From the Board

by John C. Austin and Eileen L. Weiser, Michigan State Board of Education

Making the Grade on Improving Teacher Quality

Michigan Leaders Work toward Attracting, Supporting, and Rewarding Teachers

Education Week’s report Quality Counts 2003 contains state rankings on progress in education reform and underscores the primacy of quality teachers in improving academic achievement. The report gives Michigan a D+ for its performance in improving teacher quality.

How could Michigan earn such a dismal score when it is home to some of the biggest and best-rated education schools, churning out large numbers of teachers? Despite its success, Michigan has not had a broad campaign focused on improving teaching skills and getting excellent teachers into the most needy districts and classrooms. In addition, here—as in every state—too many of the best new teachers are leaving the profession early in their careers.

Last year, the Michigan State Board of Education created a bipartisan task force and enlisted the most innovative minds in Michigan. This task force concluded that to build a system that attracts, supports, and rewards great teaching, we must honor teachers and treat them as the heroes they are. Our report calls for a comprehensive array of improvements, some of which we can do today without big, new money.

Michigan is on track toward improving the quality of all our public schools. To reach our goal, we must elevate our focus on helping teachers succeed. We are working closely with Governor Jennifer Granholm, the Michigan Legislature, teachers, unions, the Michigan business community, and other stakeholders to focus on getting great teachers into every classroom. Our conscience demands it. Our children deserve it. Let’s get to work!

Michigan State Board of Education Plans for Action

Here are just a few of the State Board task force’s high-impact recommendations:

• Rigorous new accountability standards for teacher preparation programs
• A public database monitoring the performance of teacher candidates
• Trained mentors, local team evaluations, and videotaped lessons in improved teacher certification
• An all-out teacher recruitment campaign for chronically underperforming schools
• New pathways into teaching for teacher cadets, school personnel, and mid-career professionals from business, industry, the military, and government
• Teacher professional development linked to student achievement gains and quality teaching standards
• Corporate partners who offer paid internships, job shadowing, tutorial programs, teacher exchanges, and sign-on programs
• A statewide “Teacher As Hero” campaign to recognize, reward, and recruit educators
• University partnerships with urban and poorer school districts

For more information, contact: John C. Austin, jca@publicpolicy.com, Eileen Lappin Weiser, eileen@weisernet.com, Co-Chairs, Ensuring Excellent Educators Task Force, State Board of Education, P.O. Box 30008, Lansing, MI 48909, (517) 373-3900, fax (517) 335-4575.