Managing Educator Talent: Promising Practices and Lessons from Midwestern States

Between 2009 and 2010, seven Midwestern states—Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin—passed significant legislation addressing teacher preparation, licensure, and evaluation. AIR conducted a review of this legislation, analyzing each state’s system for developing, recruiting, and retaining effective teachers and leaders.

The analysis explains the need for a cohesive, systemic approach to educator talent management, presents findings of trends and patterns in state policy, and provides recommendations to policymakers towards crafting such an approach.

Findings:

• States are now playing a larger role in the areas of teacher performance management. 
• Leadership at high levels is critical to driving reforms in educator quality. 
• Programs geared toward recruiting, developing, and supporting school leaders do not exist to the same extent as programs for teachers, if at all. 
• States vary greatly in their ability to project educator supply and demand. 
• States only minimally monitor how well their investments in educator quality policies achieve their intended goals. 
• During the initial phases of policy development, broad stakeholder engagement is crucial. 
• Barriers to the implementation of systemic educator talent management policies can be overcome through increased collaboration among state education agencies. 
• Breaking down interdepartmental silos will facilitate the coordination of policy initiatives.