DCQ Resources says, “Most state report cards do not include data on teacher effectiveness”
Having a strong teacher in the classroom matters.
This year, the Rand Corporation reported that although numerous factors contribute to a student’s academic performance, including individual characteristics and family and neighborhood experiences, among school-related factors, teachers matter most. In our own personal experiences, we’ve all had some teachers that we thought were “better” than others, and the truth of the matter is that being taught by an effective teacher has important consequences for student achievement. In fact, when it comes to student performance on reading and math tests, a teacher is estimated to have two to three times the impact of any other school factor, including services, facilities, and even leadership.
If teachers matter most, then parents and pastors should have some way to tell if their state and local school districts are employing effective teachers for their students. Local shareholders need information about the teachers in their schools.
The Data Quality Campaign (DCQ) says, “States have already done the hard work of defining teacher effectiveness and identifying relevant ways of measuring this information in their ESSA plans – but putting data that provides a full picture of teacher effectiveness and experience on school report cards is key to ensuring that parents and school and district leaders are able to find and understand it.”
That is why the DCQ put together a fact sheet on teacher data titled “State Policymakers Must Include Information About Teachers on Report Cards.” This resource emphasizes what states are required to share on their report cards, including additional information to ensure that families understand the full picture of teacher effectiveness and experience.
For example, did you know that under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), school report cards must include information on (a) the number and percentage of teachers who are inexperienced, teaching with an emergency or provisional credential, or teaching out of field, and (b) the number of teachers with those qualifications disaggregated by low- and high-poverty schools.
This is just some of the great information available to you in this valuable resource that the DCQ has put together for you. You can catch a glimpse of the fact sheet below or access it by clicking here.
Forward and higher in Christ,
Rev. Girien R. Salazar
Executive Director, FE Coalition
