If you are a student of color or an impoverished student in a U.S. public school, you are more likely to be taught by an underqualified, brand-new, or lower paid teacher, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. This problem is not new.
But solving it is essential to achieve our national ideal of equal opportunity for all and to strengthen our economy and society. All students in the U.S. should have equal access to highly effective teachers. This must become the reality for every American student.
Please join the Center for American Progress (CAP) and American Institutes for Research (AIR) for the launch of three new products intended to help states and school districts identify and close gaps in access to effective teaching—a key step in making sure all children achieve. This session will include the release of a CAP report and brief, “Equitable Distribution of Effective Teachers Using New Teacher Evaluation Data” and “Attaining Equitable Distribution of Effective Teachers in Public Schools.” These products find that students of color and poor students are more likely to be taught by an ineffective teacher and together, propose a number of policy solutions to combat this epidemic of inequitable teacher distribution. AIR will release a practical hands-on tool, the Moving Toward Equity companion guide. The discussion will focus on the steps, challenges, and solutions that districts and states must address to ensure all students have access to great teachers.
Introductory Remarks:
Melissa Lazarín, Managing Director for Education Policy, Center for American Progress
Presentation:
Jenny DeMonte, Associate Director for Education Research, Center for American Progress
Angela Minnici, Director, Center on Great Teachers and Leaders, American Institutes for Research
Panelists:
Jesús Aguirre, State Superintendent of Education, District of Columbia
Lauren Beckham, Project Coordinator, The PROGRESS Project, Calcasieu Parish School System
Kenneth B. Haines, President, Prince George’s County Education Association
Bryan Hassel, Co-Director, Public Impact
Moderator:
Michele McNeil, Assistant Editor and Reporter, Education Week