In a survey recently conducted by Teachers Network, 90 percent of over 1200 teachers surveyed reported that participating in a network improved their teaching. More than three quarters of them reported that their network participation improved their school overall. 94 percent reported gaining new knowledge and skills through their collaborative participation. In addition to improving teaching and learning, 79 percent of participants also felt that their participation was a catalyst for staying in the classroom.

CTQ draws on the Teachers Network survey and other research, including their own case studies, in the newly published report A Better System for Schools: Developing, Supporting and Retaining Effective Teachers. The report surfaces the compelling influence that peer support can have on teacher retention and effectiveness. CTQ President Barnett Berry commented, "The evidence from growing research and this recent survey points clearly to the power of teacher collaboration for teaching effectiveness and improving student achievement. Now it is time for policymakers to use the evidence to think carefully and act boldly in designing a 21st century, results-oriented profession."

While collaboration and leadership opportunities should be built systemically, thriving initiatives already exist and show their promise. Teachers Network serves over 21 affiliates who have adopted programs such as TeachNet and the New Teacher Resource Program. These programs operate on the same belief as the CTQ-managed virtual learning community, the Teacher Leaders Network: We must move beyond the isolating egg carton structure of school culture, and it starts with connecting teachers for leading and learning.

Collaboration and leadership opportunities both keep accomplished teachers in the profession and have the potential to leverage their expertise across a school. CTQ's analysis surfaces several schoolwide practices that will promote effective teaching. These include:

(1) principals who cultivate and embrace teacher leadership;
(2) time and tools for teachers to learn from each other;
(3) opportunities for teachers to connect and work with community organizations and agencies that support students and their families outside the school walls;
(4) evaluation systems that comprehensively measure the impact of teachers on student learning; and
(5) performance pay systems that primarily reward the spread of teaching expertise and spur collaboration among teachers.

Several policy briefs by Barnett Berry, Alesha Daughtrey and Alan Wieder of the Center for Teaching Quality, as well as Ken Futernick of West Ed, accompany the research report.

Parents have always understood something that has become increasingly clear to policymakers: the quality of the teacher has the biggest impact of any school-based factor on a child's learning. What is less understood is what conditions impact a teacher's effectiveness. What qualities in a teacher's background and preparation translate into student achievement gains? And once a teacher is teaching, what helps them to teach better?

To parse some of these questions, the Economic Policy Institute recently asked the Center for Teaching Quality to investigate what's known about the impact of various conditions on teaching quality. The resulting policy brief, Teaching Effectiveness and The Conditions That Matter Most in High-Needs Schools, is authored by Barnett Berry, CTQ President; Alesha Daughtrey, Research and Policy Associate, and Alan Wieder, Senior Research Consultant.

The trio re-examines the established research and uses case studies from their investigations into teacher working conditions to home in on significant, but lesser known, findings. For example, while the traditional wisdom is that a teacher's academic ability does contribute to student achievement, the impact is small when compared to factors like preparation. And the impact of preparation doesn't come down to alternative vs. traditional pathways, but the quality of individual factors within any program of preparation. Opportunities to engage in the actual practice of teaching and congruence between the student teaching experience and actual first-year teaching assignment are elements of preparation programs that yield high student achievement gains. For teachers who teach in high-needs schools, specific preparation for those schools contributes significantly toward their success.

Once a teacher is placed in a school, further conditions shape their potential to teach successfully. One key finding in the policy brief is that research that measures the impact of a teacher's experience singly cannot encompass the effect of teacher experience collectively. When experiences and strengths are used strategically in a team of teachers, support is given and expertise spread. Research must drill further into clarifying the effect of the composition of teachers' skills and experience within a team or school.

CTQ's newest TeacherSolutions team, focused on teacher working conditions (TWC), is hard at work investigating the latest research and finding ways to use working conditions data to improve policy decisions. Their conclusions will deepen our understanding of what it takes to give all students access to high quality, efficacious teaching - when the condition of their school is not an obstacle.

Teachers' Letters to Obama is an initiative led by Anthony Cody and other members of the Teacher Leaders Network to get teachers' voices and visions straight to President Obama and the Department of Education. Over 100 teachers from across the country submitted letters to Cody communicating their most urgent concerns and ideas about education policy. Accomplished teachers understand as well as anyone how legislation crafted on Capitol Hill impact students, sometimes with unforeseen consequences.

While teachers' opinions on some topics diverged, a central theme arose from their letters: Sound education reform will come from the understanding that every student and every classroom is different, and must empower good teachers with an array of tools and resources to engage students, support their learning, and demonstrate that learning and their own impact.

The first 100 Teachers Letters to Obama have made it into the hands of top officials at the Department of Education, and they are having a lasting ripple effect. Cody has shared several of the letters on his Teacher Magazine blog, Living in Dialogue, and the letters have sparked an ongoing discussion in Teacher Magazine's Forums. Next steps include a letter-writing campaign to members of Congress. "Our voices are beginning to be heard," says Cody.

The Math and Science Leadership Academy in Denver, CO is a teacher-led school (created by Teacher Leaders Network member Lori Nazareno and other classroom experts) that opened its doors to kindergarten through second graders this year. The school shares the space of a former middle school building with a middle school and high school--an arrangement that has been successful. Watch this video to learn more.

The Center for Teaching Quality is seeking a bright, capable policy assistant to join our dynamic team. Please read this flyer for more information.