Changing how prep programs teach reading is hard. Dean Ellen McIntyre of @UTKnoxville has done it three times, at @NCState, @unccharlotte, and now Tennessee. All three programs earn A+ grades in our review of elementary teacher prep. Her playbook: Share your own literacy journey, learn how the program teaches reading today, build allies among open-minded faculty, and hire people steeped in the science of reading.
Here’s what other programs can learn. teacherquality.nctq.org/revi…
ICYMI: We're hiring a Comms Manager! If you are good at translating policy analysis into actionable language and savvy in leveraging social media for advocacy initiatives, we’d like to meet you. nctq.org/about/jobs
If you’re heading into contract negotiations this year, you probably want to know how other districts are handling the same issues you are. NCTQ’s free District Policy Pathfinder lets you see how nearly 150 large districts approach teacher pay, health benefits, parental leave, and planning time. Every stat links back to the original contract or policy, so you can walk into the room knowing exactly where your information comes from. nctq.org/district-policy-pat…
WANTED: Communications Manager who is whip-smart in policy/advocacy comms, social media savvy, and an ace at efficiently managing multiple workstreams.
Your work will help improve education for all students. nctq.org/about/jobs
Every aspiring teacher deserves training grounded in the science of reading, and every child deserves a teacher who received it. Here’s NCTQ President @HeatherPeske on the responsibility teacher prep programs have in making that happen. 👇
The full episode is worth a listen.
"Educational malpractice." 🚨
That's how @HeatherPeske of @NCTQ describes colleges of education that still don't teach the science of reading.
And she's right. When a teacher prep program skips the science of reading, it fails twice:
❌ It fails the teacher, who never learns how to teach the most basic building block of a child's education.
❌ It fails every child who ends up in that teacher's classroom.
Then Ron Noble Jr. said the part that should make everyone furious:
📍 Your child's chance of learning to read depends on their ZIP code.
States with strong literacy laws are pulling ahead. A child in Alabama or Ohio has a better shot at reading than a child in New York or California.
Reading shouldn't depend on where you live. It's a right, not luck. 📚
If this makes you mad, good. Channel it. Join us.
🎧 Listen to the full conversation: youtu.be/wQMrFu-zn9o?is=ENj4…
@FulcrumLiteracy @KJWinEducation
#ScienceOfReading #LiteracyIsACivilRight #ReadingJustice #TeacherPrep #LiteracyNowTogether #ParentsForReadingJustice
NCTQ retweeted
Teacher pension plans are underfunded by $717 billion (yes, you read that right). As @ChadAldeman explains in a new guest article for @NCTQ, seven out of every ten dollars paid into teacher pension plans today goes toward paying down past debt and buys no additional retirement security for anyone teaching today. States still have to pay those debts, but he makes a compelling case for retirement models that keep costs in check and free up more money for salaries. nctq.org/research-insights/t…
Thirteen states, shown in red, require districts to pay teachers more for a master’s degree, a credential research has shown has little impact on student outcomes. Only 10 states require districts to pay teachers for actually improving them.
Tying compensation to credentials rather than outcomes or shortages means states and districts pay a significant premium for coursework completion with no guarantee of stronger teaching, and no focus on filling the persistent vacancies. nctq.org/research-insights/s…
NCTQ retweeted
"Educational malpractice." 🚨
That's how @HeatherPeske of @NCTQ describes colleges of education that still don't teach the science of reading.
And she's right. When a teacher prep program skips the science of reading, it fails twice:
❌ It fails the teacher, who never learns how to teach the most basic building block of a child's education.
❌ It fails every child who ends up in that teacher's classroom.
Then Ron Noble Jr. said the part that should make everyone furious:
📍 Your child's chance of learning to read depends on their ZIP code.
States with strong literacy laws are pulling ahead. A child in Alabama or Ohio has a better shot at reading than a child in New York or California.
Reading shouldn't depend on where you live. It's a right, not luck. 📚
If this makes you mad, good. Channel it. Join us.
