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State plans create more losers than winners, and many get nothing at all. States and school districts spend more than $50 billion each year on teacher pensions, the keystone in teacher compensation packages. In theory, they provide a generous and secure pot of gold at the end of a teacher’s career, which serves as an […] Read more »

Opens New Route to Teacher Certification in Florida July 27, 2016 Teachers of Tomorrow announced that its educator preparation program has now been fully approved as a route to teacher certification by the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Commission for Independent Education.  The new program, Florida Teachers of Tomorrow (“Florida Teachers”) will immediately […] Read more »

What matters in schools is teachers. Fortunately, teaching can be taught. The Economist June 11, 2016 FORGET smart uniforms and small classes. The secret to stellar grades and thriving students is teachers. One American study found that in a single year’s teaching the top 10% of teachers impart three times as much learning to their […] Read more »

Two national education groups are backing a California bill meant to improve the state's layoff, tenure and dismissal processes. Read more »

Malpractice or Just Bad Policy? The Connecticut Legislature’s Abandon of Sound Educational Practice Policy Perspective May 2016 This week the General Assembly is poised to enact a bill that would disconnect all objective assessments from teacher evaluations, and by extension would remove the transparency that otherwise allows schools, leaders and the public to understand whether […] Read more »

We're brought up to believe our teachers are modern-day saints. Just look at how we portray them in the movies and on TV. Read more »

While the traditional teachers union would have the public believe that all teachers share the union’s views, teachers are becoming increasingly dissatisfied by having to join a group that does not always align with one’s individual and personal beliefs, particularly when it comes to workplace decisions and reform. Results from the Association of American Educators’ […] Read more »

Research, data, and personal anecdotes on teacher freedom show teachers are interested in initiatives that advance their careers and explore innovative pay raises. Read more »

The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) recently released a report that identifies teacher preparation programs as one of the least rigorous majors at universities. According to the results, teacher preparation programs distribute the highest grades due to lower academic standards. Data from university commencement brochures found that at 58% of 509 colleges, teacher preparation programs were […] Read more »

PublicSchoolOptions.org is hosting its 5th annual American Pioneer of Teaching Award contest to recognize outstanding teachers in non-traditional schools. This award acknowledges top teachers who are pioneers in the field. These teachers take their craft seriously, and engage in innovative ways to reach their students and make a difference in their lives. Their passion and […] Read more »

A new survey commissioned by Scholastic in conjunction with The Gates Foundation shows that 88 percent of teachers believe the rewards of teaching outweigh the challenges. This statistic was compounded by the 89 percent of teachers who reported satisfaction with their jobs, which went unchanged from 2011. An overwhelming 98 percent also viewed teaching in […] Read more »

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory announced a proposal to raise the base pay for new teachers in the hopes of retaining educators within the Tar Heel State. The proposal, which requires legislative approval, comes after lawmakers passed a budget this summer that phased out both teacher tenure and additional pay for teachers with master’s degrees. […] Read more »

The negative effects of teacher hiring and retention policies in California are being highlighted in the Vergara v. California lawsuit, an ongoing lawsuit filed by nine student plaintiffs. The plaintiffs are seeking to strike down teacher employment practices they claim impede true accountability in schools and thus, their right to a quality education. “I just […] Read more »

Teach.com and Certificationmap.com are great resources for finding state specific information on how to become a teacher, teacher salaries, alternative certification, teaching abroad, and more. Read more »

A new report is out from the National Center for Teacher Quality that gives substance to a common critique of the way state education agencies balance their checkbooks. Read more »

The forum is the place to go if you want to explore strategies and solutions that transform schools into schools of character. CEP is offering scholarships to DC-area educators who want to attend. Read more »

While some worry about Rocketship's sustainability in the long-haul, the schools' results are promising so far as students are among top performers on standardized tests. Read more »

Indiana, Louisiana, and Florida are the top three states in a new report that analyzes and rates states' teacher evaluation policies. Read more »

The latest findings from the Strategic Data Project underscore what we already know about teachers and placement from other research; young teachers tend to be put in lower-performing schools, and the retention of effective novice teachers could be better. Read more »

Know an outstanding teacher at a charter school or online school? Nominate them for The American Pioneer of Teaching Award! Read more »

S.E.S.A.M.E. is working to pass legislation that will increase safety for children in schools by preventing teachers accused of sexual abuse from moving to another school district without his or her new employer being alerted to the allegations of misconduct. Read more »

Education Secretary Arne Duncan announces $5 billion dollar federal competition aiming to improve teaching by rewarding states that adopt policies favored by the administration. Read more »

The National Council on Teacher Quality's annual State Teacher Policy Yearbook marks 2011 as a substantial year for teacher policy changes across the states. Read more »

Ohio teachers union protects their pipeline of cash at the expense of students, taxpayers and even teachers. The Association of American Educators speaks out against forced unionism and the Ohio union referendum SB5 being overturned. Read more »

Last month’s march on Washington D.C. by the group erroneously titled "Save our Schools" is something out of a bad back-to-the-future movie. Read more »

Center for Education Reform President Jeanne Allen recommends that Secretary Duncan place a stronger emphasis on alternative teacher certification, promote meaningful and data-driven performance pay models, encourage alternate models of teacher tenure, and embrace teacher paycheck protection to ensure that educators take home more of their hard-earned money.

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