Statement by Antonia Cortese,
Executive Vice President, American Federation of Teachers,
on the Findings of the Teacher Quality Report from Education Trust

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Education Trust's latest report, "Teaching Inequality: How Poor and Minority Students Are Shortchanged on Teacher Quality," provides a strong summary of the literature on teacher placement in schools and discusses the critical role experienced, well-prepared teachers have in academic success, particularly for poor and minority students.

There is much to agree with in this report. The Education Trust is absolutely correct in its assertion that a lack of qualified, experienced teachers has a profound and negative impact on students in hard-to-staff urban schools.  The report identifies many factors that contribute to this dilemma: indifference to the problem, accounting practices that disadvantage schools with high percentages of poor and minority students, lack of monetary incentives, poor working conditions and overall teacher supply problems, to name a few. Some of the proposed long- and short-term solutions offered in the report are sensible, research-based proposals, but others are unsubstantiated remedies, unsupported by evidence as to why or how such efforts would necessarily improve the current inequitable distribution of teacher talent. 

Teachers are leaving the profession at an alarming rate for a number of reasons, including poor working conditions, a lack of formal peer support systems and low salaries. If we want today's new teachers to be around long enough to become tomorrow's seasoned professionals, we need to approach the distribution problem by ensuring that high-poverty, low-performing schools have effective leaders and working conditions that encourage teachers to stay.  Such conditions include adequate instructional resources and facilities, safe environments, incentives for teachers to take tougher assignments, processes to ensure the timely hiring and placement of teachers, and adequate and equitable funding based on student needs.

 The Education Trust report should inspire a much-needed closer examination of these critical issues. We look forward to working with the Education Trust and others to find viable solutions to rectify the "teacher quality gap."

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