A Teacher Quality Primer

While it is true that Michigan students learn a variety of skills in their time at school, perhaps the most important charge of public schools, beyond providing a safe and healthy environment, is to ensure that students are learning "the three R’s." Unfortunately, the achievement levels of Michigan public school students raise doubts about the quality of public education in the state. This volume has been written to assist local and state policymakers who want to initiate and support teacher quality reforms to improve Michigan's primary and secondary schools.

Contents

• Preface
• Part I: Michigan Education’s Return on Investment
• Part II: Teachers Matter
• Part III: Assessing Which Teacher Characteristics Are Important
  • A Teacher’s Own Academic Ability
  • Teaching Experience
  • Master's Degrees
  • Certification
  • Performance on Teacher Licensing Exams
• Part IV: The Context of Teacher Quality Reforms
  • Across-the-Board Salary Increases
  • Class-Size Reductions
• Part V: Improving the Teacher Work Force Through Better Assessment
  • Current Assessment Techniques
  • Using Value-Added Assessment to Define Teacher Quality
  • Principal Evaluations
• Part VI: Market-Based Reforms to Improve Teacher Quality
  • Merit Pay
  • Differential Pay
  • Career Ladders
  • Reforming Certification
• Part VII: Other Practices That Need Reform
  • Discretion in Hiring
  • Reforming Teacher Tenure Practices
  • Improving Teacher Preparation Programs
  • Limited Role of Professional Development
• Conclusion
• Appendix: The Constitutionality of Teacher Merit Pay in Michigan
• About the Author
• Acknowledgements
• Endnotes
  • Endnotes 1-60
  • Endnotes 61-120
  • Endnotes 121-180
  • Endnotes 181-223