🎧 Listen to the full conversation: youtu.be/wQMrFu-zn9o?is=ENj4…
@FulcrumLiteracy @KJWinEducation
#ScienceOfReading #LiteracyIsACivilRight #ReadingJustice #TeacherPrep #LiteracyNowTogether #ParentsForReadingJustice
This graph shows how inflation has eaten into teachers’ pay over the past decade. 👇
Average starting salaries have regained some ground since 2023, but they still buy less than they did 10 years ago. nctq.org/research-insights/r…
Way to go, North Carolina! The state has expanded paid parental leave for public school teachers to 12 weeks, giving them more time to care for their growing families. It’s a welcome investment in the professionals who support students every day. wunc.org/education/2026-07-0…
You’ve likely heard the claim, “Teachers are the most important in-school factor for student learning” before. There’s tons of research to back it up. But as @ChadAldeman points out in @The74, “states aren’t acting on it” with their pay policies.
Despite the power of meaningful bonuses to close persistent shortages, fewer states incentivize teachers to work in hard-to-staff subjects and schools today than they did in 2022. Additionally, most states do nothing to reward and motivate their most effective teachers for strong performance. the74million.org/article/if-…
Check out our report for more findings like this on states’ teacher pay policies: nctq.org/research-insights/s…
All students, especially students of color, benefit from having teachers of color. Yet teachers of color leave their schools at higher rates than their white peers. A new study using seven years of Pennsylvania data sheds light on why they leave and where they go.
It found that teachers are less likely to leave schools where more of their colleagues share their racial background. This pattern is especially strong for Black teachers, who were much more likely to leave schools where they had few Black colleagues and often moved to schools with more Black teachers on staff.
That means a diverse teaching force has to be built school by school, with a deliberate focus on both attracting and retaining teachers everywhere. nctq.org/research-insights/d…
Schools serving more students from low-income families and more students of color have less access to effective teachers. You might assume that’s because teachers avoid these schools, but a new @caldercenter working paper suggests this assumption may not hold.
High-need schools drew fewer applicants mainly because their *districts* drew fewer applicants overall—meaning the challenge of attracting teachers to those schools may be more about persuading them to choose the district in the first place. nctq.org/research-insights/w…
School spending per pupil has grown about twice as fast as inflation over the past decade, yet teachers have less buying power than they did 10 years ago. One reason why is that benefit costs are taking up a growing share of education budgets, leaving less money for teacher salaries.
In a guest post for NCTQ, @ChadAldeman lays out four things policymakers should understand about teacher benefits, including how pension debt is crowding out salaries, why benefits favor the longest-serving employees, and what states could do to direct more of their compensation dollars to the teachers in classrooms today: nctq.org/research-insights/t…
Finding clear, credible guidance on teacher policy and human capital management is harder than it should be. The District Policy Pathfinder is a one-stop shop to find evidence-based answers to your toughest teacher policy questions, each one grounded in verified data and transparent sources. Explore it here: nctq.org/district-policy-pat…
NCTQ President @HeatherPeske said it best. 👏 When school budgets tighten, every dollar has to work harder. Most states’ teacher compensation systems still run on autopilot, paying more for years of service and credentials that don’t improve student outcomes while doing little to reward their most effective teachers and those working in hard-to-staff schools and subjects.
We can do better—because teachers deserve better. nctq.org/research-insights/s…
‘Teachers are more effective and stick around longer when they’re better prepared.’ 👏
NCTQ Managing Director of Research @hjputman spoke with @The74 about why that matters in Missouri, where more than 40% of new teachers now start with no certification, a substitute license, or though an alternative route. Students struggle to learn when their teacher hasn’t been effectively prepared to teach them. This disproportionately affects students of color and students from low-income backgrounds, who are most often assigned the least experienced and prepared teachers.
the74million.org/article/mis…
Thank you to everyone who joined @shannon_holston and @hjputman in Austin at @_AASPA_'s conference last week! District human capital leaders make the hiring, pay, and support decisions that shape whether every student has an effective teacher, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to support their work.
If you’re attending @_AASPA_’s annual conference in Austin, join NCTQ’s @Shannon_Holston and @Hannah_Putman this morning at 10:15 a.m. CT in Room Waller E! They’ll share five important trends in district teacher policy and show how Pathfinder can help you find quick answers to your human capital management questions.
At $25,000 per replacement, a school losing ten teachers a year spends roughly a quarter million dollars annually just to keep classrooms staffed. Why not put those dollars toward rewarding teachers who work in the hardest jobs so they never leave in the first place? Schools are going to spend the money either way.
Our latest report shows how states can structure their teacher pay systems to strengthen the workforce and provide students with consistent, effective instruction. nctq.org/research-insights/s…
