Teaching Profession News in Brief

Group Urges Focus on Working Conditions

By Liana Loewus — July 17, 2012 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To boost teacher retention and student achievement at high-poverty schools, states and districts must first look to improve working conditions for teachers, concludes a new report by the Education Trust, a Washington-based nonprofit group. The report profiles five districts that have focused efforts on bettering teacher support and development—specifically by strengthening leadership and encouraging professional collaboration—and have shown promising or positive gains as a result.

The report, “Building and Sustaining Talent: Creating Conditions in High-Poverty Schools That Support Effective Teaching and Learning,” suggests that teacher evaluation is just one essential step to improving teacher quality and student achievement.

A version of this article appeared in the July 18, 2012 edition of Education Week as Group Urges Focus on Working Conditions

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Managing AI in Schools: Practical Strategies for Districts
How should districts govern AI in schools? Learn practical strategies for policies, safety, transparency, and responsible adoption.
Content provided by Lightspeed Systems
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Two Jobs, One Classroom: Strengthening Decoding While Teaching Grade-Level Text
Discover practical, research-informed practices that drive real reading growth without sacrificing grade-level learning.
Content provided by EPS Learning
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Profession Measles Cases Are Rising. How Educators Can Protect Themselves
As some common childhood illnesses make a comeback in schools, here's what educators need to know.
3 min read
Anna Hicks prepares a measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine at the Andrews County Health Department on April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas. Measles is highly infectious and even some vaccinated teachers have reportedly been infected.
Anna Hicks prepares a measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine at the Andrews County Health Department on April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas. Measles is highly contagious and even some vaccinated teachers have reportedly caught the infection.
Annie Rice/AP
Teaching Profession K-12 Budgets Are Tightening. Teacher-Leadership Roles Are at Risk
The positions expanded with pandemic-aid funding. With money tighter, how can districts keep them?
5 min read
Teachers utilize a team teaching model, known as the Next Education Workforce Model, at Stevenson Elementary School in Mesa, Ariz., on Jan 30, 2025.
Teachers utilize a team-teaching model that spreads out teacher expertise and facilitates collaboration at Stevenson Elementary School in Mesa, Ariz., on Jan 30, 2025. Some of those models depend on having coaches and interventionists—positions that risk getting cut during lean budget times.
Adriana Zehbrauskas for Education Week
Teaching Profession How Teachers Across the Country Support Each Other in Times of Crisis
One Minnesota teacher received a touching display of support from a colleague 1,200 miles away.
4 min read
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, January 22, 2026: Ninth grade teacher Tracy Byrd helps a student with her final essay on the last day of the semester at Washburn High School in Minneapolis, MN.
Ninth grade teacher Tracy Byrd helps a student with her final essay on the last day of the semester at Washburn High School in Minneapolis on Jan. 22, 2026. Bryd, the 2025 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, has leaned on his network of state teachers of the year for support amid the challenges of increased immigration enforcement in the state.
Caroline Yang for Education Week
Teaching Profession How the Nation's Top Teachers Prevent Burnout
Finalists for Teacher of the Year give tips on keeping your sanity and enthusiasm in the classroom.
6 min read
Wallenberg after receiving a Shakespearean educator award.
Wallenberg after receiving a Shakespearean educator award.
Brandon Mitchell