Dive Brief:
- As schools and districts work to discern what type of professional development opportunities will best prepare teachers for modern classrooms, the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) has released “Using Data to Ensure That Teachers Are Learner Ready on Day One,” a brief encouraging state leaders to implement data analytics in college teacher training programs.
- Accomplishing this will require state education agencies and teacher education programs to work to remove the silos between them, according to EdTech: Focus on K-12, which adds that the brief notes that as of 2014, only half of states provide teacher education programs with data on their graduates.
- Taking full advantage of data analytics in improving teacher training will also require states and the university programs to ensure they are collecting only the best-quality data available, and the DQC recommends leaders focus on data linkages, teacher-of-record definition, roster verification, K-12 course scheduling and codes, governance, and teacher identification number.
Dive Insight:
In addition to that data, EdTech notes that the DQC also recommends implementing statewide teacher surveys that inquire about professional development, job satisfaction and preparedness.
Such an approach is increasingly necessary to provide relevant and meaningful professional development opportunities in the modern classroom, where technology continues changing how education is delivered. But if that data can optimize college programs to better prepare today's teachers before they ever enter the classroom, it could alleviate a significant burden for administrators. In such a scenario, greater personalization of professional development opportunities — now accomplished in some instances with microcredential opportunities that align to individual educators' specific interests — can become a bigger focus, providing a greater sense of autonomy and empowerment.
