Dive Brief:

• While some education experts believe teachers are critical go-to sources as colleges and universities determine how to improve teacher preparation programs, others say their skills can be outdated.
• The Hechinger Report writes the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has been turning to veteran teachers to share the gaps they see in teacher preparedness as it considers new regulations for training pre-service teachers, joining Louisiana, Massachusetts, Delaware, Tennessee and Georgia, which have adopted similar strategies.
• Still, Margo Pensavelle, a professor of clinical education at the University of Southern California said the experiences of veteran teachers can be at odds with the way new teachers are being trained— including in classroom management, where a behavioral approach used to be common and now teachers are being asked to consider restorative justice practices.

Dive Insight:

States can both take advantage of teachers as the people who most understand the realities in classrooms and also consider their recommendations in the context of a changing field. While states are the ones setting teacher preparation guidelines, districts can adopt some of their listening strategies for internal school improvement. Veteran teachers may have ideas about qualities administrators should be looking for in new teachers and they can certainly contribute to new teacher supports.

Many teachers have become disillusioned with the profession since No Child Left Behind created such prescriptive goals for school improvement. Districts have responded with top-down directives that can leave teacher expertise out of the equation. Those districts that have begun to shift, creating opportunities for shared leadership and decision-making, have been able to retain teachers at higher rates and make long-lasting progress with school improvement.