What does ‘effectiveness’ look like for a beginning teacher, and how can we determine the effectiveness of our program graduates? These questions get at the heart of NExT ‐  launched to develop a shared understanding of beginning teacher effectiveness and to define mechanisms to determine effectiveness in partnership with P‐ 12 education stakeholders.

The origin of our work stems from increasing calls from policymakers and accreditation bodies to hold colleges of teacher education accountable for preparing effective teachers for our nation’s schools. Recognizing the instrumental role that teacher preparation plays in developing and strengthening the overall teaching force, we heed this call and embrace the opportunity to critically examine ‐  and bolster ‐  our impact as teacher educators. We see an important role for teacher educators ‐  as professionals who bridge the research and practice divide ‐  in influencing how teacher effectiveness is conceptualized more broadly.

 

In our collective work with beginning teacher effectiveness, we seek to:

Understand

Clarify

Support

  • The experiences, impact, and career trajectories of our graduates
  • The human capital needs of P‐12 stakeholders
  • The role of teacher preparation in developing effective beginning teachers
  • The important balance between establishing common metrics and ensuring institutional flexibility
  •  The early professional learning of our graduates

  • The capacity of P‐12 system to improve beginning teacher effectiveness

Improve

  • The quality and impact of our teacher preparation programs
  • The quality and impact of our program graduates

Influence

  • Local and national policy concerning teacher preparation, induction, evaluation, and professional development
  • The broader field of teacher preparation