Tackling Gaps in Access to Strong Teachers
Of the many inequities in our education system, gaps in access to strong teaching have proven to be among…
October 03, 2017 by 
Of the many inequities in our education system, gaps in access to strong teaching have proven to be among the most stubborn. That’s not to say that there aren’t excellent teachers in our high-poverty schools — there absolutely are. But research shows an indisputable and wide-spread pattern in schools and districts across the country: Low-income children and children of color do not have the same access to strong, consistent teaching as their White and higher-income peers.
Although district and school leaders make many of the decisions about recruiting, hiring, assigning, and supporting teachers, state education officials also have a critical role to play in addressing disparities in teaching quality.
Here are five ways, drawn from promising equity-focused initiatives, state education leaders can incentivize and support leaders in districts — both traditional and charter —to remedy inequities in access to strong teachers.
Lessons from States and Districts
Be transparent about which students get which teachers
Set clear improvement expectations for leaders at all levels and make meeting those expectations matter
Target resources to the districts and schools struggling most with this issue
Develop networks of district leaders to problem-solve together
Break down silos between efforts to increase access to strong teaching and school improvement work
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to ensure that low-income students and students of color are not served at disproportionate rates by inexperienced, out-of-field, or ineffective teachers. As state leaders implement ESSA, they must move beyond generic improvement strategies to include strong, equity-focused action. Each of the strategies outlined above, and explained in detail in the full report are good places to start.