Access to qualified and caring teachers and staff

A comprehensive study by the nonprofit Education Trust found that low-income and minority children benefit the most from good teachers. The study also demonstrated that students—even those in middle- and upper-income families—gain higher scores on state exams and demonstrate better preparation for college if they attend schools where teacher quality is high.1

Although No Child Left Behind delineates requirements for highly qualified teachers, effective middle grades faculties seek to engage all staff members. Office staff, custodial staff, school monitors, and other non-certificated teaching personnel are part of a caring community that engages students in the pursuit of excellence. However, teacher effectiveness is the most critical element for student success. “. . . [R]esearchers found that all else being equal, students assigned to the most effective teachers for three years in a row performed 50 percentile points higher on a 100-point scale than comparable students assigned to the least effective teachers for three years in a row.”2

In her book, The Flat World and Education: How America’s Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future, author, researcher, and education expert Linda Darling-Hammond makes the case for the U.S. to move beyond its current education system that provides “ambitious learning” for a select group of students and toward a more equitable approach that serves all students.

Darling-Hammond also urges educators and policy makers to focus not on the achievement gap but on the opportunity gap—“the accumulated differences in access to key education resources that support learning at home and at school.” She compares the current U.S. system with those in three countries—Finland, Singapore, and South Korea—that have rebuilt their education systems from the ground up in the last several decades. To address the opportunity gap, these countries expanded access by:

Funding schools adequately and equitably.
Organizing teaching around national standards and a core curriculum.
Eliminating examination systems that had once tracked students into different middle schools and restricted access to high school.
Using assessments that require in-depth knowledge of content and higher-order skills.
Investing in strong teacher education programs.
Paying salaries that are equitable across schools and competitive with other careers.
Supporting ongoing teacher learning.
Pursuing consistent, long-term reforms.

The article, Soaring Systems: High Flyers All Have Equitable Funding, Shared Curriculum, and Quality Teaching, (PDF; Outside Source) which appeared in American Educator in Winter 2010-11, provides additional details about these eight “investments” in education and how Finland, Singapore, and South Korea have catapulted their students to the top in terms of academic achievement as measured by international assessments.

Many of California’s lowest-performing schools are unable to attract and retain the most qualified and experienced teachers and administrators. In some districts, veteran teachers may perceive assignment to low-performing schools as punitive and administrators may prefer to work in schools with fewer challenges. Districts bear a significant responsibility for equitable placement of experienced and highly qualified teachers and administrators in challenging schools.

Taking Center Stage – Act II (TCSII)

A Portal for Middle Grades Educators

Access to qualified and caring teachers and staff

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