An Evidence-Based Approach to Teacher Preparation 2016 (original) (raw)

Recently, a variety of education policy organizations, researchers, legislators and government officials have called for improvements to teacher preparation, as well as concrete evidence that programs are graduating effective teachers. For example, the National Council on Teacher Quality is seeking to achieve fundamental changes in the policy and practices of teacher preparation programs. The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation has advanced evidence-based accreditation to assure quality and support continuous improvement to strengthen student learning. Deans for Impact is supporting its network in sharing data, program designs, and strategies, in an effort to improve student-learning outcomes by transforming the field of educator preparation. The Transforming Teaching Project calls for the creation of vertically aligned pathways that run from teacher preparation through induction and continue into ongoing school-based learning. The TeachStrong coalition, with 50-plus member organizations, seeks to reimagine teacher preparation to make it more rooted in classroom practice and a professional knowledge base, with universal high standards for all candidates. While a recent paper raises questions about the appropriate policy responses to these calls for action in light of the limited and conflicting research base regarding which teacher qualifications and components of teacher preparation lead to teacher effectiveness (Aldeman & LiBetti Mitchel, 2016), it is possible to draw lessons from research to inform practice. One approach teacher preparation providers can take is to build a teacher program from the ground up, investing in elements of teacher preparation which research indicates are related to teacher effectiveness and student gains. Another is for teacher preparation programs to take responsibility for assessing their participants' effectiveness prior to program completion, drawing on lessons from research on teacher evaluation. Urban Teachers has elected to implement both of these approaches at once. This paper provides a description of our model, its theory of change, and the literature base that supports and informs our model. In 2009, Urban Teachers, an innovative, residency-based teacher preparation program, was founded to supply high-need schools with effective new teachers. Urban Teachers takes a multifaceted approach to producing effective teachers, beginning with a strategic, rigorous selection process, followed by four years of intensive training and support, extensive classroom experience, and regular coaching visits. Along the way, Urban Teachers systematically evaluates the performance of its participants in several dimensions in order to make a final determination for or against teacher licensure, based on the proven effectiveness of its participants.