Papers by Katherine (Katie) Roberts-Hull
National Center on Education and the Economy, Jul 1, 2016
Not So Elementary: Primary School Teacher Quality in Top-Performing Systems gives new insights in... more Not So Elementary: Primary School Teacher Quality in Top-Performing Systems gives new insights into a critical driver of the success of the world’s top-performing education systems—developing elementary teachers with deep content knowledge. These high-performing systems recognize that a strong foundation in the core subjects in the early grades increases the chances that all students will achieve at higher levels throughout their schooling. The report finds that teacher preparation in Finland, Japan, Shanghai, and Hong Kong builds deep understanding of the content being taught in elementary schools as well as of how young students learn and understand that content—two essential components of highly effective teaching. The systems studied ensure their elementary teachers have strong content by focusing on 4 areas including the selection of teachers, content specialization of their teaching corps, initial teacher education, and professional learning systems in their schools. These four policy levers, combined with a well-integrated and highly effective education system as a whole, serve as a powerful means of improving student learning.
Not So Elementary: Primary School Teacher Quality in Top-Performing Systems gives new insights in... more Not So Elementary: Primary School Teacher Quality in Top-Performing Systems gives new insights into a critical driver of the success of the world’s top-performing education systems—developing elementary teachers with deep content knowledge.
These high-performing systems recognize that a strong foundation in the core subjects in the early grades increases the chances that all students will achieve at higher levels throughout their schooling. The report finds that teacher preparation in Finland, Japan, Shanghai, and Hong Kong builds deep understanding of the content being taught in elementary schools as well as of how young students learn and understand that content—two essential components of highly effective teaching.
The systems studied ensure their elementary teachers have strong content by focusing on 4 areas including the selection of teachers, content specialization of their teaching corps, initial teacher education, and professional learning systems in their schools. These four policy levers, combined with a well-integrated and highly effective education system as a whole, serve as a powerful means of improving student learning.
This report analyzes the way four high-performing systems provide professional learning to their ... more This report analyzes the way four high-performing systems provide professional learning to their teachers. Shanghai, British Columbia, Singapore, and Hong Kong all score near the top of all jurisdictions tested in mathematics, reading and science on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
While these systems are quite different, the key to all of them is that collaborative professional learning (teachers working with other teachers to improve curriculum, instruction, school climate, etc.) is built into the daily lives of teachers and school leaders. This is reinforced by policies and school organizations that:
- Free up time in the daily lives of teachers for collaborative professional learning
- Create leadership roles for expert teachers who both develop other teachers and lead school improvement teams
- Recognize and reward the development of teacher expertise
- Enable teachers and school leaders to share responsibility for their own professional learning and that of their peers.
This report is the first in our Spotlight Series examining key issues in education and offering e... more This report is the first in our Spotlight Series examining key issues in education and offering effective solutions for school systems and governments to improve student learning.
The first Spotlight report looks at initial teacher education and aims to shift the debate away from the simplistic idea that higher entry standards into university will raise the quality of teaching. Instead it should focus on the effectiveness of the teacher being produced by improving the quality of their training.
The report examines the perverse incentives in the system that encourage cheap, quick, low-quality teaching programs and provides a reform framework to reverse these incentives and create a continuously improving system of teacher education.
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Papers by Katherine (Katie) Roberts-Hull
These high-performing systems recognize that a strong foundation in the core subjects in the early grades increases the chances that all students will achieve at higher levels throughout their schooling. The report finds that teacher preparation in Finland, Japan, Shanghai, and Hong Kong builds deep understanding of the content being taught in elementary schools as well as of how young students learn and understand that content—two essential components of highly effective teaching.
The systems studied ensure their elementary teachers have strong content by focusing on 4 areas including the selection of teachers, content specialization of their teaching corps, initial teacher education, and professional learning systems in their schools. These four policy levers, combined with a well-integrated and highly effective education system as a whole, serve as a powerful means of improving student learning.
While these systems are quite different, the key to all of them is that collaborative professional learning (teachers working with other teachers to improve curriculum, instruction, school climate, etc.) is built into the daily lives of teachers and school leaders. This is reinforced by policies and school organizations that:
- Free up time in the daily lives of teachers for collaborative professional learning
- Create leadership roles for expert teachers who both develop other teachers and lead school improvement teams
- Recognize and reward the development of teacher expertise
- Enable teachers and school leaders to share responsibility for their own professional learning and that of their peers.
The first Spotlight report looks at initial teacher education and aims to shift the debate away from the simplistic idea that higher entry standards into university will raise the quality of teaching. Instead it should focus on the effectiveness of the teacher being produced by improving the quality of their training.
The report examines the perverse incentives in the system that encourage cheap, quick, low-quality teaching programs and provides a reform framework to reverse these incentives and create a continuously improving system of teacher education.
These high-performing systems recognize that a strong foundation in the core subjects in the early grades increases the chances that all students will achieve at higher levels throughout their schooling. The report finds that teacher preparation in Finland, Japan, Shanghai, and Hong Kong builds deep understanding of the content being taught in elementary schools as well as of how young students learn and understand that content—two essential components of highly effective teaching.
The systems studied ensure their elementary teachers have strong content by focusing on 4 areas including the selection of teachers, content specialization of their teaching corps, initial teacher education, and professional learning systems in their schools. These four policy levers, combined with a well-integrated and highly effective education system as a whole, serve as a powerful means of improving student learning.
While these systems are quite different, the key to all of them is that collaborative professional learning (teachers working with other teachers to improve curriculum, instruction, school climate, etc.) is built into the daily lives of teachers and school leaders. This is reinforced by policies and school organizations that:
- Free up time in the daily lives of teachers for collaborative professional learning
- Create leadership roles for expert teachers who both develop other teachers and lead school improvement teams
- Recognize and reward the development of teacher expertise
- Enable teachers and school leaders to share responsibility for their own professional learning and that of their peers.
The first Spotlight report looks at initial teacher education and aims to shift the debate away from the simplistic idea that higher entry standards into university will raise the quality of teaching. Instead it should focus on the effectiveness of the teacher being produced by improving the quality of their training.
The report examines the perverse incentives in the system that encourage cheap, quick, low-quality teaching programs and provides a reform framework to reverse these incentives and create a continuously improving system of teacher education.