The Status of the Teaching Profession 2009

Culminating two years of research, The Status of the Teaching Profession 2009 focuses primarily on the landscape of high school reform, including implications for the teacher workforce regarding ambitious efforts to increase academic rigor, make instruction more relevant, and create learning environments that are more personal and supportive.

All aspects of these reforms have implications for developing teacher skill, knowledge, and instructional practice yet the report finds that California’s teacher development system is not adequately aligned to support teachers serving in those high schools. The research also shows that high school teacher knowledge and skills differ substantially by school poverty level. 

In addition to its focus on and the implications for high school reform, The Status of the Teaching Profession 2009 includes the latest available data on demand, supply, qualifications and distribution of the state’s K-12 teacher workforce. Trends identified by the research suggest that the state has made important strides toward building a high quality workforce, but cautions that progress is highly vulnerable due to reduced resources.

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California’s Unique Opportunity to Build a Comprehensive Data System

This year federal stimulus funding provides a unique opportunity to strengthen our statewide teacher data system to offer educators and policymakers essential information on California's educator workforce. A new policy brief from the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning outlines the need for, and benefits of, devoting a portion of the federal stimulus funds to expand and accelerate implementation of the California Longitudinal Teacher Integrated Data Education System (CALTIDES). The brief also examines why strengthening CALTIDES may be critical to meeting commitments made to the federal government when the Governor applied for stimulus funding necessary to stem thousands of teacher layoffs this year.

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Creating a Well-Prepared STEM Workforce:
How Do We Get From Here To There?
Release date: April 28, 2009

On February 2, 2009, a group of California science and mathematics teachers, policy makers, researchers, and representatives from business, industry, and higher education met to consider how California could do a better job of preparing today's students for the future STEM - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - workforce. The Symposium was co-sponsored by the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) and the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning (CFTL), as well as the California Teacher Advisory Council (Cal TAC).

http://www.ccst.us/publications/2009/2009CalTAC.php

Equity and Excellence in Education: Improvement in teacher distribution, but inequities persist
California has made significant strides in reducing the numbers of underprepared teachers in the state’s schools. This CenterView highlights the progress made but also points out that inequities remain. Poor and minority students are much more likely to face teachers who are inexperienced and underprepared.
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Strengthening California’s System for Preparing and Supporting Principals: Lessons from Exemplary Programs

Current data shows that school leadership is a key factor in the recruitment and retention of teachers, and effective school leaders can be instrumental in creating a culture of learning within schools and supporting improvements in student learning and achievement.

This new research brief from the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning describes the major challenges facing the education leadership workforce, reviews existing data about California principals, provides an overview of the state’s current principal efforts and draws upon what is known about promising programs in other states that can inform improvement of California’s education leadership system.

Despite increasing demands for performance, principals in California generally have not received the support, preparation, mentoring or professional development needed, according to the brief.  Based on a 2007 study conducted by Linda Darling-Hammond and Stelios Orphanos, the report is augmented with analysis on California school administrators prepared for the Center by SRI International.

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