What are the stages of teacher development? Teachers provided with sufficient support can move through a series of stages: survival, consolidation, renewal, and maturity, growing from personal concerns (such as classroom management) to broader educational issues (school strategies that could enhance student learning). Studies underscore that, dollar for dollar, investments in teacher qualifications and training translate into improved student achievement.
What resources do school districts provide for a teacher's first year in the classroom? Mentors, or consulting teachers, provide both personal and professional support, and sometimes evaluate new teachers. Effective professional development links subject content with teaching skills, uses problem solving, and is research-based and supported over time. Collaborative action research investigates real classroom problems in an effort to improve the quality of student learning.
How do school districts, states, and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards recognize and reward teachers? Established in 1987, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) seeks to identify and assess experienced teachers performing at a superior level. Most states and many school districts offer additional incentives for board certification, including salary bonuses and supplementary responsibilities. Merit pay offers teachers more money based on various criteria, including gains in student performance, typically measured by standardized tests; teacher performance, as measured by outside evaluators; individualized plans, in which teachers have a voice in setting their own goals; and the nature of the teaching assignment. Career ladders allow teachers to increase their responsibilities and salary as they advance. Merit pay and career ladders offer additional money for superior performance, but critics charge that these programs are compromised and do not improve education.
What are the differences between the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)? The NEA is the largest professional and employee association in the nation. Formed during the second half of the 1800s, initially it was slow to work for the needs of its members, but by the 1960s and 1970s, the NEA became a strong teacher rights advocate. While significantly smaller, the AFT has historically taken a more militant position, demonstrated by its early support of teacher strikes. Today both the NEA and the AFT offer a range of services, including magazines, journals, and other professional communications; legal assistance; workshops and conferences; assistance in collective bargaining; and political activism. The NEA and AFT continue to explore a possible merger.
Are America's schools a secret success story, doing better than the press and the public believe? The lower performance of American students on international tests may be attributed to curricular and cultural differences, not necessarily to educational deficiencies. Many indicators, from SAT scores to high school graduation rates, reflect an improvement in American schools. According to Berliner and Biddle, school bashing reflects an old tradition of journalists and a popular activity of today's neoconservative politicians. Despite all this, America's schools may be doing far better than we realize.
