Raising the Bar of Teacher Quality: Accountability, Collaboration, and Social Justice. The Claremont Letter. Volume 1, Issue 4

Historically, reform efforts to address poor student achievement have focused on a variety of issues other than teacher quality. Movements such as TQM (Total Quality Management), class size reduction (CSR), school leadership, parental involvement, and multicultural curriculum have not directly addressed the power or influence of the individual classroom teacher. However, research shows us that individual teachers can profoundly impact the academic achievement of their students (Brophy & Good, 1986; Darling-Hammond, 2000; Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001; Sanders & Horn, 1994; Wright, Horn, & Sanders, 1997). In fact, Brophy and Good's meta analysis (1986) indicates that hundreds of studies refute the myths perpetuated by earlier research (namely Coleman, 1966; Jencks, Smith, Ackland, Bane, Cohen, & Grintlis, 1972), which held that student variables like natural ability, aptitude, socioeconomic status, and home environment are the foremost predictors of student achievement. In short, current research indicates that teacher quality is a significant, if not dominant, variable in achievement outcomes. Teacher educators, however, often find it difficult to agree upon a common definition of teacher quality. To develop exemplary teachers, Claremont Graduate University's Teacher Education Internship Program (CGU's TEIP) addresses the techniques, attitudes, skills, and experiences necessary to become a quality teacher by embracing the ideals of three key terms: Accountability, Collaboration, and Social Justice.