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Thursday, June 16, 2011

Education Research Report: The Teacher Quality Roadmap: Improving Policies and Practices in LAUSD

Education Research Report: The Teacher Quality Roadmap: Improving Policies and Practices in LAUSD

The Teacher Quality Roadmap: Improving Policies and Practices in LAUSD

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Teacher Quality Roadmap: Improving Policies and Practices in LAUSD
is an in-depth study conducted by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). Designed as a tool to highlight what is and is not working in LA schools, the report compares LAUSD’s policies with both surrounding districts and similar districts around the nation. The report also identifies local and state legislative reforms that would facilitate district efforts to attract and retain highly effective teachers. This report follows other NCTQ district spotlights:

  • Kansas City, Missouri School District (January 2011)

  • Baltimore City Public Schools, MD (June 2010)

  • Boston Public Schools, MA (February 2010)

  • Seattle Public Schools, WA (October 2009)

  • Hartford Public Schools, CT (May 2009)


  • With just over half of the 680,000 students graduating on time in LAUSD, the country’s second biggest school district, systemic change is required in order to make way for effective teachers and overall student achievement.

    Give Students Who Want To Leave Failing Schools Better Options?

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    Ten years ago, the No Child Left Behind Act passed the Congress with broad bipartisan support, but elements of NCLB are now broadly criticized by members of both major political parties. Among the most disappointing features is the poorly conceived and underutilized “transfer” provision, which enables students in “failing” Title I schools to choose to attend another school within their district. Less than 2 percent of students avail themselves of this right to transfer, which has led to suggestions that the provision be scrapped.

    In a newly released Century Foundation study, “Can NCLB Choice Work?” Meredith P. Richards, Kori J. Stroub, and Jennifer Jellison Holme of the University of Texas at Austin suggest that, rather than jettisoning the transfer provisions, students in schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress should be given the ability to transfer to higher-performing schools outside of their district. The report draws on sophisticated research models that show both the feasibility and benefit of instituting programs like this across the country.

    The report, which draws upon data from forty-five states, finds: