profession. The report challenges states to increase their accountability for teacher quality. The framework also assesses the extent to which states take steps to attract and retain talented people in the profession; monitor and allocate the equitable distribution of teaching talent; and build the capacity of teachers and principals to improve student learning.
“We believe NCTAF partner states are performing well on these teaching profession indicators because they have maintained a clear, consistent, and sustained focus on quality teaching in schools organized for success,” said NCTAF President Tom Carroll. NCTAF states that fall within the top 25 stand out from the crowd because they are developing a variety of cutting-edge teaching quality policies that:
• Provide extensive clinical practice during teacher preparation;
• Discourage out-of-field placements for teachers;
• Include student achievement in the evaluation of teacher performance;
• Offer leadership and performance incentives to teachers and principals;
• Provide incentives for national board certified teachers to serve in high need schools;
• Provide state funded mentored induction programs for all new teachers;
• Encourage a reduced-workload policy for first-year teachers;
• Require districts and schools to set aside school time for professional development; and
• Collect and publicly report information on school climate and working conditions.
“For more than a decade, NCTAF’s state partners have been working on a coherent package of policies and strategies to improve the teaching profession,” said Carroll. “The strategic investments that are being made by leaders in these states are producing great results.” Some examples from the top 25 states include:
• South Carolina has made a substantial investment in National Board Certification for its teachers; supporting advanced certification for over 5,000 teachers, and improving both teacher compensation and school culture. In addition, the state has established the South Carolina Teacher Advancement Program (SCTAP) to attract, retain, develop and motivate talented people to the teaching profession.
• North Carolina was the first state in the nation to implement a working conditions survey that gives teachers an opportunity to report on professional development, facilities and resources, school leadership and teacher empowerment in their schools and districts. Survey feedback has shaped local and statewide education policy, improving the quality of instruction delivered in schools across the state, and it has led to the development of new 21st century standards for teachers. Starting in 2008-09, NC will be the first state in the nation to require a new evaluation of all school principals, who will be evaluated on how they utilize school level survey results to retain quality teachers and improve student achievement.
• Georgia has established a statewide, comprehensive “Framework for Teaching” that has been jointly adopted by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, the State Board of Education, and the Professional Standards Commission. This framework provides an integrated set of performance standards to guide teachers’ growth across their careers.
• Alabama made greater improvements in fourth grade reading than any other state in the nation, according to data from the 2007 NAEP report. This significant gain of eight points in fourth grade reading for Alabama students is attributed to the Alabama Reading Initiative, a statewide professional development program that invests state and federal funds to develop the knowledge and skills of every teacher in grades K-3 and support their on-going learning with reading coaches.
• West Virginia is preparing students for today’s global economy by transforming schools into 21st century learning centers, where techno-savvy students are actively learning with a new cadre of National Board Certified teachers, who are becoming technology integration specialists.
• New Mexico has successfully developed a three-tiered licensure system that is linked to teacher compensation. Based on this system, New Mexico’s policy makers have appropriated more than $80 million to raise teachers’ salaries. Data shows that this new licensure and compensation system has addressed a critical shortage, with teachers returning to New Mexico from surrounding states, and the number of teachers on waivers has declined from 8.4% to 0.7%.
The NCTAF State Partnership has become a collaborative network of policy makers, school leaders and teachers, who share best practices, learn together, and empower each other to provide every child with quality teaching in schools organized for success. NCTAF congratulates its state partners for the steps they are taking to develop a profession that can teach for the future. The 17 NCTAF states that ranked in the top 25 for their efforts to strengthen the Teaching Profession include, in order: SC, NC, GA, LA,VA, AL, KY, OK, WV, OH, HI, NM, WI, TN, MO, WA, and NJ.
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The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF) is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. NCTAF is dedicated to providing every child with competent, caring, qualified teaching in schools organized for success. With a network coalition of 25 states and links to professional educational organizations across the nation, NCTAF provides leadership on innovation and improvement in teaching and learning in America’s schools. For more information, visit NCTAF’s website: www.nctaf.org.
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