National Council on Teacher Quality

The National Council on Teacher Quality was founded in 2000 by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Diane Ravitch, who was on its board at its founding, said they were conservatives who thought that teacher training institutions were "too concerned about self-esteem and social justice and not concerned enough with basic skills and academics." Its board once contained members of the Reagan, Clinton, and Bush administrations. The organization is based in Washington, D.C. and headed by Heather Peske. == Teacher Prep Review ==

{{Quote box knowledge inadequate to thrive in classrooms with ever-increasing ethnic and socioeconomic student diversity. On June 18, 2013, NCTQ released its first report and rankings of teacher preparation programs, the Teacher Prep Review, via news magazine U.S. News & World Reports website. In total, 608 institutions were included in the report. However, the study found that only 19 states require aspiring teachers to pass a test that shows they've mastered research-based methods for teaching children to read. Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan commented on the report, saying, "“There has been a great deal of cynicism—and I include myself—regarding the capacity of teacher prep to make changes. I thank the National Council on Teacher Quality for refusing to turn their attention away from this issue. This progress gives me real hope." Response The Associated Press's Philip Elliott wrote that the report was "designed" to provoke teacher education programs to change the teacher skills taught in their curricula. The State Teacher Policy Database, previously the State Teacher Policy Yearbook, presents state snapshots on teacher policy regarding teacher preparation, recruitment and retention, and provides guidance to states on policy changes that improve teacher quality. There is a national overview and state analyses, and editions have been published biannually since 2011. == References ==