Colorados Teaching Gap

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Colorados Teaching Gap Sources of Teachers

• Robert Reichardt
• Executive Director, Alliance for Quality Teaching
• robert_at_qualityteaching.org www.qualityteaching.or
  g
• Presented to the Alliance for Quality Teaching
• Legislative Advisory Committee
• February 23, 2004

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The Alliance for Quality Teaching

• Non-profit, non-partisan organization working to
  improve teacher quality through policy
• The Alliances mission is to ensure that Colorado
  children have a quality teacher in every
  classroom, every day.
• Spur conversations and build support for
  improving teacher quality
• Provide research and promising practices to
  policymakers
• Make data driven recommendations for reform and
  work for their implementation

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Academic Rating
The lower rated schools are on average
smaller. 22 of the unsatisfactory schools are
non-traditional, i.e. alternative, charter,
second chance, open, academy, project, or online
(based on the schools name).
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Academic Improvement

• On average, the stable schools were the largest
  schools
• 175 Schools have 2 or more ratings

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Performance by Improvement
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Teaching Gap Data

• Analysis by McREL of CDE individual level data
  from 2001-02
• Report is available at www.mcrel.org under the
  topic of Teacher Preparation Retention
• Analysis by the Alliance of 2003 School
  Accountability Report Data
• This analysis is ongoing

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The Teaching Gap

• Differences in the qualifications of teachers in
  schools that are
• High poverty compared to low poverty (using free
  or reduced lunch eligibility)
• High minority compared to low minority (using
  non-white as minority)
• Low performing compared to high performing (using
  academic performance index)

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Qualifications only Measure Part of Teacher
Quality
All measures of teacher qualifications account
for (at best) 10 of the difference between high
low quality teachers

• (Goldhaber, 2002)

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Teacher Qualification Indicators

• CDE Data-individuals
• Experience
• Novices, those in first 3 years
• Education level
• Certification
• SARS-school level
• Average experience in school
• Average salary in school
• SARS-Compare school with district
• Average experience at a school as a percent of
  district
• Average salary as a percent of district
• Attrition-not a qualification, but key to school
  stability driver of qualifications

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Teacher Qualifications by Student Poverty in SY
2001-02
Source Supply Demand Report (2003)
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Teacher Indicators from 2003 SARS by Student
Poverty
Source 2003 School Accountability Reports
Experience measures both instate and out of state
teaching experience. Attrition measures whether a
teacher returns to their school the next year.
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Teacher Indicators from 2003 SARS by Student
Performance
Source 2003 School Accountability Reports
Experience measures both instate and out of state
teaching experience. Attrition measures whether a
teacher returns to their school the next year.
13
Teacher Indicators from 2003 SARS by Student
Improvement
Source 2003 School Accountability Reports
Experience measures both instate and out of state
teaching experience. Attrition measures whether a
teacher returns to their school the next year.
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Teacher Qualifications by Student Poverty
Source 2003 School Accountability Reports
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Attrition Rates by Student Poverty SY 2001-02
Source Supply Demand Report (2003)
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What Next for the Teaching Gap?

• Data shows there is a teaching gap in Colorado
• How do you solve the teaching gap? At least 3
  policy options (no firm research base)
• Wait for student performance based accountability
  systems to resolve the issue
• Hold districts accountable for equitable
  distribution of teachers
• Use student level funding, i.e. a form of
  vouchers to push equality in the system
• The Alliance is has a Task Force that has begun
  working on how to strengthen teacher quality
  indicator systems

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Teacher SupplyNumber of Teachers Attrition
Source SARS Reports Supply Demand Report
(2003)
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Sources of Teachers Hired in 2001
Source Supply Demand Report (2003)
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Top 10 Sources of Out of State Teachers in 2001
Source Supply Demand Report (2003)
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Teacher Salaries In CO States that Supply CO
Teachers in 2000
Source American Federation of Teachers
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Within State Sources of Teachers in Shortage
Areas (2001)
Source CDE Educator Licensure Unit Data
22
Largest Traditional Programs in The Shortage
Areas (2002 2003)
Source CDE Educator Licensure Unit Data
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Conclusions on Sources of Teachers

• Over half of all new teachers from out of state
• Largest out of state suppliers are the large
  states (w/ the exception of FL) neighbors
• Salary is not main reason new teachers move to CO
• Alt Routes are supplying similar numbers of
  teachers in shortage areas as traditional
  programs
• Many teachers trained in shortage areas are not
  eligible for LIFT (state teacher loan forgiveness
  program)