Atlantic what makes a great teacher

The study , conducted by Mathematica Policy Research for the U. Those findings arguably open the door a little wider for discussion of the merits of alternative routes to licensure. The TFA aspect of the study looked at middle and high school students at 45 campuses in eight states, over two academic years. TFA corps members work at campuses serving high-poverty, high-need populations of students, many of whom are already lagging academically. The students of TFA corps members showed more academic growth in mathematics than their peers being taught by teachers who entered the profession via other paths, both traditional and non-traditional.

This post also appears at The Educated Reporter , an Atlantic partner site. Skip to content Site Navigation The Atlantic. Popular Latest. The Atlantic Crossword. Sign In Subscribe. Readers will be able to look up individual teachers and schools and see their value-added ratings. Standardized tests that conflate student performance with teaching effectiveness and whose disproportionate impact may end up detracting from classroom education.

Student evaluations that may be based on criteria that also has little to do with effectiveness in my experience, evaluations often measure the ease of a class rather than its educational content. Peer reviews which I think are actually highly useful that could be too easily corrupted in schools rank with favoritism and power struggles. I'm not a scholar of education by training so if any of you know of what's worked in other though almost certainly to be smaller districts, please share.

I can't really condone what the Times is doing because I don't see what the short-term benefit of this is for anyone: not students, parents, admins and certainly not teachers. However, I'm also a proponent of the idea that data is neutral—it's what we do with it that's meaningful—so I can't also argue, "the Times should have sat on this data. And it could be that, in the long term, blowing things up is partially how you can rebuild a better system but lord, does that sound Polyanna-ish.

I have more to say about this research but I think it'd work better in a Part 2 post. Notes: [1] Navigating the LAUSD's maze of schools, charters, magnets and honors programs is practically a full-time job for some parents. They're constantly pouring over public test scores, parent testimonials, graduation rates, etc. It's byzantine but the result can be a really incredible education. However, it requires a level of resources, focus, research—and luck—that few parents are necessarily willing or able to pull together.

Not everyone is up for it, like me and my wife. We moved to a city that has excellent K schools and is surprisingly diverse, with a non-majority student population. What is very telling is that one of my neighbors actually works for LAUSD but he moved to our town so his kids could attend the school district here.

You do the math. Of course, the median rental and housing costs in our town is probably a lot higher than it is to live in parts of LA that fall under the LAUSD's purview. To that end, we are dedicated to hiring highly-talented and empathic individuals committed to transforming the lives of ACCS scholars.

In establishing this commitment to growing an exceptional instructional staff, we also recognize the critical importance of developing outstanding professionals, providing ongoing learning, empowering our staff to embrace those vital instructional tools and strategies to address the diverse learning needs of our scholars. This connecting involves two essential components:. Developing meaningful connections with what our scholars are learning.

Nurturing personal connections with each child as a unique and capable individual. We believe that students invest in themselves when they are invested in. We are looking for exceptional educators who will make that life-giving investment. At Atlantic Community Charter School, our teachers make all the difference in the education of our students.

We believe we have the most dedicated, hardworking, committed, competent, and compassionate teachers in the field of education. Recruiting of our teachers is taken very seriously. Our staff is trained to notice learning differences early on so students can get the help they need right away. Grade directors, senior-level teachers with years of experience, provide guidance and knowledge to their respective grade teachers in an effort to enhance teacher outcomes and student performance.

Professional development is on-going at ACCS. We work hard to make sure our teachers are on the cutting edge of technology and are aware of new or changing teaching pedagogies so our students can benefit from new research and educational tools. Our staff arrives at school each morning eager to teach their students.