Five Ideas From State Created Plans to Get Better Teachers Into Struggling Schools

Low-performing schools struggle to attract and retain good teachers. This June, in an effort to give more students access to excellent teachers, the United States Department of Education required states to submit “educator equity plans,” meant to identify the root causes of why poor and minority kids receive more inexperienced teachers and fix the problem. Earlier this month, plans from 16 states were approved and while these plans vary in specifics, many of the states focused on reforming teacher preparation as the key first step to improve quality.