Improving Teacher Quality

by Akiba, Motoko; Letendre, Gerald K.

• ISBN13: 9780807749883
• ISBN10: 0807749885
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-07-01
• Publisher: Teachers College Pr

Summary

Using data from 15 countries, this groundbreaking work examines teacher quality, work norms, and professional learning opportunities. The authors compare and contrast the United States with two high-achieving countries-Japan and Australia-that have implemented very different approaches to improving teacher quality. Drawing on both large international data sets and ethnographic and small-scale studies, the book addresses critical questions:

Author Biography

Motoko Akiba is Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership Policy Analysis at the University of Missouri-Columbia and a 2008 recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award. Gerald LeTendre is Professor of Education and International Affairs and chair of the Educational Policy Studies Department at Pennsylvania State University. He is currently editor of the American Journal of Education and serves on the editorial board of the Comparative Education Review.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. 1
A Global Policy Perspective	p. 1
Why America Needs a Global Perspective on Teacher Quality	p. 3
Goals and Organization of the Book	p. 4
Seeking the "Silver Bullet": International Educational Competition and Teacher Quality	p. 6
The Global Movement to Improve Teacher Credentials and Quality	p. 7
Teacher Quality Around the World	p. 10
Developing a Coherent Policy for Improving Teacher Quality	p. 12
Research Methods	p. 18
Policy Contexts in the United States, Australia, and Japan	p. 22
Comparison of National Contexts in the United States, Australia, and Japan	p. 22
Policy Context: Standardization and Accountability	p. 25
Teacher Policy in the United States, Australia, and Japan	p. 28
Teachers' Role: A Vision of High-Quality Teachers	p. 36
Summary	p. 40
Teacher Quality and Workforce Planning and Management	p. 42
Does Teacher Qualification Lead to Improved Student Achievement?	p. 43
Comparing Teacher Quality in the United States and Abroad	p. 45
The Teacher Quality Gap Between High- and Low-Poverty Schools	p. 51
The Importance of Workforce Planning and Management	p. 54
Teacher Recruitment in Australia	p. 56
Teacher Hiring and Distribution in Australia and Japan	p. 59
Summary	p. 64
Recommendations	p. 66
Teachers' Working Conditions	p. 71
Workload and Assignment	p. 72
Compensation and Benefits	p. 80
Summary	p. 87
Recommendations	p. 90
Teacher Induction and Professional Development	p. 96
Approaches to Professional Learning in the United States, Australia, and Japan	p. 97
Teacher Induction and Mentoring	p. 102
Professional Development	p. 106
Teacher Collaboration	p. 109
Summary	p. 114
Recommendations	p. 118
Developing a Coherent Policy for Improving Teacher Quality	p. 122
United States, Australia, and Japan Compared	p. 123
Policy Coherence in the United States, Australia, and Japan	p. 129
Road Map for Improving U.S. Teacher Policy	p. 131
How Should NCLB Be Improved?	p. 137
Developing a Coherent Teacher Policy	p. 139
References	p. 143
About the Authors	p. 157
Index	p. 159
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