A Plan to Get the Best Teachers in the World 

In his new book, The Best Teachers in the World: Why We Don’t Have Them and How We C..., Education Sector’s John Chubb explores strategies for how the United States can cultivate and retain the best teachers in the world, all with an eye toward raising student achievement. Jeff Selingo, an Education Sector senior fellow, sat down with Chubb to discuss the book at a recentEducation Sector author talk.
 
Selingo started off the conversation asking Chubb to weigh the importance of teacher recruitment versus teacher training, a main theme in the book. Chubb argued that most of the evidence that drives teacher quality points to training. Selection matters, he says, and so does aptitude. But training is critical, argues Chubb. “The dominant explanation of success is what teachers learn on the job.” The challenge with this, however, is the variation in ongoing professional development and teacher improvement. “Training on the job needs to be structured,” says Chubb. And, part of the solution might be to focus on leadership within the school, he suggests: Does the principal provide a structure by which teachers can collaborate and learn from each other? Does she really know what good instruction looks like? What training is needed and effective? School leaders must be more focused on creating the right context and structure, argues Chubb.
 
View highlights from the discussion in a series of videos found here. Be sure to check out all three.