It's here! Our latest "State of the States" report looks at whether states implement policies that support effective math teaching and provides a roadmap for state leaders looking to boost students' math skills. How's your state doing? 👇

We have an obligation to ensure elementary teachers have the knowledge and skills to be ready to help their students succeed. A straightforward stopgap? Strong elementary math licensure tests. Read @HeatherPeske’s latest op-ed:

Imagine a driving instructor telling you to follow traffic laws, then telling you it's fine to text and drive if you're careful. That's what 200+ teacher prep programs do with reading: teaching evidence-based methods alongside debunked ones. How confusing!

Ed policy in action! 📸 NCTQ Pres. @HeatherPeske joined education leaders Emily Freitag (@InstructUP) & @Kip_Rochelle (Arkansas DOE) at EWA to discuss literacy reform. Her message: States are the key to transforming instruction & implementation is where rubber meets the road.

Student teaching isn’t just about prep—it’s a pipeline. Research finds that strategic placements influence where candidates want to teach, and clear feedback can help schools identify which ones to hire. Both elements shape who ends up in which classrooms.

"We talk about fluent readers but we don’t talk enough about fluent mathematicians — and that needs to change." Louder for the people in the back, Dr. @cadebrumley! 👏 h/t @Jo_Napolitano

@RANDCorporation 📌 For more on redesigning teaching roles and adopting innovative teacher staffing models:

@RANDCorporation RAND data shows the problem. Here are solutions:.✅ Reimagine teaching roles to reduce isolation.✅ Adopt strategic staffing models like team teaching w/teacher leadership roles.✅ Provide competitive pay + benefits. Better teacher working conditions = better student learning!.

@RANDCorporation On pay: Teachers avg. $73K, while similar professionals earn $103K. Only 46% of teachers feel financially better off than their parents, vs 61% of comparable workers. We're asking skilled professionals to accept lower pay, unsustainable working conditions, and no upward mobility.

@RANDCorporation On benefits: Only 27% of teachers get paid parental leave vs 50% of other professionals. NCTQ data confirms this gap: Most large districts don't offer it. How can we compete for talent when teachers must choose between their families and their careers?

@RANDCorporation And they're more likely to experience symptoms of depression.

@RANDCorporation They're more likely to feel burned out.

@RANDCorporation The job satisfaction findings are stark:. More teachers report frequent job stress than similar working adults (62% vs 33%).

New @RANDCorporation data shows that teachers are more likely than similar professionals to report poor well-being on every indicator. But there's hope! We'll break down the concerning findings + share promising solutions to reimagine teaching. 🧵

Think student teaching is just about practice and preparation? Think again. New @caldercenter research shows placements create a teacher pipeline that can either help or hurt high-need schools. Strategic placement choices have lasting consequences.

Only a quarter of teacher prep programs teach all five components of reading instruction. Meanwhile, ~40% still teach debunked methods (such as "three-cueing," which encourages guessing instead of actual reading). Our students deserve better.

Elementary math licensure tests signal whether teachers are ready to help students succeed. If the test is weak or unacceptable, why bother? Bad tests waste time & money, & they fail to safeguard instructional quality, writes @HeatherPeske.

“Alignment, alignment, alignment.” 👏 . Alabama Supe Dr. Eric Mackey @egmackey spoke to NCTQ about the steps @AlabamaAchieves took to achieve the largest gains on the 2024 NAEP fourth-grade math exam in the nation. Read their case study here!

Special education = our most-cited teacher shortage area since the 1990s. NCTQ's new analysis tracks how large districts are stepping up their game to attract and retain these teachers and why some strategies are more effective than others.

Juneteenth reminds us that progress requires action. Black teachers boost academic and life outcomes for all students—yet we're losing them from the profession. Let's commit to recruiting, supporting, and celebrating Black teachers. They make our teaching corps stronger!.

RT @The74: A new report by @NCTQ said much work is needed in elementary-level teacher preparation. Too many educators are ill-equipped to t….