As teacher educators, we recognize that defining and measuring beginning teacher effectiveness is a complex and value‐laden endeavor. We approach our collective work with this complexity in mind and adhere to the following guiding principles in everything we do:
- We embark on this work in a spirit of partnership, collaborating with the P‐12 community to define and measure beginning teacher effectiveness.
- We hold as our ultimate aim to improve P‐12 student learning and growth. Measures of beginning teacher effectiveness must therefore include both teaching quality and student impact indicators.
- We are aware that defining and measuring beginning teacher effectiveness is inherently a political process with policy and advocacy implications at multiple locations in the eduction ecosystem. We embrace our role as policy advocates.
- We measure beginning teacher effectiveness for developmental purposes, to improve our programs and to ensure success among the teachers we prepare.
- We rely on multiple measures of beginning teacher effectiveness to provide a fair, well‐rounded picture of a teacher’s strengths and areas needing improvement.
- We believe that beginning teacher effectiveness is a social justice issue. It is our responsibility to ensure that our graduates meet the intellectual and developmental needs of all children of color and children from low-income families.
- We are all in this work together. Sharing knowledge and best practices across institutions regarding the ways we prepare and support beginning teachers is fundamental to systemic improvement.
- We understand that some aspects of beginning teacher effectiveness may be defined and measured universally across teacher preparation programs and some are best determined locally by teacher preparation programs and school districts.
