Teacher Access

We work to ensure that low-income students and students of color get the effective, well-supported teachers they need and deserve. Please see below a list of Ed Trust resources on this important topic.

Statement From The Education Trust on the U.S. Department of Education’s Guidance for State Teacher Equity Plans

“Learning Denied: The Case for Equitable Access to Effective Teaching in California’s Largest School District“, finds that low-income students and students of color in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) are less likely to be taught by the district’s top teachers – the very teachers capable of closing the district’s achievement gaps. These inequities are exacerbated by teacher mobility patterns and quality-blind layoffs.

“Victims of the Churn: The Damaging Impact of California’s Teacher Layoff Policies on Schools, Students and Communities in Three Large School Districts,” shows the negative impact of California’s teacher layoff policies on students in high-poverty schools in three urban school districts.  These students were found to bear more than their fair share of the pain when it comes to teacher layoffs, with their schools 65 percent more likely to have a teacher laid off than a low-poverty school.  Some high-poverty schools lost more than 15 percent of their teachers.

“Not Prepared for Class: High Poverty Schools Continue to Have Fewer In-Field Teachers” – Nearly a decade after federal law was enacted to ensure that low-income students and students of color had a fair shot at being assigned to strong teachers, students in high-poverty schools are still disproportionately taught by out-of-field and rookie teachers.

“Teaching Inequality: How Poor and Minority Students Are Shortchanged on Teacher Quality” provides new information on the impact of teacher quality on student achievement and offers specific steps states should take to remedy the persistent practice of denying the best teachers to the children who need them the most.