A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Next Steps for Teachers

What can be done at the local level to address these complex teacher quality issues? The following questions are designed to challenge teachers to think about how they might begin. These questions are intended to be thought-provoking and do not have easy answers. They may, however, encourage people to extend themselves beyond their traditional roles and to take action.

• What role could I play in recruiting talented individuals into the profession? How do I respond when an excellent student shows an interest in pursuing a career in teaching?
• What could I do to ensure that prospective teachers are well prepared for the challenges of the classroom? What do I do to support the student teachers in my school?
• What role could my colleagues and I play in the hiring of new teachers?
• How might I ensure that beginning teachers receive the support they need? What could my colleagues and I do to begin to change a system that gives our newest teachers the most difficult classes and the extracurricular activities that no one else wants? What am I doing to support the new teachers in my school?
• What role could my colleagues and I play in the tenure-granting process? How might I promote teacher involvement in tenure decisions?
• What could I do to help my colleagues improve their practice? How willing am I to share my effective strategies with others?
• What could I do to help ensure that teachers are given opportunities to grow and to develop as professionals? How might I promote effective professional development based on the needs of the teachers in my school?
• How could I open my own practice to examination and improve my own practice? What could I do to have more opportunities to observe, and be observed by, other teachers?
• What could my colleagues and I do to ensure that excellence in teaching is encouraged and rewarded?
• What role should teachers play in addressing poorly performing teachers?
• What is one thing I can do, or one step I can take, to ensure that there is a talented, dedicated, and well-prepared teacher in every classroom?

[Next Steps for Communities]

[Next Steps for Colleges and Universities]