Evidence strongly suggests that the single most important predictor of student achievement is the presence of well-prepared, committed and caring teachers. Even the debilitating effects of poverty can be overcome when students have access to such teachers. This evidence led Ken Futernick to develop the Teacher Qualification Index (TQI) to help educators, policy makers and parents better understand the staffing patterns in California's public K-12 schools and the critical role well-prepared teachers play in achieving educational excellence. As professor of education for the past 16 years at California State University at Sacramento, Futernick has taught courses in learning theory, educational foundations, educational policy, and educational technology.
While the TQI website points to schools and districts experiencing staffing difficulties, it also contains strategies that have enabled many of them to find solutions. Futernick's interactive presentation addressed many of the following questions:
- What is a"highly qualified" teacher?
- Is the NCLB requirement that schools employ only those teachers who are deemed"highly qualified" a good thing for low-performing schools?
- What is the TQI, how is it calculated, and what does it tell us?
- Why is experience factored into the TQI?
- If a school is staffed with qualified teachers will it necessarily be successful?
- Why is the retention of qualified, competent, and caring teachers the single most important thing a school can do to ensure success?
- What factors lead to teacher retention? What factors cause teachers to quit the profession or to transfer away from the schools that need them most?
- What are school districts doing to ensure that all of their students have access to"good" teachers? What's working and what's not?
This presentation is intended for district and school administrators who are working to improve student performance in low performing schools and those who are interested in understanding the relationship between a school's performance and the characteristics of its teaching staff. |
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