In a 2016 Learning Policy Institute report, Linda Darling-Hammond and her team cited inadequate teacher preparation and lack of support for new teachers as two of the top six reasons new teachers leave the profession. Additionally, a 2023 report by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) found that nationally, only 28% of teacher preparation programs adequately addressed the science of reading by including instruction on all 5 core components of reading instruction. Perhaps even more disturbing is that 22% of teacher preparation programs included 0 of the 5 core components of reading instruction, and 40% of programs teach practices that are not scientifically based and can, in fact, impede student learning. This report was followed by another NCTQ report on a 2023 survey of education leaders, advocacy groups, and researchers who named improving teacher preparation as one of their top five priorities over the next three years. From the perspective of many state and local education leaders, the inadequacy of teacher preparation is often due to the failure of these programs to ensure that new teacher candidates have an in-depth understanding of the evidence base on teaching.
Through this cross-state community of practice, R7CC is facilitating state teams in reviewing and reflecting on the evidence base on teaching and instruction and will explore opportunities and approaches to ensure its integration within teacher preparation programs to ensure that teachers-in-training are provided a strong foundation in the science of teaching prior to entering the classroom. The goal of this project is to better prepare teachers-in-training and reduce the need to train new teachers in evidence-based practices on teaching and instruction. The end result will be to increase student access to high-quality instruction through better-prepared teachers.