Teaching Profession Report Roundup

Teacher Qualifications

By Bess Keller — April 15, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

“Improving the Distribution of Teachers in Low-Performing High Schools”

Improving the teaching force in the nation’s low-performing high schools will be, if anything, more challenging than closing the “teacher gap” at other levels of schooling, in part because out-of-field teaching is more common in high schools, says a policy brief from a group advocating for increased high school graduation.

Schools and districts need to address the problem on multiple fronts, according to the Alliance for Excellent Education, including increasing the pool of teachers well-prepared for the subjects they teach and the problems encountered in low-performing high schools; changing current ways of recruiting and hiring; reforming teacher pay and professional opportunities; and addressing the working conditions that drive teachers away.

The federal government can help by fostering better tracking of teacher effectiveness, holding states to the standard of as many qualified teachers in rich schools as in poor ones, and insisting on and helping with better teacher preparation for low-performing schools.

A version of this article appeared in the April 16, 2008 edition of Education Week

Events

Teaching Profession K-12 Essentials Forum New Insights Into the Teaching Profession
Join this free virtual event to get exclusive insights from Education Week's State of Teaching project.
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.
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

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 What the Research Says A Personal 'Nudge' Can Get Teachers to Use Student Data in Smart Ways
Teachers are key to effective ed-tech interventions. A new study looks at ways to engage them.
4 min read
Woman using laptop computer.
A new study found that teachers who received more personalized messages about their students’ progress were more likely to review and use student data.
Getty Images Plus
Teaching Profession Opinion Larry Ferlazzo's 6 Reasons Why He Stayed at His School
Why leave a high school where the administrators have fostered a supportive environment and made teaching fulfilling?
5 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Profession Download Principals, Find Ways to Boost Teacher Morale (DOWNLOADABLE)
Our discussion guide for principals has three key findings about teacher morale. Use them to jump-start your team's PD.
1 min read
collage art of upward arrows, data trends, a magnifying glass, and a teacher with students. Boosting teacher morale.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
Teaching Profession Opinion Larry Ferlazzo: 10 Things I Will (and Won't) Miss When I Retire
After 23 years, I am bidding farewell to my classroom. But I'm far from done with education, he explains.
4 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week