Wednesday July 18, 2012
Two new studies are shedding light on the placement and retention of highly-effective teachers. The first, out of the Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research, takes a look at the effectiveness of transferring our highest quality teachers to our most high-need schools. Researchers found that these teachers remained highly effective in their new schools, arguing that effective teaching may in fact transfer across schools. This research supports current policy on equitable distribution of high-quality teachers between high- and low-poverty schools. Read more in this Education Week blog.
Another set of data from Harvard University’s Strategic Data Project examines the placement and retention of new teachers. Data from North Carolina, Texas, and Georgia show that districts often make the mistake of placing novice teachers with the lowest-performing students. As novice teachers are, on average, less effective at the start of their careers, researchers concluded that “the systematic placement of novice teachers with lower-performing students is essentially a ‘double whammy’ for these students.” Additionally, districts were unable to retain the novice teachers who showed the most promise. Read more about this new data in Education Week. Both of these studies indicate the need to rethink how we place and retain both our novice teachers and our most effective teachers.
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