Teacher Preparation and Performance

Teacher training other teachers

A strong education system is built upon effective teachers. Effective teachers must be supported by effective policies and practices across their entire career, beginning with preparation and recruitment, continuing through professional growth, evaluation, environment, and compensation through teacher leadership.

Related Topics

Principal Preparation and Performance

Our Work

AIR works in a number of areas to develop effective educators. We work to achieve solutions to complex policy and practice problems and to support effective approaches that help teachers thrive:

Teacher Preparation

Preparation programs provide teachers with the skills and experiences needed to be effective educators from the beginning of their career. Learn more

Recruitment, Supply and Demand, and Teacher Shortages

Teacher quality is impacted when there are shortage areas and job supply does not match the demand. Learn more

Professional Development, Growth, and Learning

Effective professional learning can improve teacher practice. Learn more

Teacher Evaluation

A well-designed evaluation system can serve to identify highly effective teachers, generate meaningful data and feedback, and improve teaching and learning. Learn more

Teacher Compensation and Incentives

An effective compensation system should directly support district recruitment, hiring, and retention goals by recognizing and rewarding effective teachers and teacher candidates. Learn more

Teacher Leadership and Career Pathways

Teachers shouldn’t have to leave the classroom and become administrators to advance in their career. Effective teachers need opportunities to grow in their role across their entire career. Learn more

Educator Environment

Teachers are more satisfied and excel when they teach in a supportive school environment. Learn more

Latest Work

22 Jul 2019
Commentary

Aspiring Teachers Deserve Time with a Mentor Before Going It Alone

In this commentary published in the Hill, Dan Goldhaber, AIR vice president and director of CALDER, and John C. White, Louisiana state superintendent of education, discuss the importance of formal mentoring for teachers during their career training.
22 May 2019
Journal Article

How Responsive Is a Teacher’s Classroom Practice to Intervention? A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Field Studies

While teacher effectiveness has been a particular focus of federal education policy, and districts allocate significant resources toward professional development for teachers, these efforts are guided by an unexplored assumption that classroom practice can be improved through intervention. This study examines the question of responsiveness by conducting a meta-analysis of randomized experiments of interventions directed at classroom practice.
Image of Gretchen Weber
3 May 2019
Q & A

How to Truly Appreciate Teachers: A Q&A With Gretchen Weber, AIR Managing Director

Gretchen Weber is still a teacher at heart. A National Board Certified Teacher, she thinks of herself as a voice for teachers—someone who has walked in their shoes and now hammers on the issues teachers face every day. In our latest Q&A, she explains how we can recognize teachers not just this week, but throughout the year.
Teacher taking selfie with students
29 Apr 2019
Spotlight

Preparing and Evaluating Effective Teachers and Leaders

Teacher performance evaluation systems are one potential tool for improving student success. Emerging research points to some promising features of performance evaluation measures. Explore our most recent resources in teacher and leader development and effectiveness to discover what we are learning and how it is contributing to successful schools.
Image of map of Arizona showing Chinle
11 Mar 2019
In the Field

Building Leadership Skills to Strengthen Schools in Chinle, Arizona

The Chinle Unified School District faced both leadership challenges and teacher retention problems prior to the 2016-2017 school year. In fall 2017, AIR began providing competency-based turnaround leadership coaching, focusing on the patterns of thinking, feeling, acting, or speaking that cause a principal to be successful.
Project

Grow Your Own (GYO): A Systematic Approach to Securing an Effective Educator Talent Pool Modules

GYO is one strategy to address local teacher shortages and recruit future teachers of color. By leveraging local talent, GYO programs can promote a more diverse workforce while supporting college and career readiness development in high school students. The learning series, Grow Your Own: A Systemic Approach to Securing an Effective Educator Talent Pool, helps those interested in developing and implementing GYO programs through four short modules.
28 Feb 2019
Q & A

Meet the Expert: Monique M. Chism

Monique M. Chism, Ph.D., a vice president for Policy, Practice, and Systems Change, leads AIR’s six federally funded comprehensive and content centers and District and School Improvement portfolios. Prior to joining AIR, she served as deputy assistant secretary for policy and programs in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education. She also brings experience from the Illinois State Board of Education, Learning Point Associates (now AIR), and her time as a teacher.
Image of report cover
16 Feb 2019
Report

Improving Instruction for All Students Through Meaningful Support in Educator Evaluation

This resource details what six states consider essential for the continuous improvement of educator effectiveness systems. Based on lessons learned as they worked to solve their own problems of practice and improve systems, the six guiding principles and vignettes presented here offer both inspiration and knowledge for other states and districts interested in stronger systems to support educators.
12 Feb 2019
ESSA

Navigating ESSA with the AIR Co-Pilot: 13 Key Resources

State and school district leaders, whether relative newcomers to ESSA or entrenched in implementation, will find detailed information on states’ plans, policy, and research on educational practices in AIR’s ESSA Co-Pilot. The following 13 resources were chosen by AIR experts as the best entry point into this broad and deep topic.
Project

Promoting Success for Teachers of English Learners Through Structured Observations

ESSA recognizes the important role educators play in improving education outcomes for students of color and students from low-income families—groups that historically have included large numbers of English learners. The Council of Chief State School Officers, Education Northwest, and AIR jointly published a report and tools to promote success for teachers of English learners.
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